Honestly, I thought this was boring. I don't know how a book about aliens and saving the universe could be boring, but it was. None of the characters were interesting - they all had one quirky characteristic to make them seem relatable, like a character in a bad romcom. I love world building but the world building was a lot of detail but nothing that felt special or yes, interesting.

This was a science fiction young adult book that reminded me a little of Star Trek/ Doctor Who/Star Wars/Raiders of the Lost Ark. It had uniquely descriptive aliens and humanoids working with and against each other as they used the best brain power available to secure the mysterious and seemingly dangerous Talgan stone before the Compassion Fleet found it. The Compassion was the antithesis of what the name implied. They were led by the ruthless Marrant who was once a part of the peacekeeping force of the Royal Fleet and close friend of its commander, the very popular and heroic Captain Thaoh Argentian. Unfortunately, she died, but her DNA was used to clone her. This clone, Tina, took on the form of a human, hidden within the people of earth and away from Marrant’s sights, until she came of age, or in her case, her inner beacon summoned the Royal Fleet to her known location. The Royal Fleet needed their skillful leader back to locate the Talgan stone and deal with the ever evil Marrant, who wanted to see her die again.

I loved the diversity of the characters who were from many different parts of this planet and outer space.They always introduced themselves by their name followed by their preferred pronoun. Their genders, forms, and languages were all different, but there was a language translator to help communicate easily.

There were many battle scenes including one that involved the total obliteration of an entire planet. Death followed Marrant in his quest to find that stone. One simple touch by him liquified his enemy, but also placed hateful thoughts into the minds of the friends that witnessed this death. So instead of mourning the loss of a friend/colleague their thoughts were filled with degrading memories of them.

The one aspect I always looked forward to throughout the story was the creative greeting and response to each other in different situations. One such example was when Tina and the brightest teenage recruits from Earth boarded the ship and the captain greeted them with, “Welcome aboard the Indomitable. Happy memories and bearable regrets.” Tina responded with, “Clever guesses and educational mistakes.” Another greeting example was when the possibility of death was imminent, “Raised glasses and last dances.” Replied with, “Bright memories and warmth in the dark.” This added to the uniqueness of their communication and interaction with each other.

The story was creatively written and engaging. Even though it’s a YA story, and written accordingly, I think most science fiction readers will find it interesting.

An ARC was given for an honest review.

I really loved Charlie Jane Anders' All the Birds in the Sky, so I was really hopeful for her first YA book. Alas, it was not nearly as good. It started with a really interesting premise: The memories of a famous commander in an intergalatic war who just died are put into a new child, Tina, who is then sent to hide on Earth while she regrows into an adult. She's spent a large chunk of her life waiting to be picked up by her fellow space comrades while dealing with the indignities of high school life. But when she finally is picked up, it's not at all what she expected, including a spaceship on its last legs. The pacing of the book needed some work - it was so fast that I felt we skipped past a lot of really important things. Like, Tina might have been happy to leave Earth, but she did love her Earth mother. And yet she never really thinks about her mother again once she leaves. Tina also isn't the only human to get picked up, and while the book touches lightly on these characters dealing with the possibility they might never see Earth again, it just seems to get REALLY pushed to the side. And while I appreciated some of the world building in the book (especially the ridiculous number of possible greetings that these fighters use), it seemed kinda skin deep and never really went beneath the surface. There was also so much of it that it just became overwhelming and hard to really care about many of the characters (although I did connect at some level with Tina and her best friend).

I also found myself saying "well that's awfully convenient" A LOT. Like, humans taking to a completely foreign environment like a fish to water. Just, kinda hard to believe.

With that said, it does a great job of normalizing LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, offering a number of characters and circumstances that are just a regular part of the world. There's also lots of action, so if you're in the mood for just a romp, this could be a good book for you. And the story telling did get more interesting in the final third, with a very interesting ending that seems to promise a sequel with potential - but only if Charlie Jane Anders works out some issues.

While the story is set in space, it still touches on many current issues current on Earth. The book deals a lot with inclusivity, bullying, LGBTQ+, neuroatypicality and figuring out where one really belongs but in a way that isn’t preachy. While the aliens are better at some of these things than the humans, they have their issues too. Their still going to war over dumb stuff, which leaves them unable to help the people who need it most. I’m looking forward to the inevitable sequel that was set up at the end of the book.

