Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the eARC. I was very excited to read this book, but now that I am finished I don't know how to fairly review it. It was beautifully written and seemed to be well translated. I give the book three stars for this. Some will really enjoy the allegorical portrayal of the political differences between Mars and Earth as they can be likened to Chinese government and western government. It is very interesting on how th author chose to tell of these differences through the eyes of a group of children who return to Mars after a five year tour on Earth. They provide a very unique lens in which see the pros and cons of each society. Where I feel the story fails is through a lack of conflict with repercussions. There is conflict, just not one that pulled me in and kept me interested for 600+ pages.

I'll end by saying the characters were wonderfully written. All with their own opinions, uniqueness, expertise, and faults.

Fans of Ursula Le Guin will definitely enjoy this book! Very interesting concept but the narrative sometimes felt a bit stilted, which took away from the overall rating.

This book was a wild ride of a future society with a mystery twist and the threat of war thrown in. It is five years after delegates from Mars were sent to Earth to attempt a reconciliation. Luoying was one of them and as she comes back she has to readjust to society. But there are secrets waiting for her there. How did her parent die and what was the real reason they were all sent to earth. The translation and writing is excellent and it is a riveting book. Check it out.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Vagabonds.

Science fiction is not my favorite genre to read, but I'll check out a book if the premise intrigues me, like Vagabonds did.

I was also curious to read a science fiction novel written by the first Chinese woman to win a notable award.

Vagabonds is not what I expected; I was imagining more Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy-type of plot, but it is a well-written, philosophical story about global identity, searching for your place in the universe and humanity's need to connect with one another.

There is not much dialogue, very little action, but plenty of exposition

There is a lot of introspection, internal dialogue and emotions as the characters struggle with assimilation, adaptation and adjustment when they return home.

This is incredibly well written and well translated, but the narrative lacks warmth and emotion.

Perhaps this was intentional on the author's part, since Vagabonds is about displaced young people searching for their place in the world and community, their identity and where they truly belong.

There is no doubt the author is talented and I'll look for more books by her in the future.

if you're looking for a different kind of science fiction novel, thought provoking and mentally stimulating, you might enjoy Vagabonds.

This was good, just not as good as I had hoped. If you like LeGuin's books, this might be for you. It is not action oriented, but deals with philosophical questions such as freedom. Sometimes translated books aren't as good in another language, and I suspect that's what partly happened here. The author shows talent, and I'll be on the look out for more. 3.5 stars

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!