Thanks NetGalley and Flux for a copy of this ARC to review. It has been a while since I picked up science fiction because it always feels so intimidating to me. But with City of Shattered Light I didn’t have any of that fear or confusion. It was a fascinating world with both of the main planets we focus on as well as the Queer found family being pretty solid. We love a good heist and this book was chock full of them! Every event has some twists and turns that truly kept me invested in the story as well as the crews relationship as a whole. I did knock some points because Riven’s characterization and decision making felt very rash and drastic at times, jumping between hating Asa’s guts and developing feelings. It felt like I was getting whiplash at times while reading Riven’s POV and It was hard to understand her natural mindset. Funny enough I didn’t experience any of these issues with Asa’s POV. The romance as a whole felt a bit shoe horned in and rushed especially towards the end. With the love triangle spreading the intrigue it felt like the romance was forced rather than coming off naturally in the story’s progression. Don’t get me wrong, I love bi sapphic romance, but I hope if this book has a sequel like it teases, we can get this further developed if given the proper time. A lot of things happen in this book in 400 pages with so much A plot the B plot(s) can usually suffer due to this. Despite these criticisms I still really had fun with this book and I recons do it to people like me who get nervous with sci fi and want a fun chaotic queer adventure story through space.

I really wish I had the right mindset to read this books until the end, because I really loved the concept and the idea and the characters. But the book, somehow, was not getting to me.

I think it's more of a "me" problem than with the book, because I tried reading another sci-fy right after I DNFd this one, and it didn't work out either. I think I'm just not in a sci-fy-mood lately.

But I wanted to give feedback nevertheless. I think I read about 2/3rds of the book, I was interested in knowing how it ended, wanted to know what happened... but everytime I thought of picking it up, I just never felt like it. I just grabbed some other book and read it instead.

Definitinely a "me" problem. And I am deeply sorry for that. Still, I am also very grateful for the opportunity, and to both NetGalley and North Star Editions for trusting me with it. I hope I will get back to the book once it's published and I will apreciate it more.

Sidenote: I am sorry for my weird english.

This YA cyberpunk sci-fi with two very different MCs has it all: an inclusive world, fast paced action, amazing characters in a found family that would do anything for each other. Please please please let there be a sequel!!!

An heir to an enormous tech empire runs away to save her sister, and has to rely on a crew of teen underworld criminals to get her where she needs to go and save their city from a killer online virus. What could go wrong?
Wow, I loved this book. I really loved the found family that we had, and there were some characters in this book that you can really feel yourself getting attached to and wishing the best for. I don’t usually read a ton of sci-fi, specifically in comparison to how much fantasy I read, often because I just find it overall harder to understand when I’m having to deal with lots of tech and odd planets, but this book was so accessible and easy to read! Trust me, once Asanna decides to defy her father and save her sister, you will be absolutely hooked and not want to put this down! I highly, highly recommend you either preorder this (I have) or buy it as soon as it comes out!

REPRESENTATION
-two bisexual female main characters, sapphic relationship
-gay side character
-unlabeled male side character, in a relationship with another male
-hispanic side character

TWS
-parental abuse
-domestic abuse (mentioned)
-unhealthy parent
-violence
-gvn violence (in sense of battles and protection)
-general gore
-body manipulation

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, Netgalley, and Flux for this free copy.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

City of Shattered Light made it onto my radar because of its sapphic protagonists. I mean, there is a runaway tech heiress and a gun-wielding thief who honestly look hot AF on that cover and it’s sapphic? This story ticks all the boxes! I haven’t read interplanetary sci-fi in a long while, so I had almost forgotten what it felt like till I picked up this book. And oh boy, I feel like I underestimated what this book would do to me!

THE STORY:

The story of City of Shattered Light revolves around two protagonists: Asanna Almeida, the tech heiress living with her cold father and her sister Kaya on the luxury planet Cortellion; and Riven Hawthorne, the gun-wielding thief who leads a crew made up of Samir, sniper with a pet dog, and Ty, handsome crew medic who refuses to use a gun. Riven and her crew live on Requiem, AKA the City of Shattered Light, which is on a moon that orbits Cortellion and also happens to be a hot spot for every bad guy in the star system probably.