This book is about a young woman named Tina who always knew she was meant for bigger things. She just happens to be the clone of the most brilliant alien commander in the whole universe. She’s tired of waiting to be swept up by the alien fleet, but when her wish comes true she may just find she’s in over her head. But with her best friend by her side as well as a group of brilliant earthlings, she may find a way to save the day.

I got this as an advanced reading copy thanks to Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. So let me be perfectly honest and say that this was a good book just begging to be great.

There was quite a bit I liked about this book so let me start with that before I get critical. I liked the main story. The idea behind a larger alien fleet (akin to Starfleet) in a battle against a group whose main goal is the genocide of anyone not like them. The huge universe Charlie Jane Anders built had more potential than almost anything I’ve ever read before.

The main issue with this book was that it felt cluttered. It felt like Anders was trying to do too much. It felt like this should have been a 500+ page book that had to be cut down to under 300 pages. Because of this, the two main parts of the story felt disjointed. We had the character driven elements, how the earthlings got along and became friends, and we had the bigger story of good vs. evil. But the main focus of the story was so heavy on the character elements that the battle against The Compassion (the bad guys) felt like it was tacked on as an afterthought. This should have been a book like The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet which was more character driven. Also, it was weird that the bad guys kept on showing up but the good guys couldn't get back up to save their lives. In fact, the good side seemed like a group of inept idiots the whole time.

More good stuff. The aliens had a world where saying your pronouns when you introduce yourself to someone is commonplace. I liked that as it helped normalize the giving of pronouns AND it makes perfect sense because there are so many alien species that were this real, it’d be impossible to memorize every alien species genders. I believe anything that normalizes that in our modern culture is a positive. If it matters to you, you should give your pronouns to those you meet and it should be a normal thing.

Back to what needed work. Parts of the book were too “infodumpy.” There are so many different alien species and characters that it became hard to remember anything without going back to the beginning of the book to remember it all. Even the earthlings were hard to follow and there were only a handful of them. There was a list of things at the end of the book but it killed the pace of the book having to go back and check stuff. I've read tome sized epic fantasy books that were less confusing.

Also, we have this group battling against bad guys who want to commit genocide on a level never seen before. But Tina starts having second thoughts about killing. What a great idea! You're fighting against actual evil, a group who would kill billions if they got the chance, and you decide you no longer want to kill. It's stupid and unreasonable.

Also, there were times when the earthlings were all a bit extra. Rachel could have been a great example of mental health issues but her mental problems were never properly explored so she just came across as the weird kid.

Normally when I have this much negative to say about a book, it would lead to either a low score or a DNF. But something kept me coming back to find out how everything ends and that’s what kept my score from dipping lower. I kept picking it up over and over again even though I was frustrated.

This book needs better editing. It needed to be passed by a writing group first. It needed some help because there’s a great story in here somewhere, but one too many issues kept this story from shinning.

This book could have been great. But it's just mediocre.

Tina is anxiously waiting for her destiny to begin. Unlike other teens, Tina is a space alien hidden on Earth (a clone of a noted commander) who will eventually be called to help save the universe. When the moment arrives, it's not like she expects; but at least her best friend Rachael is there by her side. Rachael and Tina, along with an alien crew and diverse set of four additional teen Earthlings, will form a new family on a mission to save the universe from an enemy that seeks to destroy anything/anyone who is not like them.

With strong parallels to issues involving racial and class disparities, as well as an enemy that essentially engages in eugenics, this book addresses heavy topics throughout an outer space adventure. Fluid genders and sexuality are also well-represented in this book, and I loved that the norm in this universe was to introduce yourself with name and pronouns, always.

Anders' vivid, descriptive language really brought this book to life with beautiful imagery and relatable characters. I would highly recommend this book and would love to see this story continue.

