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The Salvation Gambit
A hotheaded hacker must outwit the AI at the heart of a rogue warship–turned–penal colony if she and her crew of con women want to escape with their lives in this electrifying sci-fi thriller from the acclaimed author of Bonds of Brass.
Murdock has always believed in Hark, the woman who shaped her from a petty thief and lowlife hacker into a promising con artist. Hark is everything Murdock aspires to be, from her slick fashion sense to her unfailing ability to plan under pressure. Together with Bea, a fearless driver who never walks away from a bet, and Fitz, Murdock’s infuriatingly mercurial rival who can sweet-talk the galaxy into spinning around her finger, they form a foursome with a reputation for daring heists, massive payoffs, and never, ever getting caught.
Well, until now.
Getting caught is one thing. Getting tithed to a sentient warship that’s styled itself into a punitive god is a problem this team has never faced before. Aboard the Justice is a world stitched together from the galaxy’s sinners—some fighting for survival, some struggling to build a civilized society, and some sacrificing everything to worship the AI at the heart of the ship.
The Justice ’s all-seeing eyes are fixed on its newest acquisitions, Murdock in particular. It has use for a hacker—if it can wrest her devotion away from Hark. And Murdock’s faith is already fractured. To escape the Justice ’s madness, they need a plan, and Hark might not be up to the task.
If Hark—brilliant, unflappable Hark—can’t plot a way out, Murdock will have to use every last trick she’s learned to outwit the Justice, resist its temptation, and get her crew out alive.
Murdock has always believed in Hark, the woman who shaped her from a petty thief and lowlife hacker into a promising con artist. Hark is everything Murdock aspires to be, from her slick fashion sense to her unfailing ability to plan under pressure. Together with Bea, a fearless driver who never walks away from a bet, and Fitz, Murdock’s infuriatingly mercurial rival who can sweet-talk the galaxy into spinning around her finger, they form a foursome with a reputation for daring heists, massive payoffs, and never, ever getting caught.
Well, until now.
Getting caught is one thing. Getting tithed to a sentient warship that’s styled itself into a punitive god is a problem this team has never faced before. Aboard the Justice is a world stitched together from the galaxy’s sinners—some fighting for survival, some struggling to build a civilized society, and some sacrificing everything to worship the AI at the heart of the ship.
The Justice ’s all-seeing eyes are fixed on its newest acquisitions, Murdock in particular. It has use for a hacker—if it can wrest her devotion away from Hark. And Murdock’s faith is already fractured. To escape the Justice ’s madness, they need a plan, and Hark might not be up to the task.
If Hark—brilliant, unflappable Hark—can’t plot a way out, Murdock will have to use every last trick she’s learned to outwit the Justice, resist its temptation, and get her crew out alive.
304 pages, ebook
First published September 26, 2023
About the author
Emily Skrutskie
12 books1,020 followersEmily Skrutskie is six feet tall. She lives and works in Los Angeles. Skrutskie is the author of THE ABYSS SURROUNDS US series, HULLMETAL GIRLS, and the Bloodright Trilogy, starting with BONDS OF BRASS. Her latest novel, THE SALVATION GAMBIT, is now available.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
January 6, 2024
💀 DNF at 37%.
I read the blurb and I was sold: a female hacker and her crew of con women? A rogue, sentient warship-turned penal colony? This sounded too good to be true! Spoiler alert: it was.
First, the MC is pathetic. She has such low self-esteem and is so easily manipulated it's downright ridiculous. Not to mention that she has about as much personality as an anemic barnacle. But hey, it's not ALL bad, she has some wonderfully glorious TSTL moments, too.
Second, the characters are flatter than my favorite herd of ironing boards. No depth, no development, no charisma, no nothing. I swear, I've met cardboard boxes with more magnetism than this crew here. Worse, the whole bunch of them is thoroughly unlikeable. Yay.
Third, everything feels fake, especially the relationships between the characters. They've been working together for years (supposedly) but you'd think they'd just met and been reluctantly thrown together. There was even less connection between them than there was between me and the book. And that's saying something.
Fourth, 💤💤💤.
And fifth but not least, I didn't give a flying fish about ANYTHING.
The end.
[Pre-review nonsense]
It's only the second day of the year and I've already DNFed a book! Oh, what a great year 2024 is shaping up to be!
➽ Review to come and stuff.
May 28, 2024
After a job gone wrong, Murdock and her gang of con artists are tithed to a sentient warship that’s styled itself into a punitive god. Escaping the ship would be hard enough - but when the Justice takes a personal interest in Murdock, the stakes only get higher.
I have been slowing dipping my toes into the space opera genre, mostly via the wonderful Becky Chambers, but I am always on the lookout for more. And the premise of this book immediately sold me - a cult surrounding an AI? A prison ship that's become its own society? A queer rivals-to-lovers romance? Sign me up!
The world-building in this book is incredible. The Justice is a huge ship and is populated by a great many people who have slowly built up their own isolated societies, and over the course of the book Murdock and the reader get to know plenty of them. Murdock may be a brash heroine, but she's also got a great wellspring of compassion, as well as a great many insecurities, which makes her viewpoint satisfyingly nuanced.
I was also intrigued by the depiction of the 'found family' of con artists, which has plenty of internal issues without ultimately giving up on the value of the relationships. Even if I felt like Hark's depiction was somewhat heavy-handed at times, it was still an interesting approach.
My main quibble with this book was the pacing, which unfortunately detracted a fair bit from my experience. After a leisurely, detailed first half of the book, things sped up unbelievably, rattling us through oodles of character development and important plot points. I wish that the author had slowed down and spaced things out better - another hundred pages or so would have allowed for much needed breathing room. I also wish we got to know Hark, Bea, and the banded faithful better in that time.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I have been slowing dipping my toes into the space opera genre, mostly via the wonderful Becky Chambers, but I am always on the lookout for more. And the premise of this book immediately sold me - a cult surrounding an AI? A prison ship that's become its own society? A queer rivals-to-lovers romance? Sign me up!
The world-building in this book is incredible. The Justice is a huge ship and is populated by a great many people who have slowly built up their own isolated societies, and over the course of the book Murdock and the reader get to know plenty of them. Murdock may be a brash heroine, but she's also got a great wellspring of compassion, as well as a great many insecurities, which makes her viewpoint satisfyingly nuanced.
I was also intrigued by the depiction of the 'found family' of con artists, which has plenty of internal issues without ultimately giving up on the value of the relationships. Even if I felt like Hark's depiction was somewhat heavy-handed at times, it was still an interesting approach.
My main quibble with this book was the pacing, which unfortunately detracted a fair bit from my experience. After a leisurely, detailed first half of the book, things sped up unbelievably, rattling us through oodles of character development and important plot points. I wish that the author had slowed down and spaced things out better - another hundred pages or so would have allowed for much needed breathing room. I also wish we got to know Hark, Bea, and the banded faithful better in that time.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
January 29, 2024
I didn’t love this one as much as I remember loving the abyss duology years back, but it was a fun scifi heist novel with a little hint of sapphic relationship in there. Quick and fairly light and fun!
December 2, 2023
In a distant future, on a planet far, far away, we meet Hark and her crew on an "off day." Not only have these conartists been caught , but they are now being turned over to a ship called the Justice. An old warship that collects each world's most heinous criminals. Quickly, it becomes clear that there they can not just con their way out of this. A quick, fun, and entertaining read.
