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cloudbust's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
picklefall1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? Yes
5.0
A Good Different
I can't pin down another book this is similar to, which is good. With the main species in this book, I get a mix of a tribal and technological vibe--a rare combo. There are lots of POV characters and a vast spread of settings, giving the book an epic feel. I found it easy to root for Alira, the main character, because she's such an earnest rebel against a repressive system where everyone else is scared to change. And the two main villains are awesome. I enjoyed the shrewdness of Skalar and snorted at the crazy stuff Crow was always saying. He would tell his own brain to shut up, for example.
The writing style is clean, clear, and well polished. I never had to reread sentences because of parsing issues. I did struggle a little with the complexity of the various POV characters and didn't feel invested in them as much as I felt with Alira, Skalar, and Crow, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment or overall understanding. The author does some rather unusual things near the end, which I won't explain here to avoid spoilers. Let's just say that I look for stories that surprise me and give me something new to think about, and this book does both very well. The scientific details are realistic and well-researched and didn't devolve into needless techno-babble. And the settings are vivid and sensory. And the cultural and linguistic world building for the main species is quite immersive. Because this is only book one of a trilogy, there's plenty more coming. So basically I got everything I wanted from a sci-fi novel here, and I easily recommend it to any adult sci-fi fan.
Merged review:
A Good Different
I can't pin down another book this is similar to, which is good. With the main species in this book, I get a mix of a tribal and technological vibe--a rare combo. There are lots of POV characters and a vast spread of settings, giving the book an epic feel. I found it easy to root for Alira, the main character, because she's such an earnest rebel against a repressive system where everyone else is scared to change. And the two main villains are awesome. I enjoyed the shrewdness of Skalar and snorted at the crazy stuff Crow was always saying. He would tell his own brain to shut up, for example.
The writing style is clean, clear, and well polished. I never had to reread sentences because of parsing issues. I did struggle a little with the complexity of the various POV characters and didn't feel invested in them as much as I felt with Alira, Skalar, and Crow, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment or overall understanding. The author does some rather unusual things near the end, which I won't explain here to avoid spoilers. Let's just say that I look for stories that surprise me and give me something new to think about, and this book does both very well. The scientific details are realistic and well-researched and didn't devolve into needless techno-babble. And the settings are vivid and sensory. And the cultural and linguistic world building for the main species is quite immersive. Because this is only book one of a trilogy, there's plenty more coming. So basically I got everything I wanted from a sci-fi novel here, and I easily recommend it to any adult sci-fi fan.
I can't pin down another book this is similar to, which is good. With the main species in this book, I get a mix of a tribal and technological vibe--a rare combo. There are lots of POV characters and a vast spread of settings, giving the book an epic feel. I found it easy to root for Alira, the main character, because she's such an earnest rebel against a repressive system where everyone else is scared to change. And the two main villains are awesome. I enjoyed the shrewdness of Skalar and snorted at the crazy stuff Crow was always saying. He would tell his own brain to shut up, for example.
The writing style is clean, clear, and well polished. I never had to reread sentences because of parsing issues. I did struggle a little with the complexity of the various POV characters and didn't feel invested in them as much as I felt with Alira, Skalar, and Crow, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment or overall understanding. The author does some rather unusual things near the end, which I won't explain here to avoid spoilers. Let's just say that I look for stories that surprise me and give me something new to think about, and this book does both very well. The scientific details are realistic and well-researched and didn't devolve into needless techno-babble. And the settings are vivid and sensory. And the cultural and linguistic world building for the main species is quite immersive. Because this is only book one of a trilogy, there's plenty more coming. So basically I got everything I wanted from a sci-fi novel here, and I easily recommend it to any adult sci-fi fan.
Merged review:
A Good Different
I can't pin down another book this is similar to, which is good. With the main species in this book, I get a mix of a tribal and technological vibe--a rare combo. There are lots of POV characters and a vast spread of settings, giving the book an epic feel. I found it easy to root for Alira, the main character, because she's such an earnest rebel against a repressive system where everyone else is scared to change. And the two main villains are awesome. I enjoyed the shrewdness of Skalar and snorted at the crazy stuff Crow was always saying. He would tell his own brain to shut up, for example.
The writing style is clean, clear, and well polished. I never had to reread sentences because of parsing issues. I did struggle a little with the complexity of the various POV characters and didn't feel invested in them as much as I felt with Alira, Skalar, and Crow, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment or overall understanding. The author does some rather unusual things near the end, which I won't explain here to avoid spoilers. Let's just say that I look for stories that surprise me and give me something new to think about, and this book does both very well. The scientific details are realistic and well-researched and didn't devolve into needless techno-babble. And the settings are vivid and sensory. And the cultural and linguistic world building for the main species is quite immersive. Because this is only book one of a trilogy, there's plenty more coming. So basically I got everything I wanted from a sci-fi novel here, and I easily recommend it to any adult sci-fi fan.