Meet Tina, the clone of a warrior alien with an unfinished business. The galaxy has a villain hell-bent on genocide of anything not resembling humanoids and somebody gotta stop them. And that saviour needs to be Tina. Except for the fact that Tina is human (atleast looks and acts like one) and is hopelessly unequipped to fill her alien predecessor's (or her old self's) shoes.
This is Star Trek meets Guardian of the Galaxy meets Thanos. There is a gang of misfits, who are actually geniuses in their respective field. There are aliens with their unique greetings and they mention their own pronouns to the people they meet. Which is such a cool thing to do! I wish all of us Earthlings take up this habit. There is an Indian character too, which I am really happy to see. Diverse and non binary representation and exploration of topics of sexual identity. This is a YA that hits all the teaching points. You don't have to be fearless to be brave. Nor do you have to be violent to be a hero. It's a scifi that does more than just space and aliens.
I haven't read the author's other works yet so I do not know how this compares. As much as I enjoyed this book, I felt that something was missing. Something I can't quite place. The chapters often started with a new event occuring in the lives of our lovely characters after the cliffy endings of the previous chapters. Sometimes the slow pace of a few chapters felt disjointed because of the urgency of the plot. Or it is probably me, nitpicking as usual. But I will definitely be picking up more of the author's work in future.
I thank Netgalley and Tor Teen for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Victories Greater Than Death is about a girl named Tina who is a clone of a six-foot-tall purple-skinned alien general who was, more or less, her society's Jean-Luc Picard. She was disguised as a human and raised by an adoptive mother. But as soon as she figures out how to trigger the rescue beacon full of stars hidden just under her heart, she will fulfill her destiny.

If you're an adult who loved She-Ra or Steven Universe or Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, then this book is for you. If you know a tween who has read Harry Potter all the way through Order of the Phoenix and you want to give them an adventure story about being special and different and fighting evil that ISN'T racist and painfully transphobic, this is the book you're looking for.

But did I like it? Well, that's complicated.

Victories Greater Than Death is for people who have been told that their feelings are too much, who need to hear that even though their emotions are big and awkward and unwieldy and weird, there are people out there who care, who will value all of that huge powerful messiness and help them channel it toward good. But some of us have been told instead that our feelings are not enough, that we are distant or unreadable or cold, or just too practical to (ever) make a fuss. When I read a story that is actively didactic about the idea that Big Emotions Matter, I don't feel warm and cared for. I brace for impact. Because it's so, so easy for the message to slip from Big Emotions Matter to Your Emotions Don't.

So does Victories Greater Than Death hurt? Actually, no. Part of the reason is that it's clear-eyed and realistic about the way teenage bullying works, both when it's serious and when it's just low-key isolation. I particularly appreciated Tina's reminiscences about not fitting in at improv camp.

But also, Anders writes autistic-coded characters in a way that feels genuinely sympathetic. I've read multiple books recently with big diverse casts of characters and messages about acceptance where one of the characters was autistic, and most of them failed this test. If you have to repeat that the person your characters are accepting is strange and difficult and obsessed with incomprehensible boring things and fey more than twice, then guess what, "acceptance" might not mean what you think it does!

In Victories Greater Than Death, on the other hand, we learn in passing that Rachel struggles with social anxiety, gets tense in crowds and new places, and doesn't always like being touched, but the facts that are repeated every time she appears are that she is the! most! amazing! artist! and Tina's bestest friend in the universe!!!1!1 We see Rachel working hard to make strangers feel welcome, and then coping with the stress of having been "on" for too long. She gets a romance with a future pop superstar who makes musical robots. And her artistic talent is the key to the end-of-book triumph over evil.

In Victories Greater Than Death, Charlie Jane Anders seems to be writing a book for her younger self--a person who was weird and brave and needed to hear that dressing up in a pink sequined dinosaur suit is a good first step toward saving the world. I wasn't quite that girl, and the book I would design for my own younger self would be sideways from this one. But when Anders preaches acceptance for everyone, I believe she means it.

Victories greater than death is a teen sci-fi novel spanning the galaxy and working through the issues back on Earth.

Tina has grown up knowing she is different. She has been told that she is the human clone of a legendary alien star ship captain, and one day when she is old enough the aliens will be coming to collect her so that she can finish what her originator started.
Now that the day had arrived, will Tina be ready to take on the galaxy and become the hero she was born to be?