September 8, 2023
2.5 stars. Thank you netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I’m extremely disappointed in this. I was expecting to love it, yet by page 30 I was forcing myself to continue(I got to 56%/151pg). There’s no substance to it. It’s just all running and action. No time to bond with the characters. I did sorta like fitz, but that’s only because there was a drop of info from her about her past. The characters for the most part are dull, entirely 2d. The world building and dialogue are both good, but the rest destroys it. I kept trying to convince myself to continue reading, to finish it, but I’m not going to. As much as I want to, I’m not enjoying it, so I’m not going to waste anymore time. I’m very saddened by my feelings towards this book, and I honestly might finish it before the arc time is up just because, but that’s only if I can muster up enough strength to push through. Most likely, in a week it’ll have blurred into the back of my mind and I’ll move on. :(
I’m extremely disappointed in this. I was expecting to love it, yet by page 30 I was forcing myself to continue(I got to 56%/151pg). There’s no substance to it. It’s just all running and action. No time to bond with the characters. I did sorta like fitz, but that’s only because there was a drop of info from her about her past. The characters for the most part are dull, entirely 2d. The world building and dialogue are both good, but the rest destroys it. I kept trying to convince myself to continue reading, to finish it, but I’m not going to. As much as I want to, I’m not enjoying it, so I’m not going to waste anymore time. I’m very saddened by my feelings towards this book, and I honestly might finish it before the arc time is up just because, but that’s only if I can muster up enough strength to push through. Most likely, in a week it’ll have blurred into the back of my mind and I’ll move on. :(
August 27, 2024
i’m not a sci-fi girlie but this was SO MUCH FUN.
murdock and her team of con women are tithed to a sentient warship, the justice, after their latest heist goes terribly wrong. the justice is a world unto itself, populated by tithed criminals and their descendants. it is a life sentence—unless they can plot an escape. aboard their new prison, murdock is forced to confront daunting realities as her loyalties are torn between the mentor who shaped her, the AI-turned-god at the heart of the ship, and her charming teammate.
the salvation gambit is a lively, fast-paced space heist. i loved exploring the civilizations aboard the justice and while murdock is a dumbass (she is frustratingly clueless at times), i forgave her because i too would fall for fitz. i would have appreciated a little more depth and character development, but overall this was a fun foray into a genre i don’t read often.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
✅ sapphics in space
✅ a heist gone (very) wrong
✅ found family (but make it a little bit toxic)
✅ an AI-turned-god
murdock and her team of con women are tithed to a sentient warship, the justice, after their latest heist goes terribly wrong. the justice is a world unto itself, populated by tithed criminals and their descendants. it is a life sentence—unless they can plot an escape. aboard their new prison, murdock is forced to confront daunting realities as her loyalties are torn between the mentor who shaped her, the AI-turned-god at the heart of the ship, and her charming teammate.
the salvation gambit is a lively, fast-paced space heist. i loved exploring the civilizations aboard the justice and while murdock is a dumbass (she is frustratingly clueless at times), i forgave her because i too would fall for fitz. i would have appreciated a little more depth and character development, but overall this was a fun foray into a genre i don’t read often.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
rating: 3.5/5.0
June 18, 2023
How do I review another immediately-beloved Emily Skrutskie book without just simply shrieking wordlessly and clutching it to my chest? This is her seventh novel and the seventh book of hers that I deeply, deeply love. Skrutskie's character work is immaculate, and her way of weaving foreshadowing but still surprising you when you get to the reveal is brilliant. I love her words. Skrutskie, I love your words. Thanks for sharing them with me again.
10/10, no notes. Would die for Murdock. Would claim Ham as my emotional support himbo. Would like to kiss Fitz.
10/10, no notes. Would die for Murdock. Would claim Ham as my emotional support himbo. Would like to kiss Fitz.
August 6, 2023
Queers?? In space?? Uh, sign me up. I loved this book, loved the characters, and more than anything, loved the unique world and premise that the Salvation Gambit takes place in. The society and culture that has developed on the Justice, an abandoned ship from a long gone empire, makes me wish for more stories involving the people who were unwillingly brought there, lived, and died there. Told from the perspective of Murdock, the behind the scenes brain of a 4 person heist group, the store grapples with the debilitating nature of imposter syndrome, fitting in, and taking the good where you can get it. All while being trapped in a 300 year old battle ship with AI intelligence that has nefarious intentions. There were a few moments that kinda drug on or had me wondering at their purpose, but all in all, I enjoyed the antics, the wit, and adventure of Murdock and gang, and hope it’s not the last time we see them.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
November 20, 2023
This book is about what happens when a megalomaniacal centuries-old sentient prison ship comes on too strong. We’ve all been there.
The protagonist of this is a hacker named Murdock. She was keeping herself alive by scrounging and petty crimes on a run-down space station when she got noticed and recruited by a team of confidence scammers. But their string of successes has come to an end, and the book begins with Murdock & company being transferred to the prison ship Justice. Justice is a dreadnought from an empire that died 3 centuries previously; it maintains its existence by showing up at colony worlds and using its still-impressive arsenal to demand they hand over their criminals. Most of those onboard seem to be left to their own devices. Some live as gangs and scavengers, some have built enclave towns.
But there’s also those who are mind-linked to the central AI that runs the ship, and the ship wants Murdock herself to be one of them.
Murdock quickly finds herself separated from half of her crew, including the leader they all orbit around. She’s left trying to find her way back to them with the member of her crew she gets along with the least, with the ship and its agents dogging her steps and trying to convince her to join up (with the threat that it won’t be long before they stop asking).
The story this tells is great entertainment. It’s a very fun standalone, and I burned through it very quickly. It’s got twists and turns, and intrigues, and cleverness, and a romance I got very invested in very quickly. It’s not a book that will change my life, but it is a great book if you want to relax for a few hours and just enjoy a good story.
Trigger warning for sexual assault, kind of. There’s a scene where the ship has Murdock at its mercy; no SA happens, but Murdock’s feelings of powerlessness are definitely described in terms appropriate for SA.
My blog
The protagonist of this is a hacker named Murdock. She was keeping herself alive by scrounging and petty crimes on a run-down space station when she got noticed and recruited by a team of confidence scammers. But their string of successes has come to an end, and the book begins with Murdock & company being transferred to the prison ship Justice. Justice is a dreadnought from an empire that died 3 centuries previously; it maintains its existence by showing up at colony worlds and using its still-impressive arsenal to demand they hand over their criminals. Most of those onboard seem to be left to their own devices. Some live as gangs and scavengers, some have built enclave towns.
But there’s also those who are mind-linked to the central AI that runs the ship, and the ship wants Murdock herself to be one of them.
Murdock quickly finds herself separated from half of her crew, including the leader they all orbit around. She’s left trying to find her way back to them with the member of her crew she gets along with the least, with the ship and its agents dogging her steps and trying to convince her to join up (with the threat that it won’t be long before they stop asking).
The story this tells is great entertainment. It’s a very fun standalone, and I burned through it very quickly. It’s got twists and turns, and intrigues, and cleverness, and a romance I got very invested in very quickly. It’s not a book that will change my life, but it is a great book if you want to relax for a few hours and just enjoy a good story.
Trigger warning for sexual assault, kind of. There’s a scene where the ship has Murdock at its mercy; no SA happens, but Murdock’s feelings of powerlessness are definitely described in terms appropriate for SA.
