Reviews

Kitra by Gideon Marcus

Only show reviews with written explanations

paurw's review against another edition

4.0

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of this book.
It was a really enterteining journey.

I liked Kitra the book and the character. It was a story different from what I'm used to, is focused on the adventure and misfortunes of space travel and that was refreshing.
I was super worried but also super interested on how ouer characters would (if) come out of this situation, and I believe that's the main purpose of a story like this.

I recommend it a 100% percent.

_bookally_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I absolutely loved this book! This book follows Kitra and her group of friends through some wild adventures in space. I dont tend to pick up y.a anymore but i will still pick up y.a scifi and this one did not disappoint. I was hooked right from the get go and devoured it so quickly. I loved the action, the diverse characters and their relationships with one another. The drama and adventures were *chefs kiss*. I really enjoyed every aspect of this book and look forward to more books in this series.

Thanks to netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

lacyduckie's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I needed to read something that wasn't Fantasy and Kitra fit that criteria. A few months ago, the author reached out to me for a review and for one reason or another, it kept getting put off. This year has been a weird one for everyone. Anyway, I finally picked it. And I'm glad I did. At just under 200 pages, it's a quick read. We follow Kitra as she decided to buy an old spaceship. Along with her friends (3 humans and Spongebob the alien whose actually name is Pinky), as a crew, fix it up and take it for a test run across the galaxy. Of course, it doesn't go as planned.

Kitra took a little bit to get going but about a quarter in, the story takes off. Literally. After that, I couldn't put it down. I was hoping for more to the mystery. That I won't spoil. But it was a bit anticlimactic. Also, because I'm one of those people who want romance in most stories, wanted to see the foreshadowing go somewhere. At the end of the book the author does say more stories are planned so my fingers are crossed for the future. I love that no labels are used in this universe and sexuality seems pretty fluid. I'm very interested in finding more out about Fareedh. I adored the too few illustrations.

If you like [b:The 100|17332969|The 100 (The 100, #1)|Kass Morgan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1377012321l/17332969._SY75_.jpg|24065011] and/or [b:Starflight|21793182|Starflight (Starflight, #1)|Melissa Landers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456568054l/21793182._SY75_.jpg|41045510] then I think you will definitely enjoy this book.

overleaf's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This is a relatively quick read and a pretty good YA survival-adventure story. A group of friends take a newly acquired spaceship out for a proverbial 3-hour tour and get way more than they bargained for. Nothing epic here, and no tangled and tragic love triangles. Just a good nail-biter.

I appreciate the author's excellent application of science and technology. It's plausible and well-presented, without being overly geeky and technical. Too many YA authors seem to think if they just sprinkle in a lot of "parsec" and "quantum", it's sci-fi.

stacieh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

emzhay's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

I enjoy slice of life type, found family stories but the writing of this one really did not appeal to me. I found the characters to be pretty one dimensional and couldn’t get attached to them though I did really appreciate their diversity. This book is probably much more enjoyable for a reader younger than me.

Content Warnings

bookally's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

racheleanne06's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I didn’t know much about this book going in to it, I had’t read any of the descriptions which is unusual for me. So I was surprised to learn that this book is YA, but not only that, but it reads exactly like a high-school teen drama set on a spaceship. It was definitely unique! It was also really diverse, with BAME, body positive, LGBTQ+ characters, which I loved.

However despite all this, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I found the characters likeable and engaging, and very funny at points. Pinky’s puns were my favourite part of this book. However there was little to no character development in all but one member of the team, which made the book fall a little flat for me, as a strong character arc is something I like. I just felt like it was missing some of the depth that I look for when I am reading, I want to feel and learn and grow alongside the characters. And I want to watch their relationships change and develop too, but they were in the same place at the end of the book as they were at the start.

However if you are looking for a light-hearted, fun and hopeful read, this book is for you! I felt like it took a little while for the story to really kick in, but once it did it was thrilling and I flew through the rest of the book. And it’s pretty short too at only 161 pages.

The plot was exciting, claustrophobic and a little scary at some points, I found myself rooting for the characters to pull through their situation. It was also nice to read something different, most YA books are all about saving the galaxy or good vs. evil, so it was refreshing to read something that was just about a group of friends, trying to save themselves.

On another note I also appreciated that there were a couple of illustrations in this book as well, which I thought was a cute addition.

SUMMARY

This was a light, refreshing read. The characters were interesting, diverse and funny. And although I was wishing for more character development, there were some cute moments between the team, and by the last half of the book I found the plot very thrilling and engaging which carried me through my doubts about the depth of characterisation in this book. Overall, this was a fun book to read, and at only 161 pages I felt like Gideon packed a lot into this little story.

Content Warnings

gideonmarcus's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

eriophora's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This was a very nice, easy read! I would recommend it to anyone looking for an optimistic YA book about friends who work together to overcome some major challenges. It had several very cute moments, and the overall tone was light and hopeful. My only complaint is that I didn't feel like I got to know the characters as well as I would have liked. Full review to come!

More...