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Salvage #2
Sound
SOUND is the stand-alone companion to Alexandra Duncan’s acclaimed novel Salvage, a debut that internationally bestselling author Stephanie Perkins called “kick-ass, brilliant, feminist science fiction.” For fans of Beth Revis, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica.
As a child, Ava’s adopted sister Miyole watched her mother take to the stars, piloting her own ship from Earth to space making deliveries. Now a teen herself, Miyole is finally living her dream as a research assistant on her very first space voyage. If she plays her cards right, she could even be given permission to conduct her own research and experiments in her own habitat lab on the flight home. But when her ship saves a rover that has been viciously attacked by looters and kidnappers, Miyole—along with a rescued rover girl named Cassia—embarks on a mission to rescue Cassia’s abducted brother, and that changes the course of Miyole’s life forever.
As a child, Ava’s adopted sister Miyole watched her mother take to the stars, piloting her own ship from Earth to space making deliveries. Now a teen herself, Miyole is finally living her dream as a research assistant on her very first space voyage. If she plays her cards right, she could even be given permission to conduct her own research and experiments in her own habitat lab on the flight home. But when her ship saves a rover that has been viciously attacked by looters and kidnappers, Miyole—along with a rescued rover girl named Cassia—embarks on a mission to rescue Cassia’s abducted brother, and that changes the course of Miyole’s life forever.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2015
21 people are currently reading
3449 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Duncan
20 books378 followersAlexandra Duncan is a writer and librarian. Her young adult science fiction novels Salvage, and Sound, , and Blight are available through Greenwillow Books. Her short fiction has appeared in several Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy anthologies and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. She lives with her husband and four cats in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
You can visit her online at www.alexandra-duncan.com
You can visit her online at www.alexandra-duncan.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
March 25, 2019
Update: March 2019. So a Facebook friend tagged me in a challenge. Usually I stay away from that stuff, but it was to post the covers of seven books you love with no review. So I couldn't say no. It started yesterday, but I made Sound my Day 2 cover because it is such a great novel and I just UGH would love more people to check it out.
As a reader, I love when a book surprises me, and Sound truly did that. Miyiole Guiteau, a character of Haitian background that grew up in India, really stands out among other YA protagonists. Sixteen year old Miyole has always been pegged as different in Mumbai and forges papers to work at a space research station. Once on board, Miyole works as a bioengineer studying butterflies and bees. When Miyole meets Cassia, things take a turn. Cassia's family has been attacked by pirates and her older brother kidnapped. Miyole who suffers from PTSD flashbacks regarding her mother's untimely death, feels a connection to Cassia and will stop at nothing to help her. However, as Miyole becomes acquainted of the dangers that lurk in space, she must also deal with her past.
I loved the world building that Alexandra Duncan has created while also explaining the state of Earth as it is at the start of the novel. I thought the budding romance between Miyole and Cassia was tender and treated with much respect. This was my first read of this author, but certainly will not be my last.
As a reader, I love when a book surprises me, and Sound truly did that. Miyiole Guiteau, a character of Haitian background that grew up in India, really stands out among other YA protagonists. Sixteen year old Miyole has always been pegged as different in Mumbai and forges papers to work at a space research station. Once on board, Miyole works as a bioengineer studying butterflies and bees. When Miyole meets Cassia, things take a turn. Cassia's family has been attacked by pirates and her older brother kidnapped. Miyole who suffers from PTSD flashbacks regarding her mother's untimely death, feels a connection to Cassia and will stop at nothing to help her. However, as Miyole becomes acquainted of the dangers that lurk in space, she must also deal with her past.
I loved the world building that Alexandra Duncan has created while also explaining the state of Earth as it is at the start of the novel. I thought the budding romance between Miyole and Cassia was tender and treated with much respect. This was my first read of this author, but certainly will not be my last.
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September 26, 2015Copy provided by the publisher.
I am so glad that Greenwillow sent me this, because it seems not to have received much publicity, or at least none that I came across, and that is a shame. I've seen articles lamenting the fact that kids don't seem to read science fiction anymore because euw science, but if they had access to exciting books like this one, that might very well change.
Driven, high-achieving sixteen-year-old Miyole lied about her age in order to be accepted to the Deep Sound Project so she could travel to the outer reaches of known space while doing experiments under the guidance of the ship's many scientists that would enable settlers to adapt to new worlds. Healing is important to Miyole, whether it's figuring out why the butterflies are not adapting, or repairing wounds on her fellow humans.
When pirates drive a space ship crashing into the side of the exploration ship, at first Cassia is unable to function in the emergency. She feels she is at fault for the result-- a teenage girl is furious because the pirates escaped, carrying off her older brother, leaving a small daughter. Cassia wants to go rescue her brother, but the rational exploration scientists see no use in the risk, so Miyole, who finds herself drawn to the fierce, desperate Cassia, offers to steal one of the shuttles to help her out.
On the way to stealing that shuttle, they are nearly caught by the same pilot, a young man named Rubio, who has been mercilessly teasing Miyole. They wound him and force him on board . . . and so the three embark on high tension, amazing adventures while navigating the treacherous shoals of friendship, attraction, and emotional fallout from earlier disasters. We encounter not just space pirates, but enterprising sorts who are one step from piracy, operating under the radar in a very grim trade.
Miyole sometimes galvinates herself to action by repeating math and physics theorems to herself, as if the proven math formula will direct her to the correct action to restore order. She also falls into memory flashback. Some of these flashbacks are quite long, and overlap, so it will seem that the pacing slows, but they all build toward some revelations that explain a great deal about Miyole.
The science is interesting, the visuals fantastic, the imagination great, and the characters wonderfully complex. I found this book difficult to put down, and I know I would have read it with passion as a teen. I also would have loved the rich diversity represented here, and the future blends of cultures.
I found out on finishing the book that Duncan wrote a novel preceding it, though this one stands alone. I hope this means she will be revisiting this world and these people. If she writes another book about them, I will be standing first in line to get it.
I am so glad that Greenwillow sent me this, because it seems not to have received much publicity, or at least none that I came across, and that is a shame. I've seen articles lamenting the fact that kids don't seem to read science fiction anymore because euw science, but if they had access to exciting books like this one, that might very well change.
Driven, high-achieving sixteen-year-old Miyole lied about her age in order to be accepted to the Deep Sound Project so she could travel to the outer reaches of known space while doing experiments under the guidance of the ship's many scientists that would enable settlers to adapt to new worlds. Healing is important to Miyole, whether it's figuring out why the butterflies are not adapting, or repairing wounds on her fellow humans.
When pirates drive a space ship crashing into the side of the exploration ship, at first Cassia is unable to function in the emergency. She feels she is at fault for the result-- a teenage girl is furious because the pirates escaped, carrying off her older brother, leaving a small daughter. Cassia wants to go rescue her brother, but the rational exploration scientists see no use in the risk, so Miyole, who finds herself drawn to the fierce, desperate Cassia, offers to steal one of the shuttles to help her out.
On the way to stealing that shuttle, they are nearly caught by the same pilot, a young man named Rubio, who has been mercilessly teasing Miyole. They wound him and force him on board . . . and so the three embark on high tension, amazing adventures while navigating the treacherous shoals of friendship, attraction, and emotional fallout from earlier disasters. We encounter not just space pirates, but enterprising sorts who are one step from piracy, operating under the radar in a very grim trade.
Miyole sometimes galvinates herself to action by repeating math and physics theorems to herself, as if the proven math formula will direct her to the correct action to restore order. She also falls into memory flashback. Some of these flashbacks are quite long, and overlap, so it will seem that the pacing slows, but they all build toward some revelations that explain a great deal about Miyole.
The science is interesting, the visuals fantastic, the imagination great, and the characters wonderfully complex. I found this book difficult to put down, and I know I would have read it with passion as a teen. I also would have loved the rich diversity represented here, and the future blends of cultures.
I found out on finishing the book that Duncan wrote a novel preceding it, though this one stands alone. I hope this means she will be revisiting this world and these people. If she writes another book about them, I will be standing first in line to get it.
November 30, 2015
Really enjoyed this fast-paced YA sci fi. Great for Firefly fans! NOT on the flap copy, and it should be because people are LOOKING for books like this: Miyole, the main character, is a lesbian Haitian girl raised in India. There's a ton of diversity in this book, all seamlessly and naturally stitched into the narrative, and the queerness was handled extremely well.
September 15, 2015
My thoughts:
THIS BOOK. This book is so important.
Let me start by giving a little background on how I found out about this series. Last year I went to a book signing for the Starbound Trilogy at my local indie bookstore. A few other local authors showed up to support Meagan and Amie, so I decided to say hi to them on my way out. One of the authors was Alexandra Duncan. The other authors were singing the praises of Salvage, so that night I went home and ordered it. It IS a sci-fi and you all know I cant pass up a good space book. Once Salvage arrived I started it immediately. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. The world building was incredible and the feminism themes were woven into the story in all the best ways so when I saw that the companion was going to be released I made it my mission to get my hands on a copy.
I pretty much camped out by my mail box waiting for this book to be delivered. I started it as soon as I got it. The story building in this book may be even better than in Salvage. I could not put it down. This book is everything that I’ve been looking for AND MORE. We have a dark skinned Haitian girl, who is also gay. I really loved how this book was not about Miyole finding herself or accepting her sexuality. It is a part of her but it is not the entire story either. I love that she falls in love so quickly and so fully with Cassia and is unflinching in how she feels for her. One of my favorite things from this book was the meshing of cultures. SO many different nationalities were represented and I was blown away with how seamless it all felt during the story. It never felt like a big info dump like some sci-fi books, it felt as if I was apart of the story, going through the journey with the girls. If you are interested in reading a book that has lots of diversity, this is the book for you. I was captivated from the very first chapter.
I’ll say it again for the people in the back: THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT.
THIS BOOK. This book is so important.
Let me start by giving a little background on how I found out about this series. Last year I went to a book signing for the Starbound Trilogy at my local indie bookstore. A few other local authors showed up to support Meagan and Amie, so I decided to say hi to them on my way out. One of the authors was Alexandra Duncan. The other authors were singing the praises of Salvage, so that night I went home and ordered it. It IS a sci-fi and you all know I cant pass up a good space book. Once Salvage arrived I started it immediately. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. The world building was incredible and the feminism themes were woven into the story in all the best ways so when I saw that the companion was going to be released I made it my mission to get my hands on a copy.
