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timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I have figure out who this was aimed at before I can rate it. Is it YA? Is there a genre called "cozy space" that this fits squarely into?
Imagine a Neal Asher book, full of details and how-it-works and explosions and gore. This is the opposite of that. Has anyone used the term "space operetta" yet? Or "soft SF"?
So we have a found-family story here, and everyone who appears for more than a paragraph is Nice. Some bluster, some are shy, but they are all Nice. Snoopy used to read books by Miss Helen Sweetstory, and this is like that.
We get a huge buildup to the Boarding Games, and in the end we get one glimpse in the prelims of what a boarding exercise looks like. It consists of "you go left, I'll go right" and surprising a group of people who are totally expecting them to enter via the room's only door.
We have instantaneous travel and communications. As in "Oh darn, I left my notebook back on Jupiter Station, I'll just pop back and get it" - from Earth. 588,000,000 km at MINimum.
Nah, the story's about Max bonding with her friends. and as such it's fine. But it's so frothy and tension-free (in the mystery world this is "cozy"). We know after ten pages that Max is going to do just fine and the team will win the Games and the bad guy will be nabbed.
Then there's Naki, or Mookie, or Nika or Zika or whatever the heck his name is. He's nice to Max for a few days, then she falls for him via email. Puh-leese.
Still, it's a smooth, flowing read, and maybe just what one needs after an Asher or an Egan.
Imagine a Neal Asher book, full of details and how-it-works and explosions and gore. This is the opposite of that. Has anyone used the term "space operetta" yet? Or "soft SF"?
So we have a found-family story here, and everyone who appears for more than a paragraph is Nice. Some bluster, some are shy, but they are all Nice. Snoopy used to read books by Miss Helen Sweetstory, and this is like that.
We get a huge buildup to the Boarding Games, and in the end we get one glimpse in the prelims of what a boarding exercise looks like. It consists of "you go left, I'll go right" and surprising a group of people who are totally expecting them to enter via the room's only door.
We have instantaneous travel and communications. As in "Oh darn, I left my notebook back on Jupiter Station, I'll just pop back and get it" - from Earth. 588,000,000 km at MINimum.
Nah, the story's about Max bonding with her friends. and as such it's fine. But it's so frothy and tension-free (in the mystery world this is "cozy"). We know after ten pages that Max is going to do just fine and the team will win the Games and the bad guy will be nabbed.
Then there's Naki, or Mookie, or Nika or Zika or whatever the heck his name is. He's nice to Max for a few days, then she falls for him via email. Puh-leese.
Still, it's a smooth, flowing read, and maybe just what one needs after an Asher or an Egan.
no_fun_jon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
lauralauralaura's review against another edition
4.5
Absolutely perfectly fits the bill for my escapist reading needs. A really competent female leader, a band of misfits who really care about one another and are uniquely suited to rise to a challenge, sex-positive, emotionally intelligent, and all tied up in a neat bow by the end.
carleesi's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the characters and the focus on relationship building. It was also cool to see a world that was seemlessly LGBTQIA+
At times the perspectives confused me, it wasn’t always clear who was the POV of each section until a few paragraphs in. I also felt that some of the conflict built and resolved too quickly to understand why it was significant/ to get a full feel of what was happening.
That being said I love me some space opera so I will absolutely be reading more.
At times the perspectives confused me, it wasn’t always clear who was the POV of each section until a few paragraphs in. I also felt that some of the conflict built and resolved too quickly to understand why it was significant/ to get a full feel of what was happening.
That being said I love me some space opera so I will absolutely be reading more.
quasarignition's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? No
3.0
tessa_b's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-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? Yes
4.75
saintburns's review against another edition
5.0
This is another great read from author KB Wagers! This romp combines a lot of the things I love to see in my space operas! Romance! Cool action hero antics! Emotional talks with partners! Amazing world building that has inclusivity built in!! I love Max the main character and her journey as she grows with her new NeoG team and found family. I love the games and how it felt like the olympics with a spirit of competition and togetherness. Jenks is amazing and it was so good to see them grow emotionally through the story. The fights feel real and I love that there were call backs to pop culture that’s current now! I was given this earc by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
norinori's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? No
4.0
tommi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
aallen352's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5