I'm always excited when we get YA sci-fi, and I really love Yoon Ha Lee's writing so I was very excited for him to venture into YA with Moonstorm. I will say, this isn't my favorite book from him, even though I think there's a lot to like.

The ideas and the world are cool, I kind of wonder if this might be loosely tied to the universe of his Hexarchate books for adults, but I'm not sure. Hwa Young is your classic outsider protagonist- taken from her rebel family as a child and now loyal to the empress with dreams of being a Lancer pilot. But things go sideways.... I think this is a nice blend of hard sci-fi as a backdrop, with the first person POV of a teenager in a training academy that you expect from YA. I do think the author might have leaned into the YA elements a bit too much at times, because there were parts of the story that dragged when they should have been faster paced. But overall, I'm invested in the series and interested to see where things go!

It's worth noting that while on its face this seems to be a story about the main character being loyal to a colonizing empire that harmed her family and becoming deeply integrated in the military of that empire, the entire novel is slowly poking holes in what she believes the empire to be and revealing its seedy underbelly so to speak. And the ending spins things in an interesting way. This is also the first book in a series, and the author is always interested in questions of power, empire, and resistance. It's just that this doesn't spell things out for the reader. Rather it trusts that teens can put the pieces together themselves- recognizing the problems with the empire and what it's doing, and what that means about the choices our main character is making.

I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this first book of a planned series about a New Korean Empire that stretches out to the stars and the last-minute, barely-trained coterie of (mostly) young people who both love and fight against it. The characters were interesting and unique, the plot was excellent and exciting, and the universe feels thoughtfully created and handled. There are a wide variety of races and gender and sexual identities, all given equal weight and importance in the story, and the issues between classes, political insiders and outsiders, and within power structures is beautifully worked. None of this is a surprise--Yoon Ha Lee is a superb writer, and this new book should bring a lot more readers to his work.

DNF @25%

I was looking forward to this one since it sounded like it would have such interesting worldbuilding, but unfortunately it has failed to hook me so far. I'm not invested in any of the characters, especially since they all feel so flat to me, and I'm not enjoying the incredibly fast pacing. While I'm not interested enough to continue reading, I'm sure fans of the space opera/sci-fi genre will enjoy it more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Could be a 3.5 but I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I've always said I would read a grocery list if it's written by Yoon Ha Lee-that said, this book was fun! It's a YA space opera complete with sentient mechs, evil empire, etc. The beats are fairly predictable if you've read YA sci-fi, but I really enjoyed all of the characters and I just love to read any decently-written Gundam/Evangelion/fly in a giant robot with personalized abilities story. 15 year old me would have EATEN this up! There's nothing revolutionary (no pun intended) in here in terms of plotting or character development (I'm still a little unclear on how the gravity thing works as well) but if you go into it knowing it's YA, no reason not to pick this up if it interests you!

Thank you so Delacorte press and Yoon Ha Lee for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

High adventure, fast paced, action packed. While describing this book I would say "space top gun with semi-sentient planes". The battle scenes are exciting, you’ll fall in love with the characters and enjoy the interstellar world this book will take you to.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Moonstorm follows orphan teen Hwa Young as she works to carve out her place as a Lancer pilot for the Imperial army, while also hiding her history as a daughter of a rebel moon.

Moonstorm was a fun read, but it felt incredibly incomplete. The world was interesting, the technology was interesting, the politics were interesting. What we learned of the characters was interesting. However, Moonstorm seemed to almost entirely lack any meaningful internality on the part of the characters, especially Hwa Young. Rather than feeling like a well-rounded sci-fi adventure, the experience of reading Moonstorm ended up feeling like I was watching a YouTuber give a comprehensive review of an action film; it was like I was being told things without getting to see them proven on the page. Because of this, Hwa Young's growth as a character -- the way she changes over the course of the book, and the way those changes influence her decisions -- didn't feel earned. It was like I was expected to believe she'd perform certain heroic acts simply because she was the hero, and not because of any specific or unique traits or experiences she had that formed her moral compass.

I don't want this to sound like I didn't like Moonstorm. I'd even argue that I loved Moonstorm! I thought the lancers were such an interesting sci-fi element, and I deeply wish I had learned more about them. It's a book that has great bones, and I think still has the potential to transform into a rich and beloved series. It just needs a significant amount of development, maybe 100 pages more spent inside our characters' brains and feelings, to really feel solid and complete.

This was one of my favorite books this far. Pacing, plot and story flowed fantastic together. Yoon Ha Lee becoming one of my favorite authors.

This was a rather middling experience, and I think a large part of that is encountering a lot of the same recycled ideas that are commonly found in sci-fi. However, I did appreciate the diversity of characters and identities in this book!