I pretty much camped out by my mail box waiting for this book to be delivered. I started it as soon as I got it. The story building in this book may be even better than in Salvage. I could not put it down. This book is everything that I’ve been looking for AND MORE. We have a dark skinned Haitian girl, who is also gay. I really loved how this book was not about Miyole finding herself or accepting her sexuality. It is a part of her but it is not the entire story either. I love that she falls in love so quickly and so fully with Cassia and is unflinching in how she feels for her. One of my favorite things from this book was the meshing of cultures. SO many different nationalities were represented and I was blown away with how seamless it all felt during the story. It never felt like a big info dump like some sci-fi books, it felt as if I was apart of the story, going through the journey with the girls. If you are interested in reading a book that has lots of diversity, this is the book for you. I was captivated from the very first chapter.
I’ll say it again for the people in the back: THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT.
July 9, 2016
I didn’t realize I only read one book between Salvage and Sound, but hey, that’s how time goes in the summer. I’m working through the summer again, so not as much time to sit outside and read—much sadness!
Sound is a companion novel to Salvage. It follows Miyole, Parastrata Ava’s adopted sister. A few years have gone by, and Miyole is now sixteen (though people think she is seventeen). She has sped through her schooling, thanks to her smarts, and wrangled her way aboard a Deep Sound Research Institute (DSRI) expeditionary vessel with a fake ID claiming she is eighteen. Miyole is all about going into space.
Then she throws it away for a girl. Typical.
There is an interesting symmetry already between Sound and Salvage, with Miyole running towards space after Ava had refuge from it. However, I want to make it clear that you don’t need to read one novel to understand the other, nor do you really need to read them in order (although obviously if you read this one you’ll have a few spoilers for how Salvage ends). The novels are independent of one another. I do like that we get a glimpse at Ava and Rushil a few years on, that we see how Ava has adapted to life on Earth and started to make a name for herself helping other crewe girls leave the ships and gain independence. This was a nice way for Alexandra Duncan to provide a coda to that story without writing another whole novel for Ava.
Miyole is a whole different girl, of course, and it’s nice to see that. She has a reflexive anti-bullshit detector, and that gets her in trouble with the brass. On a ship where propriety and class are important, Miyole is a cipher to some and a thorn in the side of others. She gets treated like a prep school brat by the fighter jocks and a foreigner by the mostly-Indian senior crew, despite Miyole growing up in Mumbai and considering herself a Mumbaikar. Watching her grapple with the reality of the DSRI mission versus what she thought it would be is very entertaining. But this doesn’t last long: soon Duncan has Miyole throwing away everything she ever wanted to help a girl get back her cousin.
Sound moves much faster than Salvage and is, for me at least, far more satisfying for it. Miyole doesn’t stay still, so neither does the plot. From the Ranganathan to Ceres to Enceladus, Miyole, Cassia, and Rubio have more than their fair share of adventure. (Speaking of Rubio, did anyone else have trouble not thinking of Marco Rubio? I mean they’re both super abrasive.) There’s even a deep-“sea” diving scene, which although kind of shoehorned in, is also really, really cool. And while Miyole uncomfortably treads the line of being a Mary Sue on occasion, she screws up enough to avoid succumbing to such a label.
In particular, I love how her relationships with the other characters shift throughout the novel. Rubio, her kind-of nemesis, starts to come round to her. They discover something that is all-too-easy to forget: hey, the other person also has feelings and a history! Miyole isn’t just a preppy foreign girl high on privilege; Rubio isn’t just an ignorant jackass made of testosterone and bravado. Turns out they each have histories and their own problems, and though sometimes they are like oil and water, they manage to work well together and start respecting one another. I love that.
Similarly, Cassia and Miyole’s relationship is fascinating, from the way Duncan portrays the initial attraction to where it ultimately ends up. I love that this is not a typical “head-over-heels but doomed and tragic” romance. Instead, they act like actual people; notably, once the heat of the moment has passed, the cracks start to show. While I’m sad that they don’t end up together, I find the ending all the more enjoyable for its feeling of authenticity: yes, maybe they are attracted to one another and maybe they would even make a good couple, but circumstances just aren’t right, at least not right now. And that is so, so true of life (or at least I assume it is, not that I have any experience of my own to go on).
I’m tired of fiction, and particularly young adult fiction, throwing OTPs at us (or worse, love triangles) and expecting us to believe that these two teenagers are Destined to Be Together. Duncan shows that it’s OK to be attracted, OK to consider loving another person, but that it is also OK if the relationship doesn’t go anywhere. Indeed, Miyole is still so young at the end of this; she has so much more left to experience in her life. This is not the end of her adventures, whether or not she ends up in another novel. (I’m not too obviously pleading for a sequel, am I?)
As with Salvage, there are some deeper cuts to this story to talk about issues like slavery and other injustices. One of my criticisms of the other book was how the wider world was very indistinct; we never got a good sense of political structures, technology level, etc. Duncan fixes this with Sound: someone can grow ships that can then be sent out on these expeditions to other places in the solar system. The DSRI, we learn, is the closest thing there is to an authority off-planet, and even it doesn’t have all that much pull. It really is a kind of lawless frontier, as Miyole and Cassia soon discover. I just knew the moment they discovered Nethanel among all those others on Enceladus that they had problems, because it’s not like they could just break Nethanel out and leave everyone else to toil away (or get punished in their place).
There are times when the plot tries one’s patience. As I mentioned above, the deep-sea diving/hunting expedition is awesomely executed but feels out of place. Similarly, while I like the ending, it is all a little too convenient. There is a sense of purpose here that was missing from parts of Salvage, which makes the story feel much more unified. Yet as much as I liked the setting, the characters, the social commentary, it doesn’t quick strike me as all that innovative. Rather, Duncan takes a lot of stuff we’ve seen elsewhere and just combines it in an interesting way to tell a good story. This is ultimately an adventure tale.
That’s not something to be dismissed lightly, mind you. This is a YA novel featuring a Haitian girl who was raised in India—oh, and she is lesbian. We need more fiction like this, but more importantly, we need it to be good (because otherwise people inevitably complain about token diversity and “quotas”, as if there is something wrong with an author deliberately casting her characters in different races and sexualities). And Sound is both diverse and good.
I kind of get the feeling Duncan is just getting started, too. Salvage was OK; Sound is really quite good—what will she do next??
Did I mention I want more of Miyole? No? I haven’t mentioned this at all, you say? Well I do.
Sound is a companion novel to Salvage. It follows Miyole, Parastrata Ava’s adopted sister. A few years have gone by, and Miyole is now sixteen (though people think she is seventeen). She has sped through her schooling, thanks to her smarts, and wrangled her way aboard a Deep Sound Research Institute (DSRI) expeditionary vessel with a fake ID claiming she is eighteen. Miyole is all about going into space.
Then she throws it away for a girl. Typical.
There is an interesting symmetry already between Sound and Salvage, with Miyole running towards space after Ava had refuge from it. However, I want to make it clear that you don’t need to read one novel to understand the other, nor do you really need to read them in order (although obviously if you read this one you’ll have a few spoilers for how Salvage ends). The novels are independent of one another. I do like that we get a glimpse at Ava and Rushil a few years on, that we see how Ava has adapted to life on Earth and started to make a name for herself helping other crewe girls leave the ships and gain independence. This was a nice way for Alexandra Duncan to provide a coda to that story without writing another whole novel for Ava.
Miyole is a whole different girl, of course, and it’s nice to see that. She has a reflexive anti-bullshit detector, and that gets her in trouble with the brass. On a ship where propriety and class are important, Miyole is a cipher to some and a thorn in the side of others. She gets treated like a prep school brat by the fighter jocks and a foreigner by the mostly-Indian senior crew, despite Miyole growing up in Mumbai and considering herself a Mumbaikar. Watching her grapple with the reality of the DSRI mission versus what she thought it would be is very entertaining. But this doesn’t last long: soon Duncan has Miyole throwing away everything she ever wanted to help a girl get back her cousin.
Sound moves much faster than Salvage and is, for me at least, far more satisfying for it. Miyole doesn’t stay still, so neither does the plot. From the Ranganathan to Ceres to Enceladus, Miyole, Cassia, and Rubio have more than their fair share of adventure. (Speaking of Rubio, did anyone else have trouble not thinking of Marco Rubio? I mean they’re both super abrasive.) There’s even a deep-“sea” diving scene, which although kind of shoehorned in, is also really, really cool. And while Miyole uncomfortably treads the line of being a Mary Sue on occasion, she screws up enough to avoid succumbing to such a label.
In particular, I love how her relationships with the other characters shift throughout the novel. Rubio, her kind-of nemesis, starts to come round to her. They discover something that is all-too-easy to forget: hey, the other person also has feelings and a history! Miyole isn’t just a preppy foreign girl high on privilege; Rubio isn’t just an ignorant jackass made of testosterone and bravado. Turns out they each have histories and their own problems, and though sometimes they are like oil and water, they manage to work well together and start respecting one another. I love that.
Similarly, Cassia and Miyole’s relationship is fascinating, from the way Duncan portrays the initial attraction to where it ultimately ends up. I love that this is not a typical “head-over-heels but doomed and tragic” romance. Instead, they act like actual people; notably, once the heat of the moment has passed, the cracks start to show. While I’m sad that they don’t end up together, I find the ending all the more enjoyable for its feeling of authenticity: yes, maybe they are attracted to one another and maybe they would even make a good couple, but circumstances just aren’t right, at least not right now. And that is so, so true of life (or at least I assume it is, not that I have any experience of my own to go on).
I’m tired of fiction, and particularly young adult fiction, throwing OTPs at us (or worse, love triangles) and expecting us to believe that these two teenagers are Destined to Be Together. Duncan shows that it’s OK to be attracted, OK to consider loving another person, but that it is also OK if the relationship doesn’t go anywhere. Indeed, Miyole is still so young at the end of this; she has so much more left to experience in her life. This is not the end of her adventures, whether or not she ends up in another novel. (I’m not too obviously pleading for a sequel, am I?)
