I'm truly not sure how to review this... I didn't feel like the target audience (probably Gen Z k-drama and k-pop scifi fans are??), but I struggled with tying plot and characters and worldbuilding together. Elaine Cho has a lot of interesting ideas, and the overall vibe of the book was "feeling lost in a Korean market in space." The worldbuilding primarily happened off-page, and instead of feeling immersed in the story because of that, as a reader I felt left in the dark. When a book is driven by dialogue and action-through-dialogue as this one is, it feels more like it belongs on screen than in print. I suspect an audiobook version of this would be interesting.

Ocean's Godori reads like a debut, and I'll be honest I probably won't pick up book 2 in this series. That said, as the author has a chance to develop more I'd be interested to read her a few books down the road.

Ocean is a space pilot, who while excellent has gained a negative reputation. On a poorly managed government Alliance ship, she's made deep friendships while simultaneously making the captain hate her. When her best friend's ship is shot down and framed for murdering his family, she and her shipmates are suddenly in the center of a political and physical fight that they are not necessarily ready for.

I loved this so much. A ragtag misfit group, who suddenly finds themselves in a battle that they weren't ready for. Some of them have a more fleshed out backstory than others, but I love them! There is a lot of standard themes like negatives of capitalism, being privileged enough to forget, and the fight that comes from that. But there are other elements that are threaded through, like the dichotomy of your current self with your past self or the externally perceived self and how you see yourself. Despite some heavy themes, there are some really sweet and funny parts that really bring the whole team together. It does end on a cliffhanger unfortunately. But otherwise, I loved it, and can't wait to see where the story goes!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the advanced copy!

Ocean's Godori by Elaine U. Cho is a fantastic debut space opera. Hold on to your jetpacks and brace yourself for a brilliant series!

There is so much to enjoy in this book. I am not usually the biggest fan of space opera's but a huge fan of East Asian Science Fiction and Speculative fiction, so I was captivated by the description of this novel. There is a wonderful mix of traditional and futuristic, maintaining the speculative nature of the storyline. The characters are well rounded and the descriptions brief but succinct, leaving the door open for a lot more character development

The characters further ground the storyline between past and present, with artful use of Korean cultural practices, giving a more plausible and authentic feel to the novel, a sense of progression as it were.

The multiple POVs set the storyline off perfectly and thre is so much potential for each individual to have their own book in the series. I am keen to see where this series goes ut I for one will be keeping my eyes out

Thank you to Netgalley, Zando | Hillman Grad and the author Elaine U Cho for this highly immersive ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 4/23/2024. It's been a hot minute since I've read a pure sci-fi book and this cover and concept grabbed me right away. Firefly-esque? Mention of the famous Korean female pearl-divers? Futuristic with lots of neon and space travel? Sounds good! And, to be honest, there were some really good bits in this debut novel and most of them came to the surface in the last half of the book. Not so the first half. I found the book to be a very slow starter and, while it is clear that Cho is using the beginning of the book to build the world and introduce you to the characters, it read like an example of telling and not showing. In telling, I could see how well thought-out and detailed the world was and how keenly Cho planned and developed it. Ocean's world, in a future dominated by Korea, pulses with energy and technology and a valiant attempt at balancing proud history with unknown future. There are so many hints of things to learn about this book's world. It made me more interested, in fact, about going forth to learn more about Korean history and traditions in our world which is something quite special.

On the other hand, the download of information also felt exactly like that lots of information and yet not enough. Certain things were taken for granted and only could be dealt with by trusting Cho and suspending any critical thinking. The constant dropping of Korean terms also required a high level of trust in using contextual clues (or the cute little glossary in back, written in-character by Maggie). Many of the characters also suffered from this strange level of detail but no detail, rough sketches of people that you want to know more about but who are kept behind a very dirty glass window. Ocean is aloof and capable with a tragic past. Teo is suave and spoiled with lousy self worth. Haven is... a stoic death-guy who doesn't want to be there but lightly stalked Ocean to the ship? It's pretty fuzzy.