This is a YA sci-fi with potential to develop more as a trilogy, so I'm not writing this off yet. The plot follows a familiar pattern but is still an enjoyable read overall. If you get frustrated with predictable plots, this may not be for you. Otherwise stay for the interesting world building, inner turmoil, and dramatic space battles.

The “Clanners” and the “Imperialists” have been jockeying for galactic positions for years, and orphaned Clanner Hwa Young has dreamed of becoming a pilot for most of her life. After battling through a number of issues, she finally gets her chance, only it’s for the Imperialists. As one can imagine, this causes her some stress as she faces several moral decisions. When all is said and done, it’s hard to tell which side of the battle Hwa really wants to be on.
While the premise of the plot isn’t a new one, it was a fun read. One issue that was a bit of a challenge for me in the beginning was the use of zie/zir pronouns, but after a while of reading it wasn’t an issue. I also felt that some of the characters weren’t fully developed and could use more work, but overall this was a book I enjoyed. Recommended for those who liked Brandon Sanderson’s Skyward series.

I know it's cliché to compare any and all sci-fi to Star Wars, but there are too many similarities that it distracted me, the girl with the SW fixation (i.e., young protagonist who dreams of being a space ship pilot, the bad guy regime is called the Empire, and its people are called Imperials, the Empress is building a secret world-destroying weapon that the clanners got the plans of, etc.). Normally, I wouldn't mind this heavy comparison if I enjoyed the work and/or found that it something unique with those elements, but this book really didn't.

Firstly, Hwa Young is both incredibly confusing and bland simultaneously. The whole point of her character seemed to be built up to directly confront the moral of the Empire and the fact she literally has to go out to fight/kill her own people as an Imperial pilot; the repetitive inner monologues refuses to let the reader forget that. But all of that moral dilemma is thrown out the window in comparison to her desire to be a lancer and praying to the Empress. She flip flops so much between the two extremes, but it never seems like she's seriously questioning it, considering how easily she betrayed her mom after six years of believing she was dead. She also thinks of her people as the enemy, even giving notions (that she knows are false) that imply clanners are savages. This isn't her giving into Empire propaganda because she wants to fit in and survive, nor is it making her a complicated/conflicted character. Hwa Young is too one-dimensional and inconsistent for what should have been an intriguing character arc. Hell, the fact she was so eager to become a colonizer just so she could drive the shiny mecha just shows how shallow her motivations are as a whole.

It is because of Hwa Young's inability to serious challenge the Empire that the story stumbles so badly on what it's trying to accomplish. The Empire is so obviously, in-your-face evil that it's laughable. From purposely abandoning colonies, and its citizens, when they're deemed no longer useful to having their people constantly pray to the Empress, the whole story hinges on the reader knowing the Empire is bad. And yet whenever Hwa Young and co. are confronted by this obvious fact, it is immediately brushed aside until their beloved regime's next crime against humanity is revealed a couple pages later. It was so obnoxious and tiresome to see such unintelligence amongst characters who we're told are smart. But the characters are too stereotypical and depthless to make the argument of indoctrination; that should be saved for characters who have personalities in more than one dimension. Hwa Young and co. finally turning on the Empire also poorly implemented in the last two chapters. They found out the evil weapon was a blackhole device, and it was gonna be used to destroy the clanners and the established colonies. The lancers decided that was was too far, despite all the other shit the Empire has done, and sided with the clanners, effectively making them traitors. This would have been so much better if there was better build up. Hwa Young didn't even go out into the battle to save her people; she just wanted to reunite with her shiny mecha.

The only thing I can really give this book is that the worldbuilding had potential. The structure and culture of the Empire laid down some ground work, and the mechs themselves are very much along the lines of Evangelion almost. The use of neopronouns in regards to nonbinary people was interesting, too. There are a lot of prominent nb side characters, including Hwa Young's best friend and her commander, which is nice to see. I saw some reviews saying that there was too much of it, seeing as zie/zir is used for every nb character. I don't know if I agree with that necessarily, but I do think it would have been better if they/them was used, too. Lee implemented the sci-fi version pronoun pins in his other works, but I don't know why he didn't here.