As with Salvage, there are some deeper cuts to this story to talk about issues like slavery and other injustices. One of my criticisms of the other book was how the wider world was very indistinct; we never got a good sense of political structures, technology level, etc. Duncan fixes this with Sound: someone can grow ships that can then be sent out on these expeditions to other places in the solar system. The DSRI, we learn, is the closest thing there is to an authority off-planet, and even it doesn’t have all that much pull. It really is a kind of lawless frontier, as Miyole and Cassia soon discover. I just knew the moment they discovered Nethanel among all those others on Enceladus that they had problems, because it’s not like they could just break Nethanel out and leave everyone else to toil away (or get punished in their place).
There are times when the plot tries one’s patience. As I mentioned above, the deep-sea diving/hunting expedition is awesomely executed but feels out of place. Similarly, while I like the ending, it is all a little too convenient. There is a sense of purpose here that was missing from parts of Salvage, which makes the story feel much more unified. Yet as much as I liked the setting, the characters, the social commentary, it doesn’t quick strike me as all that innovative. Rather, Duncan takes a lot of stuff we’ve seen elsewhere and just combines it in an interesting way to tell a good story. This is ultimately an adventure tale.
That’s not something to be dismissed lightly, mind you. This is a YA novel featuring a Haitian girl who was raised in India—oh, and she is lesbian. We need more fiction like this, but more importantly, we need it to be good (because otherwise people inevitably complain about token diversity and “quotas”, as if there is something wrong with an author deliberately casting her characters in different races and sexualities). And Sound is both diverse and good.
I kind of get the feeling Duncan is just getting started, too. Salvage was OK; Sound is really quite good—what will she do next??
Did I mention I want more of Miyole? No? I haven’t mentioned this at all, you say? Well I do.
August 18, 2015
Huge thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book!
Last year I read Salvage by Duncan and I fell in LOVE with it. It was one of my top reads of the year. So I was so excited when I saw that she had a companion novel coming out this year! Sound takes place 20 years after Salvage. You do NOT have to have read Salvage to understand Sound. There are some crossover characters, and Miyole, our MC in this, is an important character in Salvage, but you can read this and understand it on it's own.
One thing that I can't help but ask is HOW ARE NOT MORE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK!? We have a queer bi-cultural person of color in this incredibly strong feminist sci-fi novel and I've hardly heard a thing about it! Come on guys! Miyole is Haitian by blood but she grew up in the Pacific ocean on basically a trash barge until it got blown away and then she moved to India with her adoptive sister Ava. This happened in Sound, but we get to see the results of this in Sound. Being Haitian means nothing to Miyole without her mother there to tell her stories about her native land. Instead Miyole, who is working on a deep sound research ship, struggles with her cultural identity. She doesn't look ethnically Indian, but she grew up in India. I LOVED when Miyole was dressed in a sari and the Indian crew members commented on her effort to understand their culture. I could relate to her feelings and displacement SO WELL after having spent so much time in Japan, trying to fit in and be accepted and just not.
I also enjoyed how Miyole is unflinching in her sexuality. She doesn't struggle with it and when she starts to fall for someone she goes for it. This is Miyole's downfall at times, her heart speaks loudly and her brain doesn't always catch up. But this is what got the story going, a beautiful girl and her family get their ship blown up, the brother gets captured, and Miyole takes off on a quest to save him.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this was the unique mix of cultures. It does take place in the far future, so it's not surprising that cultures would blend and mix in such interesting ways once they leave the earth. I really enjoyed the mix of Japanese culture and language into this.
I also really liked how the pacing of this was so much different from Salvage. That takes place over a very long span of time, and it's almost operatic. This is a much more contained story. I thought it was a nice juxtaposition against it's predecessor.
Overall I really enjoyed this (maybe not as much as Salvage) and hope that it gets more recognition. It's a very well done story that weaves important issues into it without coming off as cliche or overkill, and it's a fun scifi that will keep you up late at night (as it did me!)
Last year I read Salvage by Duncan and I fell in LOVE with it. It was one of my top reads of the year. So I was so excited when I saw that she had a companion novel coming out this year! Sound takes place 20 years after Salvage. You do NOT have to have read Salvage to understand Sound. There are some crossover characters, and Miyole, our MC in this, is an important character in Salvage, but you can read this and understand it on it's own.
One thing that I can't help but ask is HOW ARE NOT MORE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK!? We have a queer bi-cultural person of color in this incredibly strong feminist sci-fi novel and I've hardly heard a thing about it! Come on guys! Miyole is Haitian by blood but she grew up in the Pacific ocean on basically a trash barge until it got blown away and then she moved to India with her adoptive sister Ava. This happened in Sound, but we get to see the results of this in Sound. Being Haitian means nothing to Miyole without her mother there to tell her stories about her native land. Instead Miyole, who is working on a deep sound research ship, struggles with her cultural identity. She doesn't look ethnically Indian, but she grew up in India. I LOVED when Miyole was dressed in a sari and the Indian crew members commented on her effort to understand their culture. I could relate to her feelings and displacement SO WELL after having spent so much time in Japan, trying to fit in and be accepted and just not.
I also enjoyed how Miyole is unflinching in her sexuality. She doesn't struggle with it and when she starts to fall for someone she goes for it. This is Miyole's downfall at times, her heart speaks loudly and her brain doesn't always catch up. But this is what got the story going, a beautiful girl and her family get their ship blown up, the brother gets captured, and Miyole takes off on a quest to save him.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this was the unique mix of cultures. It does take place in the far future, so it's not surprising that cultures would blend and mix in such interesting ways once they leave the earth. I really enjoyed the mix of Japanese culture and language into this.
I also really liked how the pacing of this was so much different from Salvage. That takes place over a very long span of time, and it's almost operatic. This is a much more contained story. I thought it was a nice juxtaposition against it's predecessor.
Overall I really enjoyed this (maybe not as much as Salvage) and hope that it gets more recognition. It's a very well done story that weaves important issues into it without coming off as cliche or overkill, and it's a fun scifi that will keep you up late at night (as it did me!)
September 22, 2015
SOUND is one of those epic reads that makes you feel like you’ve lived a lifetime with its characters. It takes you on a journey through space in an attempt to find and save someone being sold into slavery. It reveals a universe that is vast and cruel and fascinating and diverse and in need of heroes. It introduces a main character who has been deeply affected by her past and who is only just learning how to become a fighter. It gives you many things to think about while reading and beyond the read.
It is action-filled, moving, thought-provoking. The science is interesting. The worlds are intriguing. Miyole is someone you’ll sympathize with and root for, even if you won’t always agree with her choices. The ending comes together nicely, though it will leave you hoping for another story in the series so that you can continue to explore the worlds.
Miyole Guiteau has never recovered from the loss of her mother. She has blocked her memories of her past because they are too painful. She refuses to allow herself to grieve. She refuses to allow herself to get too close to anyone for fear of losing them.
She studied. She worked hard. She did whatever was necessary to get an assignment aboard the U.S.S. Ranganathan, a Deep Sound research and development vessel. She was eager to have a project that would keep her focused and busy so she wouldn’t have to think about all she’d lost.
But when a ship is attacked and one of its pilots is taken and no one aboard the Ranganathan is willing to do whatever is necessary to save them and return them to their family, she is forced to choose between the life she’s worked so hard for and one that will allow to her to live with herself.
Author Alexandra Duncan gives you a story with many layers. On its surface it is a rescue mission conducted by a desperate family member and an ill-prepared and ill-equipped girl who is trying to do the right thing and make up for past mistakes. But digging deeper you’ll discover a girl who is just beginning to find her voice, learn who she is, and understand her worth. You’ll find a world that has long been willing to turn a blind eye to some of the atrocities happening to its citizens. You’ll read a story about love and sacrifice, about actions and consequences, about human decency, about going after what you want, about fighting for what you believe is right.
SOUND is a gripping and thrilling and breathtaking read that is guaranteed to make you think. It gives you a main character whose outcome you will become invested in. And it transports you to a richly imagined world that you won’t want to leave.
Readers who enjoy their science fiction with a focus on the characters, a bit more diversity, a bit more substance, a bit less romance, a touch of humor, and plenty of action, adventure and danger are sure to fall in love with SOUND.
It is action-filled, moving, thought-provoking. The science is interesting. The worlds are intriguing. Miyole is someone you’ll sympathize with and root for, even if you won’t always agree with her choices. The ending comes together nicely, though it will leave you hoping for another story in the series so that you can continue to explore the worlds.
Miyole Guiteau has never recovered from the loss of her mother. She has blocked her memories of her past because they are too painful. She refuses to allow herself to grieve. She refuses to allow herself to get too close to anyone for fear of losing them.
She studied. She worked hard. She did whatever was necessary to get an assignment aboard the U.S.S. Ranganathan, a Deep Sound research and development vessel. She was eager to have a project that would keep her focused and busy so she wouldn’t have to think about all she’d lost.
But when a ship is attacked and one of its pilots is taken and no one aboard the Ranganathan is willing to do whatever is necessary to save them and return them to their family, she is forced to choose between the life she’s worked so hard for and one that will allow to her to live with herself.
Author Alexandra Duncan gives you a story with many layers. On its surface it is a rescue mission conducted by a desperate family member and an ill-prepared and ill-equipped girl who is trying to do the right thing and make up for past mistakes. But digging deeper you’ll discover a girl who is just beginning to find her voice, learn who she is, and understand her worth. You’ll find a world that has long been willing to turn a blind eye to some of the atrocities happening to its citizens. You’ll read a story about love and sacrifice, about actions and consequences, about human decency, about going after what you want, about fighting for what you believe is right.
SOUND is a gripping and thrilling and breathtaking read that is guaranteed to make you think. It gives you a main character whose outcome you will become invested in. And it transports you to a richly imagined world that you won’t want to leave.
Readers who enjoy their science fiction with a focus on the characters, a bit more diversity, a bit more substance, a bit less romance, a touch of humor, and plenty of action, adventure and danger are sure to fall in love with SOUND.
May 21, 2016
This was amazing.
First off, cultural references. That was a huge plus. I don't see India being properly represented in many books, so this was awesome (>w<)
Miyole, a Haitian lesbian girl raised in Mumbai since she was eight, was honestly one of the best characters I've ever read. Her ambition, drive, and unwillingness to back off were traits I haven't seen in many female characters, even though such personalities are so prevalent in my own little world. I really appreciated how straightforward (gayforward?) she was about her sexuality as well. Most queer characters I've read are struggling monumentally with their feelings, and I definitely understand that, but it was refreshing to see someone who had wholly accepted her identity already and wasn't having any angst about it.