Asanna, or Asa, is preparing to take over Luca Almeida's company as his daughter and heiress, but complications arise at a tech show when a rogue virus named Banshee attempts to sabotage it. Luca is very hush-hush about this new threat and carries on with his experiments like nothing's going on, using Kaya as his test subject. When one of these experiments ends up with Kaya's mind separated from her body, Asa works with another scientist to smuggle her sister's mind and body separately to Earth.

On Requiem, Riven and her crew are trying to get on the good graces of a Matriarch, one of the leaders who runs the place under the control of the all-powerful Duchess. But a mission gone wrong ends up with Riven and her crew having to pay up all the money they lost on the job or serving themselves up for the lucrative organ donor business.

When Asa, carrying her sister's mind in a biocapsule, literally crashes into Requiem, Riven is determined to cash in on the bounty on Asa's head for their survival. But Banshee is sweeping across Requiem, shutting down the city and the only way to save it might be for Riven and her crew to team up with Asa to keep Requiem, and each other, alive.

THE CHARACTERS:

This book had some of the best characters I have read about in a while. They were all so distinct with their own personalities and character traits. I loved the protagonists and literally everyone on Team Good Guys, but I couldn't help loving all the morally grey and evil characters too. They were all so fascinating!

I was worried that Asa might get overshadowed by louder characters like Riven, but wow, this girl started to really blossom into her own person down the story. The meek, people-pleasing heiress really impressed me with her character growth but I see a lot more space for her to grow, so I can't wait for any future books to show more of that.

I had no doubt that I would love Riven before I even started reading the book. There were moments that had me frustrated and annoyed with her, much like her crew was, but she really pulls through. What's not to like about a girl who wields good ol' guns in a world of cybernetics?

And The Crew! Oh gosh! I fell in love with literally everyone in it, which is why it broke my heart to read about some of the things these rebellious, brave, absolutely amazing people go through for each other! In my honest opinion, The Crew is the highlight of the whole story. That found family dynamic just hits the spot and left me reeling when the story ended.

THE WRITING:

I was worried I might end up confused in this futuristic world of cybernetics and body mods, but I wasn't. The author does a fantastic job of using language that even someone who is new to sci-fi would not have a huge difficulty getting used to.

On top of that, I found the writing very well done when it came to the action scenes. I always love it when action-packed scenes aren't vaguely mentioned but followed through with the reader, and that was perfectly orchestrated here!

City of Shattered Light was told in dual POVs: through Asa and Riven. I love dual POVs because it helps the reader get into the character's head a lot easier but I struggled to notice a distinctive shift between the POVs here sometimes. Like, it would take me a few lines to understand that now I am on who's POV.

THE PLOT:

For a story full of mass chaos and multiple stand-offs, the plot was surprisingly as the blurb promised. But I still loved it because with all the running, heisting, and breaking and out, it felt a lot happened!

However, I am not the biggest fan of the romance. I actually liked Riven and Asa together as a couple because of how their opposing personalities played together and the way they were trying so hard to fight their feelings. But I was not really happy with how Asa handled her feelings for a side character.

I loved that most of the story took place in Requiem because that place is amazing! I would be terrified to step foot on it if it existed in real life, but as a fictional setting, it is pretty badass! Even the people in this place were all badass!

And I am guessing that there might be a continuation of this story since the epilogue ends on a huge cliffhanger, so I am so ready for more! I will probably preorder whatever Claire Winn announces next!

THE WORLD-BUILDING:

Requiem and Cortellion are such amazing worlds, especially Requiem. Cortellion seemed pretty sterile and luxurious, not really somewhere I would wanna live in. I am really surprised Kaya and Asa grew up on that planet and grew into such normal people.

Requiem, on the other hand, was so awesome! I loved the grittiness and the rawness of that city, and, like Riven and her crew, I really wanted to see that place come out of the clutches of Banshee. The politics, the social order, and the pure chaos of that city reminded me of old sci-fi movies that I have watched, like Blade Runner, but cooler somehow.

