The Deep Sky was a wonderful, absorbing novel. I loved Kitasei's world building and can't wait to read what she writes next.

DNF at 56%
The first half of this book was especially strong but somewhere along the way I just lost interest at the time but plan on picking up where I left off again.

i am so very sorry, but i have attempted this book 3 different times and it just has not worked for me. i am not sure if it is the audiobook narration, or if it's me, but i have to set this one aside for the time being. but i hope to buy a physical and attempt this story again soon!

I'll be honest: This was one of only two books I started in 2023 that I DNFed. I'll be honest again: to borrow from Taylor Swift, "I'm the problem. It's me."

I don't know what my issue is with getting into sci-fi set in space. My best guess is that, in general, settings with dark and storied pasts appeal to me more than those that are more sterile and futuristic. Given the incredible, high-profile crossovers between outer space sci-fi and horror (I'm thinking of Dead Space in particular), I feel an immense amount of pressure to overcome this issue so I can join some incredibly devoted fandoms. It seems to me that these groups know something I don't. Wait for me! I want to catch up and have fun, too!

I don't think Yume Kitasei did anything wrong here, and in fact, I think it's wonderful to see more AAPI female voices in what has traditionally been a white male-dominated genre. Rather, I need to tackle my internal problems with outer space sci-fi before I can come back and enjoy what she has created here. In the meantime, I am rooting for all the recognition for this book and am so eager to see what Kitasei writes next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of the audiobook.

A book about finding your way in a world that you no longer recognize. Except not actually on the world. The reader follows the experiences of a main character travelling through space in an experimental community designed to repopulate the human species outside of Earth. The story is told in dual timelines of now and before leaving Earth. I found the backstory very interesting with the dynamics of being a Japanese American representing a part of her that she doesn't quite know, but the current story was confusing. I struggled to keep the various characters separate. They all seemed to meld together except the main character - Asuka.

I enjoyed the audiobook narrator, Sarah Skaer. Her voice was fitting to Asuka and was easily understood at faster speeds. I do look forward to reading more from this author as the overall idea of this book was intriguing.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Yume Kitasei for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a delightful surprise. A lot of sci fi lacks a spark for me and this was filled with sparks! I loved the non linear narrative and the MC.

The Deep Sky is a debut scifi thriller about the crew of The Phoenix, a ship that is meant to colonize a distant but liveable planet. When they're halfway to their destination, a bomb goes off, killing some of the crew. Asuka is the only surviving witness and therefore a suspect, but she's determined to find the culprit.

I really enjoyed this one! There's an exploration of race and of feeling like an imposter. The Deep Sky also features a really interesting unreliable AI and virtual reality system, and I loved the way it was used. At times both you and Asuka are unsure what's real and what's not. This story also has the tension of a locked room mystery, which was really well-done. There are content warnings for miscarriage, fertility issues, terrorism, death of a child, racism, and gore, so keep that in mind if you add it to your TBR!

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books by Yume Kitasei!

This was disappointing. I really thought I would love this. The writing is incredible and the all female crew space setting felt like it was made for me. The story just didn't go as far as I would of liked I felt like there was this huge lead and the ending left me wondering if I needed to have read this. I feel like as a low expectations space adventure it was fun but it's not mind blowing.

I was looking for this audiobook, but unfortunately I just didn’t really enjoy the story. Perhaps that’s due to a disconnect between what I expected to get based on the marketing and the actual story. I found it dull, both in character, setting, sci-fi-i-ness. It didn’t give for me. I’m not really interested in continuing on with this author. 2 stars.

Similar to other reviews I've seen, I'm here to say that this audiobook was done fantastically and the diverse grouping of characters was really refreshing. I enjoy sci-fi premises and this one was no different. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio review copy!

Reading the synopsis, this sounds like everything I can enjoy in a sci-fi fantasy story! But ultimately, I didn't find this particularly creative or that it stood out in any way. This plot is becoming rather overdone. It's written well and the characters are okay. For someone who doesn't read this specific genre often, they'd probably love it. But this is maybe the 100th book I've read with the same plot. Audio narration is good.

Advanced e copy from NetGalley and MacMillan Audio too voluntarily read and review.

Solid 4.5 stars.
Audiobook is super well narrated.

This was EXACTLY the book that I needed to read right now - full of despair, desperation and so, so much hope. Amazing story, interesting characters and surprises around every bend.

I think what initially drew me into this SF-thriller is that the premise is so very (desperately) likely/believable. With the Earth on the brink of environmental collapse, each country sends select young candidates to a years-long training, with the top participants to be sent on a desperate space voyage in search of a new home for humanity. The book itself starts with an large, unusual explosion taking place on that space voyage, with flashes back to the time when the voyagers were initially training together on Earth. It's complex, emotional, fraught, and still hopefully looking forward to better days. The characters are well-formed and believable, given the insight of two different timelines. I also like that, while the candidates needed to be capable of reproduction, that the author included both trans and non-binary characters.

It has been some time since I read this (before uploading my review), and I still remember so much of it with fondness. Honestly, it is amazing that this is a debut novel - I very much look forward to hearing what Yume Kitasei does next.

Huge gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher, MacMillan Audio, for an Audio ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

Eighty elite graduates of a competitive program are on one single ship as humanity's last hope of
survival. These eighty people are expected to give birth to a new generation as they travel to a new,
livable planet. But things do not go as expected because halfway through their travel, a lethal bomb
happens to knock their ship, The Phoenix of course as well as kills three crew members. Asuka is the only surviving witness and immediately becomes a suspect.

