The Citizen of Eastport is a unique novel that blurs conventional genre lines, and a multi-perspective story set in a corrupt cyberpunk dystopia. Tonally the novel has some elements in common with a film noir story, including the genre’s character archetypes such as the retired boxer and the femme fatale. The story follows three primary characters: business owner Vi who works hard to remain independent and avoid becoming indebted to organized crime, master-of-disguise Kilo who is a freelancing thief, and stoic Tempe who is an academic-turned-spy with mysterious motives. The three each have connections to one another both personal and professional, and sorting through the clues to identify a shared enemy is the principal mystery within the novel.

I was excited to read this novel because the description hits a lot of notes I enjoy, including mysteries, intrigue, reluctant heroes, and queer love. Overall I found the prose really dynamic and the setting of Eastport to be gritty and complex. I loved the plot lines and the writing style, and I ultimately read the entire book in a day because I wanted to see how the pieces fit together and how our protagonists could escape the web they found themselves entangled in. The book also explored briefly some interesting emotional themes, such as the way one can become so accustomed to injustice it becomes natural to become a part of it, and the line between sensible self-protection and cowardice. The various characters also have very different ideas about loyalty and the extent to which they should care about one another’s survival, and that creates lopsided tensions and hurt feelings that they struggle to resolve. Though the book doesn’t dwell too long on these themes, it does lead to character growth and also sets up further implications for future books.

I do think the marketing of the novel misses some opportunities in finding its audience by not foregrounding the fetish content that underpins some sections of the narrative. It was labeled as a general fiction/science fiction/lgbtqia+/mystery novel, and it is all those things, but it is also very much a book about the characters’ desire to inflict or receive pain during sex. Introducing a brand new primary character via a violent alleyway sex scene within the first 15 pages of the book was a bold choice, but one that would probably be more compelling to people specifically looking for a spicy story than to a general audience. The scene didn’t fit well with the scenes on either side, and didn’t add much to the general story, which made it feel kind of tacked on. While that one was the most out of context, there are also a handful of other romantic and sexual encounters in the novel. Most of these involve S&M elements, including one which begins as a consensual sexual encounter and morphs into a non-consensual interrogation scene. The three perspective characters are also involved in complicated sadomasochistic sexual relationships with one another, with one of the characters being explicitly described as a sexual sadist. Though the number and length of the encounters diminishes as the book goes on, the dynamic it creates between the characters remains a constant thread and influences some of the decisions that they ultimately make.

While it didn’t work for me, this type of dynamic could be very appealing to people looking for dark romance in their fiction, and I think including references to this content in the marketing would help connect the book with those who will love it most. By listing it in broader genre categories like general fiction or likening it heist media like Leverage, there is always the risk that the novel could primarily find its way to readers who are expecting a queer sci fi mystery more in the vein of Dorothy Gentleman than of Telepaths Don’t Need Safewords.

Ultimately, the ending of the novel was cathartic and set the groundwork for a sequel, and I was happy to see Vi’s character development and growth. Watching her gradually rediscover and reconnect with her values was satisfying and the dynamic with her family was heartwarming. I would be interested to see what happens next for Vi, Kilo, and Tempe, and curious to check out the next installment when it releases.

"the citizen of eastport" is a genre-blurring novel that wants to be several things at once: a mystery, a dystopian crime story, a heist. mostly, it pulls this off. sometimes, it absolutely does not. but i was still engaged enough to keep reading, which feels important to say.

the setup is genuinely strong. eastport is a corrupt, gritty city with clear noir influences: retired boxers, them fatales (haha get it femme fatales but non-binary hahaha...), and everyone has secrets and bad coping mechanisms. the story follows three main characters: vi, a business owner doing her best to stay independent and avoid falling into the hands of organized crime; kilo, a master-of-disguise freelance thief; and tempe, an academic-turned-spy with opaque motives and an impressive ability to make me suspicious of her at all times.

character-wise, vi is the clear standout. she gets the most development by far, and it works. watching her slowly confront how much injustice she’s normalized just to survive was genuinely satisfying, and her growth by the end felt earned. her family dynamic was surprisingly warm and grounded, and it added emotional weight without derailing the plot. also, she’s a butch lesbian. that’s the most important part.

