Reviews with content warning for Death - Sisters of the Vast Black

If only the pace of this novella wouldn't be so uneven!
The first part dragged a little bit and the end felt too rushed but I really liked Lucia, Faustina and Gemma, hope we will see them again in the second book.

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rainbow_kitten_five's review

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dark hopeful slow-paced

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

This book was extremely ableist, with implications that a) pandemics are caused by governments as a way to control us so we should not listen to restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of diseases b) implies mute people and those suffering from mental health issues are actually faking their disabilities to hide their dark/evil actions. The characters were dull and I don't remember any of their names. The plot was rushed, it didn't feel like the characters were developed, it took me years to finish reading despite this being a short story because the entire book was horrible.

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yush's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

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

3.25

I felt as though the book was quite rushed at times. I feel like there was a lot of points of views and it got confusing to keep up with each characters storyline. It also left me feeling as though some plot lines were unresolved or half-baked. I often found myself searching for the significance of a plot line (

The debate about whether the ship has a soul

) or point of view (mostly Sister Faustian) or character (

Father Giovanni

)

To me, the book felt like the starting chapters of a novel rather than a complete story in itself.

That being said the storyline of Mother Reverend carried this book for me. I was invested so heavily in her journey and I love every part of that adventure. Without that plot line I’d likely have rated this story a 2.

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astropova's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.25

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dreamnotoftoday's review

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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enchantressreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

The Sisters of the Order of Saint Rita, a group of space nuns flying in a biological yet non-sentient ship, receive a call from a new colony to bless the settlement. The nuns believe this is just a standard trip, and complete the blessing as intended. Soon, a priest shows up and knocks them all on their backs. The safety of the world post-war may be hanging in the balance.

Space nuns. Put anything next to “space” and I will read it. Sisters of the Vast Black is a very original story but contains all the stuff I love about science fiction—a group of diverse characters fighting against the government or corporation, a group of found family, and strong character development hiding behind secrecy.

As this was a novella, I felt like a few details weren’t fleshed out enough. I’m very excited to continue into the sequel, and I’m hoping some questions get answered! I would love to see more of this word.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this advanced review copy! Sisters of the Vast Black is available now, and the sequel Sisters of the Forsaken Stars will be released on February 15th.

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