I also loved how the author paid attention to things like the hours in a day and such based on the planets because duh, of course, that makes sense! But, as I said before, I haven't read space sci-fi in a while, so I was utterly mesmerised by all the details here!

THE REPRESENTATION:

There was a lot of great representation in this book. Of the two MCs, one is a chronically ill bisexual female while the other is a BIPOC (Asian coded, most likely Filipina) bisexual female. There are also Achillean BIPOC male side characters, a side character with cybernetic implants, and the story is set in a more-or-less queer normative world.

FINAL VERDICT:

City of Shattered Light is an action-packed sci-fi with a whole host of characters that I fell in love with within mere minutes! With such great LGBTQ+ representation and even a chronically ill MC, this debut is bound to stun you with its strange new worlds, absolutely terrifying villains, and lengths that this group of misfits will go for each other. I really hope this book gets a sequel though because after that cliffhanger ending my fingers are itching to preorder the next book!

A huge thanks are owed to Northstar Editions and NetGalley!

I have to say there is a huge void where there should be lots of YA cyberpunk novels, yet there is not. I want futuristic planets and weird monsters and high-tech and cities that never sleep. I got all of that in this book.

I loved the writing; it's descriptive without being flowery and brings you right into the world. Both characters (and all B characters) were not interchangeable and had personalities of their own. Both Riven and Asa are introduced as polar opposites, but soon find out they're more alike than they thought. I love that about well-written characters. Their intentions mirror each other, but despite being on two different paths in their lives, they both manage to find common ground.

In terms of pacing, the book hit all the beats. There wasn't a moment where I began to skim or felt like I wanted to put the book down and pick up another. Every chapter had a purpose. The plot is typical YA, but it's done in a way that you don't know you're reading something that's probably been done a thousand times before.

Overall, I loved the book and I hope to see more great things from Claire Winn in the future.

City of Shattered Light is a story of two girls growing up in a different situation.
Asa, the heiress of an advance technology has been trying her best to please her father in any way without knowing her father is not as good as she think he is. When Asa's father upload her sister's mind to an unknown experimental brain, Asa have to flee from her home with her sister's digitalized mind to a safe place, away from her father's grasp.
Riven Hawthorne, a gun smuggler who tries to make a reputation of herself in Requiem. Seeing Asa with a bounty on her head is a perfect job for her to claw her way up in this harsh society...until an unknown virus spreads to the entire city and threaten the safety of everyone.
Now, Asa and Riven have to work together in order to save Requiem and Asa's sister, Kaya from the ruthless AI hunting them down.

First of all, let's appreciate that gorgeous cover! Just makes you want to read it right ? Well, the good news is the story is as good as the cover!

The plot is well written and crafted. The advance technology and the futuristic world building is quite detailed which is a great touch to the plot. The writing style is also easy to read and understand. It will make readers easily enjoy reading the whole story with a fast pacing, lots of action scenes and well develop main characters.

I really like Asa's character development, from being a weak girl who wanted to please her father to a girl who stand up for herself.
Honestly, I didn't really like Asa at first but she eventually warm up to me at the end of the story.
Riven is one of my favorite character. She's a badass girl who don't give a thing for anyone which sometimes portray her as ruthless. However, she did have a soft spot for her crew which is a nice side to show to the readers.

While the main character are well develop, I couldn't say the same with the secondary characters. Diego, Samir and Ty are a part of Riven's crew but somehow their characters weren't being explored enough. I would have love to know more about them especially Ty!

Another thing is the switch of POV between Asa and Riven in one chapter. The first part of the chapter is Asa's POV but then it could abruptly change to Riven's. It could get confusing sometimes to differ their POV if they are together in the same chapter.

I didn't know if this is going to be a series or not. But, seeing that epilogue with a cliffhanger makes me sure that there will be a sequel for this story. I really really hope so!

Overall, for a debut novel this is an enjoyable read with great writing style as well as interesting world building that will get you hooked into the story.
Highly recommended for those looking to read a quick engaging sci-fi novels.
I'm looking forward for other books from this author!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Claire Winn and North Star Editions' Flux books for giving me this eARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

I think if you go into City of Shattered Light expecting to read a lesbian Sci-Fi adventure, you’re going to be severely disappointed. I know I was.

