Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 880
Published: 2020
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis:
The year is 2257, and humanity has spread into a vast empire across space. Kira Navárez is a xenobiologist, traveling and studying new moons and planets for the possibility of colonization, but her dream of settling down with her boyfriend is close to becoming a reality. While on a routine mission, she finds an ancient alien artifact, unlike anything humans have ever encountered, and it changes the course of her life and the future of her crew indefinitely. Interstellar war has broken out across the galaxy, between humans and unknown alien creatures, the first real contact of its kind. Kira is thrown into the midst of this war and with a motley crew of space sailors, she sets off on an odyssey of great proportions, one that could mean the survival or extinction of the entire human race. All the while, the artifact is with her through her transformative journey.
My Review:
This book was heavy in the astrophysics and theoretical concepts – like cryosleep, faster than light travel, and artificial intelligence – but my nerd self loved every bit of it. It reminded me of the spacey movies and shows that I love to watch, the ones that make me contemplate the existence of life on other worlds, wishing I could live long enough to venture out there myself. First contact with sentient life forms is always an interesting concept, and I love seeing how different people construct this theme.
“There were, she thought, many different types of nightmares in the galaxy. Some small, some large, but the worst of all were the ones you lived with.”
I admit I was extremely intimidated by this book at first. The appendices are 30 or so pages long and full of physics terms and concepts. It did take time to adjust to the references being made within the story and, even with the lengthy glossary, I still found myself confused sometimes.
But once I dove into this book, I immediately found myself hooked. There is mystery, intrigue, and devastation from the start. I really enjoyed the characters in this book, especially the variety of non-human characters that we get to know. They are all well-developed and given depth into their backstories and motivations.
“Sometimes the cure to the dark was to find another flame burning bright.”
I was left with one question though, a frustrating plot hole that I still haven’t figured out the reasoning for, but I won’t reveal specifics because it would spoil too much. (Although if you really want to know, feel free to message me because I’d love to find out that I’m not the only one who thought of it!)
There were several scenes that I feel kind of dragged on but could have been condensed and still served the purpose. For such a lengthy book, it may have helped the pacing in certain places and made the story a little more accessible to a broader reader-base. Some of the plot, too, feels monotonous at times.
“The happiness of two beings might be a small thing when compared with the immensity of the universe, but what, ultimately, was more important? Suffering was inescapable, but to care for another and to be cared for in turn – that was the closest any person might come to heaven.”
The ending was amazing, although in a way heartbreaking. Even though it frustrated me (because some sappy part of myself wants happy endings of bliss), I still felt as though it couldn’t have ended any other way and the characters remained true to themselves. It was a satisfying conclusion that wrapped up the ends in a tidy manner, yet I’m hoping that their stories aren’t over just yet (sequel, please!).
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