My blog
September 30, 2023
This was between 4 and 5 stars for me. It was so incredibly enjoyable, but I wish it had a little bit more depth. But honestly, sometimes it's just fun to enjoy the ride.
Emily Skrutskie's "The Salvation Gambit" is a thrilling and very fast-paced sci-fi adventure that features a group of women con artists who excel at daring heists and cunning schemes; getting by with their charm, confidence, fancy flying, and hacking abilities. The characters in this story are the real highlight. Murdock, the hotheaded hacker, takes center stage. Her journey is engaging and the dynamic between Murdock, Hark, and the rest of the crew, including fearless driver Bea and mercurial rival Fitz, is a driving force behind the narrative. Their interactions, rivalries, and camaraderie make you feel like you're part of the team by proxy. The sapphic romance is well-developed and is a refreshing addition to the story.
The book opens with them being turned over to a sentient ancient warship (of a long-dead civilization) turned penal colony. The ship, the Justice, fancies itself a vengeful god, and the society onboard is a mix of scavengers, criminals looking to build new lives, and cultists worshiping the ship. When the ship decides it wants Murdock, for some reason, and won't take no for an answer, the group rushes to figure out how to survive and, hopefully, escape. The book is filled with action and suspense and the pacing is excellent. I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish.
If there's any critique, it's that I wanted to delve deeper into the lives of the other colonists on the ship. Additionally, a touch more darkness and drama could have added even more depth to the story. However, these are minor points in what is overall a highly enjoyable and fun read with great world-building.
Readers will eagerly anticipate what comes next from this talented author.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House, and Del Rey for the eARC. This is an honest review.
Emily Skrutskie's "The Salvation Gambit" is a thrilling and very fast-paced sci-fi adventure that features a group of women con artists who excel at daring heists and cunning schemes; getting by with their charm, confidence, fancy flying, and hacking abilities. The characters in this story are the real highlight. Murdock, the hotheaded hacker, takes center stage. Her journey is engaging and the dynamic between Murdock, Hark, and the rest of the crew, including fearless driver Bea and mercurial rival Fitz, is a driving force behind the narrative. Their interactions, rivalries, and camaraderie make you feel like you're part of the team by proxy. The sapphic romance is well-developed and is a refreshing addition to the story.
The book opens with them being turned over to a sentient ancient warship (of a long-dead civilization) turned penal colony. The ship, the Justice, fancies itself a vengeful god, and the society onboard is a mix of scavengers, criminals looking to build new lives, and cultists worshiping the ship. When the ship decides it wants Murdock, for some reason, and won't take no for an answer, the group rushes to figure out how to survive and, hopefully, escape. The book is filled with action and suspense and the pacing is excellent. I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish.
If there's any critique, it's that I wanted to delve deeper into the lives of the other colonists on the ship. Additionally, a touch more darkness and drama could have added even more depth to the story. However, these are minor points in what is overall a highly enjoyable and fun read with great world-building.
Readers will eagerly anticipate what comes next from this talented author.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House, and Del Rey for the eARC. This is an honest review.
August 24, 2024
Eh. This was a book with a cool concept that in practice turned out to be very unmemorable. First, the characters aren't that interesting -- for all that the center of the book is supposed to be about the relationship between the four con-artist characters, we don't see that much of them interacting except for Murdock and Fitz. Hark is only really present in Murdock's imagination, where she's less a real person and more like some authority figure that Murdock idolizes and dislikes at the same time. Murdock and Fitz's relationship gets the most page time, but it also didn't feel that complex. We don't get quite enough of them hating each other, so the enemies to friends arc feels rushed, and the romance isn't particularly compelling. I think it mostly just feels like it's all too fast, and that gives the book a real YA vibe. And then the rest of the (honestly pretty big for a book this short) cast all blurs together.
As for the plot, it also feels uneven. Kind of nothing happens for a large section of the book except Murdock, Fitz, and Ham wandering around the ship and arguing with the AI. They don't even manage to find Bea and Hark on their own; the ship has to tell them where they are. And then the ending feels rushed as well and a bit too easy, especially the whole banded faithful crew then falling in line and working with them. For a book that's supposed to be about con artists, there's no real heist vibe here and no thrill of a trick pulled off perfectly. The plan is just to sabotage the jump core and then figure it out from there? That the ship goes to barely seems to count to me as tricking a mark. Just kind of underwhelming, especially after sitting through the whole rest of the plot. There are some really good heist stories out there and in comparison it falls really flat.
Maybe overall this just wasn't a good story for a standalone book and it needed more page time? But also I couldn't bear to have it be any longer, I was so ready for it to be over. This was not for me.
As for the plot, it also feels uneven. Kind of nothing happens for a large section of the book except Murdock, Fitz, and Ham wandering around the ship and arguing with the AI. They don't even manage to find Bea and Hark on their own; the ship has to tell them where they are. And then the ending feels rushed as well and a bit too easy, especially the whole banded faithful crew then falling in line and working with them. For a book that's supposed to be about con artists, there's no real heist vibe here and no thrill of a trick pulled off perfectly. The plan is just to sabotage the jump core and then figure it out from there? That the ship goes to barely seems to count to me as tricking a mark. Just kind of underwhelming, especially after sitting through the whole rest of the plot. There are some really good heist stories out there and in comparison it falls really flat.
Maybe overall this just wasn't a good story for a standalone book and it needed more page time? But also I couldn't bear to have it be any longer, I was so ready for it to be over. This was not for me.
May 8, 2023
I loved Emily Skrutskie's The Bloodright Trilogy, so when I saw she had a new book out it was an auto-request for me. She just keeps getting better and better, with another queer enemies to lovers arc and an unusual premise for space opera.
"The Salvation Gambit" is the story of a crew of con women whose last big con goes so terribly awry that they end up inmates in a massive, ancient ship controlled by a malevolent AI that has delusions of godhood. Murdock is a brilliant hacker who is the behind-the-scenes brains of the operation, a little too easily manipulatable by one charismatic fraud after another starting with her mother aboard the station where she grew up, only to be scooped up by Hark to swindle rich assholes.
The thriller arc deftly builds to where I wasn't sure at times if Murdock would choose to stay aboard the ship as penance or defeat. The romance isn't a big part of the story but I was taken by surprise by it; I was expecting Murdock/Hark or another pairing instead of Murdock/Fitz, but I appreciated their chemistry in getting thrown together on this massive, rogue prison ship. I was actually kind of rooting for Murdock to break away from Hark and lead her own cons after the mix of nurturing and abuse she got from the crew boss. Just not into the arms of another artificially abusive crew boss.
All in all I enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns of the story. It definitely wasn't predictable and I appreciated the focus on criminals and professional hucksters versus royalty.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"The Salvation Gambit" is the story of a crew of con women whose last big con goes so terribly awry that they end up inmates in a massive, ancient ship controlled by a malevolent AI that has delusions of godhood. Murdock is a brilliant hacker who is the behind-the-scenes brains of the operation, a little too easily manipulatable by one charismatic fraud after another starting with her mother aboard the station where she grew up, only to be scooped up by Hark to swindle rich assholes.
The thriller arc deftly builds to where I wasn't sure at times if Murdock would choose to stay aboard the ship as penance or defeat. The romance isn't a big part of the story but I was taken by surprise by it; I was expecting Murdock/Hark or another pairing instead of Murdock/Fitz, but I appreciated their chemistry in getting thrown together on this massive, rogue prison ship. I was actually kind of rooting for Murdock to break away from Hark and lead her own cons after the mix of nurturing and abuse she got from the crew boss. Just not into the arms of another artificially abusive crew boss.
