thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I had such high expectation for this novel but it was just not for me. It took several attempts to finally make it to the end.

This was an entertaining read that had me intrigued with the world building and action scenes. But, I think this would of been better if it was part of a duology or trilogy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this. The concept was really cool and different, and I loved seeing Murdock come into herself as she tried to find a way off the prison ship while fending off the advances of the AI that controls it.

There were a lot of twists and turns, as I have come to expect from an Emily Skrutskie book, but I think this one suffered a bit from being a standalone. Her twists and surprises and cool ideas had more room to breathe in the Bonds of Brass trilogy and I enjoyed that one more because of it. I would have liked to have a bit of space from the fast-paced action and I think if the story were drawn out longer it would have had more of an impact.

Still, it was very enjoyable, and I spent a long time after I finished it just thinking about it.

The audiobook was really well done and immersive, although I found the accent the narrator used for the AI kind of amusing.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an early copy for review.

This sci-fi adventure, focused around a group of interstellar con women, had SO much promise, and just didn’t quite get there in terms of execution, for me.

The good: the worldbuilding was very nicely done, and the microcosm of society in which the main characters are dropped was especially compelling and intriguing. The action sequences were SO well-written and incredibly fun to visualize, and the main character was well-developed, and managed to keep you rooting for her even when she was making terrible decisions.

On the other hand, the side characters were much less fleshed-out, and the romance arc fell flat for me; I think there could have been something good there, but it wasn’t given enough time and space to blossom.

Overall, a fun read which I wanted a little more from. Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the advance copy!

I realize that I am (by far) in the minority with my opinion of this book. I felt like I needed far more character development. I also thought the pacing was a little slow at times. Maybe I got an initial bad impression with the slow start and just never gave it enough of a chance to impress me. For me this is just an average book. I know many will love it and that is perfectly ok.

I truly just didn't find the main character or the drama to be entertaining. It was all a bit silly. I was just expecting more of a thorough plot here rather than the drama element. I think this just missed the mark for me.

This was a good science fiction novel! I liked the exploration of the consequences of a megalomaniacal sentient prison ship. Murdock was an interesting character to follow. It's a fun standalone!

"'Faith is a strange thing, isn't it? ... You can explain all you want to a doubter, but if you want them to truly come around, you have to let them walk their own path.'"

With a group of criminals and a rogue AI on a spaceship, I thought that The Salvation Gambit would be right up my alley. And while I did enjoy some parts of it, the book fell flat for me in some places.
Most notably, I never really got invested in the plot. It wasn't slowly paced, per se, but I didn't care much for Murdock and the plot just felt a bit lackluster. The romance didn't really catch my attention and the only character backstory I found to be truly interesting was Ham's. That being said, I did like the idea of an AI being worshipped as a god and the headbands it used to communicate with its cultists looking like haloes.
Similarly, I didn't care much for the characters. Murdock was okay, but we never got time to really get to know Hark or Bea so I didn't have a connection with them. Ham was cool and I didn't mind Fitz, but none of them were characters I could really root for.
Even though The Salvation Gambit wasn't my cup of tea, I think it's a worthwhile read for readers looking for a quick space opera.
Thanks to Netgalley and the free e-ARC!
3.25/5

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc. I look forward to reading more.

Good sci-fi novel. The writing is really good- wish the plot moved a bit faster. I also would have enjoyed seeing more of the relationship between Mirdock and Fitz.

This wasn't for me, unfortunately. Too much action and plot, with very little time to really catch your breath and process anything (and little time for the characters to do this, either). I prefer a slower, more character-focused story, and this wasn't that necessarily, so it didn't end up working for me.

In a distant future, on a planet far, far away, we meet Hark and her crew on an "off day." Not only have these conartists been caught , but they are now being turned over to a ship called the Justice.  An old warship that collects each world's most heinous criminals. Quickly, it becomes clear that there they can not just con their way out of this. A quick, fun, and entertaining read.

As it turns out this is almost incredibly tailor made for me. All female heist crew that is thrown as a human sacrifice to a living prison ship of an old ancient empire that is interested in "reforming" them. To the point that she'll use the crew that's loyal to her as bodies to flirt with and attempt to seduce the protagonist to her side. Throw in tensions that already exist within the heist crew, some fun exquisite twists, and Skrutsie leaning into the horniness of it all, and you have a fun romp of a book. I will freely admit that I didn't like the Bonds of Brass trilogy, and am happy to say that she proved me wrong here. Definitely pick this up, it's one of the hidden gems of the year.

This book is about what happens when a megalomaniacal centuries-old sentient prison ship comes on too strong. We’ve all been there.

The protagonist of this is a hacker named Murdock. She was keeping herself alive by scrounging and petty crimes on a run-down space station when she got noticed and recruited by a team of confidence scammers. But their string of successes has come to an end, and the book begins with Murdock & company being transferred to the prison ship *Justice*. *Justice* is a dreadnought from an empire that died 3 centuries previously; it maintains its existence by showing up at colony worlds and using its still-impressive arsenal to demand they hand over their criminals. Most of those onboard seem to be left to their own devices. Some live as gangs and scavengers, some have built enclave towns.

But there’s also those who are mind-linked to the central AI that runs the ship, and the ship wants Murdock herself to be one of them.

Murdock quickly finds herself separated from half of her crew, including the leader they all orbit around. She’s left trying to find her way back to them with the member of her crew she gets along with the least, with the ship and its agents dogging her steps and trying to convince her to join up (with the threat that it won’t be long before they stop asking).

The story this tells is great entertainment. It’s a very fun standalone, and I burned through it very quickly. It’s got twists and turns, and intrigues, and cleverness, and a romance I got very invested in very quickly. It’s not a book that will change my life, but it is a great book if you want to relax for a few hours and just enjoy a good story.

Trigger warning for sexual assault, kind of. There’s a scene where the ship has Murdock at its mercy; no SA happens, but Murdock’s feelings of powerlessness are definitely described in terms appropriate for SA.

I really had a hard time starting this one, which is probably more due to personal problems than any issue with the book; the premise was engaging, but it took a few chapters to really get into the story, which was a challenge since I had such a stack of books I was trying to read. However, it was totally worth it when I did get into it. The premise of a warship from a fallen empire collecting "sinners" from around the galaxy is a truly unique and fascinating take on the AI warship trope, and Murdock was an enjoyable and relatable to follow throughout the story. The best sci-fi books take the big issues and use them as a backdrop for struggles that are intensely personal, and that was at the heart of The Salvation Gambit. The question appeared to be, "How do we escape this ship?", but the more important question was, "How do we escape the narrow conceptions we've built of ourselves?" Throw in a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers sapphic romance, and I'm absolutely sold!

A lovely, fun little cyberpunk, scifi romp. This was a quick read for me, but I definitely enjoyed it.

My favorite thing about THE SALVATION GAMBIT was the way in which character traits and traumas served not just as character building, but also as plot points! A splendid space outing!

I thought I had already reviewed this one, but I guess I must have not posted it. I found it very forgettable and am currently struggling to write this review. The romance felt forced and too fast for me. It was amusing until the end at which point what seemed to be others manipulating and gaslighting the MC was almost entirely blamed on the MC’s own insecurities. Also, the author seemed to be trying for a big reveal, but due to the point of view choice, the attempt to leave out certain details was just awkward and felt forced. I felt this way about the author’s first book as well, but your milage may vary on this point. Anyway, a decidedly average book that a couple months down the road is very forgettable.