All in all, I felt like this book didn't really do what is was trying to do, and I don't feel the need to return to this world when the next book comes out.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I previously read one of Yoon Ha Lee’s middle grade books, and my interest was piqued when I saw that he was releasing a YA book. And with comps like Iron Widow and Skyward, I was sure I would enjoy Moonstorm. While it is a tad rough in places (some of which hopefully will be fixed in the final copy), I did mostly enjoy it.
The world building here is the book’s greatest strength. There’s two different sides of the world, the Empire, ruled by the Empress, and the rebels. The power structures are fairly well-conveyed, and while the themes are what you’d expect about colonialism and resistance, Yoon Ha Lee’s take on it is still very much his own. Gravity also plays a role in the world, being very unstable, each has their own rituals to summon and manage it. I enjoyed how there were very obvious Korean influences in both the world and magic, which set it apart from a lot of sci-fi.
The characters were a somewhat weaker point, but I enjoyed some aspects of them nonetheless. Hwa Yong as a protagonist is fairly easy to root for as the reader follows her in her journey to become a lancer pilot. A big part of her arc is wanting to gain strength to fight, due to her childhood being torn apart by the imperials and her being too weak at the time.
While I can’t say anyone else stood out super well, I did like the diversity in queer representation. Hwa Yong is sapphic, and her best friend Geum, is non-binary and uses zie/zir pronouns. It’s very cool to see that slowly becoming more and more normalized in fiction from major publishing houses.
The prose was occasionally a tad choppy, but that is one of the things that hopefully won’t be a factor in the final copy. And while the pacing was at times a tad uneven, it leans toward being action-packed and fast-paced, keeping my attention throughout.
This was a solid first-in-series, and I’m not opposed to reading more. I would recommend this book if you’re interested in a YA sci-fi with strong world building and a focus on pilots and mechas in particular.

2024 API Month

Apparently this style of book isn't new if you're not new to mecha, or YA sci-fi, but my first experience with either of those things was Iron Widow, which I didn't love. This started slightly better.

I've been meaning to try this author for a while, as he was born in Houston (rep) and is a trans man. Continuing the pronoun talk, which will discourage many readers, the non-binary characters in this book use ze/zir pronouns.

Hwa Young was born a rebel, "rescued" by the empire and forced to work for them. She becomes a lancer pilot and merges with one of the advanced giant martial robots. The Chosen One trope is overused.

I didn't love best friend Geum or classmate Seong Su. I wanted the rivalry with Bae to go elsewhere. The command staff was mostly bland. By the time we make it to the twist, I found myself not caring.

This is one of those books where the beginning holds more promise than the end. That's not to say I didn't enjoy myself. However, I don't think this is my genre, but I won't write it off just yet.

📚 Buddy read with Zana

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press

A story off fitting-in and imperialism by the great Yoon Ha Lee, MOONSTORM is a wondrous mecha story set in a fantastical space opera.

Hwa Young used to be Hwajin, back when she was a Clanner living on a rebel moon. But when her home was destroyed, and her family killed by the Empire, she was the only survivor. Now a citizen of the Empire, she’s determined never to feel helpless again. The best way to make sure of that? To become a lancer pilot, the most elite of soldiers, able to navigate advanced ships with their minds. So far, she’s been on the right track. She’s near the top of her classes, and is determined to beat out everyone in the Empire for a chance.

But when her new home is also destroyed, she and her classmates are recruited two years ahead of schedule. Hwa Young has to quickly learn what it means to be a soldier, and try to figure out where her loyalties lie as the Empire wages battle against the Clans, Hwa Young’s former people.

I received an advanced reading copy of Moonstorm in exchange for an honest review.

Moonstorm is a young adult science-fiction novel by Yoon Ha-Lee. I don’t read a lot of science-fiction, but when I heard this book was for fans of Iron Widow, I knew I had to check it out. And, I have to say, this is the kind of book that really keeps your heart rate up!

Before I go further into the review, I do want to have some content warnings. Feel free to skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to know anything, since there will be light spoilers here, but if you want to be prepared before you go into this book, here are some potential triggers: violence, blood, gore, war, injuries, on-page death of teenagers and children, and mass murder. Some of these happen really early on in the book, like in the first chapter, so you might be able to figure out if you can handle the rest based on what you experience early on.

As I mentioned before, Moonstorm is the kind of book that really gets you excited. It helps that there is so much action in here, and it rarely slows down. Hwa Young and her classmates spend a lot of time running for their lives, or in the midst of battle. What makes these scenes even more tense is that Hwa Young is also trying to keep her past a secret. The Clans and the Empire are enemies, and she knows that the only way she can succeed in becoming a pilot is by not letting anyone know where she actually comes from.

This isn’t just outer tension, but inner tension as well. Hwa Young is fighting an inner battle, knowing that her goals align with the Empire, while also understanding that she’d be going against her former people if she continues on this route. It kept me wondering what decisions she would make, and if she would ever regret them.

Ha-Lee develops a whole world for Hwa Young to ask herself these deep questions in. One concept I absolutely loved was that the gravity on these planets and moons is dependent on the people and their unity or devotion, rather than on a planet’s mass. It was absolutely fascinating to read about, and it was such a great detail to have as the other elements of the Empire and the Clans take shape around them.