All in all I enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns of the story. It definitely wasn't predictable and I appreciated the focus on criminals and professional hucksters versus royalty.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 15, 2023
A 300 year old ship powered by artificial intelligence is following its core directives of protecting the empire which no longer exists. To do so, it demands prisoners be transferred to it in the hope that some will be skilled enough to rebuild damaged systems.
Enter our protagonist, a young hacker who is part of a team of don artists. Some surface introspection in the character of the “who am I” and “where do I belong” variety, but nothing ultimately deep or interesting.
Worse line was someone with a sword saying “I’m going to get medieval on your ass.” Stolen from Pulp Fiction and how damn far in the future is this supposed to be? 2,000 years? And someone saying medieval on your ass with a sword? Just stupid.
Enter our protagonist, a young hacker who is part of a team of don artists. Some surface introspection in the character of the “who am I” and “where do I belong” variety, but nothing ultimately deep or interesting.
Worse line was someone with a sword saying “I’m going to get medieval on your ass.” Stolen from Pulp Fiction and how damn far in the future is this supposed to be? 2,000 years? And someone saying medieval on your ass with a sword? Just stupid.
May 21, 2024
4.25 ⭐️s
This was my first ever sci-fi thriller!! I was pulled in by the stunning cover design as well as the blurb on the back of the book. I had such a fun time diving into this new for me genre and exploring all that entails. I loved the characters we met and especially the fmc, Murdock who thoroughly lived and learned so much about others and herself along the way. If you’re looking for a sapphic sci-fi thriller in space with warships, rivals/enemies, adventure, and a charming AI, this one’s for you.🖤
This was my first ever sci-fi thriller!! I was pulled in by the stunning cover design as well as the blurb on the back of the book. I had such a fun time diving into this new for me genre and exploring all that entails. I loved the characters we met and especially the fmc, Murdock who thoroughly lived and learned so much about others and herself along the way. If you’re looking for a sapphic sci-fi thriller in space with warships, rivals/enemies, adventure, and a charming AI, this one’s for you.🖤
May 3, 2023
Emilie Skrutskie continues to develop as a writer and The Salvation Gambit demonstrates her growth. This is a smoothly written adventure story featuring a crew of con artists imprisoned on a powerful, AI run, starship. It has faceted characters, particularly the first person narrator, Murdock. Skrutskie also does a fine job creating a troubled identity for the captor ship, Justice, a damaged relic of a bygone empire. Secondary characters, including a love interest are more sketched but still work. I like the fact that the “heroes” aren’t lovable rogues - their cons have caused real damage to victims and we get to see that, albeit briefly. I will read her next book for sure - perhaps it will follow on from this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the published for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and the published for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 31, 2023DNF at 38%
Nothing is happening and the world development hasn’t showed me enough to keep me interested.
Nothing is happening and the world development hasn’t showed me enough to keep me interested.
October 14, 2023
another fun female character space story.
March 6, 2024
It just didn't appeal to me. I was too aware I was reading a book. It's like watching a poorly acted play; the audience doesn't believe the story is real.
DNF
2.5 out of 5
DNF
2.5 out of 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2023
Murdock’s day has just gone from bad to worse. After her crew was arrested for a con gone wrong, a giant warship showed up in orbit demanding that the colony hand over their “sinners.” Now Murdock and the others are trapped on a ship full of convicts, a ship governed by an AI that seems intent on redeeming its prisoners – and it seems to have particular interest in Murdock. It will take all of Murdock’s skills and cunning if she’s to find a way to escape a prison that no one’s left in decades.
THE SALVATION GAMBIT is a fast-paced sci-fi tale that starts out incredibly strong, but misses the landing completely. I was completely engaged with this story for the first two-thirds of the book, and fully expected to land on the side of “fun time, just not amazing.” We follow Murdock, part of a four-woman group of con artists, who is used to existing of the shadows of their jobs as the hacker, the one who provides support instead of leading. When she and her teammate are separated from the rest of the crew (including their leader Hark), Murdock is forced to not only take lead, but to start analyzing her relationship with Hark.
Murdock’s journey is a fraught one as she tries to navigate the society that has sprung up in this bizarre floating penal colony, avoiding scavengers and cultists alike, all while the ship AI tries to recruit her at every turn. It was an effective Alice in Wonderland kind of story, one where our protagonist learns about herself as she goes on a quest to find her friends and escape this bizarre situation. The plot moved quickly, and I was finding THE SALVATION GAMBIT a pleasant diversion.
The more the story went on, however, the more I became bothered by how thin the details were. We get a few sparse details about the societies that have sprung up throughout the ship, but barely saw them in any meaningful way. Likewise, you won’t find any daring cons here, no well-oiled machine working together, just vague descriptions of how the team used to be really good at it.
I was okay with the thinness up to a point, because the story seemed more concerned with the characters and their relationships than with the cons or world-building. The focus was on a group of people at their low point, fractured by failure. It had all the makings of a great character study. In particular, I was enjoying watching a character free of a cult of personality realize that maybe she’d been in a toxic relationship all along.
At the end of the day, however, the character journey took a bizarre swerve, placing all the blame on the protagonist’s insecurities and almost none on anyone else in her life, which left me incredibly frustrated. The character arc is resolved in the blink of an eye, so quickly I almost had whiplash trying to understand what had happened. And because of my frustrations with how the character was handled, it made me retroactively frustrated at the story that came before.
THE SALVATION GAMBIT is a book I wish I could recommend more. To its credit, I did find myself enjoying it quite a bit until the very end; if you’re looking for a quick diversion you can eat up in a few days, this might tick the box for you. Personally, the character arc just didn’t land for me, making it hard to give this one my full blessing.
Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
THE SALVATION GAMBIT is a fast-paced sci-fi tale that starts out incredibly strong, but misses the landing completely. I was completely engaged with this story for the first two-thirds of the book, and fully expected to land on the side of “fun time, just not amazing.” We follow Murdock, part of a four-woman group of con artists, who is used to existing of the shadows of their jobs as the hacker, the one who provides support instead of leading. When she and her teammate are separated from the rest of the crew (including their leader Hark), Murdock is forced to not only take lead, but to start analyzing her relationship with Hark.
Murdock’s journey is a fraught one as she tries to navigate the society that has sprung up in this bizarre floating penal colony, avoiding scavengers and cultists alike, all while the ship AI tries to recruit her at every turn. It was an effective Alice in Wonderland kind of story, one where our protagonist learns about herself as she goes on a quest to find her friends and escape this bizarre situation. The plot moved quickly, and I was finding THE SALVATION GAMBIT a pleasant diversion.
The more the story went on, however, the more I became bothered by how thin the details were. We get a few sparse details about the societies that have sprung up throughout the ship, but barely saw them in any meaningful way. Likewise, you won’t find any daring cons here, no well-oiled machine working together, just vague descriptions of how the team used to be really good at it.
I was okay with the thinness up to a point, because the story seemed more concerned with the characters and their relationships than with the cons or world-building. The focus was on a group of people at their low point, fractured by failure. It had all the makings of a great character study. In particular, I was enjoying watching a character free of a cult of personality realize that maybe she’d been in a toxic relationship all along.
