I didn't know what to expect going in and I'm glad although maybe knowing a little bit of the synopsis would have been alright. I do think it helps to keep some mystery

-thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- a story that i felt fell flat in execution, but had a strong promise. the characters did pull me out of the story the most, as they felt weirdly executed and stiffly acted, which dragged me out of the story the most.

Despite having almost all of Skrutskie's novels I think this might be the first one I've actually read and while I didn't blow me away I enjoyed it well enough. Murdock was an interesting main character for the most part, and I mostly enjoyed following her journey through the heart of this giant sentient prison. Also kudos to Skrutskie for coming up with such an interesting concept; the idea of a con-woman facing off against a god-level AI prison ship was super cool, but I think in the end I was a little let down by some of Murdock's stumbling. Her overall character ARC was a lot of fun, and I loved seeing her not only come into herself but also change her views on her antagonistic crew member, but the middle part of this book dragged quite a bit. I think the whole book takes place over the course of a month or so (maybe a little longer?) but we only really see a handful of days, which would be fine except I feel like some of the really important aspects of the story are somewhat glossed over. Her sudden change of heart from running from the AI to all of a sudden being a devout follower doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and then for her to randomly switch back again? I'm not really buying it. We get to see into Murdock's brain and her though process during this whole time and neither of those huge changes seem fully grounded to me. The ending is also rather abrupt; I would have liked to see a little more of an aftermath to everything that went down. Those things being said most of the characters were great (although Hark was kind of terrible and I'm not sure why everyone was so in love with her). I think it would be interesting to see these characters come back at some point, especially because the fourth member of the group, Bea, seems underutilized; I would have loved to see more of her. Basically, this wasn't a bad book by any means, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to suggest it to people unless they ask for something that meets this particular criteria. But I am curious enough to pick up some of Skrutskie's previous novels that I have, because I think she's a decent author with some good ideas, and I'll be curious to see what she comes up with for her next book.

In the midst of my reading I left myself a note, "Murdock is pathetic." by which I mean that I found the main character of this book so lacking in self esteem that I could hardly stand to read about her. IMO she doesn't grow or evolve or truly see herself. Is her willingness to live under Hark's wing adapting to the situation or is it subordination of self to another. I don't really recommend this book to anyone who has anything else on their TBR shelf.

The writer is clearly very skilled, but I found the story and worldbuilding highly confusing and hard to follow. Not for me.

This was between 4 and 5 stars for me. It was so incredibly enjoyable, but I wish it had a little bit more depth. But honestly, sometimes it's just fun to enjoy the ride.

Emily Skrutskie's "The Salvation Gambit" is a thrilling and very fast-paced sci-fi adventure that features a group of women con artists who excel at daring heists and cunning schemes; getting by with their charm, confidence, fancy flying, and hacking abilities. The characters in this story are the real highlight. Murdock, the hotheaded hacker, takes center stage. Her journey is engaging and the dynamic between Murdock, Hark, and the rest of the crew, including fearless driver Bea and mercurial rival Fitz, is a driving force behind the narrative. Their interactions, rivalries, and camaraderie make you feel like you're part of the team by proxy. The sapphic romance is well-developed and is a refreshing addition to the story.

The book opens with them being turned over to a sentient ancient warship (of a long-dead civilization) turned penal colony. The ship, the Justice, fancies itself a vengeful god, and the society onboard is a mix of scavengers, criminals looking to build new lives, and cultists worshiping the ship. When the ship decides it wants Murdock, for some reason, and won't take no for an answer, the group rushes to figure out how to survive and, hopefully, escape. The book is filled with action and suspense and the pacing is excellent. I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish.

If there's any critique, it's that I wanted to delve deeper into the lives of the other colonists on the ship. Additionally, a touch more darkness and drama could have added even more depth to the story. However, these are minor points in what is overall a highly enjoyable and fun read with great world-building.

Readers will eagerly anticipate what comes next from this talented author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House, and Del Rey for the eARC. This is an honest review.

there are some books that feature arguably hard-to-like protagonists that I loathe the whole way through; and then there's books like The Salvation Gambit, wherein Murdock grabbed me by the throat and dragged my ass to the end.

the story largely follows Murdock, the jack of all trades hacker sort of figure in her all-lady criminal squad. she's got terrible self-esteem (it has a tendency to flip flop between "I'm worthless" and "psh of course I can do this impossible job"), a smart mouth, and an eagerness to please that I immediately knew was gonna be a problem in her future.

her and her friends are offered up as sacrifices to the Justice, an enormous sort-of retired war ship. I say sort-of retired because its original empire has literally collapsed and consumed itself and its the only lil remnant left, but it's also definitely not retired in the sense that it trawls around the galaxy picking up 'sinners' after holding various settlements at gun point. the Justice wants these sinners on board, mostly to help with repairs but also just as a flex??? could not riddle out the rest of that reasoning lol but considering it's run by a god-like AI I'm fine with not getting the point.

unfortunately, life aboard the Justice is the opposite of relaxing, especially if you catch the ship's eye. and Murdock, woe is her, catches its eye.

