thecandlelightlibrary's Reviews (1.25k)

Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company/Norton Young Readers for sending me an ARC of this title. I received this copy for free and this review contains my honest opinions. 

 

This middle grade space adventure had so much potential: an incredible concept filled with amazing characters and creatures set in a literally galaxy of possibilities. However, this title didn’t quite deliver on its promise for me. While the concept of Kobastickers granting powers to their users was awesome, I felt the magic of the world building was let down by the pacing and the characters. In particular, I struggled with the choice of main character: while Zero was the main character, Camih seemed to be the most developed of the group and whenever something interesting happened, it was usually connected to her or her backstory. I also consistently thought the characters were MUCH younger than they were supposed to be. I think Camih and Ladi were meant to be older than Zero and in their mid to late teens (they’re both allowed to pilot spacecraft at least), but the characters read more like they were 10-12, so the reference to Camih’s past “lover” really did not come across well (even for a teenager, I feel like that’s an odd term to use). 

 

While this title wasn’t quite for me, I do hope to see more works from this author in the future. Thank you again to the publisher for sending me a free ARC. 

The author is an excellent narrator for the audiobook, but most of the information was repetitive after the first couple of chapters.

Thank you to Macmillan/Henry Holt and Company for sending me an ARC of this title. I received this copy for free and this review contains my honest opinions. 

 

I was incredibly excited to receive this title: I love science nonfiction and space is a pretty big deal in my family. Unfortunately, though, I was disappointed in this title. While I’ve previously enjoyed this author’s works, I don’t think this concept worked well. For me, the overall feel of this book was condescending and often self-congratulatory, with a particular disdain for the other professions mentioned. There was a theme of recognizing hidden biases throughout, but frustratingly little self-reflection. Perhaps I would not feel that way if I had listened to an audio version over reading a physical copy. 

 

There were several specific problems I had with the copy I received but ultimately, I don’t believe it adds anything to the conversations it was trying to include and I don’t think the author’s experience with astrophysics gives him a substantially greater insight on civilization. Several blatant inaccuracies I hope were fixed between my copy and the final print version (such as the number of Black justices appointed to the Supreme Court and using Roe v. Wade in the present tense, for instance). 

 

While this particular title did not end up meeting my expectations, thank you again to the publisher for sending me a free ARC. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

 

Station Eternity was such a fun read! I thoroughly enjoyed this spin on murder mysteries with aliens on a sentient space station. I loved the sci-fi setting, the characters quickly grew on me, and I liked how layers were added to the mystery as the plot progressed. 

 

My only complaint was with the pacing: each time something major happened and the plot felt like it was picking up, the story was interrupted with another POV - usually with backstory in the form of a flashback. While I did enjoy these chapters (and there was a heck of a lot of world building to accomplish that needed these chapters), they did detract from the overall pace and might have benefited from better chapter markers (such as “then” and “now”). 

 

I think I will enjoy future books in the series, and I can’t wait to see what happens next! Thank you again to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to review an ARC.