At the end of the day, however, the character journey took a bizarre swerve, placing all the blame on the protagonist’s insecurities and almost none on anyone else in her life, which left me incredibly frustrated. The character arc is resolved in the blink of an eye, so quickly I almost had whiplash trying to understand what had happened. And because of my frustrations with how the character was handled, it made me retroactively frustrated at the story that came before.
THE SALVATION GAMBIT is a book I wish I could recommend more. To its credit, I did find myself enjoying it quite a bit until the very end; if you’re looking for a quick diversion you can eat up in a few days, this might tick the box for you. Personally, the character arc just didn’t land for me, making it hard to give this one my full blessing.
Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
October 10, 2023
In the midst of my reading I left myself a note, "Murdock is pathetic." by which I mean that I found the main character of this book so lacking in self esteem that I could hardly stand to read about her. IMO she doesn't grow or evolve or truly see herself. Is her willingness to live under Hark's wing adapting to the situation or is it subordination of self to another. I don't really recommend this book to anyone who has anything else on their TBR shelf.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.
August 17, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC!
I really enjoyed this book . It is different. Our protagonist is part of a criminal group. It’s an adventure in space that really moves. .Narrated in first person by Murdock, our protagonist, the reader is pulled in by her resistance and the ensuing fight she puts up to avoid being “ingested” (not what you think or what she thinks).
This book is primarily about four women who are to be ingested by a war ship as throwaway people who have nothing to offer a sick society (they are prisoners who have committed crimes in a corrupt society). They find themselves on a AI ship called the Justice, who fancies itself God,,seeking to redeem the prisoners (AKA Cult leader) with a particular interest in Murdock. Hark seems to be the leader but it turns out she is flawed and not the end all be all that Murdock thinks she is. Murdock in turn, becomes accountable for the choices she makes, and begins to learn, grow and trust herself more.
Murdock and Fitz are separated from Hark and Bea. There is a Sapphic romance between Murdock and Fitz.. Initially, they are not quite enemies but seem not to like each other, at times being antagonistic to on another, but as Murdock begins to analyze the situation, she realizes that Fitz has cared about her at least since they have been on the Justice. Murdock and Fitz add a security type man named Ham to their journey, reasoning that his knowledge of the justice and muscle will be useful, which it is.
I really enjoyed this book . It is different. Our protagonist is part of a criminal group. It’s an adventure in space that really moves. .Narrated in first person by Murdock, our protagonist, the reader is pulled in by her resistance and the ensuing fight she puts up to avoid being “ingested” (not what you think or what she thinks).
This book is primarily about four women who are to be ingested by a war ship as throwaway people who have nothing to offer a sick society (they are prisoners who have committed crimes in a corrupt society). They find themselves on a AI ship called the Justice, who fancies itself God,,seeking to redeem the prisoners (AKA Cult leader) with a particular interest in Murdock. Hark seems to be the leader but it turns out she is flawed and not the end all be all that Murdock thinks she is. Murdock in turn, becomes accountable for the choices she makes, and begins to learn, grow and trust herself more.
Murdock and Fitz are separated from Hark and Bea. There is a Sapphic romance between Murdock and Fitz.. Initially, they are not quite enemies but seem not to like each other, at times being antagonistic to on another, but as Murdock begins to analyze the situation, she realizes that Fitz has cared about her at least since they have been on the Justice. Murdock and Fitz add a security type man named Ham to their journey, reasoning that his knowledge of the justice and muscle will be useful, which it is.
September 26, 2023
Fun fact: I have never felt so much like the protagonist of a wattpad novel from 2014 as I did when reading this book. This has absolutely nothing to do with the contents of the book itself (aside from me being entirely engrossed in it), but the fact that I started it in the stadium at a Harry styles concert in London, and continued reading during some of the opening acts.
So this novel is practically set in the superhero movie version of ancillary justice, if that makes any sense. And I absolutely loved the non heteronormative society of the book, but more importantly the queer criminal found family that this book delivered to me. The plot itself was really solid for all of it except for the 60-80 percent areas, where the characters scheming didn’t come with the euphoria of a crime successfully pulled off, but simply a character arc that went wildly off the rails. However, the rest of the book was amazing, and more than made up for it (did not make up the fifth star, but it was pretty close to doing so). Also rivals to lovers where everyone knows they're in love with each other except for the two people involved never fails to drive me insane in the best way.
So this novel is practically set in the superhero movie version of ancillary justice, if that makes any sense. And I absolutely loved the non heteronormative society of the book, but more importantly the queer criminal found family that this book delivered to me. The plot itself was really solid for all of it except for the 60-80 percent areas, where the characters scheming didn’t come with the euphoria of a crime successfully pulled off, but simply a character arc that went wildly off the rails. However, the rest of the book was amazing, and more than made up for it (did not make up the fifth star, but it was pretty close to doing so). Also rivals to lovers where everyone knows they're in love with each other except for the two people involved never fails to drive me insane in the best way.
September 28, 2023
Murdock is part of a four woman con team, wreaking secret havoc across the universe. But, when a con goes wrong, Murdock and the crew are caught and ingested (yes eaten) by a giant sentient warship turned prison community. Now, Murdrock, Hark, Bea, and Fitz have to pull off an even bigger heist - escaping The Justice.
This book had a brilliant premise. Queer space con women? Yes please. Giant talking warship? Check. But unfortunately, the execution of the premise left much to be desired. Not enough worldbuilding, character development, and a lack of likeable characters made reading The Salvation Gambit difficult. In other words, this one dragged.
I didn't connect to any of the main characters, and I realized about halfway through that I cared very little about what happened to them. I wish this book had been written in third person, perhaps with 2-3 character viewpoints. The Justice is so big and so complex that I think readers would gain a fuller understanding of the situation with a variety of perspectives.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
This book had a brilliant premise. Queer space con women? Yes please. Giant talking warship? Check. But unfortunately, the execution of the premise left much to be desired. Not enough worldbuilding, character development, and a lack of likeable characters made reading The Salvation Gambit difficult. In other words, this one dragged.
I didn't connect to any of the main characters, and I realized about halfway through that I cared very little about what happened to them. I wish this book had been written in third person, perhaps with 2-3 character viewpoints. The Justice is so big and so complex that I think readers would gain a fuller understanding of the situation with a variety of perspectives.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
October 5, 2023
The Salvation Gambit is the thrilling story of a group of con women. Their last heist goes wrong and they wind up on a large ship, the Justice, which is full of sinners from around the galaxy. The Justice is a sentient machine, that thinks it is a god, and even has worshippers called the faithful. Murdock, the hacker of the team, is faced with the choice of joining the faithful, or trying to con the god-like ship to save herself and her team.
This story is full of twists and turns and adventure. There is a surprise romance, but it doesn’t impede on the thrilling adventures at all. The characters were great (Fitz was my favorite!) and the society on the ship was explained so well. I did find this a little slow at times, but by the end I was so invested in what was going to happen next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy!
This story is full of twists and turns and adventure. There is a surprise romance, but it doesn’t impede on the thrilling adventures at all. The characters were great (Fitz was my favorite!) and the society on the ship was explained so well. I did find this a little slow at times, but by the end I was so invested in what was going to happen next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy!