But then suddenly the book hits its stride and BAM. The last third glowed with banter and character development through conversation and action sequences. I started to care about Ocean, to see where her issues hid beneath the exterior. Teo came out of the gate far more faceted than anticipated. Haven was still mildly confusing but he showed humor and a definite moral structure and an inherent willingness to do what is right. Plus we got a really neat new batch of characters, the raider Phoenix and his crew. I spent the last third of the book being annoyed when real life made me put it down. I wanted to know more of what was going to happen and how the mismatched new crew would deal with things. Things aside from the various pockets of simmering sexual tension, that is. Let's just say that the line forming up for Ocean is a long one. But you also have to love a good Rich Boy-Raider forbidden pairing, too, right? This last third was where the Firefly vibes came, where the action and humor and writing really shone.

And then Cho throws you off the world's biggest cliff-hanger. Seriously. It's like dropping off Mt Everest. I think, though, that the second book will be better and more twisty and will bloom with the promise this one ended on so I am looking forward to it. Cho got past the slow parts and the world building in this book. The second one should be killer. (Even better if Captain Dae Song gets put out an airlock. UGH.)

What I didn’t like? That were a lot of made up words, and what I’m guessing was Korean slang. It was difficult to put them in context of the dialogue/place at first so I just skimmed over them and kept going.

What I liked? Everything else! The story was well put together, the characters interesting, the dialogue crisp, and the settings came to life. This is an interesting bunch of characters who have been placed in a universe that’s worth reading more about.

After the story was over, it turns out there was a glossary that explains a lot of those made up words. Wish I knew about that before I begin!

3.5 stars rounded up.

This was a really fun space adventure!

I loved the characters (especially Ocean and Phoenix), the spaceships, and this imaginative futuristic world that the author created. I can easily visualize this story as a movie in my mind.

I think that my one huge issue with this is the odd mishmash of cozy sci-fi and classic space action-adventure story. There were moments where it felt like the story wanted to lean heavily on the cozy (fun, cool, diverse spaceship crew where everyone's cool with each other) and moments later in the novel where it veered in the opposite direction (space politics with governments, corporations, and gangs fighting each other; quintessential evil villain, etc.). So, it sort of felt like it wasn't sure what it wanted to be.

Despite that, I still had a good time with this novel.

I loved the futuristic Korean rep! The author does have a handy guide in the back for Korean terminology and cultural nuances, but I think the author did really well with explaining and using the terminology within the story in such a way where someone unfamiliar with it could understand (or at least glean) the meaning of.

I'd love to read more from this world, especially Ocean's time in Sav-Faire. This is one of those stories where it drops you in media res, so it feels like you're missing chunks of the story, such as character relationships, political implications and significances, world/galaxy history, etc. Some details are filled in, but I wanted so much more out of this story.

Despite my rating and complaints, I'm definitely excited to follow Elaine U. Cho's writing career. This is such a creative and diverse take on the space opera subgenre and I'm eager to read anything else that the author cooks up!

Elliott Bay Book Company has signed and personalized copies. I'm definitely ordering one!

Thank you to Hillman Grad and NetGalley for this arc.

This is one of those novels that just drops you right into the action. There's no easing into the world or the story -- you're just thrown into it. This is something I can appreciate, even if it was a bit confusing. I did struggle for the first 20% or so to get a hang of things, especially when there were three different POVs; however, once I made it to about a fifth of the way in, it all clicked for me and started making sense. It makes me want to go back and reread that first bit again now that I understand it.

The characters are the best part of this novel and I really liked seeing how they were all connected to each other. Like I said, it was difficult at first, but the pieces clicked together eventually. There's a cast of characters that's brought in around the 75% mark that I wanted to see more of throughout the novel, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Overall, I think Ocean is my favorite character. A snarky, kinda of cold character who's a hotshot pilot with a heart of gold and loyalty to those she cares about? Sign me up!