There were a lot of things to enjoy about this book. Personal pronouns were respected for the diverse cast of characters, and were a part of every character introduction. Characters sought consent prior to instigating any form of familiar touch such as a hug. There was diversity in the gender of characters and there was even neurodiversity represented.

The downsides were in the composition. So many big ideals were thrown in along with jarring descriptions of multitude of alien species and technology. So the end of it all, any points of action seemed short lived and over to seen, before we were back to exposition.

I liked what the author was trying to achieve, and the last quarter of the book really picked up in a way that had me keen to find out what would happen. Up to that point though it was struggling a bit.

Not a bad story, but it was a lot slower that i would expect from a YA novel, and the jarring mix of ideas detracted from the plot.

I really enjoyed this book, and I am looking forward to reading the next one!

The first 1/3 was really lovely, and it established such a different voice/style from Anders' adult novels, but just as engaging. Tina will be a relatable character for young adults who feel paralyzed by the expectations of adults in their lives - except Tina has the expectations of the galaxy weighing on her!

The second third was really fun and sometimes sad, as Tina gets to know people and the ship. The final third was full of action and sets us up well for book 2. I hope we find out more about the villain and those who join that group - as it stands now they're sort of just "baddies."

Tina's determination to sacrifice herself for her crew reminded me so much of Janeway, which I loved. I also loved the Star Trek vibes of a Federation-esque union of worlds and the sort of lived realities that that idealism masks.

Overall, I think young adult readers will really connect with the relationship angst, trusting yourself angst, uncertainty about one's place in the world, and supporting/being supported by a found family.

*** Special Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Teen for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review***

Friends, friends, friends.

Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress.

As someone who never quite got around to reading any of Charlie Jane Anders’s novels, I didn’t quite know what to expect from her first foray into young adult science fiction storytelling.

I was immediately gripped by the title, though. Victories Greater Than Death felt more like a manifesto than a book title, but I’m not complaining, because it piqued my interest.

After reading it, though, I’m left more confused than when I began. Some of the narrative choices felt a little forced and the larger mythology that Anders’ was clearly building felt less substantial than necessary.

Tina was a compelling protagonist and I loved that she wasn’t overpowered. Her best friend Rachael was also relatable and interesting and the spacefaring aspects of the larger story clashed delightfully with both of their personalities.

I liked the backstories of the incredibly diverse team that Tina and Rachael put together, and Elza, in particular, jumped off of the page. I appreciated that the rest of the team members were also well developed. Damini, Wang, Keziah, and Yiwei all felt real, important, and interesting in their own rights, even though this story always felt focused on Tina, her clone memories, and the legacy of the person from whom she’d been cloned.

I can’t say that I fell in love with this story because something about the storytelling made it feel old-fashioned. Not the character representation, or the pronouns, which were both very 2020 in attention and sensitivity. It was something more intangible that just had a feeling of almost 1980s science fiction. It was most prominent in the world that Tina and Rachael lived in before they left earth, and it didn’t diminish the story, but it did make the story feel a little detached from any time and place.

Maybe that was Anders’ intention, but it was a little odd for me personally.

Additionally, I thought that the larger conflict that the main characters were thrust into felt very haphazard and inconsistent. Put simply, I thought that this book was clearly setting up a series where we’d get more surprising reveals about Tina’s past from her clone host, and more shocking reveals about the big baddies who were teased at the end of this first book.

So, Victories Greater Than Death was a mixed bag for me. The pacing and character development were solid, and the villain of this story was nasty and well thought out. However, some of the more intangible aspects of this book left me wanting more.

I think that this book has its merits and I think that plenty of people will enjoy it. I’m simply choosing to withhold final judgment until the sequels.

That’s all for Teatime Reading on this fine day. Victories Greater Than Death was a great title for a good book, and I am glad that I read it. It releases on April 13th and it is worth checking out.

Until next time, keep your bookmarks close.

Peace, Love, Pages.

Tina, wildly unpopular outsider in her high school, is a human clone of legendary alien Captain Thaoh Argentian and she’s just been picked up by her former crew to resume command of the HMS Indomitable when something goes not quite right.