September 29, 2023
there are some books that feature arguably hard-to-like protagonists that I loathe the whole way through; and then there's books like The Salvation Gambit, wherein Murdock grabbed me by the throat and dragged my ass to the end.
the story largely follows Murdock, the jack of all trades hacker sort of figure in her all-lady criminal squad. she's got terrible self-esteem (it has a tendency to flip flop between "I'm worthless" and "psh of course I can do this impossible job"), a smart mouth, and an eagerness to please that I immediately knew was gonna be a problem in her future.
her and her friends are offered up as sacrifices to the Justice, an enormous sort-of retired war ship. I say sort-of retired because its original empire has literally collapsed and consumed itself and its the only lil remnant left, but it's also definitely not retired in the sense that it trawls around the galaxy picking up 'sinners' after holding various settlements at gun point. the Justice wants these sinners on board, mostly to help with repairs but also just as a flex??? could not riddle out the rest of that reasoning lol but considering it's run by a god-like AI I'm fine with not getting the point.
unfortunately, life aboard the Justice is the opposite of relaxing, especially if you catch the ship's eye. and Murdock, woe is her, catches its eye.
the story follows Murdock in her travels through the labyrinthine ship, the clever manipulative conversations she holds with the Justice's intelligence, and her uncomfortable game of footsy with a special someone.
there were (many many) times where hating Murdock was easier than liking her but there's something about a cockroach character that just always gets me. I liked that Murdock took a beating and kept on ticking, over and over and over again. I'm a sucker for the character with the insanely tall walls finally cracking open a bit for a friend or lover, and it's done so well in The Salvation Gambit.
also, I adored the very end scene. I'm gonna be reccing this to folks looking for lighter sci-fi reads or Murdock's particular brand of huge-asshole-but-you-somehow-like-them-anyway protagonists. I know there's an audience out there for her lol.
4/5 stars
rep - bi/sapphic mc, sapphic love interest, minor bg queer characters
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc ✨
the story largely follows Murdock, the jack of all trades hacker sort of figure in her all-lady criminal squad. she's got terrible self-esteem (it has a tendency to flip flop between "I'm worthless" and "psh of course I can do this impossible job"), a smart mouth, and an eagerness to please that I immediately knew was gonna be a problem in her future.
her and her friends are offered up as sacrifices to the Justice, an enormous sort-of retired war ship. I say sort-of retired because its original empire has literally collapsed and consumed itself and its the only lil remnant left, but it's also definitely not retired in the sense that it trawls around the galaxy picking up 'sinners' after holding various settlements at gun point. the Justice wants these sinners on board, mostly to help with repairs but also just as a flex??? could not riddle out the rest of that reasoning lol but considering it's run by a god-like AI I'm fine with not getting the point.
unfortunately, life aboard the Justice is the opposite of relaxing, especially if you catch the ship's eye. and Murdock, woe is her, catches its eye.
"Murdock, this doesn't have to be difficult," the Justice croons. There's something about its voice that sends a shiver up my spine, and I hate that it's the good kind. "You can save everyone so much trouble. I heard what your precious Hark said. She thinks you were holding her back. I know the truth. I know you're far more useful than you let on. And I can put you to such exquisite use. Isn't that all you've ever wanted?"
the story follows Murdock in her travels through the labyrinthine ship, the clever manipulative conversations she holds with the Justice's intelligence, and her uncomfortable game of footsy with a special someone.
there were (many many) times where hating Murdock was easier than liking her but there's something about a cockroach character that just always gets me. I liked that Murdock took a beating and kept on ticking, over and over and over again. I'm a sucker for the character with the insanely tall walls finally cracking open a bit for a friend or lover, and it's done so well in The Salvation Gambit.
also, I adored the very end scene. I'm gonna be reccing this to folks looking for lighter sci-fi reads or Murdock's particular brand of huge-asshole-but-you-somehow-like-them-anyway protagonists. I know there's an audience out there for her lol.
"I'll make you look back on this moment and regret just how far my foot's gonna be up your ass," I retort.
4/5 stars
rep - bi/sapphic mc, sapphic love interest, minor bg queer characters
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc ✨
November 16, 2023
3 *, 3.5 if it's meant as a YA.
The team, the Justice, the two main "sides" of the ship occupants - all OK.
Ham is taken on way too easily, especially when he is obviously essential if they are not just to be absorbed.
We see pretty early that the perfect con team is dysfunctional. Hark manipulates Murdock's self-esteem (and by the way Hark is way too skilled a plotter to be just a bandit), makes sure Bea is always just a tame follower, and lets Fitz & Murdock think they hate each other.
Justice is bwah-hah evil at first then it's just rational; maybe that's OK when Murdock's point of view has changed.
So we explore the ship, get Murdock a sword, and inevitably break up the team. Necessary stage setting. We note that Scarlett is so carefully described when we meet her that we can be sure we'll see her again.
So, off goes Murdock to the Other Side. Is her apparent acceptance real or fake? I don't think we are supposed to know for sure, and if so good for you, author.
Murdock passes her tech tests, and suddenly she can operate the entire ship from anywhere with a screwdriver . We were never told how she learned to be such a good hacker; you can't get that good in a backwater colony or on a small ship.
The finale starts, and suddenly Hark is a super duelist, able to take on two superb fighters at once.
I see narrativium being dropped into the story in large lumps to hold it all together.
Of COURSE Out of all the tiny places in a limitless universe, out of all the soldiers Justice could have sent, ... narrativium again.
So ... fighting to the death, the AI shuts down, and suddenly we're all friends? There's a hint that they are all quick adapters after all this time, but sheesh.
Speaking of which, the AI shuts down and the ship just goes into auto mode, no problems?
Pearl Station welcomes them all - known criminals. Including the totally unnecessary Moon Eater, and what the hell do you mean he can eat moons (and people, if I recall)? With whatever talent that requires, he can't he escape? He would be able to eat handcuffs ...
And at the end, it sure feels as if we are going to see the Key Signature Gang back into their jolly hi-jinks, right after Pearl Station gives them all medals, pardons, a party and a new spaceship.
Yes, I'm saying the ending is mostly handwaving.
All that said, it was worth reading, and at least added some new angles to space opera.
The team, the Justice, the two main "sides" of the ship occupants - all OK.
Ham is taken on way too easily, especially when he is obviously essential if they are not just to be absorbed.
We see pretty early that the perfect con team is dysfunctional. Hark manipulates Murdock's self-esteem (and by the way Hark is way too skilled a plotter to be just a bandit), makes sure Bea is always just a tame follower, and lets Fitz & Murdock think they hate each other.
Justice is bwah-hah evil at first then it's just rational; maybe that's OK when Murdock's point of view has changed.
So we explore the ship, get Murdock a sword, and inevitably break up the team. Necessary stage setting. We note that Scarlett is so carefully described when we meet her that we can be sure we'll see her again.
So, off goes Murdock to the Other Side. Is her apparent acceptance real or fake? I don't think we are supposed to know for sure, and if so good for you, author.
Murdock passes her tech tests, and suddenly she can operate the entire ship from anywhere with a screwdriver . We were never told how she learned to be such a good hacker; you can't get that good in a backwater colony or on a small ship.
The finale starts, and suddenly Hark is a super duelist, able to take on two superb fighters at once.
I see narrativium being dropped into the story in large lumps to hold it all together.
Of COURSE Out of all the tiny places in a limitless universe, out of all the soldiers Justice could have sent, ... narrativium again.
So ... fighting to the death, the AI shuts down, and suddenly we're all friends? There's a hint that they are all quick adapters after all this time, but sheesh.