The world and the overall plot were enjoyable to read and discover as well. It was a bit confusing at times, though I'm not sure if that was because of my own inability to fully understand it or if there were a few gaps in the plot. I was a bit surprised by the conclusion, as well -- it ended so abruptly and we didn't really get any resolution to the problems that were brought up in this book, but that makes me want to read the sequel all the more.

Overall, 4/5 stars from me and I'm looking forward to the next!

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc! a solid 3/5 - an interesting premise and start but ultimately, I don't think I'll continue reading this series

I usually love a good space fantasy and I think the setting for this didn't disappoint, which is good because it was really what drew me into the book in the first place. the premise of a unified korea being leaders in space exploration is super interesting in combination with the whole space sci-fi neon aesthetic that this book has going on. side note: big shoutout to my middle school self for her kpop obsession because let me tell you, I would NOT have gotten a lot of the korean words without it - however, I do think that'll put off a lot of readers. I don't usually mind a slow start with world building, but I think my issue here was that there was too much missing from the worldbuilding for me to connect the dots. we get a lot of vague half statements alluding to past things that happened and who certain characters are (ex. where haven's from) but instead of feel anticipatory about further explanation later on, I mostly just felt too confused to get into the groove of the plot - which, in combination to the glacial slowness of it, just made me feel like I was slogging through the book. overall, I did like each of the characters we were following, but I don't think their personalities were compelling enough for me to keep reading. I appreciated the premise but it was too slow for me to get really invested in, so I likely won't continue reading this series in the future.

This was a bit inscrutable at first - a lot of Korean terms with little explanation and certainly the author isn't going to hold anyone's hand. That said, about the 25% mark I found myself hooked and really enjoyed the story and characters. There is a lot of nuance and depth with very conflicted characters that made for an interesting read.

Story: Ocean saved a life at the expense of not following orders, a result that did not please the Alliance authorities. Now relegated to a fourth class freighter, she focuses on getting through her service. Unfortunately, Ocean is about to find herself stuck between Alliance politics and illicit smugglers - with the lives of her crew caught in the balance.

There are three POVs: Ocean: strong willed, resigned, testy. Haven: recently assigned medic who is fascinated with Ocean. Teo: spoiled son of a tech empire and Ocean's on again/off again friend. All three are fighting their own demons: Ocean's demotion, Haven's cultural history being an anathema in Alliance space; Teo's willingness to disappoint his father and over-achieving brother.

The Alliance is a Korean culture construct that is both interesting and frustrating - the author uses all the Korean terms without translation. It does provide a bit more for the milieu but also it sure does help to have a more solid understanding of South Korean culture and language. There is a glossary at the back but it doesn't have the more common terms - only explanations for the sci fi setting terms.

This is the first book in the series and I will be eagerly looking forward to the next book. The characters were fully formed and people you want to root for and follow. Although the book ended at a sharp cliffhanger, it did complete a full first arc. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

There are three POVs: Ocean - cantankerous, strong willed, but resigned. Haven - a new medical officer assigned to the ship and with a fascination with Ocean.

Not only did the cover immediately draw me in, but I knew a fun sci-fi adventure would totally be up my alley. I was correct! This is a fun found-family story following mostly Ocean Yoon and her finding her place in a crew. I liked the world's setting-- where Korea is at the forefront of space travel and they were the founders of the space-faring agency the Alliance (which kind of felt comparable to Star Trek's Federation which I thought was fun). The setting felt easy to jump right into, and I liked Ocean as a character. The plot felt like the majority of the first half was mostly set up, and then things really take off in an exciting way. I liked getting to know the crew and how their interactions shape further plot points. The ending felt extremely abrupt, so I am hopeful for a second installment! Overall, as a debut sci-fi space adventure, I found it highly enjoyable and definitely recommendable. A huge thank you to Zando books and Netgalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my thoughts!

