Zenith is one of the more controversial releases of next year but no matter what your stance on the debate, an all-female crew of space pirates is too good of a premise to overlook. Or so I thought. The real reason this book is getting such low ratings? It's not due to the authors or the editor but the fact it is incredibly underwhelming.

The plot is a compilation of flashbacks, angst, and repetitive monologues. It offers nothing unique. It’s set in the same generic solar system following a generic cast facing the same generic problems we've seen a dozen times before. Any individual who has read more than two YA sci-fis will be able to predict the plotline to a tee. It was bland, recycled, and dull.

The characters did not help. Shallow and underdeveloped, they each had one defining feature and little else to their name. I desperately wanted more of the banter and found family feels we were promised. Andie, our main protagonist, had potential but the repetitive flashbacks and declarations of her mercilessness were overbearing. She was not well developed and her murderous streak felt forced, not realistic.

Her crew were unmemorable and underdeveloped. The thirteen-year-old - whose name I have already forgotten - did nothing but giggle and talk about gunning people down. Dex was cliched and drab. I have read his character ten times over. I could literally list five other books that use his exact same backstory and personality… but actually did it justice. Nor’s chapters were disjointed and random. She was purposefully vague to build suspense and it just did not work for me. None of them were particularly unlikable, just boring.

I appreciated that the authors tried to introduce political intrigue to tie the plot together, but they failed for one specific reason: the world-building. To make me care - or even understand - the politics of your world, I need to have a clear picture of said world. Yes, we know a little about Lira and Andie’s home planets - and I stress a little - but the worldbuilding as a whole was practically non-existent. Each of the characters was from a different planet and yet they never discuss cultural practices or languages, apart from Lira’s scales. I desperately needed more information, more development, of this galaxy. Vaguely discussing trade routes and past wars is not enough.

Also, the writing. Dear God. It was a mess, truly a mess. I have seen a couple of other reviewers discuss this in depth so I recommend reading them through if poor editing is one of your pet peeves. It is quite obvious that the first third of the story was edited more than the rest of the book. It is filled with nonsensical metaphors and awkward flowery writing. There were also numerous repetitive phrases or words. Hopefully, these will be fixed by its release?

Overall? Zenith tried to combine the found family adventure vibes of [b:Starflight|21793182|Starflight (Starflight, #1)|Melissa Landers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456568054i/21793182._SY75_.jpg|41045510] with the morally grey character and political action of [b:The Diabolic|26836910|The Diabolic (The Diabolic, #1)|S.J. Kincaid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459485169i/26836910._SY75_.jpg|46870277] but failed. It was cliched and dull. I am genuinely disappointed that this lives up to the negative hype. I may give its sequel a chance in the future but we’ll see.

◯ Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

➸ Trigger warnings for

rape, ptsd, grief depiction and murder

.

Blog • Goodreads • Twitter • Instagram