Speaking of which, the AI shuts down and the ship just goes into auto mode, no problems?
Pearl Station welcomes them all - known criminals. Including the totally unnecessary Moon Eater, and what the hell do you mean he can eat moons (and people, if I recall)? With whatever talent that requires, he can't he escape? He would be able to eat handcuffs ...
And at the end, it sure feels as if we are going to see the Key Signature Gang back into their jolly hi-jinks, right after Pearl Station gives them all medals, pardons, a party and a new spaceship.
Yes, I'm saying the ending is mostly handwaving.
All that said, it was worth reading, and at least added some new angles to space opera.
September 21, 2023
Thank you to Random House for this free copy to review! 🤗
The Salvation Gambit follows hot-headed hacker Murdock, as she must outwit and escape the sentient warship she and her crew find themselves on. Oh, and the AI controlling said warship would love her utter devotion and loyalty, please and thank you. 💁♀️
Here are some thoughts I had for this one:
✨ I liked the set-up and intricacy of the worldbuilding. The worldbuilding, specifically, felt fleshed out and whole, which created a good foundation for the story!
✨ While I liked the dynamics between both Murdock and the Justice and then Murdock and Hark, I felt a distinct lack of depth to the characters. Everyone was pretty one-dimensional to the fault of losing emotional impact to a lot of the moments I think could have been quite gut-wrenching.
✨ Building off that last point, the pacing didn’t work for me at all. Every scene felt simultaneously too long and way too fast-paced? It was just constant action. And I like action, I do! But I needed moments to pause and linger with the characters. I *wanted* to feel something for them, but because the bulk of this book was action sequences or worldbuilding dumps, connecting to any one character (mainly just the three we follow) was impossible.
✨ The lack of focus in terms of scene chronology was weird? I think too much was included — thiccc worldbuilding, I’m telling you — and not enough of it was focused on advancing the protagonist’s escape in a succinct way. I wanted to see more of her “hacker” skills utilized (since that’s the whole point of the AI craft wanting her for itself).
✨ I think this would have been an amazing duology. 👀 If the “breaking point” moment had been the “conclusion” to this novel and left us emotionally clinging for a sequel, it would have been a JAM. But cramming so much into just 300 pages, again, created less emotional impact and drama to permeate through the scenes it *did* include.
Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential. Had it been double in length, added some slower moments for character development, and pulled the emotional punch I deeply craved, it would have been 5 stars from me. But it unfortunately fell flat.
I do still recommend for incredible worldbuilding or even just a quick popcorn-blockbuster-esque vibe! Skrutskie’s mind for imagery is fantastic.
The Salvation Gambit follows hot-headed hacker Murdock, as she must outwit and escape the sentient warship she and her crew find themselves on. Oh, and the AI controlling said warship would love her utter devotion and loyalty, please and thank you. 💁♀️
Here are some thoughts I had for this one:
✨ I liked the set-up and intricacy of the worldbuilding. The worldbuilding, specifically, felt fleshed out and whole, which created a good foundation for the story!
✨ While I liked the dynamics between both Murdock and the Justice and then Murdock and Hark, I felt a distinct lack of depth to the characters. Everyone was pretty one-dimensional to the fault of losing emotional impact to a lot of the moments I think could have been quite gut-wrenching.
✨ Building off that last point, the pacing didn’t work for me at all. Every scene felt simultaneously too long and way too fast-paced? It was just constant action. And I like action, I do! But I needed moments to pause and linger with the characters. I *wanted* to feel something for them, but because the bulk of this book was action sequences or worldbuilding dumps, connecting to any one character (mainly just the three we follow) was impossible.
✨ The lack of focus in terms of scene chronology was weird? I think too much was included — thiccc worldbuilding, I’m telling you — and not enough of it was focused on advancing the protagonist’s escape in a succinct way. I wanted to see more of her “hacker” skills utilized (since that’s the whole point of the AI craft wanting her for itself).
✨ I think this would have been an amazing duology. 👀 If the “breaking point” moment had been the “conclusion” to this novel and left us emotionally clinging for a sequel, it would have been a JAM. But cramming so much into just 300 pages, again, created less emotional impact and drama to permeate through the scenes it *did* include.
Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential. Had it been double in length, added some slower moments for character development, and pulled the emotional punch I deeply craved, it would have been 5 stars from me. But it unfortunately fell flat.
I do still recommend for incredible worldbuilding or even just a quick popcorn-blockbuster-esque vibe! Skrutskie’s mind for imagery is fantastic.
August 2, 2024
Did somebody tell this author that writing is a race? Because she races through the plot at a break neck pace that makes it hard to get invested. Plot twists are cheap and a dime a dozen-- because she races through, we get no feeling of shock, surprise, or import. Why do I care? Why does this matter? Not even the author knows-- or maybe she just doesn't care.
I'll just say what I'm feeling. This book is underdeveloped. Fantastic concept! Definitely wayyy too much for 300 pages. Would it kill us to spend more than five pages in a single scene or event? Could we perhaps actually establish characters and ways of life before moving on? There are no meaningful experiences or relationships in the novel. The relationship between the narrator and her three crew mates is "meaningful because I promise it is, take my word for it". It could have been an entertaining show-not-tell moment (for example-- flash backs to past jobs/specific events) but instead we just get 2-dimensional paper-doll people. Why does the main character feel the way she does about her friends? SHOW US. She tells us about the same single-sentence event (meeting Hark) a dozen times but never makes it really matter. None of the relationships glow in this book. Make us feel the insecurity. Make us feel the upset. Make us feel the betrayal and frustration. Make these characters INTERESTING! Plus the stitled (and therefore meaningless) enemies to lovers makes this feel like a concept sketch more than a novel.
Also, the main character is irritating. She acts and thinks like a 15 year old. She's a brat. There is supposed to be profound character development but because the plot is over like, five days, (and because that character development feels more like a six year old gaining consciousness than a 20 something year old making a profound observation about life), it SUCKS. I don't care. NEXT.
Anyway. I feel like I'm writing a Workshop Response for a class more than I'm writing a review for a published novel. Which is... not ideal. Main character is insufferable. Plot is extremely rushed, lending absolutely zero impact or meaning. At the end, I just don't care. I feel like an impartial observer rather than an invested reader along for the ride. Interesting concept that suffers from extreme underdevelopment.
I'll just say what I'm feeling. This book is underdeveloped. Fantastic concept! Definitely wayyy too much for 300 pages. Would it kill us to spend more than five pages in a single scene or event? Could we perhaps actually establish characters and ways of life before moving on? There are no meaningful experiences or relationships in the novel. The relationship between the narrator and her three crew mates is "meaningful because I promise it is, take my word for it". It could have been an entertaining show-not-tell moment (for example-- flash backs to past jobs/specific events) but instead we just get 2-dimensional paper-doll people. Why does the main character feel the way she does about her friends? SHOW US. She tells us about the same single-sentence event (meeting Hark) a dozen times but never makes it really matter. None of the relationships glow in this book. Make us feel the insecurity. Make us feel the upset. Make us feel the betrayal and frustration. Make these characters INTERESTING! Plus the stitled (and therefore meaningless) enemies to lovers makes this feel like a concept sketch more than a novel.
Also, the main character is irritating. She acts and thinks like a 15 year old. She's a brat. There is supposed to be profound character development but because the plot is over like, five days, (and because that character development feels more like a six year old gaining consciousness than a 20 something year old making a profound observation about life), it SUCKS. I don't care. NEXT.