Ocean's Godori is pitched as Becky Chambers meets Firefly. I suppose the description fits—a strong found family, political intrigue in space, a scrappy crew upon a scrappy vessel. But Cho has crafted something far more special than a simple mashup. Her Korean-centric view of this futuristic world is a fresh take in a sea of U.S.- or China-centric sci-fi on the shelves. Crucially, the setting and culture doesn't feel like a gimmick so much as earnest exploration of thought about how science and culture might develop if its epicenter were in that region of the world. 

But the strength of Ocean's Godori is in its characters. Across the board, Cho gives her characters individuality, as well as virtues and vices—though not always in equal measure. Ocean isn't a cuddly character, but she's the right pick for the star of this story. She has earned loyalty from friends and respect from enemies through her ability to read situations, and people, perfectly, and know what each needs. That quality is one she sometimes uses at great detriment to herself, but loyalty goes both ways. The invisible threads behind the loyalty, though, and Ocean's surety about what needs to be done despite not having the authority through the Alliance hierarchy rankles her superiors. At a quiet moment later in the book, Ocean's captain grumbles about the crew and the unwavering loyalty they show to Ocean, not her. "Why does everyone take her side?" the captain asks. Haven replies, "Because she takes ours." Yet Cho doesn't just tell us everyone thinks Ocean's great, or that she's a little bit of a loose cannon—she gives us plenty of opportunities to see Ocean in action, positively and negatively.

Consequences for pushing or breaking rules, though, is welcome complexity in a media landscape that either rewards rule-breakers, even and especially in organizations like militaries that are famously anal about regulations, or punishes them until they are proven right by advancing circumstances. In Ocean's Godori, it's less a matter of who's right or wrong, and more about suitability and motivation. Ocean's reasons for joining, and fighting to stay in, the Alliance are deeply personal, even though it's clear she's not well-suited for the life inside the organization. Leaving isn't just a matter of overcoming personal demons or some other internal hiccup; this is the life for which she has trained, and without which she is largely useless. Besides a life of crime, her options outside the Alliance are limited. The majority of readers might not have to figure out where else to use their flight and marksmanship skills, but the costs of jumping out of an industry you've grown in is a familiar conflict.

There's a lot to love in Ocean's Godori, especially for such a comparatively slim space opera. It seems like there's a lot more potential in Ocean and in her world, and I hope we get to see more.

(A longer version of this review, including a synopsis, will appear on RingReads on 23 April 2024 at 3:19 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time: https://ringreads.com/2024/04/23/ocean-a-sea-of-possibilities-in-space-opera/)

My intention this year was to request titles from writers new to me. I wish I had not chosen this one. I will not be reviewing this on my website. I have nothing positive to say about it.

I saw this promoted as "Becky Chambers meets Firefly," and I was determined that I must read it. Wow, I loved this book. My only real complaint is the ending because I wanted more closure. That being said, it felt a little like it might be setting up for a sequel, which I would TOTALLY be down for. Please give us a sequel.

These characters are so phenomenal. I don't know what else to say about them. They are flawed and messy, but they are so lovable, and the chemistry they all have with one another is so well written. When Cho introduced new characters, I was bummed until I got to know them, and then I loved them too. She truly has a talent for writing characters that feel real, approachable, and engaging.

The plot was fast paced and high stakes. There was a bit of a slow start, but once you get in a few chapters, the speed ramps up and doesn't come back down until the last page. I was invested in what was happening in this story, and I couldn't put the book down. Cho's writing was so compelling that I found myself holding my breath in certain moments, desperate to know what would happen next.

This book truly has it all. If you are a fan of found family sci-fi, I would say this is a must read. There's intrigue, romance, friendship, and space bound raiders. It's everything I hoped for and more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hillman Grad Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 60%

I was really excited to read this when I came across it on NetGalley. I love space operas, and I especially love those that are not in Western-focused settings, so I was really looking forward to reading a Korean-based setting.

