4.5 stars.

Novellas are always so hard to rate. When they're part of a series, I somewhat have to rate them based on potential for the series as a whole. In this case, I think Binti does a lot of set up for a series that will be really engaging and entertaining.

The writing is fantastic and flows naturally like a conversation or a journal. I really loved the cultural exploration in this short plot. There is a lot of discussion about the theme of acceptance. There was a lot here to get my interest piqued. In some ways, it felt similar to a Becky Chambers read.

Binti is a fantastically strong female protagonist, but she still shows appropriate weaknesses/flaws for her age. I appreciated that and I think that will serve her well in the continuing novellas.

I look forward to seeing where this plot goes. The story wasn't perfect, but I was intrigued and entertained.