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mladams's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
mugglemom's review against another edition
3.0
Liked it but didn't quite connect to any characters. World building was good and this was funny at times.
Not sure if I'll continue the series.
Not sure if I'll continue the series.
rayfalla's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
elisenic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
interrowhimper's review
5.0
I quite enjoyed this and I suspect fans of The Expanse will too. World-building was great and the book is full of morally gray characters who were somehow really inspiring, which I love. Some aspects of the structural arrangement of various political entities were a little confusing but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book and I suspect more information might come in a sequel. Can’t wait for book 2.
the_prickly_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
millie_vk's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
The first half was okay, there were a lot of perspectives and some were better than others. But it really picked up in the second half when the characters came together and it became more fast paced.
I wish the world building was a bit more explicitly explained, I found myself lost at times with all the different factions and places and mentions of points of history that I had no prior knowledge of and was expected to just roll with. I wanted to know more about the source coders in particular, the little info I got about them was interesting.
Characterisation was a little inconsistent and janky at times, e.g sometimes Alessia would speak and think like a young child, other times she had the vocabulary a seasoned politician; McLennan's self hatred about his past could've used a bit more build up or prior mention etc.
All in all this didn't really bother me too much.
I actually found the Sturm to be more imposing in the first half of the book than the second half. I didn't actually know what they were when I started reading, and the whole thing with them hacking into people and making them mindless cannibals was honestly terrifying, but this wasn't really utilised at all in the second half and then they kind of just became human soldiers by the end and it wasn't as frightening.
Lucinda, Sephina and Booker3 were my favourite perspectives to read from. Lucinda is a badass and I would let her punch me, I'm a sucker for a space pirate crew, and also the idea that Booker3 is a bunch of code that can be uploaded to basically anything is so funny to me, I love that idea. Him as a hedgetrimmer was great.
I also enjoyed the relationship between Hero and McLennan. Two bickering centuries old men, one some kind of alien AI with barely contained immeasurable power, is a dynamic I didn't know I would enjoy.
There was a lot of things I liked about this and also quite a few things I wasn't a huge fan of but I'm invested enough to read the next one.
The first half was okay, there were a lot of perspectives and some were better than others. But it really picked up in the second half when the characters came together and it became more fast paced.
I wish the world building was a bit more explicitly explained, I found myself lost at times with all the different factions and places and mentions of points of history that I had no prior knowledge of and was expected to just roll with. I wanted to know more about the source coders in particular, the little info I got about them was interesting.
Characterisation was a little inconsistent and janky at times, e.g sometimes Alessia would speak and think like a young child, other times she had the vocabulary a seasoned politician; McLennan's self hatred about his past could've used a bit more build up or prior mention etc.
All in all this didn't really bother me too much.
I actually found the Sturm to be more imposing in the first half of the book than the second half. I didn't actually know what they were when I started reading, and the whole thing with them hacking into people and making them mindless cannibals was honestly terrifying, but this wasn't really utilised at all in the second half and then they kind of just became human soldiers by the end and it wasn't as frightening.
Lucinda, Sephina and Booker3 were my favourite perspectives to read from. Lucinda is a badass and I would let her punch me, I'm a sucker for a space pirate crew, and also the idea that Booker3 is a bunch of code that can be uploaded to basically anything is so funny to me, I love that idea. Him as a hedgetrimmer was great.
I also enjoyed the relationship between Hero and McLennan. Two bickering centuries old men, one some kind of alien AI with barely contained immeasurable power, is a dynamic I didn't know I would enjoy.
There was a lot of things I liked about this and also quite a few things I wasn't a huge fan of but I'm invested enough to read the next one.
louthereader's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
4.0
The thing with space adventures is trying to figure out what's what, who's who and where's where. It's all so confusing when you don't have a reference point for a story and that's how this one starts. It takes a while to work out what is happening and what the alliances are but even towards the end things were still a bit unclear.
You just have to go with the flow.
When you do you are in for an adventure story where the past comes back with a vengeance. The defeat foe returns trying to take back what they lost and cleanse the universe of non natural humans, of which there are many. When the invasion comes, 5 very different people are brought together and have to fight for their survival.
An enjoyable story when you don't think too much about all the things that don't make sense.
You just have to go with the flow.
When you do you are in for an adventure story where the past comes back with a vengeance. The defeat foe returns trying to take back what they lost and cleanse the universe of non natural humans, of which there are many. When the invasion comes, 5 very different people are brought together and have to fight for their survival.
An enjoyable story when you don't think too much about all the things that don't make sense.