Tina begins her second round as a member of the Royal Fleet, a peacekeeping force in the galaxy, with her best friend, some human geniuses, and the Indomitable’s crew to take on The Compassion, the genocidal baddies in this tale. Confused? It’s a lot to take in. Add to this many aliens, ships, planets, and cultures to keep track of.

The good? Everyone is delightfully weird with their own quirks. Best friend Rachel, who’s unexpectedly picked up with Tina, stays along for the ride. She’s Tina’s anchor to Earth, a gifted homeschooled artist who’s extremely introverted. There’s a diverse cast of humans and aliens with special attention to everyone’s pronouns, which is seamlessly woven into dialog (it’s the suits). Tina deals with the usual teen issues of coming to grips with the expectations of others, learning who she really is, and possibly falling in love while trying to save the universe at the same time.

Pacing. I found it was a slow start and I lost track of who is what type of alien? However this will not be an issue for readers who love wide and varied cast of characters and places. Plus, there's a glossary. Overall, an ambitious and fun space opera for YA fans.

Thank you to netgalley and Tor teen for the e-arc

I will admit I only got 26 pages into this novel, but since I received it for review, I will explain here why I put this book down so early.

Writing

My complete disengagement for this book is because of the writing style. As I was reading this, I was editing it, seeing all the simple points that would've really cleaned up this writing. For an author 3 novels in, I would've thought she'd rely less on filter words (like seems, felt, hear, saw). I prevented me from sinking into the narrative.

The scenes (which are told in a linear fashion), feel non-sequitur. Jumping from one moment to the next without flowing into each other at all.

This isn't helped along by the dialogue, which didn't read naturally at all, and could only imagine them speaking with robot voices in my head. The characters would occasionally throw in an odd pop culture reference which always stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the writing.


Characters

We are told who the characters are, and their personalities, not shown.


Plot

The plot reads like a bad comic film, and because of the clunky writing, it's hard to get behind the premise of the plot. It felt very much like "and then this happened, then this happened, then this".

When the inciting incident does happen, I was completely uninterested, because despite the bash-it-over-your-head foreshadowing, it felt random and jarring.

Just finished Charlie Jane Anders' "Victories Greater Than Death," her debut into the young adult market. This book is so very easy for me to recommend — it's the kind of novel I would have loved to read when I was a teen, and it's still a delight for me to read now.

Let's start with the basics. The heroine of the story, Tina, knows that although she looks human, she's actually of alien descent, and the clone of a legendary commander to boot. She also knows it's only a matter of time before she has to fulfill her destiny in space, although she fears the alien killers she sees in visions. It's a refreshing take on the entire fated-hero trope — she knows what lies ahead and is girding for it, as opposed to so many others whom no one bothered to warn.

After starting on Earth, the story really begins when Tina makes it to space. The story's crackerjack, full of a menagerie of intriguing aliens, a rich history going back millennia, clever technologies, a mysterious conspiracy, thrilling action, tragic losses, and gallivanting across the galaxy. Also, crushes!

The heroine is likable and written with care and affection. Quirky, awkward, scrappy and poor, worried about tests and bullies and a fraught but loving relationship with her mom, partying with street dance protests as best as she and her best friend can, I could imagine wanting to hang out with and protect them in equal measure. The plot and setting are exciting and fascinating, but the characters do not in any way get short-shrift, growing and changing in meaningful ways before our eyes.

Looking back, my only quibble with the book is the amount of time spent on Earth. The starting section is well-written, and accomplishes a stellar job of establishing Tina as a real person, as well as the ominous nature of what might lie ahead of her. And the shift to space is handled well, reminiscent in the best way of "Galaxy Quest" and "The Last Starfighter," where fans are glad to step into dream roles, despite the dangers involved. It's just that I really love all the stuff in space, and in retrospect I would've liked for the novel to get there sooner. But when I was reading the front section, I didn't regret reading it at all — it felt kind of like a John Hughes prequel to Star Trek or Star Wars.

All in all, "Victories Greater Than Death" is basically what you'd want YA SF to be, or just SF in general. It also has a thriller ending to pique interest in Anders' next book in the series. I can't wait.

