Reviews

Not to be dramatic, but this book very nearly makes me question every other book I’ve given 5 stars to.

The way the author includes such heavy themes / explores such nuanced topics in such a light-hearted way was perfect. Xenophobia, racism/speciesism, gun ownership, gender, sexuality, ai. It never feels preachy when broaching those subjects, which is the best part. She included it super seamlessly and it always felt intentional and not clunky. Yet fun! It was so fun.

Chosen family, queerness, world building, mixing cultures and celebrating our differences, honoring peoples’ uniqueness. Even a sprinkle of neurodivergence if you’re looking for it. Ugh. Loved it all.

AND, every main character, I loved. Yes, even Corbin. Dr. Chef?! Wholesome. Sissix?? Perfection. Kizzy?! Phenomenal. They were my three favs. But every main character I would’ve loved to know in real life — seriously.

I’m not normally into sci-fi because I tend to get lost in the technicalities, but this was super fun and approachable. The jargon never felt confusing. And there were no major things I wouldn’t have comprehended had I now known what something was.

Fav quotes below. They’re not spoilers really, but I’ll block them out in case you don’t want to see them:

1. Her mind raced, scrambling to remember what she could of Aandrisk culture. Complicated family structures. Virtually no concept of personal space. Physically affectionate. Promiscuous. She mentally slapped herself for that. It was a stereotype, one that every human knew whether they wanted to or not, and it smacked of ethnocentrism. They don’t pair up like we do, she chided herself. Somewhere in her head, Professor Selim was frowning at her. “The very fact that we use the term ‘cold-blooded’ as a synonym for ‘heartless’ should tell you something about the innate bias we primates hold against reptiles. Do not judge other species by your own social norms.”

2. The thoughts he was drumming up were old and safely kept. Kizzy had accused him once of “bottling up his feelings“ but this was a human concept, the idea that one could hide their feelings away and pretend that they were not there. Dr. Chef knew exactly where all of his feelings were, every joy, every ache. He didn’t need to visit them all at once to know they were there. Humans’ preoccupation with “being happy “was something he had never been able to figure out. No sapient could sustain happiness all the time, just as no one could live permanently with an anger, or boredom, or grief. Grief. Yes, that was the feeling that Rosemary needed him to find today. He did not run from his grief, nor did he deny its existence. He could study his grief from a distance, like a scientist, observing animals. He embraced it, accepted it, acknowledged that it would never go away. It was as much a part of him is any pleasant feeling, perhaps even more so.

victoria_elaine20's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

marnie100's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

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