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Unstoppable #3
Promises Stronger Than Darkness
Promises Stronger Than Darkness marks the final installment of the international bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders's absolutely heart-stopping YA series, Unstoppable.
They're the galaxy's most wanted—and our only hope.
When Elza became a space princess, she thought she'd be spending her time at the palace, wearing gorgeous couture and soaking up everything there is to know—but instead, she's on the run, with everyone hunting for her and her friends.
Rachael followed her best friend Tina on the adventure of a lifetime—but now Tina's gone, and Rachael's the only one keeping her friends together, as they go on a desperate quest to save everyone from an ancient curse.
Rachael, Elza and their friends have found one clue, one shining mysterious chance to stop the end of the world. And that takes them back to the second-to-last place they'd want to be: enlisting the aid of Captain Thaoh Argentian, the woman who stole Tina's body (and who now seems to be relishing a second chance at teenage chaos and drama, instead of living up to her legacy of an intrepid heroic commander).
With only a ragtag band of misfits, crewmates, earthlings, friends, lovers (and one annoying frenemy), the Unstoppable Crew are up against the universe--and they soon find that in order to survive, they may have to cross a line they vowed never to cross.
Also by Charlie Jane Anders
Unstoppable
Victories Greater Than Death
Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak
Promises Stronger than Darkness
Other Books
The City in the Middle of the Night
Never Say You Can't Survive
All the Birds in the Sky
They're the galaxy's most wanted—and our only hope.
When Elza became a space princess, she thought she'd be spending her time at the palace, wearing gorgeous couture and soaking up everything there is to know—but instead, she's on the run, with everyone hunting for her and her friends.
Rachael followed her best friend Tina on the adventure of a lifetime—but now Tina's gone, and Rachael's the only one keeping her friends together, as they go on a desperate quest to save everyone from an ancient curse.
Rachael, Elza and their friends have found one clue, one shining mysterious chance to stop the end of the world. And that takes them back to the second-to-last place they'd want to be: enlisting the aid of Captain Thaoh Argentian, the woman who stole Tina's body (and who now seems to be relishing a second chance at teenage chaos and drama, instead of living up to her legacy of an intrepid heroic commander).
With only a ragtag band of misfits, crewmates, earthlings, friends, lovers (and one annoying frenemy), the Unstoppable Crew are up against the universe--and they soon find that in order to survive, they may have to cross a line they vowed never to cross.
Also by Charlie Jane Anders
Unstoppable
Victories Greater Than Death
Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak
Promises Stronger than Darkness
Other Books
The City in the Middle of the Night
Never Say You Can't Survive
All the Birds in the Sky
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2023
About the author
Charlie Jane Anders
171 books4,091 followersMy latest book is Victories Greater Than Death. Coming in August: Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories.
Previously: All the Birds in the Sky, The City in the Middle of the Night, and a short story collection, Six Months, Three Days, Five Others.
Coming soon: An adult novel, and a short story collection called Even Greater Mistakes.
I used to write for a site called io9.com, and now I write for various places here and there.
I won the Emperor Norton Award, for “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason.” I've also won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a William H. Crawford Award, a Theodore Sturgeon Award, a Locus Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
My stories, essays and journalism have appeared in Wired Magazine, the Boston Review, Conjunctions, Tin House, Slate, MIT Technology Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tor.com, Lightspeed Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, ZYZZYVA, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, 3 AM Magazine, Flurb.net, Monkey Bicycle, Pindeldyboz, Instant City, Broken Pencil, and in tons and tons of anthologies.
I organize Writers With Drinks, which is a monthly reading series here in San Francisco that mashes up a ton of different genres. I co-host a Hugo Award-winning podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct, with Annalee Newitz.
Back in 2007, Annalee and I put out a book of first-person stories by female geeks called She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff. There was a lot of resistance to doing this book, because nobody believed there was a market for writing about female geeks. Also, Annalee and I put out a print magazine called other, which was about pop culture, politics and general weirdness, aimed at people who don’t fit into other categories. To raise money for other magazine, we put on events like a Ballerina Pie Fight – which is just what it sounds like – and a sexy show in a hair salon where people took off their clothes while getting their hair cut.
I used to live in a Buddhist nunnery, when I was a teenager. I love to do karaoke. I eat way too much spicy food. I hug trees and pat stone lions for luck. I talk to myself way too much when I’m working on a story.
Previously: All the Birds in the Sky, The City in the Middle of the Night, and a short story collection, Six Months, Three Days, Five Others.
Coming soon: An adult novel, and a short story collection called Even Greater Mistakes.
I used to write for a site called io9.com, and now I write for various places here and there.
I won the Emperor Norton Award, for “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason.” I've also won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a William H. Crawford Award, a Theodore Sturgeon Award, a Locus Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
My stories, essays and journalism have appeared in Wired Magazine, the Boston Review, Conjunctions, Tin House, Slate, MIT Technology Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tor.com, Lightspeed Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, ZYZZYVA, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, 3 AM Magazine, Flurb.net, Monkey Bicycle, Pindeldyboz, Instant City, Broken Pencil, and in tons and tons of anthologies.
I organize Writers With Drinks, which is a monthly reading series here in San Francisco that mashes up a ton of different genres. I co-host a Hugo Award-winning podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct, with Annalee Newitz.