The way Miyole blamed herself for Cassia's brother going missing was completely realistic; if I'd been in that situation, I'd have started blaming myself too. (Not that that's a good thing.) Her efforts to help Cassia were really heartwarming and made me think about how much I'd do for someone I'd just met, if they were in trouble.
I thought the romance between Miyole and Cassia was very nicely handled. Their scenes together were tender and made me go "aww" every time. :)
When
Cassia was a pretty good character as well. She didn't get that much development, but I liked her anyway.
Lastly, Rubio. An arrogant, cocky, handsome-as-hell pilot who is such a jerk but also so understandable. His character development was very well done and even though I hated him at first, I ended up developing another fictional-character-crush on him at the end, haha. His past was not overly tragic, nor was it too mellow. I understood completely what had warped his personality so much, and also came to the conclusion that most of his actions were still not justified. He was human and that's what I really loved about him. Even though he did some really stupid things and hurt quite a few people, he tried to make amends with Miyole afterwards by giving her honest advice and helping her out.
In conclusion, this was one of my favorite books ever. I think it is my favorite book now. Action, adventure, romance, sci-fi, and the human condition, all packaged into one brilliant ride. Most of the characters were very well done and the plot was thrilling. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting sci-fi read with strong characters.
First off, cultural references. That was a huge plus. I don't see India being properly represented in many books, so this was awesome (>w<)
Miyole, a Haitian lesbian girl raised in Mumbai since she was eight, was honestly one of the best characters I've ever read. Her ambition, drive, and unwillingness to back off were traits I haven't seen in many female characters, even though such personalities are so prevalent in my own little world. I really appreciated how straightforward (gayforward?) she was about her sexuality as well. Most queer characters I've read are struggling monumentally with their feelings, and I definitely understand that, but it was refreshing to see someone who had wholly accepted her identity already and wasn't having any angst about it.
The way Miyole blamed herself for Cassia's brother going missing was completely realistic; if I'd been in that situation, I'd have started blaming myself too. (Not that that's a good thing.) Her efforts to help Cassia were really heartwarming and made me think about how much I'd do for someone I'd just met, if they were in trouble.
I thought the romance between Miyole and Cassia was very nicely handled. Their scenes together were tender and made me go "aww" every time. :)
When
Cassia was a pretty good character as well. She didn't get that much development, but I liked her anyway.
Lastly, Rubio. An arrogant, cocky, handsome-as-hell pilot who is such a jerk but also so understandable. His character development was very well done and even though I hated him at first, I ended up developing another fictional-character-crush on him at the end, haha. His past was not overly tragic, nor was it too mellow. I understood completely what had warped his personality so much, and also came to the conclusion that most of his actions were still not justified. He was human and that's what I really loved about him. Even though he did some really stupid things and hurt quite a few people, he tried to make amends with Miyole afterwards by giving her honest advice and helping her out.
In conclusion, this was one of my favorite books ever. I think it is my favorite book now. Action, adventure, romance, sci-fi, and the human condition, all packaged into one brilliant ride. Most of the characters were very well done and the plot was thrilling. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting sci-fi read with strong characters.
Want to read
July 21, 2015Salvage is one of my all-time favorites, so I am super excited to have more to read from Duncan. Sound is a companion novel (not a sequel) to Salvage- following Miyole's adventures as a teenager! I am SUPER excited!
May 8, 2016
Miyole is a research assistant on a government military space ship, raising butterflies and pollinators in preparation for populating the stars. Mi worked her whole life towards this placement, but everything changes when the ship is attacked and the crew rescues Cassia, a rover girl with a troublesome past, whose brother was kidnapped. When the officers ignore Cassia's plea to chase after the kidnappers, Mi has to decide to stay onboard and achieve her own dream, or abandon any chance at being a researcher, steal a transport, and save another's life.
Sound was a fast-paced sci-fi adventure that pulled me along for the ride while discussing pertinent modern problems, from complex family relationships, natural disasters, slave labor, manufacturing, and the connectivity of economics and the inequality formed through this network. It went much deeper into these issues than I had anticipated and did so in a manner that didn't feel patronizing, lecturing, or heavy-handed. Which is always wonderful.
And, along with all of that, we had a great trio of protagonists who eventually were bound together by camaraderie, if not friendship, and a realistic relationship that built up over the course of the journey. Mi and Cassie were both intriguing characters who stood alone without feeling stereotyped. Miyole, especially, was wonderfully diverse with her own background and heritage that never felt like diversity for diversity's sake, but rather a realistic individuality that she finally cherishes in the end. While I was never certain regarding Cassie's own heritage, I liked her character and how she interacted with the world around her. And as the third wheel, I actually enjoyed Rubio and how he went from Mi's nemesis to someone she didn't quite mind being around. Most of the time.
So, all in all, a wonderful book full of action, inequality, diversity, romance, and strong-willed characters. I'd like to look into more books by Alexandra Duncan now.
Sound was a fast-paced sci-fi adventure that pulled me along for the ride while discussing pertinent modern problems, from complex family relationships, natural disasters, slave labor, manufacturing, and the connectivity of economics and the inequality formed through this network. It went much deeper into these issues than I had anticipated and did so in a manner that didn't feel patronizing, lecturing, or heavy-handed. Which is always wonderful.
I was risking what was left of Haiti and the Gyre, stored away in my memory. I was risking all the people whose history would be lost if I died without passing their stories on. I used to think my life only mattered for what it might become someday, for how I could use it, trade it, not for what it has been all along.
And, along with all of that, we had a great trio of protagonists who eventually were bound together by camaraderie, if not friendship, and a realistic relationship that built up over the course of the journey. Mi and Cassie were both intriguing characters who stood alone without feeling stereotyped. Miyole, especially, was wonderfully diverse with her own background and heritage that never felt like diversity for diversity's sake, but rather a realistic individuality that she finally cherishes in the end. While I was never certain regarding Cassie's own heritage, I liked her character and how she interacted with the world around her. And as the third wheel, I actually enjoyed Rubio and how he went from Mi's nemesis to someone she didn't quite mind being around. Most of the time.
So, all in all, a wonderful book full of action, inequality, diversity, romance, and strong-willed characters. I'd like to look into more books by Alexandra Duncan now.
December 10, 2017
Jeśli jesteście już ze mną od jakiegoś czasu, możecie kojarzyć moją recenzję „Ocalonej” Alexandry Duncan. Ta powieść stanowiła dla mnie naprawdę miłe zaskoczenie, bo mimo tego, że niezbyt przepadam na książkami science-fiction czytało mi się ją bardzo przyjemnie. Muszę przyznać, że chcąc nie chcąc wciągnęłam się w losy Avy i byłam bardzo ciekawa tego, co się z nią dalej stanie. Z tego właśnie powodu sięgnęłam po „Głęboką próżnię”. Okazało się jednak, że akurat ta bohaterka gra w drugim tomie serii rolę niemal epizodyczną, a cała historia skupia się na postaci Miyole…
Nie muszę chyba mówić, że taki zabieg autorki mnie niesamowicie rozczarował. Fakt faktem, że po „Ocalonej” miałam ochotę poznać historie innych jej bohaterów, ale w żadnym wypadku nie chodziło mi o Miyole. Co tu dużo mówić – zwyczajnie nie zapałałam do niej sympatią i już podczas czytania pierwszej części działała mi ona na nerwy. Stwierdziłam jednak, że skoro „Głęboka próżnia” jest już u mnie na półce, to spróbuję ją przeczytać z nadzieją, że pojawi się tu element, który chociaż trochę mi się spodoba. Znalazłam takie dokładnie dwa.
Akcja tej powieści dzieje się kilka lat po wydarzeniach z „Ocalonej”. Miyole pracuje na statku badawczym krążącym w kosmosie, poświęcając czas niezbyt ekscytującym badaniom motyli. W wyniku pewnych wydarzeń spotyka ocalałą z ataku piratów Cassię i spontanicznie decyduje się pomóc jej w uratowaniu porwanego przez nich brata dziewczyny. Rozpoczyna się ich podróż w poszukiwaniu chłopaka, która przynosi za sobą wiele niebezpieczeństw. O ile dzięki takiemu opisowi może się wydawać, że „Głęboka próżnia” jest wciągającą lekturą, to jest to złudne. Następujące po sobie kolejne wydarzenia nie wywoływały u mnie żadnych konkretnych emocji, a losy bohaterów były mi w dużym stopniu obojętne. Uległo to nieznacznie zmianie w drugiej połowie książki, ale i tak nie czułam bezpośredniego powiązania z akcją.
Powodem tego była główna bohaterka – Miyole – oraz Cassia, która już w momencie pojawienia się nie przypadła mi do gustu. Pierwsza z wymienionych przeze mnie postaci jest osobą, w stosunku do której teoretycznie powinnam czuć coś na kształt zrozumienia, ale nie byłam w stanie. Miyole to bardzo dziwna bohaterka – z jednej strony kreowana na niewiarygodnie inteligentną, a z drugiej ogromnie naiwna i łatwa do manipulowania. Nie żywię w stosunku do niej zbyt dużo ciepłych uczuć, chociaż mimo wszystko i tak darzę ją większą sympatią niż Cassię. Tej dziewczyny po prostu nie mogłam znieść. Była tak arogancka i zarozumiała, że już chwilę po pojawieniu się wzbudziła moją irytację. Zachowywała się egoistycznie i głupio, nie dbając w ogóle o uczucia osób ją otaczających. Zdecydowanie to jedna z najgorszych bohaterek, z jakimi miałam ostatnio do czynienia.
Znalazłam w „Głębokiej próżni” jednak jedną postać, którą naprawdę polubiłam. Okazał się być nią Rubio – pilot znajdujący się razem z Miyole na statku badawczym. Już od samego początku wydawał mi się być jedną z niewielu osób, która myślała racjonalnie i nie podejmowała beznadziejnych decyzji. Jeśli powstanie kolejny tom tej serii, to mam nadzieję, że będzie on opisywał losy właśnie tego bohatera. Wydaje mi się, że jest on dobrym materiałem na świetną historię.
