Reviews

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

october528's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

alex_watkins's review against another edition

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4.0

This book had me lol-ing more than once. The world of aliens Valente spins up is vast and ridiculous. I enjoyed the idea that aliens might be both plentiful and much weirder and certainly more glam than we expect. I had to keep a running list of the alien species she introduced so I could keep track when they were reference later (there definitely needed to be a glossary). The story of this big universe of euro-vision like aliens takes up the bulk of the book, leaving little room for the actual plot, which is pretty slight. I liked the characters, but unfortunately the only woman is fridged (kinda), which was not cool.

enby_and_earthworm's review against another edition

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funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ohclaire's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a really good book to read right now. Not only is it optimistic about the goodness of humanity, it is also very distracting. Between Valente's day-glo tangential prose and the equally neon plot, this book is a whole enchilada with glitter on top. It's a little dense, but with spirit.

lividphoenix's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

tophat8855's review against another edition

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4.0

This is Eurovision in space, done in the style of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If you don't want ramblings and long divergences into details about different alien species, this is not the book for you.

The stakes are high: if Earth's performers come in dead last, the who planet is wiped from existence. And the performers picked to represent aren't all that great. But glam is good.

I listened via Hoopla. Worth a listen, but the Hitchhiker's Guide style was overdone in parts.

sebthebeanie's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

araby's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

amampersand's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted

4.5

bippityboppityboop's review against another edition

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3.0

Fun premise that falls a little flat. Overall it's pretty droll and not as clever as I had hoped. The imagery used throughout is really pleasing though.