Anyway. I feel like I'm writing a Workshop Response for a class more than I'm writing a review for a published novel. Which is... not ideal. Main character is insufferable. Plot is extremely rushed, lending absolutely zero impact or meaning. At the end, I just don't care. I feel like an impartial observer rather than an invested reader along for the ride. Interesting concept that suffers from extreme underdevelopment.
July 4, 2023
In depth review to come BUT this is a band of con artist misfits in space trying to get off the prison warship that contains them, run by an evil AI computer, and it has all the quintessential human condition theorizing of humans stuck in space, crew banter, and fun sci fi elements that I eat up.
Full review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This is my first Emily Skrutskie book and I was blown away. I read it very quickly because I had to know what happened next and if our crew escaped. For those that haven’t been around long, I LOVE a good science fiction story and this one delivered.
This is story is that of a band of con artist misfits in space trying to get off the prison warship turned penal colony, the Justice, that contains them, run by an evil AI computer who tries to convince Murdock (our hotheaded hacker and narrator, one of the crew) to join the ranks of the banded Faithful (those aboard the ship who believe the AI is god and does their bidding). It has all the quintessential human condition theorizing of humans stuck but trying to live fully in space, crew banter, and fun sci fi elements that I eat up.
There’s also something about a good sci fi book where nothing seems far fetched and just grows the story - a music festival in space? Fights in zero gravity? Swords as the chosen weapon? Potato farming?
I liked the gray area of Murdock; she’s not a hero and she’s not entirely loveable but you’ll be rooting for her regardless. She was determined, salty, and the ultimate underdog. I understand her necessary growth to see her worth, but it was hard to continually hear her put herself down in relation to Hark and Fitz. I think that is particularly what knocked this down to 4.5 from 5 stars for me - the characters besides Murdock and Ham (who I would die for) felt a little two-dimensional to me and Hark was on such a pedestal that I just didn’t see. That being said, I appreciated the romantic element and won’t go much into that for *spoilers.*
Beyond that, the journey our MC takes, their views of the ship and the people trying to survive, the twists at the end - it was perfect sci fi and it was epic. I truly didn’t which way it was going to go until the very end.
Vibes:
Villain AI
Thriller-esque
Hacker
Found family
Underdog
Heist
Trapped in space
Sword fighting
Queer
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a fair review
Full review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This is my first Emily Skrutskie book and I was blown away. I read it very quickly because I had to know what happened next and if our crew escaped. For those that haven’t been around long, I LOVE a good science fiction story and this one delivered.
This is story is that of a band of con artist misfits in space trying to get off the prison warship turned penal colony, the Justice, that contains them, run by an evil AI computer who tries to convince Murdock (our hotheaded hacker and narrator, one of the crew) to join the ranks of the banded Faithful (those aboard the ship who believe the AI is god and does their bidding). It has all the quintessential human condition theorizing of humans stuck but trying to live fully in space, crew banter, and fun sci fi elements that I eat up.
There’s also something about a good sci fi book where nothing seems far fetched and just grows the story - a music festival in space? Fights in zero gravity? Swords as the chosen weapon? Potato farming?
I liked the gray area of Murdock; she’s not a hero and she’s not entirely loveable but you’ll be rooting for her regardless. She was determined, salty, and the ultimate underdog. I understand her necessary growth to see her worth, but it was hard to continually hear her put herself down in relation to Hark and Fitz. I think that is particularly what knocked this down to 4.5 from 5 stars for me - the characters besides Murdock and Ham (who I would die for) felt a little two-dimensional to me and Hark was on such a pedestal that I just didn’t see. That being said, I appreciated the romantic element and won’t go much into that for *spoilers.*
Beyond that, the journey our MC takes, their views of the ship and the people trying to survive, the twists at the end - it was perfect sci fi and it was epic. I truly didn’t which way it was going to go until the very end.
Vibes:
Villain AI
Thriller-esque
Hacker
Found family
Underdog
Heist
Trapped in space
Sword fighting
Queer
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a fair review
September 24, 2023
Thanks to randomhouse for the free ARC to review
Well...
Characters:
I initially didn't like the characters at the beginning of the book but the more we learnt about them the more i appreciated them (especially Fitz, and somewhat Murdock).
I wish we saw more of the others tho. I mean Murdock may be the MC but the Crew was kind of a important part of the whole dilemma AND Murdocks internal struggles. But we got more telling than showing which was a bummer.
But i really liked Ham :)
Relationships:
The romance was one of my favorite parts, a good old sapphic rivals/dislike to lovers where the reader could see a development thru out the book BUT the moment the two where out of sight, it kinda felt out of mind. Murdocks focus was nearly solely on Hark, and given that we don't see much of their pre-warship days i wasn't convinced enough to care (more, than i cared for the romance). I get that Hark was a crucial part of who she was (or more like what she became) but still. And sorry but i disliked Hark :') Murdock did deserve an apology.
Also Bea, another fellow collegue, for sb. who supposedly understood Murdock the best, she felt like an after thought even to Murdock.
Lastly, the dynamic of Murdock vs. Ship was one of my favorites too! The way the Justice slowly tried to break Murdock down! Phew.
Plot:
idk if i make sense but this felt like an episode in a sci-fi show mid season. We don't get much introduction and are already in the thick of it. After that it's running, fighting and a bit of emotional development thru close proximity. I wish we saw a bit more of the pre-book plot and the lead up to have a better feel for what they got into.
World building:
This one is not necessarily the best for sci-fi novices like me.
I mean the world building is great. Really detailed and elaborate. I LOVED the way current technological advancements like data broking and surveillance was incooperated.
I wouldn't mind reading more about this world.
But i have to confess i was hella overwhelmed for at least ⅓ of the book :'D
Well...
Characters:
I initially didn't like the characters at the beginning of the book but the more we learnt about them the more i appreciated them (especially Fitz, and somewhat Murdock).
I wish we saw more of the others tho. I mean Murdock may be the MC but the Crew was kind of a important part of the whole dilemma AND Murdocks internal struggles. But we got more telling than showing which was a bummer.
But i really liked Ham :)
Relationships:
The romance was one of my favorite parts, a good old sapphic rivals/dislike to lovers where the reader could see a development thru out the book BUT the moment the two where out of sight, it kinda felt out of mind. Murdocks focus was nearly solely on Hark, and given that we don't see much of their pre-warship days i wasn't convinced enough to care (more, than i cared for the romance). I get that Hark was a crucial part of who she was (or more like what she became) but still. And sorry but i disliked Hark :') Murdock did deserve an apology.
Also Bea, another fellow collegue, for sb. who supposedly understood Murdock the best, she felt like an after thought even to Murdock.
Lastly, the dynamic of Murdock vs. Ship was one of my favorites too! The way the Justice slowly tried to break Murdock down! Phew.
Plot:
idk if i make sense but this felt like an episode in a sci-fi show mid season. We don't get much introduction and are already in the thick of it. After that it's running, fighting and a bit of emotional development thru close proximity. I wish we saw a bit more of the pre-book plot and the lead up to have a better feel for what they got into.
World building:
This one is not necessarily the best for sci-fi novices like me.
I mean the world building is great. Really detailed and elaborate. I LOVED the way current technological advancements like data broking and surveillance was incooperated.
I wouldn't mind reading more about this world.
But i have to confess i was hella overwhelmed for at least ⅓ of the book :'D
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