Oprócz Rubia w tej powieści spodobał mi się jeszcze jeden aspekt – ciekawe rozwinięcie świata przedstawionego. W tej książce akcja dzieje się w kosmosie oraz na różnych stacjach kosmicznych, co zostało opisane w interesujący i lekki sposób. Poznajemy zupełnie inne miejsca, niż te, które pojawiły się w „Ocalonej” i dowiadujemy się więcej na temat ludzi żyjących w tym świecie. Warto docenić to, że autorka musiała włożyć dużo pracy w zdobycie informacji z różnych dziedzin nauki, aby w przystępny sposób opisać w swojej powieści wiele kwestii inżynieryjnych i biologiczno-fizycznych.
Kontynuacja „Ocalonej” okazała się być zupełnie inną książką, niż się spodziewałam. Zamiast dalszych losów Avy dostałam historię Miyole – bohaterki, której nie byłam w stanie polubić. Całość nie była aż tak zła, jak mi się początkowo wydawało, jednak nie mogę z czystym sercem polecić Wam tej powieści. Jest ona dużo słabsza od „Ocalonej” i mimo że znajomość pierwszego tomu nie jest konieczna do jej przeczytania nie wydaje mi się, żeby warto było spędzać przy niej czas.
Read With Passion
Nie muszę chyba mówić, że taki zabieg autorki mnie niesamowicie rozczarował. Fakt faktem, że po „Ocalonej” miałam ochotę poznać historie innych jej bohaterów, ale w żadnym wypadku nie chodziło mi o Miyole. Co tu dużo mówić – zwyczajnie nie zapałałam do niej sympatią i już podczas czytania pierwszej części działała mi ona na nerwy. Stwierdziłam jednak, że skoro „Głęboka próżnia” jest już u mnie na półce, to spróbuję ją przeczytać z nadzieją, że pojawi się tu element, który chociaż trochę mi się spodoba. Znalazłam takie dokładnie dwa.
Akcja tej powieści dzieje się kilka lat po wydarzeniach z „Ocalonej”. Miyole pracuje na statku badawczym krążącym w kosmosie, poświęcając czas niezbyt ekscytującym badaniom motyli. W wyniku pewnych wydarzeń spotyka ocalałą z ataku piratów Cassię i spontanicznie decyduje się pomóc jej w uratowaniu porwanego przez nich brata dziewczyny. Rozpoczyna się ich podróż w poszukiwaniu chłopaka, która przynosi za sobą wiele niebezpieczeństw. O ile dzięki takiemu opisowi może się wydawać, że „Głęboka próżnia” jest wciągającą lekturą, to jest to złudne. Następujące po sobie kolejne wydarzenia nie wywoływały u mnie żadnych konkretnych emocji, a losy bohaterów były mi w dużym stopniu obojętne. Uległo to nieznacznie zmianie w drugiej połowie książki, ale i tak nie czułam bezpośredniego powiązania z akcją.
Powodem tego była główna bohaterka – Miyole – oraz Cassia, która już w momencie pojawienia się nie przypadła mi do gustu. Pierwsza z wymienionych przeze mnie postaci jest osobą, w stosunku do której teoretycznie powinnam czuć coś na kształt zrozumienia, ale nie byłam w stanie. Miyole to bardzo dziwna bohaterka – z jednej strony kreowana na niewiarygodnie inteligentną, a z drugiej ogromnie naiwna i łatwa do manipulowania. Nie żywię w stosunku do niej zbyt dużo ciepłych uczuć, chociaż mimo wszystko i tak darzę ją większą sympatią niż Cassię. Tej dziewczyny po prostu nie mogłam znieść. Była tak arogancka i zarozumiała, że już chwilę po pojawieniu się wzbudziła moją irytację. Zachowywała się egoistycznie i głupio, nie dbając w ogóle o uczucia osób ją otaczających. Zdecydowanie to jedna z najgorszych bohaterek, z jakimi miałam ostatnio do czynienia.
Znalazłam w „Głębokiej próżni” jednak jedną postać, którą naprawdę polubiłam. Okazał się być nią Rubio – pilot znajdujący się razem z Miyole na statku badawczym. Już od samego początku wydawał mi się być jedną z niewielu osób, która myślała racjonalnie i nie podejmowała beznadziejnych decyzji. Jeśli powstanie kolejny tom tej serii, to mam nadzieję, że będzie on opisywał losy właśnie tego bohatera. Wydaje mi się, że jest on dobrym materiałem na świetną historię.
Oprócz Rubia w tej powieści spodobał mi się jeszcze jeden aspekt – ciekawe rozwinięcie świata przedstawionego. W tej książce akcja dzieje się w kosmosie oraz na różnych stacjach kosmicznych, co zostało opisane w interesujący i lekki sposób. Poznajemy zupełnie inne miejsca, niż te, które pojawiły się w „Ocalonej” i dowiadujemy się więcej na temat ludzi żyjących w tym świecie. Warto docenić to, że autorka musiała włożyć dużo pracy w zdobycie informacji z różnych dziedzin nauki, aby w przystępny sposób opisać w swojej powieści wiele kwestii inżynieryjnych i biologiczno-fizycznych.
Kontynuacja „Ocalonej” okazała się być zupełnie inną książką, niż się spodziewałam. Zamiast dalszych losów Avy dostałam historię Miyole – bohaterki, której nie byłam w stanie polubić. Całość nie była aż tak zła, jak mi się początkowo wydawało, jednak nie mogę z czystym sercem polecić Wam tej powieści. Jest ona dużo słabsza od „Ocalonej” i mimo że znajomość pierwszego tomu nie jest konieczna do jej przeczytania nie wydaje mi się, żeby warto było spędzać przy niej czas.
Read With Passion
March 29, 2017
Let me start my adoring gush by saying that I had this book preordered. PREORDERED! Me! The person who considers reading The Orphan Master's Son this year a reasonable time frame for getting around to a book I really want to read! And the best part about preordering? It was like a surprise gift to myself: I'd forgotten when exactly it was coming, and then one day there was a package waiting on my doorstep.
Duncan's strengths are on stunning display once again: her strong, feminist characters and unique but believeable cultures. The latter was a bit slow off the ground--the story takes place in deep, empty space rather than overcrowded earth--but when it comes...wow!
There's a little less urgency in the opening chapters, though that should come as no surprise to those who read the previous book. We catch up with Miyole about ten years after we left her in Salvage, having grown up in privilege she could never have imagined on the Gyre. Yes, she stands out--maybe a bit more than expected, given the amount of cultural mixing going on in other parts of the universe, but kudos to Duncan for showing us how race and gender can still be treated as serious issues that still need addressing (unlike certain sci-fi reboots that strip down representation of both because we're all *equal* now, so why bother with the *effort* of adding diversity?). Even more kudos for tying those issues into a real culture instead of inventing an alien race of white people who are a *metaphor* for racism.
While Miyole's situation is less tense up front--simply because embarking on her adventure is actually a conscious choice, unlike Ava's whirlwind rush to escape certain death. What Sound's opening lacks in action, though, it more than makes up for in the end. I was about four chapters from the end when I reached my stop on the subway today and I was seriously tempted to grab a private call room and just finish it so I wouldn't be in agony all day.
That, friends, is a good book. Because let's face it, this is a young adult book. It's highly unlikely that a character we've been following since the beginning is going to die--but I was still almost literally on my toes (on the R train, no less!) as the plot came to a head.
One word of note that very few other people will care about: there's a bit more romance in Sound than in Salvage, simply because the love interest is actually present. That does mean that we see more human interactions: this is no super-unhealthy Twilight story, perfect soulmate tale, or fable of absence and pining. Miyole's relationship with Cassia progresses slowly because they both have other things on their mind--and they talk about this fact rather than ignoring it, which means they avoid some of the most cliched misunderstandings. This and both characters' complexity (as well as the refreshing relief of a non-heterosexual relationship) made the romance bearable for this curmudgeonly (demisexual) crocodile. In the past I've felt like I had to seek out those authors who write only about homosexual relationships to get any front-and-center diversity, though this was often at the expense of a story about something other than sex and sexuality...so while it's not surprising to see that Duncan writes both hetero and homo superbly, it's an extra nice treat to see an author with characters who aren't straight at front-and-center without making the whole story about the fact that they aren't straight.
Funny, isn't it, how easily Duncan shows us how race and sexual orientation can still be important parts of a character without stripping that character of any other defining characteristics or story arcs. It's almost like...like characters can reflect real life! Gasp! Is that legal in fiction? (Heavy sarcasm for that whole paragraph.)
On a completely unrelated topic:
1) I desperately want to see a bioengineered deep space vessel. I have this image of a drifting blue-black seashell, but that doesn't really do it justice. I always thought about what it would be like to live in a shell, when I was a little girl--Duncan makes it sound even more delightful than I would have expected.
2) How in heck has no one snatched up the movie rights? These books are so cinematic! On the other hand, thank goodness no one's bought the movie rights--you know they'd whitewash as many of the roles as possible. Rubio definitely would succumb. Probably the Enceladans as well.
Last note: Once again, what is with the cover? I mean, props for actually showing a young black woman, but her jeans and zippered down jacket are way too obviously contemporary to feel very space-y. At least she's better than the limp, helpless figure on the front of Salvage. Still, I feel like the planet and the ice would have been enough.
On to the Quote Roundup!
p. 188 - "Apex. Isn't that one of those company-states?"
This gave me the willies, mostly because I can definitely see that happening. As companies get bigger and conglomerates start running out of rivals to merge with, what will they turn to next? Why not a city? A state? A country? It's all too easy for me to imagine that happening in the future.
p. 228 - "It took balls, is all."
Rubio wins the "most un-feminist comment in the otherwise feminist book" award. "Guts," Rubio--think gender neutral/universal! And yet on the same page...
"[As you get older] you start seeing so much wrong everywhere you go, and you know you can't fix all of it, so you start to think you can't fix any of it."
Rubio perfectly voices a major part of my crippling apathy and depression. To be honest, I'd be lying if I said I felt anything when I read that. It was more like, I read it and I recognized it. I don't often do that, for all I read and like so many books.
p. 375 - "Feelings are the worst." "Yeah," I agree. "They're the worst." ... "If there's something i'm supposed to be doing, you have to tell me. I usually get my friends drunk , but, I don't know . . . is that a guy thing?"
