Persephone Station is a really interesting concept that fell a little flat to me. It felt like this book should have been either half it's length as a standalone or spread out between more novels to be a series because it was simultaneously too long and too short. I like extensive worldbuilding and story setting, as well as heavy character studies, but this felt like I could have listened to half the book and still understood what was happening in great detail.

But I did love the characters, especially our crew that we followed around for the majority of the story and Angel was THE BEST. I liked looking at their internal conflicts and how this impacted external conflicts as well. I also really liked all the "auto-inclusion" in the world. It was never assumed that someone was a "default" of straight, cis, abled, and straight, which was refreshing and a trend I've been seeing more in Adult SciFi which makes me super happy!

I listened to the audio and while it was good, I was disappointed that it was only one narrator considering it switched perspectives a lot and it was a little difficult to tell who was who for a bit after the switch unless it started with the person's name. It didn't make it impossible but it did add a level of listening that I don't always enjoy with my audiobooks.

Overall, if you enjoy Space Opera, this will interest you!

The beginning was bit to get into but once you do it takes off. I really enjoyed having a space opera that features a vast array of identities.

Not rating this one because I think I should love it, but I just keep forgetting about it so haven’t finished it even though I’ve been reading it almost a year. I pick it up, get distracted, and forget about it all over again. I think I’ll try again in the future and give it another shot as I do think I will really enjoy it once it manages to hook me.

Scifi full of queer characters, AIs, and discussions surrounding colonialism, what's not to love about this book!?!

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't think it was fair to review a book I didn't finish.

Interesting characters, interesting situations. The plot is not just about what is happening in the book’s NOW, but also about happenings in the book’s past. The characters have history with one another, and that history matters. Well written .

I am so bummed that this wasn't a five-star read for me. : (

I'm excited by the premise, the characters, and the setting, but the style of the prose and the way the story was told just left me wanting. So many cool ideas here, though. And the CHARACTERS. Give me more characters in this vein forever.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

The writing style did not work for me. It's a lot of action with no emotional stakes, so I couldn't find myself rooting for the characters.

2/5 Stars

This wouldn’t be so bad if the lead character wasn’t square AF. Seriously... it’s like playing an RPG video game where the character you play has 0% personality and you’re just piloting them through the story. This book did NOT work for me. Would not recommend and the blurb on the cover is very misleading. Flat characters. Cliche story beats. Not for me. Gorgeous cover art though. Thank you Net Galley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

God, I loved this book... I loved it fiercely. I don't even know where to start?

First of all, it's a book pretty much solely made up of women and nonbinary characters. I read all-male scifi too, and often like it all the same as any other scifi, but there is something, just that SOMETHING, about reading a book where everyone's... More or less like you. It's f...ing amazing. No other word for it.

And yeah, you're gonna ask - there WERE some men. But there were as many men as there are women in your typical 50s-60s scifi, and they're in the same unimportant, episodic roles. Robber. One-scene cute boyfriend. Guy who gets assassinated or the guy on the team who takes the shot. Guy who maintains the building. You're gonna say I'm petty, but HA. In your face, all-male scifi. You have all the scifis where we are but decorations and basically blinking, breathing furniture. So I'm going to gloat about one or two books where it's precisely the other way round.

But continuing with the characters. They're all tough, strong, smart, they've got character, they're gritty and interesting people. Most of them had really cool backstories, which always makes the book feel so much more real and multidimensional than just telling the "current story in question." They're tough and capable warriors, and this book feels a little like military-scifi even, with how much fighting we get to see. However... That's not to say that these characters don't have emotion. Oh no - they're fighting alongside those they love, so of course they care, and of course they hurt when something happens. The best part about the way the story was told for me was that it didn't feel the need to turn ex-military merc women into some muscular, feelingless fighting machines (which happens in scifi more often than you'd think, to juxtapose femininity with the ability to fight - as in, for some reason, you can't be both or something). They retain their emotional side and are not afraid of it, nor do they think it's any kind of weakness. It's the human bonds that keep them together.