However, I couldn't finish this. I got pretty far in, at just under 2/3, and what is described in the synopsis only just started to happen. What?! It's wild that I read 220 pages and yet it felt like there was hardly any plot, world building, or even real characterization. My main issue with this book is that there is zero intrigue. There is no overarching plot point in the first half of the novel that made me want to read on. It was just the characters going about their daily lives really, and I didn't find them very interesting.

Starting with the characters: our first introduction to Ocean, the MC, is her accusing her boyfriend of cheating on her with someone on his ship. This seemed like such an odd choice to me since 1. we don't know anything about their relationship together or these characters separately, 2. I don’t see it having any impact on anything later, and 3. it just made Ocean seem really dramatic and immature. So she got off to a bad start with me.

We slowly got introduced to other characters, and thankfully none of them were as dramatic, but I felt like the way they acted changed on a dime and made no sense. When we first meet the captain, she seemed very laissez-faire and chill, but the second the crew went on a mission, she completely flipped and went authoritarian and didn't care about anyone's feelings. When two of the narrating characters met for the first time, one was very prejudiced and straight-up mean to the other. But then a few chapters later, there was a hint of romance from both sides? What?! I know a lot of people love the enemies to lovers trope, and while that's personally not my thing, I don't think it was executed well at all. I felt blindsided by the sudden turnaround from borderline racism to tenderness, vulnerability, and attraction between the two that even other characters were noticing and pointing out!

And lastly, one of the major characters is a dude who is belongs to a family so rich that he can afford to pay for the meals of everyone at a very fancy restaurant without a single care. I'm tired of reading sci-fi with obscenely rich characters like this. It's hard to feel sympathy for someone so comfortable in their wealth at a level that can only be obtained through the exploitation of others.

As for the world building, I thought it was pretty interesting at first. I thought I knew a decent amount about Korean culture, but there are a lot of Korean words in this that I hadn't heard before. There is a handy glossary at the back, with funny commentary, though most words are understandable via context clues. I did start to wonder what language these characters are speaking in, because they use Korean words so often but are apparently speaking in another language with a non-Korean character. But one thing that really threw me is that 22% in, there is a reference to a real life Korean astronaut, which seems to imply that this book takes place in our world. In real life, Yi So-yeon went to space in 2008, and then the Korean space program ended. But in this book, Korea is the main power of the solar system (galaxy? unsure). How did that happen? How did the events after 2008 change the power balance of space travel so drastically to the point that the United States is not even worth mentioning and Russia is only brought up once in a throwaway reference? There wasn't any explanation 60% into the book, but perhaps the history is explained more later. This may not be important to many readers, but as a lover of alternate histories myself, I can't help but get distracted thinking about it.

In addition, there were some weird prose choices for a space opera. Like why does a spaceship have a clutch, gears, and pedals? It really felt more like a stick shift car than anything spaceworthy. There was also a moment where a character goes on a space walk, and the narrative says that some tools they drop start "spinning in the air" but there is no air in space...

And then for the plot... there really wasn't any until around 55% in. And at that point I cared so little about the characters and world that even that couldn't hook me. I feel like I gave this book quite a few chances, but if a book hasn't hooked me over halfway in, I really see no reason to finish.

And as someone who loves Becky Chambers, I don't think this book is in any way, shape, or form comparable to her work. You'd at least need compelling characters for that, and this world is nowhere near utopian either, so I wouldn't recommend for Chambers lovers. I'm not really sure who I would recommend this to. This author does have some interesting ideas though, so perhaps I will check out their work in the future.

This is definitely a book that just gets better and better as you go on and more of the world and characters unfold. I loved getting to see the slow start of Haven and Ocean’s journey unfold into the found family payoff with the whole crew. I do think a bit of the politics and worldbuilding got lost underneath everything, but this is a book that is much more about the characters and their journey toward self-redemption than about the larger political plot. That said, the ending is /very/ abrupt, to the point that I thought I was missing a chapter. I don’t know if it’s a setup for a second book, but if it is, I’m definitely in.