A) More recognition--though while I hate feelings, I hate even more how shallow they seem lately. I get emotional but I don't really feel any of it. Sorry. I mope in my reviews because I know no one actually reads them. Anyway, B) Rubio shows us that it is, in fact, possible to recognize general societal assumptions about the differences between the sexes in a society closer to legal and occupational equality than our own. Feminism is not the desire to erase sexual difference, but to be conscious of it in a way that will ultimately benefit society overall. Okay, off my soapbox...
p. 380 - Ava and Soraya love me, but they don't depend on me. The only things that have ever truly depended on me were the butterflies, and someone else could care for them as easily as I did. There's nothing unique about me, nothing irreplaceable. So doesn't my life have more worth if I'm using it to save other people?
Further recognition. Minus the duty to my interesting history, tragic backstory, and resolve to buck the authority in order to do something that feels right. But that's why we read, right?
All in all, this was another amazing book, not slavishly following the formula of Salvage but also not completely discarding that book's characters and strengths. I did miss Ava's language quirks, though from the GoodReads reviews I read, I might be the only one! But there's more to love in here in the way that the lucky can love their siblings: they're related, but they're different, but you love them both uniquely and truly.
Like sci-fi? Feminism? Strong female characters? Diversity? World building? Good storytelling and vivid writing?
Read it!
Duncan's strengths are on stunning display once again: her strong, feminist characters and unique but believeable cultures. The latter was a bit slow off the ground--the story takes place in deep, empty space rather than overcrowded earth--but when it comes...wow!
There's a little less urgency in the opening chapters, though that should come as no surprise to those who read the previous book. We catch up with Miyole about ten years after we left her in Salvage, having grown up in privilege she could never have imagined on the Gyre. Yes, she stands out--maybe a bit more than expected, given the amount of cultural mixing going on in other parts of the universe, but kudos to Duncan for showing us how race and gender can still be treated as serious issues that still need addressing (unlike certain sci-fi reboots that strip down representation of both because we're all *equal* now, so why bother with the *effort* of adding diversity?). Even more kudos for tying those issues into a real culture instead of inventing an alien race of white people who are a *metaphor* for racism.
While Miyole's situation is less tense up front--simply because embarking on her adventure is actually a conscious choice, unlike Ava's whirlwind rush to escape certain death. What Sound's opening lacks in action, though, it more than makes up for in the end. I was about four chapters from the end when I reached my stop on the subway today and I was seriously tempted to grab a private call room and just finish it so I wouldn't be in agony all day.
That, friends, is a good book. Because let's face it, this is a young adult book. It's highly unlikely that a character we've been following since the beginning is going to die--but I was still almost literally on my toes (on the R train, no less!) as the plot came to a head.
One word of note that very few other people will care about: there's a bit more romance in Sound than in Salvage, simply because the love interest is actually present. That does mean that we see more human interactions: this is no super-unhealthy Twilight story, perfect soulmate tale, or fable of absence and pining. Miyole's relationship with Cassia progresses slowly because they both have other things on their mind--and they talk about this fact rather than ignoring it, which means they avoid some of the most cliched misunderstandings. This and both characters' complexity (as well as the refreshing relief of a non-heterosexual relationship) made the romance bearable for this curmudgeonly (demisexual) crocodile. In the past I've felt like I had to seek out those authors who write only about homosexual relationships to get any front-and-center diversity, though this was often at the expense of a story about something other than sex and sexuality...so while it's not surprising to see that Duncan writes both hetero and homo superbly, it's an extra nice treat to see an author with characters who aren't straight at front-and-center without making the whole story about the fact that they aren't straight.
Funny, isn't it, how easily Duncan shows us how race and sexual orientation can still be important parts of a character without stripping that character of any other defining characteristics or story arcs. It's almost like...like characters can reflect real life! Gasp! Is that legal in fiction? (Heavy sarcasm for that whole paragraph.)
On a completely unrelated topic:
1) I desperately want to see a bioengineered deep space vessel. I have this image of a drifting blue-black seashell, but that doesn't really do it justice. I always thought about what it would be like to live in a shell, when I was a little girl--Duncan makes it sound even more delightful than I would have expected.
2) How in heck has no one snatched up the movie rights? These books are so cinematic! On the other hand, thank goodness no one's bought the movie rights--you know they'd whitewash as many of the roles as possible. Rubio definitely would succumb. Probably the Enceladans as well.
Last note: Once again, what is with the cover? I mean, props for actually showing a young black woman, but her jeans and zippered down jacket are way too obviously contemporary to feel very space-y. At least she's better than the limp, helpless figure on the front of Salvage. Still, I feel like the planet and the ice would have been enough.
On to the Quote Roundup!
p. 188 - "Apex. Isn't that one of those company-states?"
This gave me the willies, mostly because I can definitely see that happening. As companies get bigger and conglomerates start running out of rivals to merge with, what will they turn to next? Why not a city? A state? A country? It's all too easy for me to imagine that happening in the future.
p. 228 - "It took balls, is all."
Rubio wins the "most un-feminist comment in the otherwise feminist book" award. "Guts," Rubio--think gender neutral/universal! And yet on the same page...
"[As you get older] you start seeing so much wrong everywhere you go, and you know you can't fix all of it, so you start to think you can't fix any of it."
Rubio perfectly voices a major part of my crippling apathy and depression. To be honest, I'd be lying if I said I felt anything when I read that. It was more like, I read it and I recognized it. I don't often do that, for all I read and like so many books.
p. 375 - "Feelings are the worst." "Yeah," I agree. "They're the worst." ... "If there's something i'm supposed to be doing, you have to tell me. I usually get my friends drunk , but, I don't know . . . is that a guy thing?"
A) More recognition--though while I hate feelings, I hate even more how shallow they seem lately. I get emotional but I don't really feel any of it. Sorry. I mope in my reviews because I know no one actually reads them. Anyway, B) Rubio shows us that it is, in fact, possible to recognize general societal assumptions about the differences between the sexes in a society closer to legal and occupational equality than our own. Feminism is not the desire to erase sexual difference, but to be conscious of it in a way that will ultimately benefit society overall. Okay, off my soapbox...
p. 380 - Ava and Soraya love me, but they don't depend on me. The only things that have ever truly depended on me were the butterflies, and someone else could care for them as easily as I did. There's nothing unique about me, nothing irreplaceable. So doesn't my life have more worth if I'm using it to save other people?
Further recognition. Minus the duty to my interesting history, tragic backstory, and resolve to buck the authority in order to do something that feels right. But that's why we read, right?
All in all, this was another amazing book, not slavishly following the formula of Salvage but also not completely discarding that book's characters and strengths. I did miss Ava's language quirks, though from the GoodReads reviews I read, I might be the only one! But there's more to love in here in the way that the lucky can love their siblings: they're related, but they're different, but you love them both uniquely and truly.
Like sci-fi? Feminism? Strong female characters? Diversity? World building? Good storytelling and vivid writing?
Read it!
August 19, 2017
This is the companion book to Duncan's first novel Salvage. Sadly, this one wasn't as good as Salvage either. This novel revolves around Miyole, who is the adoptive sister of Ava from Salvage. Miyole has lied about her age to get on a research spaceship. The ship is struck by another smaller ship that was attacked by pirates. Cassia is one of the survivors and she wants the government ship to go after the pirates who have kidnapped her brother. Mi is gay and falls very quickly in love with Cassia. They steal a spaceship and kidnap Rubio, who is my favorite character in this story, and are off to save Cassia's brother.
The book is nearly 500 pages covering their adventures leading to the rescue of Nethanel. There is violence, romance and sacrifice aplenty in this tale. So of which will make you squirm. Lots of characters and many mini-adventures which really are just page killers since they are meaningless to the overall story.
Not bad but not as good as Salvage.
The book is nearly 500 pages covering their adventures leading to the rescue of Nethanel. There is violence, romance and sacrifice aplenty in this tale. So of which will make you squirm. Lots of characters and many mini-adventures which really are just page killers since they are meaningless to the overall story.
Not bad but not as good as Salvage.
October 2, 2019
I really enjoyed the world building in this novel, and am definitely interested in reading more in this universe. The plot was interesting, but even though things were always happening, it still managed to feel really slow at times. The ending was way too convenient and Miyole didn't face basically any consequences for what she did, but oh well.
February 24, 2018
A teraz mam chwilkę to kilka słów powiem:
+ lubię świat wykreowany przez autorkę, mimo że nie do końca czasami go rozumiem i nie jestem pewna, czy on w ogóle został dobrze dopracowany;
+ przedstawienie głównej bohaterki jest naprawdę bardzo dobre, a także Rubio całkowicie skradł moje serce 🖤
- historia jest jednak dość mocno naciągana, ale zrozumiem, jeśli ludzie mi powiedzą, że jest to spowodowane wiekiem bohaterki, dawno nie czytałam książki z szesnastolatką;
- nie trawię Cassi, jej osoba to milion sprzeczności, egoizm i wieczny wnerw. Nie mieliśmy nawet okazji, żeby ją lepiej poznać i żeby kibicować, aby nareszcie zwróciła swoją uwagę ku Miyole.
Ogólnie książka wypada na plus, ale ma bardzo dużo rzeczy, do których mogłabym się przyczepić (więcej opowiem na blogu).
+ lubię świat wykreowany przez autorkę, mimo że nie do końca czasami go rozumiem i nie jestem pewna, czy on w ogóle został dobrze dopracowany;
+ przedstawienie głównej bohaterki jest naprawdę bardzo dobre, a także Rubio całkowicie skradł moje serce 🖤
- historia jest jednak dość mocno naciągana, ale zrozumiem, jeśli ludzie mi powiedzą, że jest to spowodowane wiekiem bohaterki, dawno nie czytałam książki z szesnastolatką;
- nie trawię Cassi, jej osoba to milion sprzeczności, egoizm i wieczny wnerw. Nie mieliśmy nawet okazji, żeby ją lepiej poznać i żeby kibicować, aby nareszcie zwróciła swoją uwagę ku Miyole.
Ogólnie książka wypada na plus, ale ma bardzo dużo rzeczy, do których mogłabym się przyczepić (więcej opowiem na blogu).
January 11, 2016
Jumping from one character to another within a universe is always something I look at skeptically, particularly when it was a character that drew me into a universe in the first place. There have been good examples of it (Mercedes Lackey and Orson Scott Card do it a lot) and ones where it didn't work as well (e.g. I never got interested in any of the other characters sometimes featured in David Weber's Honorverse). That said, this is a good example.
