Starflight (Starflight, #1) in READALONGS WITH APRIL

Feb 20, 2016 Abigail rated it it was ok

2.5 stars.
Positives:
An entertaining read. This book was very easy to get through. I could've sworn I was reading for ten minutes and I looked at my clock and it had been an hour.
I liked the side characters more than the two main leads.
Some of the lines were funny.

Negatives:
The main negatives I have all go back to one problem. The book needed to be longer! There were so many scenes that tension was rising, I didn't know how they were going to get out of it, then all of a sudden they were out. ...more

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Apr 11, 2016 The Audiobookworm rated it really liked it

3.75 ★ Audiobook⎮This was a fairly quick and easy listen. I was easily able to listen to it while completing tasks around the house, which allowed me to finish it in about 24 hours. This story was good and did a fine job of pulling me out of my recent listening slump, but it was nothing I'd write home about. Overall, it was pretty unremarkable for me. I don't have strong feelings about it either way. I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous "space dramas" I've heard (Illuminae, Starbound series), 3.75 ★ Audiobook⎮This was a fairly quick and easy listen. I was easily able to listen to it while completing tasks around the house, which allowed me to finish it in about 24 hours. This story was good and did a fine job of pulling me out of my recent listening slump, but it was nothing I'd write home about. Overall, it was pretty unremarkable for me. I don't have strong feelings about it either way. I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous "space dramas" I've heard (Illuminae, Starbound series), but this one did not quite live up to those standards. Starflight lacked that certain je ne sais quoi. It was enjoyable enough and there's nothing that I can specifically point to as a major detraction, but my level of enthusiasm definitely could have been higher. If I had to blame one particular thing, I guess it would have to be the writing, which felt a little bland to me. It did nothing to engage me emotionally. The world-building and character development were so-so, not terrible but not extraordinary. To be completely honest, I just realized I can't even remember the characters' names. Wait... Solara was the main character, but that's all I've got. I never really felt anything for any of them. There's no doubt in my mind that I would have enjoyed this much more if I had not previously heard Illuminae & the Starbound series. I know that "comparison kills" and all that, but I just couldn't help myself and now I'm left wondering if experiencing the seemingly unattainable awesomeness of anything Amie Kaufman (she's the common denominator there) touches has ruined the space sub-genre for me altogether...

I won't rule out listening to the next installment (which comes out sometime in 2017), but I can't see myself pre-ordering it, you know what I mean? I would recommend this for anyone that is unsure about space-fiction or YA scifi (I'm still not sure what to call this genre/sub-genre) and wants to get their toes wet before diving in. This is a simple, straightforward, and effective way to do just that.

Narration review: In retrospect, I think I actually enjoyed the narration a little more than the story in itself. Amanda Dolan brought additional depth to the characters and her narration is a large part of the reason this audiobook was so easy to listen to. Her voice was strong, clear, and articulate. She diversified the character voices just enough to provide adequate distinction, without it being intrusive to the story. Very well done! ♣︎ ...more

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Feb 15, 2016 Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, 2016-favorites

HOLY SHIT I LOVED THIS BOOK SO, SO MUCH.

description

THIS BOOK IS JUST A LITERAL BALL OF FUN.
(does that sound extremely cheesy? yes? no? i don't even care??? cause it's true, okay.)

I can't even put into words how much I adored all the characters and their relationships with each other. It's just a big, dysfunctional family with all their own secrets and pasts that just added onto the mysteries of the book. Honestly, it reminded me so, so much of the Six of Crows gang but obviously a million times less dark. ...more

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