Well that was unexpectedly awesome! See- I expected to like it of course, otherwise I'd not have read it. But one, I didn't expect it to be as awesome and two, it did start off slow, and I wasn't sure it was going to work for me. Clearly, I was incorrect.
That little bit of initial slowness is the only negative I have with the book whatsoever. So let's get that out of the way. The first maybe 12% didn't wholly capture me (and in hindsight, the level of detail seemed a tad unnecessary). But I was interested enough to keep going, and I am so glad with my life choice! Let's talk about why I loved this, shall we?
- •It was one of those incredibly rare books that I literally lost hours of my life in and didn't realize. You ever find yourself reading along, then suddenly look at the clock and actual huge amounts of time had passed? Yeah, me either. This does not ever happen to me, and it did with this book. I was just so completely engrossed in it that I straight up lost track of time- it was that compulsively readable.
- •I loved all the moral dilemmas and struggles the characters faced. The stakes were so incredibly high during the whole story, and often there wasn't a good decision to be made.
- •Zara's character growth was awesome- and believable. Zara had spent her life going through family issues (we'll get to that) and getting in trouble. She initially rejects the chance to go into space with the Honors, but finds herself in space. She learns about herself, about others, and figures out that she is someone worth fighting for.
- •The relationships the characters formed were amazing. There is a romantic relationship, which I shan't spoil (but if you have read the book, I chuckled as I wrote the spoiler tag 😂 (the ship with a ship on a ship?) . But that was far from the only important relationship. Zara and Beatriz becoming friends was such a lovely journey. They complimented each other perfectly, and they brought out the best in each other. And I loved how much Zara cared for her family, even as she knew that her going away from them was probably the best choice she could make for them.
- •There was so much freaking action! I am often wary of books that offer a lot of action, but this one was so perfectly balanced. Enough stuff going on that I was always engaged, but never overwhelmed. And of course, the downtime necessary to truly fall in love with the characters!
- •Despite the complexity of the world, it never confused me. I don't necessarily understand it all yet, but the authors did a phenomenal job of giving the right amount of information at the right times. The world itself became a huge part of the plot as a result, and I felt fully immersed, yet always excited to learn more.
Will I Read the Next Book? Um yeah, can I have it this actual second? Of course I will read it! I feel like with such a vast world, there is unlimited potential, and I cannot freaking wait.
Bottom Line: In the end, the slow start was a non-issue because the rest of the book was just that epic. This book had it all: fabulous characters I was rooting for, a world I couldn't get enough of, and super high stakes that made it impossible to put the book down!
*Copy provided for review