"Murdock, this doesn't have to be difficult," the Justice croons. There's something about its voice that sends a shiver up my spine, and I hate that it's the good kind. "You can save everyone so much trouble. I heard what your precious Hark said. She thinks you were holding her back. I know the truth. I know you're far more useful than you let on. And I can put you to such exquisite use. Isn't that all you've ever wanted?"

the story follows Murdock in her travels through the labyrinthine ship, the clever manipulative conversations she holds with the Justice's intelligence, and her uncomfortable game of footsy with a special someone. (view spoiler)

there were (many many) times where hating Murdock was easier than liking her but there's something about a cockroach character that just always gets me. I liked that Murdock took a beating and kept on ticking, over and over and over again. I'm a sucker for the character with the insanely tall walls finally cracking open a bit for a friend or lover, and it's done so well in The Salvation Gambit.

also, I adored the very end scene. I'm gonna be reccing this to folks looking for lighter sci-fi reads or Murdock's particular brand of huge-asshole-but-you-somehow-like-them-anyway protagonists. I know there's an audience out there for her lol.

"I'll make you look back on this moment and regret just how far my foot's gonna be up your ass," I retort.

4/5 stars

rep - bi/sapphic mc, sapphic love interest, minor bg queer characters
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc ✨

A fast-paced, action-packed adventure through space. A band of female delinquents is captured and must outsmart the AI spaceship. I liked the characters a lot, and it was fun to witness their interactions and development through the ever-shifting plot. A great option for middle grade students who enjoy technology, hacker stories, and space travel.

Murdock is part of a four woman con team, wreaking secret havoc across the universe. But, when a con goes wrong, Murdock and the crew are caught and ingested (yes eaten) by a giant sentient warship turned prison community. Now, Murdrock, Hark, Bea, and Fitz have to pull off an even bigger heist - escaping The Justice.

This book had a brilliant premise. Queer space con women? Yes please. Giant talking warship? Check. But unfortunately, the execution of the premise left much to be desired. Not enough worldbuilding, character development, and a lack of likeable characters made reading <i>The Salvation Gambit</l> difficult. In other words, this one dragged.

I didn't connect to any of the main characters, and I realized about halfway through that I cared very little about what happened to them. I wish this book had been written in third person, perhaps with 2-3 character viewpoints. The Justice is so big and so complex that I think readers would gain a fuller understanding of the situation with a variety of perspectives.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

A well written and thoughtful sci-fi book.

My main issue I think comes down to mismarketing. I was prepped for a heist book - main character is a con woman, her and the crew are trying to work an angle to get off the ship. So I was expecting a high paced book with an intricate twisty plot. But really this is an adventure/quest type of book - periods of intense action followed by long periods of travel where the characters learn/meditate on themselves and life. If I had been sold that book my expectations would have been completely different (and I think more favorable). I like the book I read, and I would have liked the book I was sold, but I don't think those are the same book and it will only disappoint readers when they realize it isn't exactly the book on the tin so to speak.

I really like Murdock as a character and I think there are some fascinating themes touched on throughout the book. I think that if there is another book after this it will be more of the heist/conwomen plot that I was looking for and I will happily try again.

Fun fact: I have never felt so much like the protagonist of a wattpad novel from 2014 as I did when reading this book. This has absolutely nothing to do with the contents of the book itself (aside from me being entirely engrossed in it), but the fact that I started it in the stadium at a Harry styles concert in London, and continued reading during some of the opening acts.
So this novel is practically set in the superhero movie version of ancillary justice, if that makes any sense. And I absolutely loved the non heteronormative society of the book, but more importantly the queer criminal found family that this book delivered to me. The plot itself was really solid for all of it except for the 60-80 percent areas, where the characters scheming didn’t come with the euphoria of a crime successfully pulled off, but simply a character arc that went wildly off the rails. However, the rest of the book was amazing, and more than made up for it (did not make up the fifth star, but it was pretty close to doing so). Also rivals to lovers where everyone knows they're in love with each other except for the two people involved never fails to drive me insane in the best way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for this ARC!