Moonstorm was such a great read. This is a book I’d recommend to any kind of science-fiction fans, but especially to people who read Iron Widow and loved it. I know I devoured this book in two days, and I’m already looking forward to the second book in this trilogy. I don’t think there’s any news on when that’ll be coming out yet, but I can’t wait for it.

🌙 Moonstorm ARC Review 🌙

Thank you so much to Yoon Ha Lee, Delacorte Press and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Moonstorm is a YA Sci-fi novel and book 1 in the Lancers trilogy. When her world is taken over by the Imperial army six years ago, all young Hwa Young could do was survive. Six years later, she has become a part of the Imperial world and has dreams of being a Lancer pilot. But when her world is attacked, are her dreams unexpectedly closer than she ever imagined?

This was an interesting story with compelling world building that didn’t feel overwhelming. I really enjoyed Hwa Young as a character and her journey in this book. I did feel like this book was a lot of setup for the rest of the series as there’s a lot up in the air, but overall it was a fun sci-fi read

This book was a fun three star read for me. I enjoyed the world and the characters, and feel like there’s a lot of setup for the rest of the series. This book did have some darker moments, so please check triggers if you’re sensitive. This book didn’t have any romantic plots at this time, so no rating will be given for spice

If you’re a fan of sci-fi books with strong characters, intriguing world building and political intrigue, then absolutely pick this one up!

Please note: review will be published on Amazon upon publication

A romp in space with mecha leanings (they start rather late in the book though, and our MC Hwa Young and the rest of them are whirlwind expert pilots). I thought there was great tension in certain scenes - the opening, the fall of Serpentine, and Hwa Young’s first lancer battle - but otherwise we pretty much skated along the surface. We couldn’t really get a handle on how Hwa Young felt about much of anything, even though we do get her thoughts from the first person narration. She doesn’t dig into any complicated feelings about her origins or her rivalry with Bae or the very transactional nature of her friendship with Geum.

The bones of a REALLY GOOD story were there, but we just didn’t go deep enough to really get it. I have enjoyed other books by Lee, so I will probably continue the series as it comes out, if only to see if we do take the dive into deeper and messier territory.

This was a decent read. I enjoyed it for the most part.

I think this could be a pretty good intro to YA sci-fi for newbies looking to dip their toes in this genre. But if you're a veteran of sci-fi, this isn't anything to write home about.

I did love how the author incorporated Korean culture into this story. I thought that was unique and different from the run of the mill Eurocentric sci-fi stories that flood this genre.

The prayers/gravity aspect was also pretty cool and unique, although it did raise some questions for me. If people pray to the Empress, but they're doing it out of habit instead of sincere belief, does that still count? Who knows.

The story was filled with familiar tropes in YA sci-fi: chosen one, rebels vs. empire, overpowered MC, etc. The plot twists were pretty predictable if you're familiar with this genre. There was nothing to keep me on my toes. I was waiting for an actual plot twist, and while the ending did deliver a taste of a decent twist, it wasn't really all that exciting for me. Maybe if I was younger and less well-read, I might've loved it.

In the end, it felt like everything came much too easily for the MC. The narrative kept saying that she worked hard to achieve her goals of becoming a lancer pilot, but we don't actually see this happening. I would've liked to see her struggle and experience some setbacks. But sadly, even major setbacks were overcome so easily.

I haven't read the author's The Machineries of Empire series yet, which I've heard is a lot better than this one. But I'll definitely give that one a try since I don't see myself continuing with this one.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this arc.

This was a fantastic start to what I know will be a fantastic sci-fi series! It was incredibly fast paced from the start, with so much action, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I do wish it had had some more slower moments to get to know the characters better. But I still loved them so much. Hwa Young is a great main character, with so much drive and determination and internal conflict over her identity and loyalty. I love her so much! I also loved Bae and Geum and Seong Su. Each one had their own unique personalities and their own unique relationship with Hwa Young. I particularly loved the rivalry between Hwa Young and Bae and how they slowly became friends over the course of the book. Lastly, I love the lancers so much! They are so cool, and the connection between Hwa Young and her lancer was so well written I felt like I was right there with them experiencing the same thing. And of course, I adored that this book is set in a queer norm society. Overall, I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for the series to continue.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a long-time fan of Yoon Ha Lee, I am so disappointed in this book. It should have been a recipe for a new favorite of mine - Korean-coded characters, space opera, giant mechas in space, and queer characters. Sounds perfect. But unfortunately, the execution was just not there. It felt extremely rushed and the writing honestly felt amateurish. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was written by a debut YA author; I expected more from Lee. The characters weren't strong enough to form a connection with, and the nuace I craved from the story just wasn't there.

I generally prefer stories where the character building is as important as the plot, and unfortunately this one was so focused on moving the plot forward as fast as possible that we don't really get to know any of the characters other than Hwa Young.