City of Shattered Light was action packed and fast paced, but it didn’t deliver what it promised. The premise made it seem like we’d be reading a story about Asa and Riven, unlikely allies, going on a dangerous journey together while facing a common enemy and falling in love along the way. That was not what happened.

There were a lot of action scenes and the plot did focus a lot on the dangerous situations Asa and Riven–and all the secondary characters–found themselves in. Those were probably the most exciting parts of the book, but the quick jump from one situation to the next made it so, at a certain point, things didn’t seem like they mattered much anymore. There wasn’t a lot of build up to some of them so the emotional pay off didn’t land as it should have.

Regarding the romance, I’m going to come right out and say this isn’t, yet, a lesbian-focused Sci-Fi novel like the premise made it seem. Asa and Riven didn’t get together until after the 95% mark. Before that, there was no development of their relationship because Asa was romantically involved with a male character. After that, there was no development of their relationship because the book was over. I do believe that relationship is going to grow and be explored more in future books, since this one ended in a big cliffhanger, but it still made me feel a little cheated.

I was seriously confused and pretty upset about how this was addressed and the circumstances surrounding Asa and Riven’s getting together. It left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth and definitely negatively impacted my reading experience since I came in with expectations that this book was going to heavily focus on a romantic relationship between two woman and that didn’t happen in this installment.

Sadly, a disappointing read.

This was such a fantastic read 🚀🌌🌎🌕

If you liked the Illuminae books, aurora rising, the TV show Firefly or basically just any found family or heist books this one is for you.

We have the brainy heiress Asana who will do anything to save her sister from her corrupt father. Through a series of mishaps she ends up on a ship captained by Riven who has her sights set on power. Can they put their differences aside to escape a maniacal artificial intelligence which is spreading like a virus throughout the tech-heavy city of Requiem.

The world building is amazing, I really loved the descriptions of Requiem and it's people. The science aspect wasn't too heavy or over done which was nice as it meant I could just read and enjoy. The dialogue was absolutely fantastic. Funny, quick witted and believable all round. The representation! When I say you'll find it all I'm serious, both of our leading ladies are bisexual, we have a gay couple we have non-binary side characters.

That ending though 🙊🙈 definitely need book 2 ASAP 🙏🏻 What an astounding debut @clairewinnauthor thank you so much @netgalley for allowing me to read an early copy ❤️

Riven and Asa are still taking up space in my mind long after reading this story. I'm completely on board with all the YA Sci-Fi I can find and this story did not let me down. The only thing I'd change is the cliffhanger ending.

Queers in space + a rogue A.I. + spine chilling matriarchs - what could possibly go wrong?

First of all, look at this gorgeous cover!!! I'd be lying if I said this beauty had nothing to do with me requesting this book.

I am a big fan of sci-fi books and the sapphic touch of the blurb did me in. This book was filled with beautiful futuristic descriptions and I loved how easily it flowed with the plot. Glass bridges, neon lights, skyways - i truly loved the setting of this book.

As for characters, my favourite was badass and knock-your-breath-out Riven. She was the fire to put it nicely. Asa Almeida, the protagonist of our story, was the damsel in distress turned hidden saviour turned - well you'll have to read the book to find out :)

The found family trope was well written and I loved how all of them worked together. Everything was very well stitched within the plot and within the character traits. The only place where I found the book lacking was the romance. This could be biased as I am not a big fan of love triangles. There was chemistry, yes! But the execution of it felt rather absent in the first half of the book, later impeded by the love traingle, and eventually rushed towards the end.

However, the ending was great! And I have great hopes from the next book. I give this sapphic space opera four smiling (but not yet smitten) stars!

Thank you to Flux books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

City of Shattered Light was a pretty enjoyable story. I really liked Asa as a main character. I loved the way she tried to help and protect her sister. While there was a lot of action and adventure in the story, I still found it to be a little slow for me. The plot of the story was interesting enough. It was well thought out and well written. I'm happy with how things ended off and curious to see if there ends up being a second book. With the way this one ended off I'm really hoping there is.

If you are looking for a sci-fi with family ties, found family and lots of adventure then give this a shot.