This book unfortunately wasn't for me. It was too fast-paced for my liking and wasn't as developed as I'd expect from a sci-fi novel. It didn't feel like there was much depth in any of the characters or the relationships (aside from one part with Murdock and Ham), the universe/world seemed under-developed, and it felt all over the place.

If you're into extremely fast-paced adventurous sci-fi books, you'll probably enjoy this book- it just didn't fit my taste. The setup and the plot of the novel had so much potential (I was originally drawn to this book by the description), but it just wasn't executed in the way I imagined it.

I didn't enjoy the character development/relationship developments- everything just felt extremely rushed. It could've been written much better.

A lot of fun! It's rare that I come across a truly unique concept but this definitely has it. Ship AI playing God and kidnapping sinners to repair itself? Heck yes. Also love to see standalone sci-fi.

What a thrill ride! I've always been a fan of Skrutskie's sci-fi and I'm so glad Del Rey keeps bringing it to us. I can already see my shelf talker reading: AWFUL GIRLS WITH SWORDS IN SPACE. and the paperback first release guarantees it'll be easier for me to hand sell. But anyway, back to the book!

Con artists are some of my absolute favorite character archetypes, especially ones who do intricate heists. Sure, I might not know what the key signatures Hark's crew mean, I trust that they do--and I like how they're named after key signatures. Cool bit of world building there. And I've always been a fan of AI who think they are gods because, well, when you are all-seeing all the time, isn't that what you are? I especially love that the Justice is not only a ship but a ship from a dead empire and doesn't realize it so goes about its business expecting everything to go its way which leads the Justice ripe for a con. I also appreciate how, for a while there, I totally understood the Justice's motivations and //shakes fist//. Well played.

Thank you Del Rey for the eARC (and physical!)

Looking for something thrilling without the horror or gore this spooky season? Look no further than The Salvation Gambit from Emily Skrutskie.

I've been a fan of hers ever since her Abyss duology came out (you can read my review for both of them here). So, when I heard she was writing a scifi thriller about a hot-heated, snarky hacker and her team of con women who have to outwit the AI controlling a former imperial warship-turned-penal colony named The Justice, I knew I had to pick up a review copy.

If you liked the TV show Leverage but wished it were only about women, this is the book for you. If you enjoy the parts of Star Wars that involve sneaking around space ships and megastructures while outwitting imperialists, this is the book for you. If you enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the last vestiges of a crumbling empire get torn apart and women who are willing to look hard at themselves to overcome trauma and emotionally unhealthy work relationships, this is definitely the book for you.

The Good Stuff

I had so much FUN reading The Salvation Gambit. Seriously, I haven't just sat down and enjoyed a high energy, quick-witted adventure in a long time, and Skrutskie's fast-paced narrative will take you on a ride and won't let you go until it's over. I breezed through it in a couple of days, and it only took my that long because I'm an adult with a full-time, real-person job that requires me to not read books all day. If you've seen Leverage, the vibes of this book are like the best episodes, only you spend most of the time in that brief period where the con has gone wrong and everyone is scrambling to make sure it works out.

As with the other books of hers I've read, Skrutskie's characters are delightfully roguish and surprisingly complex. I was impressed by her ability to pack in so much character work around the action sequences. Of the four women from the team of cons, I definitely get less of a sense of Hark and Bea, which makes sense because they're not on page very much. However, for the characters we do spend most of the novel with, I fell in love with every single one.

I didn't expect to relate so much to Murdock when I first started, but by the end of the novel, I felt deeply called out by Murdock's journey of self -examination and growth. Her quest for someone to believe in her, her need for the approval of someone she perceives as a savior and mother figure, how much she feels that the best parts of herself are also due to someone who caused damage. How much she looks to external sources of validation to feel competent and wanted. Her need to feel NEEDED...god. I also grew up in a chaotic home environment where I was neglected by my family. Murdock's deep sense that feeling needed is the closest she can get to being loved was a punch to my gut.

As someone raised in a Christian environment, I also appreciated the embedded critique of religious structures that wove its way throughout what could have been purely a story about empire. The intertwining of empire and religion is deftly done with the AI who controls the ship, quite pointedly called "The Justice". I don't Skrustkie's background, but here, she understands both that religious fervor is real and meaningful to those who have it and that the religious leaders may have a purely selfish reason to engender such devotion. Religion, like empire, is devouringly self-sustaining and will consume others in order to maintain it's own power, even when that sense of power is self-delusion.