I gave this book three stars, but I’m reality it’s more like 3.5. I really enjoyed this book, honestly. I loved how adventurous it felt, and the premise was phenomenal. The idea of Tina having to live up to the memory of herself, essentially, was really good, and I think a lot of YA readers will really be able to connect and relate to that. I also liked how it just sorta plopped you in the middle of everything, and didn’t seem to worry too much about having to set up the universe. You learned about things AS everyone else in the story learned about them, and that was great for me.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find myself really connecting to a lot of the characters I felt that I wasn’t supposed to care about. The other Earthlings (save for Elza) didn’t really do it for me, and the plot felt sorta slow at first and then really super rushed up at the end. On top of that, I really feel like Anders’ normally gorgeous writing style was sort of toned down for this book. I love the way she writes, and I wish that more of that had come through with this.
Over all, I enjoyed reading this book and I will be recommending it to the right people I’m the future. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read this ARC, and I’m looking forward to the idea of reading more of this story.

This enjoyable read had elements of humor that reminded me of Hitchhiker's Guide and the more recent Space Opera. A bit tongue in cheek, but filled with genuine feeling and earnestness. The premise that a famous and accomplished galactic force commander is cloned and hid on earth and then retrieved when they have matured was fresh and interesting. I'll definitely purchase this title for my library and recommend to scifi readers.

I wish I could say that I liked this book. I have loved Charlie Jane Anders other works, so I was very excited for this book. It was a young adult sci-fi book set in space. Right up my alley.

Unfortunately, the book read very slowly. I will admit, I struggle when there are too many characters, locations, and other various "things" I have to keep track of (e.g. space ships) introduced, and I spend so much time re-reading to figure it out, that the book then feels tedious. I think in this regard it felt more like classic sci-fi, very heavy on the science vs a lighter young adult book. I believe this also led to my unease with the book because I was never sure where it was going. Maybe Ander's point?

Maybe with some editing, the book will tighten up and feel more streamlined.

I also wish there was more relationship building with Tina's close friendship with Rachael.

What I loved: use of pronouns throughout the book, very seamlessly. Diversity of characters, via skin color, gender, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, planet of origin. I am sure I am missing something, but it was beautiful cast of characters, and I loved the inclusiveness!

I rated it as a 2.5 stars, but that's just based on my personal preference, but I definitely think there are those that will love this book!

The style of writing is certainly unique -- for example, I appreciated Anders' naming conventions, which were all super memorable. As a non-binary person myself, I appreciated the representation of trans and nonbinary characters, but I found the pronoun introductions to be clunky.

I've enjoyed Charlie Jane Anders' adult titles so I had high hopes for her YA SF debut. Victories Greater Than Death did not disappoint, This takes the chosen one trope and gives it heart. Tina's known her entire life that she's really part of an alien race. She's been hidden away on Earth until it's time for her to lead the fight against The Compassion, who are anything but.

In the spirit of Ready Player One, Tina leads a group that includes her BFF from Earth as well as some of the smartest human teens along with a group of aliens determined to defeat The Compassion.

Tina discovers that being the chosen one doesn't mean you have all of the answers. And it doesn't make you immune to loss or heartache.

As with her adult novels, Charlie Jane Anders writes about self-discovery, self-acceptance, and finding the family of your heart. Very inclusive with nonbinary, LGBTQ+ characters.

Thank you to Tor Teen for giving me a free digital galley of this book in exchange for feedback.

Tina has always known she's destined to leave the planet. Her mother has told her about the day the aliens left her, a normal-looking baby, to be raised in anonymous safety until the day when she comes of age and her beacon glows to call the spaceship to come take her home - and also alerts the enemy to come and find her first. But that bit is only the start, and the real story involves Tina, her best friend Rachael (artist, introvert, homeschooler), and a team of the smartest teen nerds on earth as they try to save the galaxy from The Compassion, which is a lot less nice than the name would make it sound. This book is exciting and well written, but more than that, it has so much heart! It's about found family and mutual support and personal identity and misfit, awkward, and queer teenagers are going to love it. I've read Anders's adult fiction, which is rich and complex, and challenging and was worried her style wouldn't translate well to a YA book, but she really pulled off the transition to a different audience, neither talking down to hear readers nor over their heads.