I really liked the pacing of the story as well, because the start of the book was rather slow and definitely character-built, with a lot of detail on the backstories and world building. However, after the halfway mark it got so tense and INtense that i had to put away the book for brief breaks, because I thought my heart would leap out of my chest. It was definitely a lot of handle, and I mean that in the best way possible. What a wonderful book!

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book so much that I read more than half of it before finally giving up.

I loved how diverse this book was and many of the things it was trying to do, but the writing just did not do it for me. I found the characters to be incredibly one-dimensional and just did not feel the stakes of the story. Moreover, there was a lot of dialogue in this book and I felt like it was terribly written ; this is just not how people talk (or write)…

I will not be recommending this book for purchase as an addition to our school library. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

This book was a bit of a beast (for page length) but I really enjoyed it. This was a very unique story and not quiet what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it. The cover art was absolutely amazing and would make an awesome TV or movie adaptation.

DNF ~ 30%

I've been trying to read this for months but I keep putting it down to read other things. I've tried the audiobook as well and have stopped and started it multiple times but I think it's time to call it, I'm not finishing this one any time soon.

I don't have any major issues with it, I just found it hard to follow and it couldn't sustain my interest. There is quite a bit of world-building upfront (which lately I've had trouble with, not just this book!). I do love the genre-blending and mystery + sci-fi is a subgenre I want to read more of! I hope to come back to this book in the future once my reading mood shifts.

I would recommend this to space opera fans, especially if you are looking for book casts that are mostly women and non-binary characters. I was happy about the diversity and queerness of so many characters. I did feel that the book really takes a long time to get going so keep reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is a dark, gritty mix of Treasure Planet, Mandolorian, and Firefly. I enjoyed the train, stakes, and character growth. There is a lot of loss and action within these pages. I enjoyed the relatable storytelling along with the overall annoyance, you get it, humanity. I didn't have a favorite character between Angel and Rosie, but I enjoyed bits and pieces of each character.

Thank you to the publisher for graciously providing an ARC, which makes me feel a bit guilty about giving this only a 3 star review.
It was unfortunately a DNF - I simply could not get into it. There was too much information given about some things (technical descriptions) and not enough about fairly vital plot points. I do understand the author wanting to avoid an exposition dump, but it led to a lot of me flipping back to see if I had missed something or confused the characters.

The cover is EXTREMELY cool, however. Huge draw, I would almost want to purchase the book solely to display the cover.

I was supposed to have read this book a long time ago but I’m still not very comfortable with sci-fi and I need to be in the right mood to appreciate it. I finally felt it was time and I’m glad I did.

This one took a while to get into, not that it’s the book’s fault - it’s just me always needing some extra time to get used to the sciency and techy stuff in a sci-fi novel. But the characters more than made up for the initial hiccup - the author has created an amazing found family here, some old friends and some newly made, but seeing this wonderful group of women and non-binary folks kick ass was pretty satisfying to read. Also the whole idea of good mercenaries helping an indigenous species defend themselves against a greedy corporation and it’s maniac head is very fascinating, and the unexpected help that our main group of characters receive was so cool. The pacing wasn’t always consistent, with a more exciting beginning and ending alongwith a languishing middle - but the last 20% full of tense and nonstop action made up for any lack previously.

I don’t know why but I didn’t actually expect to enjoy this much, but I’m so happy I turned out wrong. Maybe if the book was only mercenaries and crime lords fighting against evil corporations and an artificial intelligence capable of empathy (and believe me all of this is present), I might not have liked it so much. But the strength of this book lies in the bonds these characters share with each other and the cause for which they are fighting. Definitely an interesting addition to my read pile.

If you loved “Journey to a Small Angry Planet”, “Gideon the Ninth” or “Star Wars” then there is something here for you, so put the kettle on and prepare to not wanna put this book down.
Genderqueer sci-fi space opera with honorable mercenaries, evil government/corporations, pew pews and everything you could want in a galactic adventure!