DNF - 38%

I really tried to get into this book, but every time I tried to pick it up, I wanted to put it down. I felt no connection to any of the characters, and the rising action did nothing to pull me in. I found Ocean's reason for being reprimanded so harshly a bit ridiculous and there was nothing for me to emotionally connect to with her. I did not get far enough into the book to understand Haven and his culture though the bits I did read I found slightly interesting. Teo, the last main character, was also hard for me to invest in.

There are a lot of great reviews for this novel but it just ended up not being for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Zando/Hillman Grad, for the ARC.

As nuanced and reflective as it is exciting and fun, Ocean’s Godori is perfect for fans of Firefly (and I don’t say that lightly).

It took me a bit to get into, but by about a third of the way through, I understood what it was doing and how it functioned - it’s like a rock rolling downhill; once it starts, it doesn’t stop. This is mainly because the “Firefly crew” aspects don’t arrive until about halfway into the story, which is when I became really engaged with the story. These characters played off one another - both antagonisms and attractions - in a way that was very much like Firefly, and these interactions were very fun.

The reason it takes so long to build to these is that Ocean is very aloof (even to reader) and kind of too perfect (she’s a crack shot, an ace pilot, a graceful dancer, beautiful, brave, etc), so she’s hard to empathize with because she seems a bit flawless until very near the end, Teo is a smarmy rich kid (not a character archetype I gravitate to), and Haven’s deal isn’t really explained so it’s hard to know whether to sympathize with him or find him kind of a weirdo. As such, I wasn’t particularly invested in them, as people, for the first bit of the story. It was more so the world-building and graceful language that kept me reading until I gradually became invested in them as their backstories unfurled.

Not a lot is explained, at least in a straightforward way. We aren’t explicitly told much, so we’re left to fetter out the way of the universe and the character’s backstories from the bits and pieces we are given. The reason for this, I believe, is because the novel is attempting to show how the micro and macro facets of our existence and how we see ourselves shape our choices. So much of Ocean, Haven, Teo, Phoenix, and other’s characterizations and determinations are based on their history - not just of their actions in the past (though those also play a major role in decisions made) but their families and culture.

There’s also themes of colonialism and the exploitative nature of capitalism too.
This is another way in which the book is like Firefly, as that show also broached those themes (albeit in a different way). This book is smart and it doesn’t hold your hand, but it’s also exciting, fun, and has some great sexual tension. I did find the action scenes a bit didactic at times, almost passive in some instances, I will admit.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, both regarding a romance and the plot. I’m not sure if this is supposed to lead into a book 2 or if it was some sort of artsy ending, but either way, it was far too abrupt. When it comes to the one romance, I saw other reviewers wondering if it would progress into a love triangle, but I’m hoping it would be more of a poly thing (as love triangles are the worst!).

I did appreciate the Street Fighter and Jurassic Park references!

Overall, I very enjoyable and interesting space opera. I’d totally read the second book, if there is one, or more from this author.

🌟 5
🌶️ 0

THIS! Right here! It was the most fun I have had reading a Sci-Fi book in a while. There is lots of world-building in this Korean sci-fi, almost K-drama, but the more dangerous tale of a found family. Throw in exciting fight scenes, echoes of honoring Korean history with fashion (very cool; I was looking up items constantly and imagining what they might look like), and slow-burn romances that might go anywhere. Our heroine, Ocean, is the total package of tough but delicate, distant but yearning for closeness, and she is what we all need in this story. Throw in political machinations, big corporate greed, decimation of environments in the solar system, and really awful bad guys. You can add to this the blending of the Korean class structure that overshadows everything. Ocean's Godori (now I want to play Stop and Go) is a fast-paced book that I did not want to end, but now I have to wait for the author to give us the next one. I have to know what happens!

Dnf I lost interest in the book. It was too many pov to keep track of . The cover is what drew me in and the synopsis. . It wasn't for me but I'm sure other people will enjoy it

I really struggled to get in. It was too long to make a clear point about what this was all about and I really didn't care about all the alcohol/sex/drama at the beginning, which didn't help me to stay focused for what followed.