Finally, the romantic subplot between Murdock and [spoiler] was *chef's kiss*. Did I suspect the story would go that direction when I started it? Sure, but the pathway to get there was absolutely worth it and the payoff was fantastic. The moment they finally kiss, I was enthralled. Fantastic queer slow burn begrudging coworkers to lovers.

Potential Drawbacks

I wish there had been more explicit diversity, both in the main cast of characters and in the cultures aboard the warship-turned-penal colony. Skrutskie doesn't explicitly describe the skin color or heritage of many of the characters we meet, which I felt was a missed opportunity to create an explicitly diverse team of con women. Relying on silence isn't enough; we know from previous controversies in books and films that when characters are not specifically described as being non-white, white readers in the United States will automatically assume whiteness as the default. in 2023, it just isn't enough to not make everyone explicitly white. A truly diverse cast must be clearly stated to be such. Because you know what's better than a queer sexually complicated workplace relationship? An intersectional, even interracial queer sexually complicated workplace relationship. We always need more interracial, or even just non-white, queer lady ships!

I felt the lack of diversity in the larger worldbuilding context as well. Given that The Justice fills itself with people from all over the galaxy, I expected to see wider array of cultures and languages present on board. Space is a big place! And of course not all the colonies in this galaxy would have cultural practices that we recognize. In my opinion, Skrutskie missed a huge opportunity to explore new cultures, and the way those cultures would interact when forced to survive in the environment of a closed system like the warship, even if just in the background of the main plot. It didn't break my enjoyment of the novel in any way, just something I felt the lack of and would have liked to see more of given how rich the rest of the worldbuilding around The Justice was.

Final Score: 9/10

Engaging, witty, and with a surprisingly poignant internal character arc regarding past trauma and overcoming self-doubt and the pressure to be what others need instead of what you want, The Salvation Gambit is not your average con. The character driven narrative will sweep you away, while the anti-imperialist core will have you thinking about what it means to not just survive but thrive under late stage capitalism. While I would have appreciated greater diversity in cast and worldbuilding, the central dynamic between the protagonist and her companions grounds the adventure in internal struggle and workplace tension. If you're looking for hardcore smut, you won't find it here, but there's plenty of sexual tension, and just enough release.

I loved the characters. The worldbuilding was a touch confusing, but not too bad. The plot was interesting and I loved how Murdock basically had to face questioning her reality.

The Salvation Gambit is the story of the aftermath of a failed con job with the added twist that the protagonist and her crew are almost immediately requisitioned by a giant sentient battleship from a long dead galactic empire. That alone is a darn cool hook. The all-female crew consists of Murdock (the protagonist) - The Hacker, Bea - The Driver, Fitz - The Face, and Hark - The Leader. They want to escape, the band is separated, and Hijinks Ensue. The story is that of Murdock's emergence from Hark's shadow and her maturation into more than just defining herself as The Hacker in the crew. It's well written - the world building is good and Murdock's journey is well-constructed and believable. There weren't any moments where I didn't buy Murdock's motivations or where someone did anything Obviously Dumb just to move the plot along. With that said - there's a romance subplot that seems like it comes out of nowhere given what's described of the Murdock's history. Hark's actions while separated from the main group seem a bit passive for who she's made out to be. I know this is so Murdock is able to be The Hero and show her worth, but it seems a bit odd. The final heist/con plan (which, it's a book about a crew of con artists - it was always going to end that way) is also a little deus ex machina on the final bit. The lead up to it is well thought out - it just seemed like the "here's how we win" came out of left field with little foreshadowing. It was really enjoyable. I haven't read any of Emily Skrutskie's previous works, but I'm putting them in the TBR pile as a result.

Note to publisher: Amazon is not allowing reviews of the book prior to release. I'll post this there when it opens.

Murdock’s day has just gone from bad to worse. After her crew was arrested for a con gone wrong, a giant warship showed up in orbit demanding that the colony hand over their “sinners.” Now Murdock and the others are trapped on a ship full of convicts, a ship governed by an AI that seems intent on redeeming its prisoners – and it seems to have particular interest in Murdock. It will take all of Murdock’s skills and cunning if she’s to find a way to escape a prison that no one’s left in decades.

THE SALVATION GAMBIT is a fast-paced sci-fi tale that starts out incredibly strong, but misses the landing completely. I was completely engaged with this story for the first two-thirds of the book, and fully expected to land on the side of “fun time, just not amazing.” We follow Murdock, part of a four-woman group of con artists, who is used to existing of the shadows of their jobs as the hacker, the one who provides support instead of leading. When she and her teammate are separated from the rest of the crew (including their leader Hark), Murdock is forced to not only take lead, but to start analyzing her relationship with Hark.