kilo was also a highlight, especially because kilo uses neopronouns (ze/zem/zer) and is a WHORE. seeing that on the page made me genuinely excited because you rarely see that sort of representation in books, and it’s handled naturally and without spectacle. zer pronouns just exist, and it's not like ze has to stop to explain that to the reader. that said, i really wanted more of kilo’s backstory. i mean, ze clearly has a whole deal going on, and while i assume that’s being saved for future books, it left me wanting more.

tempe… i don’t like her. she’s stoic, guarded, and emotionally withholding in a way that feels designed to create tension, but right now she mostly exists in the category of “character i tolerate because the plot requires it.” i’m hoping future installments give her more depth and context because at the moment she feels more like a narrative obstacle than a fully realized person.

the relationships between the three are complicated, messy, hot, and explicitly queer. it’s clear the book is setting up a polyamorous dynamic (female/female/non-binary), and while nothing is fully realized yet, the tension is unmistakable. the different ideas about loyalty, survival, and responsibility create uneven emotional stakes that lead to real friction, even if the book doesn’t dwell on those conflicts for long.

tone-wise, the book is warmer than i expected for a heist. the pacing is uneven. a bit slow. the first half took me a while to get through, while the second half i tore through once the plot finally locked in. once it picks up, it’s much easier to stay invested, but the slow start may test some readers’ patience.

now we need to talk about the sexual content, because the marketing does not prepare you for it.

this book is significantly more invested in sadomasochistic dynamics than you might expect from a general sci-fi mystery. there are multiple sexual encounters involving pain, control, and dominance, including a character explicitly described as a sexual sadist (it’s tempe) and a character nearly electro-shocked the others genitals in a consensual sex to dub-con interrogation (it was tempe, again). so be prepared for that too.

finally, my minor but persistent nitpick. You know it’s coming with every review. every time someone sings, they are crooning. always crooning. exclusively crooning. by the end, i noticed it the same way i once noticed james dashner’s fixation on the word “bulbous.” not a dealbreaker, but extremely noticeable once it lodges in your brain.

overall, it is an interesting, imperfect, but compelling start to a series. while the pacing, limited backstory held it back from being a favorite, the ending was cathartic and clearly sets the groundwork for what comes next. i’m curious enough about vi, kilo, and yes, even tempe, to keep reading, and that feels like a success for a first installment.

the citizen of eastport is a mix of mystery, crime, and heist. it’s not an easy mix to pull off, but this book does it well enough to be interesting.

the start of the book is a bit slow, but it really kicks into gear in the second half. the characters are interesting, and of course, this book has lgbtq+ and neopronouns, which is part of what gives this book such a strong voice. it’s a bit of a mess, very queer, but i liked it.

ARC Received through Netgalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 stars rounded up :)

I really enjoyed this read.
This the first time I've read a book that incorporated neo pronouns (in this case ze/zer) and I thought it was great. I loved how it wasn't this big deal but rather a normal thing.
The plot is a significant part of the book, and I really like how we are essentially seeing three separate stories all leading up to a certain point where they it all comes together. I love the complexity of the way the world building is set up with "on-world" and "off-world" (forgive the potentially wrong phrasing of that), and the political and social elements and hierarchies that introduces.
The main characters Vi, Kilo and Tempe all have unique voices and individual personalities, but they still mesh well with each other (plus they are all morally ambiguous at times, maybe that's why they work). I want to see how these dynamics continue to change and shift as the series progresses. "Smut" or just sexually explicit scenes in general isn't always something I like when reading because I feel it often doesn't add anything to the plot, but the use of such scenes in this book added a layer of emotional depth and vulnerability to the characters. It wasn't just sex for the sake of sex, but rather another element of who they are and an expression of this. Especially for Kilo who is for lack of a better word (at current) and not wanting to come across as derogatory in anyway hypersexual, to an extent. The inclusion of on page explicit context gives a much better insight into the mentality of the characters than would be the case if it were to be just alluded to or talked about as a past event.

The only thing that I found I had trouble with was the pacing of the book in the first ~30% before it started to pick up. I think this was in part due to us having limited information and really only seeing Vi's point of view for most of this time. But then when we slowly start getting introduced properly to Kilo and Tempe the pace ramps up and info starts feeding in.