The Deep Sky seemed like an interesting sci-fi thriller but it ultimately fell flat for me.

I enjoyed seeing a diverse cast of characters and they were bordering the more complex side but could have been fleshed out a smidge more.

With the Deep Sky, it is told in alternating chapters where it would focus on the past and current events. With the constant past and present chapters, it became jarring to the point it created an uneven pace and it made me lose focus and interest pretty quick.

Ultimately I felt pretty indifferent about the Deep sky. I neither loved it nor hated it.

Many people who are fans of thrillers and mysteries will probably enjoy The Deep Sky even with the si-fi element.

The Deep Sky is a story about humankind’s last ditch effort to save the species. With the Earth’s atmosphere is on the brink of collapse, the countries have gathered the best and brightest to save the species. They are sent into deep space to find a new home. Those sent into space will also give birth to the next generation. When an explosion occurs during their mission, the crew now has to be concerned with saving themselves first. If they all die, the human race will die with them. But who on the ship orchestrated the explosion? Who is trying to sabotage the mission? Is it a crew member? Or is it a murderous AI?

I love the concept of this book. Send an elite crew that can birth the next generation to save humanity. This story gave me claustrophobic vibes as I listened. I felt like I was part of the crew. I love when authors are able to pull this off.

I listened to this as an audiobook. It is narrated by Sarah Skaer. After listening to books that had multiple narrators, it was weird to only have one narrator. However, I enjoyed the narration throughout the book. As a listener, you were easily able to tell the difference between the characters as the story progressed. Their inflections throughout the narration kept pace with the author’s writing.

This audiobook was fantastic. I don’t read sci fi as much as I used to but I’ve been dying to jump back into the genre and this book was perfect for it. Definitely recommend for all sci fi fans, or for those who have been wanting to explore the genre.

This book started out strong for me, but petered out and I lost interest. Unfortunately I did not finish it, but maybe I'll pick it up again. Thank you for the opportunity.

Hello bookbots! I am having a wonderful reading day so far - I am about halfway through STARTER VILLAIN (all the lols!) and started listening to HEMLOCK ISLAND while I did some chores. What are your reading plans for the weekend?

And now for a review of THE DEEP SKY by @yumewrites! Thank you to the publisher, @macmillan.audio, @netgalley, and the author for the audio-ARC. This title came out in July so is waiting for you on shelves if this is your speed!

This deep space, cli-fi, coming of age story features Asuka, among other young earthlings, chosen to be trained for a mission to repopulate humanity on a distant planet as the Earth becomes unlivable. The goal is to send 80 fertile teens on The Phoenix into deep space where they will repopulate humanity. When an explosion on the ship kills three crew members and knocks The Phoenix off course, causing fear, finger-pointing, mistrust and potential mutiny, Asuka and her friends try to figure out who is behind these disruptions and why they would want to sabotage the mission before anyone else gets hurt...

More of a cozy mystery set in space than a thriller (as billed), this story is a bit slow, very thoughtful and intentional, and full of found family and friendship. It felt like a mix between THE WAYFARERS series by Becky Chambers and an Agatha Christie novel with a dash of a female-centric ENDER'S GAME to me.

It took me a minute to suss out the dual timeline and that the book didn't have the thriller vibe I thought I would be getting, but after I settled into those two things I found this to be a delightful story with worthwhile social commentary, interesting characters and engaging dialogue. I turned up the speed on this one for sure because it was not fast-paced but that is the beauty of an audiobook!

Read this one if you like mysteries in unique settings, found family stories warm your heart, and you like a locked-in mystery.

I am simultaneously trying to soak up the waning summer and heat while also getting ready for cocoa and sweaters and Halloween decorations! This time of year is one of my favorites with cool nights and warm mornings. 🥰 What is your favorite season?

💚SMASHBOT💚

Format: Audiobook

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this concept and was excited to listen to this story. It was giving murder mystery, "who dun it", among us vibes, which was exciting, but overall I felt like the story just kept dragging on. It was entertaining, but just a 1/3 too long. There were also a lot of characters that were being thrown at you with little depth. I did really enjoy the firs 2/3 of the book but just got bored by the end of it, unfortunately.

This was a DNF for me after a few chapters. I like the narrator and the premise of the story a lot, but it was challenging to follow the plotline via audiobook. I'm hoping to read a physical copy of the book and see if that improves my experience at all, since I'm very interested in seeing how the story takes shape.

Marked as DNF @ 15% on 5/23/23 | Unfortunately, this one is going to be a DNF for me. I was very excited for the space part of this book and the blurb does have a quick mention of "A single ship carries humanity’s last hope: eighty elite graduates of a competitive program, who will give birth to a generation of children in deep space." I knew this would be involved in the book but I was hoping it wasn't going to be SUCH a main focus. The story, in the first 15% at least, doesn't explain this and why they need to birth and raise children IN SPACE. I guess maybe we find out that literally no one else is alive...? Maybe? But it also seems odd that there was enough time to plan this mission including testing for all of the residents of the ship who will be participating in this birthing mission, setting up a course to a distant planet, etc etc and none of this could have been done on Earth. And for that matter, couldn't they have then taken families instead of the complicated tasks of having basically ALL of these people becoming pregnant and giving birth and raising children? Why not just take families/children on board? I just wish more of this had been explained because I was quite bothered by it.

Again, maybe it comes later, but for now, I'm not buying it. I didn't care enough about anything to really continue and the writing didn't flow well enough for me to really be compelled to push past all that. Not really something I was anxious to read about and how involved it was just wasn't for me.