~Thank you NetGalley and North Star Editions/Flux for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.~

4.5⭐️ (rounded up)

Okay I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book!! I saw the gorgeous cover and the words ‘sapphic’ and immediately requested it - I have zero regrets. This book is YA sci-fi with great lgbtq+ rep. It focuses on two main characters Asa and Riven, who are both bisexual. Oh and did I mention it’s enemies to lovers?

I really enjoyed the world building and found it easy to follow and the plot was super engaging, I was always trying to anticipate what would happen next.

THIS BOOK IS FOR ALL OF THE FOUND FAMILY TROPE LOVERS OUT THERE! I really liked how well the whole crew worked together. I quickly became really attached to the characters (especially Riven) and I can’t wait to read about them some more.

This book also has a love triangle. Now, I know you’re probably cringing already but there’s no need, this is one of the very few good love triangles. It was really well written and for once I don’t have a bias as to who the main character should end up with (although I’m a sucker for sapphic relationships). I do want to make it clear though that the romance is just a side plot.

I would have loved to see more of the side characters but I understand that this is only the first book in the series so I’m hoping their characters will be explored more in future books.

my final thoughts: THE EPILOGUE. GIVE ME THE SEQUEL RIGHT NOW.

CONTENT WARNINGS for the book: strong language, gun violence, death, blood, mild gore, emotional abuse/manipulation, mild body horror, terminal illness, suicide (referenced), drug and alcohol references

City of Shattered Light is a YA Science Fiction novel by debut author Claire Winn. When Asa’s father uploads her sister’s mind to an experimental brain to reprogram her personality, Asa runs away with her sister’s mind to a faraway planet, Requiem. While there she is kidnapped by bounty hunters and is kidnapped/saved by Riven’s crew. Riven is a thief who wants to increase her standing in Requiem’s underworld. A virus spreading through Requiem causes a blackout and quarantine and both girls must work together to get what they both want.
I really enjoyed the second half of this book. Not to say the first half was bad, but it does take me a while to immerse myself in a new world. I really liked all the characters, Asa being my favourite as she struggles to get the acceptance she deserves from her father and the loneliness she felt at home to forming a solid friendship with Riven’s crew and Riven herself. I often find love triangles to be annoying and overplayed however, I liked how this one has been handled between Ty, Asa and Riven.
Clearly, a sequel is planned and I am excited to see what happens next after the cliff-hanger ending. I would love to learn more about Luca, Asa’s father, and his motivations behind his controversial projects. I would also love to see more interaction between the main crew, such as Diego and Samir with Asa.
My one real criticism is that I didn’t really feel too much romantic tension between the F/F couple. It felt it was “told” to me, rather than “shown.” I imagine this will be more focused on in a sequel.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoyed the Adaption series by Malinda Lo or The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie.

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn was such a greatly paced story! I loved the characters and the setting was so unique.

Thank you Flux and Netgalley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

4/5 stars

Trigger warnings: death, gore, manipulation, emotional abuse, body horror.

I have no words for how spectacular this book was, or how it made me feel while reading it. I was hooked. It’s been a long time since I truly enjoyed a YA novel, let alone sat down and ignored everyone for the sole purpose of finishing. It’s unputdownable and action-packed. It's full of chaos and heists. It has a found family! a queer found family! <3 It was utterly fantastic and everything I was hoping for.

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Riven and her crew want nothing more than to have enough money to get by in Requiem's sprawling city. On the other hand, Asa is heiress to Alameda Industries, a techie corporation in Cortellion: an elite planet, quite the contrary to Requiem, which is brimming with crime syndicates and ruthless matriarchs. As heiress, Asa must decide whether the Industry and the progress it claims to be doing is worth it, or if she should give it up and run away.

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Asa is such an amazing character. However, even though Asa was the most relatable (to me) I gotta applaud the author's development of Riven: she is ruthless and unapologetically ambitious. She considers paths other characters probably wouldn't take and is not afraid to use her guns. She is the very definition of hard on the outside and soft on the inside.