Murdock’s journey is a fraught one as she tries to navigate the society that has sprung up in this bizarre floating penal colony, avoiding scavengers and cultists alike, all while the ship AI tries to recruit her at every turn. It was an effective Alice in Wonderland kind of story, one where our protagonist learns about herself as she goes on a quest to find her friends and escape this bizarre situation. The plot moved quickly, and I was finding THE SALVATION GAMBIT a pleasant diversion.

The more the story went on, however, the more I became bothered by how thin the details were. We get a few sparse details about the societies that have sprung up throughout the ship, but barely saw them in any meaningful way. Likewise, you won’t find any daring cons here, no well-oiled machine working together, just vague descriptions of how the team used to be really good at it.

I was okay with the thinness up to a point, because the story seemed more concerned with the characters and their relationships than with the cons or world-building. The focus was on a group of people at their low point, fractured by failure. It had all the makings of a great character study. In particular, I was enjoying watching a character free of a cult of personality realize that maybe she’d been in a toxic relationship all along.

At the end of the day, however, the character journey took a bizarre swerve, placing all the blame on the protagonist’s insecurities and almost none on anyone else in her life, which left me incredibly frustrated. The character arc is resolved in the blink of an eye, so quickly I almost had whiplash trying to understand what had happened. And because of my frustrations with how the character was handled, it made me retroactively frustrated at the story that came before.

THE SALVATION GAMBIT is a book I wish I could recommend more. To its credit, I did find myself enjoying it quite a bit until the very end; if you’re looking for a quick diversion you can eat up in a few days, this might tick the box for you. Personally, the character arc just didn’t land for me, making it hard to give this one my full blessing.

Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Take Ocean’s 8 except they didn’t pull it off and ended up in a 300-year old galactic penal colony. Murdock’s is a delightful perspective to experience this book from, and the idea of a rogue AI taking prisoners to prop up a long dead empire is creatively engineered. I gave it a 3.5 rounded up- it’s an enjoyable read and well executed, without taking itself too seriously or dragging.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for access to this arc.

A space opera about lesbian con artists going up against a sentient spaceship sounded like a bit of fun. I also liked the fact that it’s not a 550 page tome and seems to be a stand alone story. The action starts in media res and at the point I stopped reading, never seemed to stop. But when I start heckling the MC (I do adore MST3K) and little else is working for me, I know when to quit. Note to self – when the main character is described in the blurb as “hot headed,” I should pay more attention.

Murdock is part of a gang of high achieving con artists. She was a low life thief on a transfer space station when Hark – the clever one – whisked Murdock away and into the group. Murdock is supposed to be the hacker, the one who stays in the background, infiltrates the tech and keeps the others safe as they work their magic and make off with the money. But something went wrong – something that Murdock is shocked to find out that Hark thinks Murdock is responsible for – and when a sentient spaceship that used to be a warship arrives at the planet where their con was taking place and demands “sinners,” the gang of four are handed over to what they discover is a sort of penal colony which no one ever escapes. You can choose how you want to exist there – either (sort of) law abiding colonists, scavs who attack the colonists as well as newcomers onboard, or as blindly loyal followers of the AI which runs the Justice.

None of the four women know what they’ve been dumped into so neither does the reader. Our first glimpse of Murdock is her trying to bash her way out of being dumped on the ship. It doesn’t end well and as Murdock snarls at Fitz for not joining her in the attempt, Fitz replies she knew it wouldn’t work and the way she knew that is because Murdock planned it. Well, planned isn’t exactly correct as Murdock never seems to actually think before bashing her way into or out of something. Things usually don’t go well when she does this. The fact that the blurb has told me that Murdock is going to have to be the one to save the day wasn’t giving me warm or fuzzy feelings.

Murdock bashes, smashes, and crashes her way through life on board. She snarls at her friends and foes. She seems nothing so much as a petulant juvenile delinquent. She also worships Hark. Well, both of the other women appear to do so as well. Hark is described as the sun they revolve around. It’s Hark this and Hark that and Hark is going to think up a plan and save the day. Hark seems to shit gold and fart fairy dust. Pretty soon I was sick of her as well as Murdock.

The backstory for the previous con actions and characters is told via exposition. I also wasn’t sure how old these characters are supposed to be. Murdock reads young and the violence isn’t all that violent so the feel is more YA than adult. As I said the first 40% of the book seems to be non-stop action but for all that, it also felt awfully slow and not much had actually happened. I realize that this is supposed to be a coming of age story but I just found that I didn’t like Murdock enough to care and keep reading. DNF