This story follows Miyole, the daughter of the woman who rescued Ava after her exile in the book Salvage. Miyole is a genuis, being mostly finished with college at 16, and she has snuck her way onto a deep space research cruise. When another young girl who's part of a space drifter family is rescued from an attack by Miyole's ship but ends up with a missing brother, Miyole has a choice to make.
This book bounces around a lot in the beginning; we're always following Miyole, but sometimes we're in the present and other times we're seeing a flashback of the time before she was on the research cruise. Those mostly serve to highlight Miyole's motivations and they're also a favorite of the author; there were quite a few flashback segments in Salvage. It's a treat for loyal readers too, because they highlight what's been happening with the characters from the previous book. By the second half of the book the flashbacks have decreased since we know what Miyole's about.
The character list is small but they are fun to read about, particularly the two main female characters. I think the Rubio boy was supposed to be comic relief of a sort, but it falls flat and he just ends up being annoying most of the time (though that's the main character's opinion too). One thing that surprised me was the romance in the book. There wasn't much of it in her last book and there's not a lot here either, but she writes it very well. I'm surprised she didn't develop it further.
Most of the book is taken up with action of one sort or another instead, and that is written well. Miyole is a young teenager on her first space cruise and that shows; this isn't a story about an idiot-savant who suddenly shines in unexpected ways, though her brilliance does allow her to be slightly more useful than average.
All in all this was a good book. I hope there's a sequel that follows one of the same characters from this cycle; unlike Salvage, there were more loose ends to be tied up here. I just hope she doesn't pick Rubio as the subject.
This story follows Miyole, the daughter of the woman who rescued Ava after her exile in the book Salvage. Miyole is a genuis, being mostly finished with college at 16, and she has snuck her way onto a deep space research cruise. When another young girl who's part of a space drifter family is rescued from an attack by Miyole's ship but ends up with a missing brother, Miyole has a choice to make.
This book bounces around a lot in the beginning; we're always following Miyole, but sometimes we're in the present and other times we're seeing a flashback of the time before she was on the research cruise. Those mostly serve to highlight Miyole's motivations and they're also a favorite of the author; there were quite a few flashback segments in Salvage. It's a treat for loyal readers too, because they highlight what's been happening with the characters from the previous book. By the second half of the book the flashbacks have decreased since we know what Miyole's about.
The character list is small but they are fun to read about, particularly the two main female characters. I think the Rubio boy was supposed to be comic relief of a sort, but it falls flat and he just ends up being annoying most of the time (though that's the main character's opinion too). One thing that surprised me was the romance in the book. There wasn't much of it in her last book and there's not a lot here either, but she writes it very well. I'm surprised she didn't develop it further.
Most of the book is taken up with action of one sort or another instead, and that is written well. Miyole is a young teenager on her first space cruise and that shows; this isn't a story about an idiot-savant who suddenly shines in unexpected ways, though her brilliance does allow her to be slightly more useful than average.
All in all this was a good book. I hope there's a sequel that follows one of the same characters from this cycle; unlike Salvage, there were more loose ends to be tied up here. I just hope she doesn't pick Rubio as the subject.
September 26, 2015
Posted on Bookaholics Anonymous
IN A NUTSHELL
Miyole has made her whole life about being a scientist on a mission. Now that she's been on it things are changing. When her ship is attacked by what I will call space pirates people get hurt, kidnapped, and she let's one slip away from her. When she's faced with guilt about the kidnapping she makes it her mission to help Cassia find her brother. We can all guess where this is going to lead. Get ready for a space-riffic adventure with space pirates, space mobsters, a sweet love interest (no triangle!) and a furry feline named Tibbets. If you're looking for a fun filled adventure in space this is definitely for you. Sometimes breaking the rules and doing what you believe in has an affect you didn't think possible. :)
SETTING
This is my first big dipper into outer space with a YA book. (See what I did there.) I know there have been others like AtU by Beth Revis (which I have on my shelf) but I never did get around to reading that series. I'm glad I started with this one though because it did a good job. Now I might just have to read some more space-y books. :) Maybe they will be out of this world for me as well. (Too much?)
CHARACTERS
Can I just say how much I loved that some of these characters (well most of them) were so diverse. It's a very refreshing thing to see in YA and any book in this day and time because everyone is a little bit of everything. What gets me even more is that it's a MC and not just a background character. I say YEA to the author.
Miyole is such a character to aspire to become. (except maybe the lying to get on the ship) Although, she did it with good intentions. Like I said in the beginning she wanted to be on it so she could become this scientist, but she pretty much sabotaged that by helping someone else in need. She knew she would be messing with what she worked for, but her conscience and growing love for this person was so much greater then anything else.
Cassia was also an endearing character. There were moments I didn't agree with the way she treated Miyole because I mean the girl is risking her life to help Cassia whom she barely knew at first. Cassia is a strong female though with the life that she was dealt
ENDING
I really wanted things to go the way I hoped they would, but sadly they didn't. I'm a HEA endings kinda girl. :( That's all I have to say about that.
QUOTES
-Everyone leaves someday. Everyone dies. And isn't it easier if you leave first?
I'm not sure why I like this, but it kinda fits me I think. It's easier just to guard yourself and heart then it is to open it up, and let it get broken a million times.
September 25, 2015
Back to the world of crumbling planets, deep space ships, and most importantly... back to Ava and Miyole. First off, I loved the first book in this series. And... I definitely love the fact that each of the books in this series can be read as a stand-alone book. Sometimes series books get tiring for me.
While the first book has everything to do with Ava, this book focuses completely on Miyole. She's all grown up. At least as grown up as a young adult can be. She's extremely smart and determined... flying through school and university like jet plane. She landed her first job on the Ranganathan, a deep space research ship as a scientist assisting in a lab to cultivate and oversee the lives of bees and butterflies. The goal is for them to eventually be able to thrive on a newly terraformed planet. While Miyole enjoys her work, it is easy to sense something is missing in her life.
Suddenly a small space ship crashes into the Ranganathan, bringing with it a handful of survivors as well as a cat. Dakaits, whom I imagine to be like space pirates, attacked the small space ship, kidnapped a few of the people, and left the everything else to burn. One man that was kidnapped happened to have a sweet young daughter and a courageous/fiery sister: Cassia. Cassie enters Miyole's life and reminds her of the past. Miyole has done everything to forget her Manman, her biological mother who was killed, and to forget her life before finding Soraya, Miyole's adopted mother. Now Cassia's distress over her lost brother starts the bring Miyole's past back to life. Cassia is stubborn and will not take no for an answer when she asks the Ranganathan's commander for help rescuing her brother. Miyole cannot accept it either. Miyole and Cassia steal a short range space shuttle and make plans to rescue Cassia's brother. Miyole has decided to risk all just as her Manman and Ava had for her.
The courage Cassie and Miyole display is awe-inspiring. Against all odds, against so many variables, against all of the evil lurking deep in space... they decide to venture into the unknown to save a loved one. Rules be damned. I was extremely happy to see how the author also incorporated Miyole's Haitian ethnicity and Mumbai upbringing into this book. I loved reading about the cultural aspects involving the beautiful saris and practices. Cassia and Miyole also have a little romance going on at times... which is a huge high-five in my book for more authors including homosexuality in their writing. I throughly enjoyed this book and I can only hope the author writes another.
While the first book has everything to do with Ava, this book focuses completely on Miyole. She's all grown up. At least as grown up as a young adult can be. She's extremely smart and determined... flying through school and university like jet plane. She landed her first job on the Ranganathan, a deep space research ship as a scientist assisting in a lab to cultivate and oversee the lives of bees and butterflies. The goal is for them to eventually be able to thrive on a newly terraformed planet. While Miyole enjoys her work, it is easy to sense something is missing in her life.
Suddenly a small space ship crashes into the Ranganathan, bringing with it a handful of survivors as well as a cat. Dakaits, whom I imagine to be like space pirates, attacked the small space ship, kidnapped a few of the people, and left the everything else to burn. One man that was kidnapped happened to have a sweet young daughter and a courageous/fiery sister: Cassia. Cassie enters Miyole's life and reminds her of the past. Miyole has done everything to forget her Manman, her biological mother who was killed, and to forget her life before finding Soraya, Miyole's adopted mother. Now Cassia's distress over her lost brother starts the bring Miyole's past back to life. Cassia is stubborn and will not take no for an answer when she asks the Ranganathan's commander for help rescuing her brother. Miyole cannot accept it either. Miyole and Cassia steal a short range space shuttle and make plans to rescue Cassia's brother. Miyole has decided to risk all just as her Manman and Ava had for her.
The courage Cassie and Miyole display is awe-inspiring. Against all odds, against so many variables, against all of the evil lurking deep in space... they decide to venture into the unknown to save a loved one. Rules be damned. I was extremely happy to see how the author also incorporated Miyole's Haitian ethnicity and Mumbai upbringing into this book. I loved reading about the cultural aspects involving the beautiful saris and practices. Cassia and Miyole also have a little romance going on at times... which is a huge high-five in my book for more authors including homosexuality in their writing. I throughly enjoyed this book and I can only hope the author writes another.
June 27, 2015
I received an ARC of this novel at my library.
Yay for diverse books!
Okay, so Sound follows Miyole, a young scientist who works on the massive spaceship Ranganathan. However, her life changes when a smaller ship that’s been attacked by the Dakait (pirates) comes aboard. One of its members, Cassia, is desperate to find her brother who was taken by the Dakait. Remembering what happened to her own family, Miyole decides to help and the two of them set out on a grand adventure.
My favorite part of this book was the world it was set in. It was absolutely vivid. Duncan’s turn of phrase really breathes life onto the page. And although yes, there might’ve been a few hiccups with the story, I will forgive a lot if the author can make me feel as if I’m actually in their world. Duncan did that. I also particularly liked that the main character was so diverse (she’s Haitian but has lived most of her life in Mumbai). The novel was infused with Miyole’s memories of Mumbai which were really wonderful to read.
Overall, I thought Sound started strong and ended very strong, with a weaker middle. I really liked the character of Miyole but there were times when I just couldn’t connect with her. For example, I didn’t quite follow her decision to help Cassia. I felt she made it too quickly and effortlessly (which was odd, I’ll admit, since I think the author put all the necessary pieces there. They just didn’t quite connect up with each other for me). However, her romance with Cassia (this book is LBGT friendly) was a breath of fresh air.
