review ~

THE SALVATION GAMBIT BY EMILY SKRUTSKI

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my first Emily Skrutskie book and I was blown away. I read it very quickly because I had to know what happened next and if our crew escaped.

This is story is that of a band of con artist misfits in space trying to get off the prison warship turned penal colony that contains them, run by an evil AI computer who tries to convince Murdock (our hotheaded hacker and narrator, one of the crew) to join the ranks of the banded Faithful (those aboard the ship who believe the AI is god and does their bidding). It has all the quintessential human condition theorizing of humans stuck but trying to live fully in space, crew banter, and fun sci fi elements that I eat up.

There’s also something about a good sci fi book where nothing seems far fetched and just grows the story - a music festival in space? Fights in zero gravity? Swords as the chosen weapon? Potato farming?

I liked the gray area of Murdock; she’s not a hero and she’s not entirely loveable but you’ll be rooting for her regardless. She was determined, salty, and the ultimate underdog. I understand her necessary growth to see her worth, but it was hard to continually hear her put herself down in relation to Hark and Fitz. I think that is particularly what knocked this down from 5 stars for me - the characters besides Murdock and Ham (who I would die for) felt a little two-dimensional to me and Hark was on such a pedestal that I just didn’t see. That being said, I appreciated the romantic element and won’t go much into that for *spoilers.*

Beyond that, the journey our MC takes, their views of the ship and the people trying to survive, the twists at the end - it was perfect sci fi and it was epic. I truly didn’t which way it was going to go until the very end.

Vibes:
Villain AI
Thriller-esque
Hacker
Found family
Underdog
Heist
Trapped in space
Sword fighting
Queer

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a fair review

“The Salvation Gambit” by Emily Skrutskie is a fast-paced, entertaining science fiction with queer rep and action-a-minute plot developments. The whole thing felt a lot like a summer movie – not original but deliciously popcorn, fun and zippy in a way a lot of other novels try to avoid with cerebral 500+ pages of literary philosophy. Nah, “The Salvation Gambit” jumps right into it with unusual slang and intricate friend-group dynamics and expects you to keep up. Despite the quick opening it took me a bit to get attached to the characters; it’s first-person POV and despite being told Murdock is brilliant, she comes off more as impulsive and immature: a pet peeve of mine. Stick around long enough and sure, I can be convinced she’s a galaxy-class hacker, I guess. Of course the central antagonist is evil AI. When is the AI not evil in a science fiction novel (unless we’re talking Murderbot, of course)?

So yeah, this is great if you want something quick, sugary, and fun. I never really was convinced about the characters as being full 3D, and this is in the vein of “will be in the adult section of the store but would just as happily fit in YA” kind of science fiction, but I did enjoy it, and sometimes you just want something fun.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Okay, I actually LOVED this, Ms. Skrutskie's way of writing sci-fi is immaculate and very easy to follow. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

I know that this author has written a few other things, but this is my first time picking her up. I really enjoyed the way she developed her characters and their voices. Each character felt pretty distinct, and I though that her use of internal monologue was incredible for a device that I normally dislike reading. I loved the world and the way all the different sci-fi elements played together, especially with the thriller-y aspects of the story. The plot was great and I loved the group/crew that we follow--I loved the way they interacted together. This was a great piece of YA Sci-fi/Fantasy and I'm so excited to get the physical copies in at my library!

The Salvation Gambit is a unique story from a talented voice in the genre. Some science fiction blends together, but this book stands out as an enjoyable example -- creative and timely exploration of AI, with page-turning results.

It's an interesting blend of sci-fi (not overly complex) and thriller with a little queer romance. It's a twisty, fun, fast read. The morally gray characters are well-developed and feel real. This author has a unique voice that I enjoyed and the story itself is such an intriguing concept. The plot keeps you guessing and the pacing keeps you turning the pages. Overall, it was a solid three star read for me. Am I completely floored? Not really; it probably won’t be the most memorable for me years from now. But did I enjoy the experience? Yes ,it was a good read. I can definitely see fans of Gideon the Ninth liking this one.

I really like the way Emily Skrutskie writes. She has a focus on action with internal monologue that works and adds to the story in moderation, which I love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

I was invested in the scifi elements of this story and how good the world worked overall in this universe. Emily Skrutskie has a great writing style that I was hooked from the first page. It had a great thriller element going on and I was engaged in the story. I'm excited to read more from Emily Skrutskie.

"It’s my knife,” I protest, cradling it close to my chest. “And if that redhead gets through and starts swinging her sword around, it’ll do’ more good in my hands than yours.” “So what? We’re just going to sit here and twiddle our thumbs until the banded faithful come collect us? There has to be some other way out.”

I loved Emily Skrutskie's The Bloodright Trilogy, so when I saw she had a new book out it was an auto-request for me. She just keeps getting better and better, with another queer enemies to lovers arc and an unusual premise for space opera.

"The Salvation Gambit" is the story of a crew of con women whose last big con goes so terribly awry that they end up inmates in a massive, ancient ship controlled by a malevolent AI that has delusions of godhood. Murdock is a brilliant hacker who is the behind-the-scenes brains of the operation, a little too easily manipulatable by one charismatic fraud after another starting with her mother aboard the station where she grew up, only to be scooped up by Hark to swindle rich assholes.

The thriller arc deftly builds to where I wasn't sure at times if Murdock would choose to stay aboard the ship as penance or defeat. The romance isn't a big part of the story but I was taken by surprise by it; I was expecting Murdock/Hark or another pairing instead of Murdock/Fitz, but I appreciated their chemistry in getting thrown together on this massive, rogue prison ship. I was actually kind of rooting for Murdock to break away from Hark and lead her own cons after the mix of nurturing and abuse she got from the crew boss. Just not into the arms of another artificially abusive crew boss.

All in all I enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns of the story. It definitely wasn't predictable and I appreciated the focus on criminals and professional hucksters versus royalty.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Emilie Skrutskie continues to develop as a writer and The Salvation Gambit demonstrates her growth. This is a smoothly written adventure story featuring a crew of con artists imprisoned on a powerful, AI run, starship. It has faceted characters, particularly the first person narrator, Murdock. Skrutskie also does a fine job creating a troubled identity for the captor ship, Justice, a damaged relic of a bygone empire. Secondary characters, including a love interest are more sketched but still work. I like the fact that the “heroes” aren’t lovable rogues - their cons have caused real damage to victims and we get to see that, albeit briefly. I will read her next book for sure - perhaps it will follow on from this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the published for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.