That being said, I did relate to Asa much more than Riven: her struggle to stand up to her father, the desire of being validated, her talent being acknowledged. She has a tremendous development throughout the course of the book. She misses the privileges she had:a warm bed, knowing her only preoccupation was failing her exams, etc. and yet, she is willing to do everything for her sister. She is looked down upon, but she is one of the most intelligent characters out there.

I loved the crew. I think that, whilst being a bit underdeveloped, they were written well. Ty is pretty much an antithesis to Riven: he refuses to use a gun, kill or hurt other people and trained to become a medic. (Can we also just take a moment to appreciate the fact that he is afraid of germs, Whilst being a medic?) I loved Samir and Diego (and their little puppy). But most importantly: I loved the crew's banter. It was immaculate. I can't say much about it, but Riven and Samir's interactions were gold.

The world-building is clear and precise. Requiem: a city full of violent syndicates, run by ruthless matriarchs and Duchesses. Cortellion an elite planet full of technological advances (and evil AIs) and Earth. It's a rich book, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go to Requiem's nightclubs and hangars with the sole purpose of creating my own little gang and annoying some matriarchs. I'd be killed in less than a day, but I think it would be worth it.

Besides its incredible world building and wonderful, witty and ambitious characters, the book is full of
excitement. As I said before, I really did ignore everyone. There was not a singular moment in which I was bored, no unnecessary moments. Towards the end, I was gripping my Kindle with such force that I'm surprised it didn't break. It truly was remarkable.

After all that was stated, my only complaint is its predictability. I cannot say much without spoiling, but I can say I knew what would go down from the start. However, it did not take the fun or the excitement away.

Overall, I truly recommend City of Shattered Light: its action packed, it has incredible banter, interactions, romance and rep. I cannot wait for the reactions and most importantly, I'm dying to know what happens next!

Date finished: 18/09/2021
Publish date: October 19, 2021

4.5⭐
📱

Thank you to Netgalley for approving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I didn't even finish reading the description for this one. Got as far down as 'rogue A.I.' and immediately requested it.

I was hooked from the get-go. A high stakes, action packed book with kickass characters.

I was expecting more from the rogue A.I. Maybe more interaction from it, witty banter, typical rogue A.I. things I've come to love from the trope. What interaction was there, I found to be a little underwhelming. I'd have to say that this is probably my only negative about this book.

I absolutely loved the characters and was rooting for them the whole time. They were just so damn badass. Also having one of my absolute favourite tropes, found family, how could I not fall in love with these characters.

The suspense and action in this one was so good. I found I was holding my breath for a large part of this book and couldn't stop from turning the pages, I just needed to know what happened next.

This one definitely sets up for a sequel, of which, damn it I need it right now. Omg it just can't end like that.

I would sum up the book with this short list:
> Found family
> Chaotic space heist
> “It was just supposed to be another job”

What an amazing novel, especially from a first-time-novel-writer! This book was everything it promised and more. To be honest with you I didn’t even read the whole description. I saw fantasy/sci-fi in combination with LGBT+ and I ran with it, and I’m so glad I did. This book is going to be the next big thing, mark my words. I just know it’s going to be all over social media and bookstores won’t be able to keep these in stock for very long.

The story is written from two badass women’s POV. The stories are perfectly intertwined and the POV switches seamlessly. The LGBT+ representation was actually just that: representation. It wasn’t mainly used for the plot, traumatic experiences being the main “entertainment”. It was just LGBT+ people existing. Like it should be.

The only thing that slightly put me off was the world building where a lot of specific sci-fi terms were used. After a couple of pages I got used to it, though. So definitely nothing too bad!

In conclusion: absolutely amazing. I’m very excited to see what masterpieces might follow!! (And I will never forget the three most iconic words ever uttered: “Gutter cowgirl bitch”.)

Thank you to to NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really fun setting and characters plus a very original concept. Winn's prose is sharp and well structured, and her characters are well fleshed out.

Thank you, NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

First off, the book cover is gorgeous. It represented the book and the main characters so well. I enjoyed this book so much because of its world building. This was action packed and got me hooked from start to finish. The author's writing style was good for me. I really liked the main characters, but I felt like the secondary characters needed more improvement. Really fast paced, and I love the diversity and creativity on this book.