This novel hops around a lot in terms of places. In later scenes Miyole and her makeshift crew visit two different ocean locales (considering they started in space, Duncan must really like the idea of weightlessness). At one point, Miyole pulls off a stunt on an underwater surfboard that I’m not entirely sure a scientist would be able to do, but these two locations still remained the highlights of the book for me. They had great action and were at very exciting points in the story.
Final Jury
Although at times the characters felt a bit distant, the amazing world and the diverse characteristics of this novel make it well worth reading.
4/5
Full Review also here: https://thechinookstoryteller.wordpre...
Yay for diverse books!
Okay, so Sound follows Miyole, a young scientist who works on the massive spaceship Ranganathan. However, her life changes when a smaller ship that’s been attacked by the Dakait (pirates) comes aboard. One of its members, Cassia, is desperate to find her brother who was taken by the Dakait. Remembering what happened to her own family, Miyole decides to help and the two of them set out on a grand adventure.
My favorite part of this book was the world it was set in. It was absolutely vivid. Duncan’s turn of phrase really breathes life onto the page. And although yes, there might’ve been a few hiccups with the story, I will forgive a lot if the author can make me feel as if I’m actually in their world. Duncan did that. I also particularly liked that the main character was so diverse (she’s Haitian but has lived most of her life in Mumbai). The novel was infused with Miyole’s memories of Mumbai which were really wonderful to read.
Overall, I thought Sound started strong and ended very strong, with a weaker middle. I really liked the character of Miyole but there were times when I just couldn’t connect with her. For example, I didn’t quite follow her decision to help Cassia. I felt she made it too quickly and effortlessly (which was odd, I’ll admit, since I think the author put all the necessary pieces there. They just didn’t quite connect up with each other for me). However, her romance with Cassia (this book is LBGT friendly) was a breath of fresh air.
This novel hops around a lot in terms of places. In later scenes Miyole and her makeshift crew visit two different ocean locales (considering they started in space, Duncan must really like the idea of weightlessness). At one point, Miyole pulls off a stunt on an underwater surfboard that I’m not entirely sure a scientist would be able to do, but these two locations still remained the highlights of the book for me. They had great action and were at very exciting points in the story.
Final Jury
Although at times the characters felt a bit distant, the amazing world and the diverse characteristics of this novel make it well worth reading.
4/5
Full Review also here: https://thechinookstoryteller.wordpre...
February 3, 2016
I really wanted to love this book. I read Salvage a few months ago and I really enjoyed it. Miyole was my favourite character, so I was very excited when I heard about this book. I also heard that there was a female/female relationship in this book, which made me even more excited. Unfortunately, I did not like this book as much as I hoped I would.
My main complaint is that the plot was way to fast. There wasn't enough time to get to know the world or the characters and everything felt rushed. My complaints about the characters kind of go along with my complaints about the plot. They weren't very well developed, in my opinion, and I found myself not really caring about any of them. Maybe this book would have been better if it was longer.
There were a lot of things in this book that didn't really make sense, especially the way certain characters acted. Some of the characters just made absolutely no sense (CoughRubioCough). I was really hoping to enjoy the romance in this book, but I didn't at all. It felt way to rushed, like everything else in the book, and not at all realistic.
One of the things I really liked about Salvage was that it felt like a standalone book. It felt like it was complete at the end and I really felt an emotional connection to the story line. This book didn't have that sense of completeness, and after I finished the book I kind of wondered "What was the point of all that?"
Was there anything I liked about this book? Now that I think about it, not really. I didn't hate the book though, and I found it engaging enough. Overall, the book was okay, and I am disapointed because I expected it to be really good.
My main complaint is that the plot was way to fast. There wasn't enough time to get to know the world or the characters and everything felt rushed. My complaints about the characters kind of go along with my complaints about the plot. They weren't very well developed, in my opinion, and I found myself not really caring about any of them. Maybe this book would have been better if it was longer.
There were a lot of things in this book that didn't really make sense, especially the way certain characters acted. Some of the characters just made absolutely no sense (CoughRubioCough). I was really hoping to enjoy the romance in this book, but I didn't at all. It felt way to rushed, like everything else in the book, and not at all realistic.
One of the things I really liked about Salvage was that it felt like a standalone book. It felt like it was complete at the end and I really felt an emotional connection to the story line. This book didn't have that sense of completeness, and after I finished the book I kind of wondered "What was the point of all that?"
Was there anything I liked about this book? Now that I think about it, not really. I didn't hate the book though, and I found it engaging enough. Overall, the book was okay, and I am disapointed because I expected it to be really good.
March 10, 2016
I'M SO MAD AT THIS BOOK. THE ENDING.
THEEEEEE ENNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGG!!!!
Let me preface this by saying, if you lied about your age because you're basically a genius and could be considered mature for your age especially in the face of danger: WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT ALL IN THE END?! Urgh...Understandably, I know why she needs to do her own thing and Cassia (yes, has her issues) needs to grow and be out there in the world----
-----but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. That is how invested I was in Miyole and Cassia's love story. I was like Netherndel (Cassia's brother if the spelling is right) BE DAMNED. I know your toddler needs her father, but I was more concerned with Cassia sorting out herself so her and Miyole could just be together forever. OH! The Tibster (the cat was ADORBS and I know that wasn't his name but roll with it).
The world building is fascinating, the plot is filled with action and adventure and while I LOVED IT---and usually am into the actual world created---it paled in comparison to the characters. I usually read sci-fi for the world-building and sometimes don't really get invested in the characters, but this time I was into everyone. I was frustrated by Cassia and was telling myself that I need to go into the story and just be a life coach for everyone.
I need fanart of these characters so I know that they are together foreverz.
THEEEEEE ENNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGG!!!!
Let me preface this by saying, if you lied about your age because you're basically a genius and could be considered mature for your age especially in the face of danger: WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT ALL IN THE END?! Urgh...Understandably, I know why she needs to do her own thing and Cassia (yes, has her issues) needs to grow and be out there in the world----
-----but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. That is how invested I was in Miyole and Cassia's love story. I was like Netherndel (Cassia's brother if the spelling is right) BE DAMNED. I know your toddler needs her father, but I was more concerned with Cassia sorting out herself so her and Miyole could just be together forever. OH! The Tibster (the cat was ADORBS and I know that wasn't his name but roll with it).
The world building is fascinating, the plot is filled with action and adventure and while I LOVED IT---and usually am into the actual world created---it paled in comparison to the characters. I usually read sci-fi for the world-building and sometimes don't really get invested in the characters, but this time I was into everyone. I was frustrated by Cassia and was telling myself that I need to go into the story and just be a life coach for everyone.
I need fanart of these characters so I know that they are together foreverz.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2017
more like 3.5, but bumped it up! my main complaint with this book is that it definitely FELT like a side/companion novel, and despite being 400 pages, it also felt like it could have been a novella rather than a complete novel. i think it's because we are completely thrown into the world, stuff happens FAST, but despite that not a lot actually happens?
but i did like this and perhaps i will go back and read Salvage! the world is interesting (growing ships organically? how) but more important is MIYOLE. she is a Haitian girl raised in Mumbai and also A LESBIAN YAY. she is comfortable and established as gay--a past crush or two is mentioned-- though still a little cautious of how some people might react, which is normal. Cassia also seems to be solely interested in girls. and Miyole's reasons for following her make sense, it's not just "insta-love, gotta follow the pretty girl."
also, i just have to give this points for realism. at one point Miyole and Cassia are making out and are interrupted by Cassia's cat, who drapes himself across Cassia's head and starts cleaning himself. any lesbian knows this situation well.
(also also, i found Rubio obnoxious at first, given his constant use of "memsahib," later on he starts to endear himself.)
but i did like this and perhaps i will go back and read Salvage! the world is interesting (growing ships organically? how) but more important is MIYOLE. she is a Haitian girl raised in Mumbai and also A LESBIAN YAY. she is comfortable and established as gay--a past crush or two is mentioned-- though still a little cautious of how some people might react, which is normal. Cassia also seems to be solely interested in girls. and Miyole's reasons for following her make sense, it's not just "insta-love, gotta follow the pretty girl."
also, i just have to give this points for realism. at one point Miyole and Cassia are making out and are interrupted by Cassia's cat, who drapes himself across Cassia's head and starts cleaning himself. any lesbian knows this situation well.
(also also, i found Rubio obnoxious at first, given his constant use of "memsahib," later on he starts to endear himself.)
September 21, 2016
Excellent and every bit as gripping as Ms Duncan's previous book, Salvage. Once again, she's written more than a YA novel, despite how Sound is marketed. There are some big concepts here; childhood post traumatic stress, self determination, ethics, slavery, and a couple of things I can only describe as depression due to nerdish lack of socialization and academic/scientific bullying. I'm glad to see more of Ava's story and Miyole definitely needed her own book.
October 17, 2015
I won this arc copy in a goodreads giveaway. Rating 3.7
This over all was a good book. Easy to read. Interesting. The friendship between cassia and miyole got on my nerves a bit. Cassia I just didn't like much from the beginning. The story was good, the side stories were really good too. It has nice world building. I like it. Worth giving a try. An enjoyable read. Also a beautiful cover.
This over all was a good book. Easy to read. Interesting. The friendship between cassia and miyole got on my nerves a bit. Cassia I just didn't like much from the beginning. The story was good, the side stories were really good too. It has nice world building. I like it. Worth giving a try. An enjoyable read. Also a beautiful cover.
September 17, 2015
Goodreads win. Will read and review once received.
This was a diverse young adult sci-fi book. It was decently paced and had me hooked. The storybuilding in this book was very impressive. A well put together book.
This was a diverse young adult sci-fi book. It was decently paced and had me hooked. The storybuilding in this book was very impressive. A well put together book.
March 6, 2016
Full review can be found HERE --> https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
~Summer
~Summer
August 25, 2015
3.5 stars
An engaging, diverse YA sci-fi effort that creates a variety of interesting worlds, but may spend a little too much time exploring them.
An engaging, diverse YA sci-fi effort that creates a variety of interesting worlds, but may spend a little too much time exploring them.
Want to read
September 1, 2015Whaaaa....?!?! How on earth did I miss the news that this book was coming out?! Have I been under a ROCK?! I'm sooooo excited!!
August 16, 2016
Rubio is my son
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