For the First Time, Again (Take Them to the Stars #3)[June 28, 2024]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for For the First Time, Again by Sylvain Neuvel starting on June 28, 2024.


Happy Reading!

[Nirkatze]

Thank you!

Series:
1. A History of What Comes Next (April 28) [link]
2. Until the Last of Me (May 28) [link]
3. For the First Time, Again (June 28)

[Nirkatze]

Through Part II (view spoiler)[Interesting being back to a child's POV--but one with no knowledge of the Kitsu.... no rules, no Three and Two, or Ninety-Nine, no mother to rebel against. And Sammael stepping in as parental figure... ish. Enacting his own Hunter brand of education on her... though at the end of this Part is seems like he might be abandoning her to the government? Well, I guess we'll see.

Also enjoying the little interludes of Kitsu history--finally, the very first... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Finished! (view spoiler)[The extreme lack of empathy or regret towards all the random people who end up dead in this one rather bothered me. I know it's why the Kitsu started the rules--in horror over the fact that they just massacred people without remorse... but I felt like I'd've liked to see more of that horror in Esther. Especially when she sent Sa to her death and killed Sammael--though I did like that everything turned out to be her plan all along.

The Sa arc felt kinda... underutilized. The epilogue helped--showing that even others of their kind didn't think they were worth saving as a race... but that's also kind of sad.

And with there being other ugly ducklings in that batch... Well, I suppose Neuvel left himself a back door to add more to the series if he ever chooses. (hide spoiler)]

[Felina]

I’m excited about this but I’ll be a little late. There is no line on this book at my library but I have a few I had to wait for that I only have one shot on so those get priority. Interested enough, most of my BR for July are audible so once I get through those couple with hard deadlines, I can be free for the rest of the month.

[Frank]

Plan on starting this one in a few days.
Is this the final volume? I have a feeling no.

[Nirkatze]

The main parts get wrapped up... but there's definitely room for the author to return if he wants....

[Frank]

Nirkatze wrote: "Finished! The extreme lack of empathy or regret towards all the random people who end up dead in this one rather bothered me. I know it's why the Kitsu started the rules--in horror over the fact th..."

Just finished, while I agree (view spoiler)[ Aster turned cold and killed and was responsible for killing, I felt that she had to harden, no choice, as her mother had and grandmother had to before making the ultimate sacrifice. She is still young here, and may soften, as she has a child. We are left in 2005, I guess the story can at least be taken another 20 years, although the revelation with the first epilogue on the spaceship gives us much for an ending, I would like to see where we progress, however, Neuvel has to delve into our future for that. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Hm, good point--(view spoiler)[on how young Aster is still by the end of the book... her mother and grandmother didn't really develop empathy until later in life... (hide spoiler)]

[Frank]

Do you think there will be another book?

[Choko]

Wow... Through Part 2... I know I am sounding like a broken record, but the way this series is different really works for me... (view spoiler)[Sammael taking care and training Aester! And those other Amazonian aliens hunting her... I am totally fascinated! The prologue, were those them? Did they arrive because of the beacon Sammael turned on? (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Ch. 44... (view spoiler)[ Sa is terrifying in this monster doing natural monster things not meaning anything bad way... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

This was good!!! Loved her solution! Fascinating that a whole species realizes that it might be best if they don't continue... Kind of like those humans in Three Body... disillusioned with their nature, but not trying really hard to overcome it...

I would love it if the author comes back to this and gives us a followup!

[Nirkatze]

Anyone find any news on what he's working on next? Though I think the 3rd book here came out fairly recently, so maybe no news yet...

[Tonari no Emily]

The main female narrator does a passable American accent, but some words she says come out interesting... like nazi pronounced with the "a" from nasty...

[Nirkatze]

Interesting! I totally didn't notice... I just got used to the character talking like a teenager and being weird...

[Felina]

Ha ha. ‘OMG, she has chocolate for blood. Call Bruce Willis!’

[Choko]

Hahaha!

[Tonari no Emily]

I get really distracted by accents lol

[Nirkatze]

Felina wrote: "Ha ha. ‘OMG, she has chocolate for blood. Call Bruce Willis!’"

There were some fun pop culture jokes in all of this! I loved how she kept calling that guy Bruce Willis...

[Felina]

So I just finished this and liked it considerably less than the other two. Now, I hurt my knee pretty badly and have been listening through so pretty intense pain but it seems to be this one made a lot less sense than the others. And the characters were a lot less likable.

[Nirkatze]

I agree with most of your analysis, @Felina... definitely my least favorite of the three, though I still liked the interludes... but without the elder Kitsu to balance out the younger, it was tough....

[Choko]

Interesting... I ended up really liking it... I am hoping for more!