Back in 2007, Annalee and I put out a book of first-person stories by female geeks called She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff. There was a lot of resistance to doing this book, because nobody believed there was a market for writing about female geeks. Also, Annalee and I put out a print magazine called other, which was about pop culture, politics and general weirdness, aimed at people who don’t fit into other categories. To raise money for other magazine, we put on events like a Ballerina Pie Fight – which is just what it sounds like – and a sexy show in a hair salon where people took off their clothes while getting their hair cut.
I used to live in a Buddhist nunnery, when I was a teenager. I love to do karaoke. I eat way too much spicy food. I hug trees and pat stone lions for luck. I talk to myself way too much when I’m working on a story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
April 11, 2023
4.5*
This was a very strong conclusion to a lovely, creative series. Just as with book 2, it did take me a minute to remember what happened and who was who in the secondary cast of characters. But that is probably more my fault than the book's fault. Regardless, as soon as I was caught up, I was right back into this incredibly inventive world full of amazingly well developed characters.
The stakes are astronomically high- as in, all life in the universe high- and Rachel and Elza, along with their friends, are on a mission to save everyone. But, they're also grappling with the loss of bestie/girlfriend Tina, so things are extra rough. This installment, just like its predecessors, is full of action and excitement, as well as humor and heart. The characters are so very well thought out, and it is kind of impossible for the reader not to fall in love with them. There was a twist that I absolutely saw coming, but for the most part, the tension was high throughout. The ending wraps up the series wonderfully and satisfactorily, even if a couple of the things were a wee bit hokey. I can live with it, if it means I feel closure at the end of a story!
Overall, I will absolutely miss this incredible cast of characters galivanting through space, but I feel so grateful to be able to have gone on this adventure. There were so many wonderfully imaginative species, all sorts of diversity, and a lot of really great commentary along the way.
Bottom Line: If you haven't read this series, you need to. Especially since you know now that the ending will be on point!
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
This was a very strong conclusion to a lovely, creative series. Just as with book 2, it did take me a minute to remember what happened and who was who in the secondary cast of characters. But that is probably more my fault than the book's fault. Regardless, as soon as I was caught up, I was right back into this incredibly inventive world full of amazingly well developed characters.
The stakes are astronomically high- as in, all life in the universe high- and Rachel and Elza, along with their friends, are on a mission to save everyone. But, they're also grappling with the loss of bestie/girlfriend Tina, so things are extra rough. This installment, just like its predecessors, is full of action and excitement, as well as humor and heart. The characters are so very well thought out, and it is kind of impossible for the reader not to fall in love with them. There was a twist that I absolutely saw coming, but for the most part, the tension was high throughout. The ending wraps up the series wonderfully and satisfactorily, even if a couple of the things were a wee bit hokey. I can live with it, if it means I feel closure at the end of a story!
Overall, I will absolutely miss this incredible cast of characters galivanting through space, but I feel so grateful to be able to have gone on this adventure. There were so many wonderfully imaginative species, all sorts of diversity, and a lot of really great commentary along the way.
Bottom Line: If you haven't read this series, you need to. Especially since you know now that the ending will be on point!
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
Want to Read
April 3, 2023I am SO excited for this conclusion! I love this series with all my heart!
You can order signed hardcovers from Charlie Jane's local indie Folio SF! She might also graciously bestow upon you a lovely doodle. Order here!
You can order signed hardcovers from Charlie Jane's local indie Folio SF! She might also graciously bestow upon you a lovely doodle. Order here!
January 1, 2023
The tension just builds and builds as the young crew races to save the universe... or as much of it as they can. Hard choices have to be made with little time to consider. Just when this wild ride can't get any more intense, it steps up to another level. No spoilers but there's as much in the first half of this 3rd book in the series as was in the first two combined. Our young earthlings and their friends from Victories Greater Than Death and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak are pitted against the most hated enemy of all. Is there time or space for love amid this race to the end of everything? I had to put it down a couple times to let it cool off. Charlie Jane Anders pulled out all the stops to deliver a thrilling conclusion so keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.
Note: This was an advanced copy from Net Galley, the book will be published in April 2023.
Note: This was an advanced copy from Net Galley, the book will be published in April 2023.
December 17, 2022
I am sad this is the end of the trilogy, I have come to love this group of characters. This is one of the best YA science fiction trilogies I have read in a long time.
March 1, 2023
I got about 25% through the book and felt a little lost - after reading some reviews of the first two books of the trilogy, I borrowed them as audio books from the library. I'm so glad that I did - the narration really brought the stories to life, and there's an interview with the author at the end of the 2nd audio book.
Back on track with the backstory, I resumed reading "Promises Stronger Than Darkness." I enjoyed it thoroughly - as an adult reading a YA novel, I found that it tackled some pretty strong themes throughout: consent, non-violence, leadership, collaboration & cooperation for the greater good, diplomacy, egocentrism/speciesism, and generally learning to accept others, build good relationships and manage boundaries.
In this third installment of the trilogy - we see Rachael, the empathic artist, come into her own as a leader in a time of crisis. She learns coping skills to keep herself from withdrawing or shutting down, and she learns to identify ways of helping others to manage with their emotions. People share burdens and learn about each other. There's love, starship battles, spies and double crossing. It's a fantastic trilogy and I look forward to reading more stories of the people in this world.
Back on track with the backstory, I resumed reading "Promises Stronger Than Darkness." I enjoyed it thoroughly - as an adult reading a YA novel, I found that it tackled some pretty strong themes throughout: consent, non-violence, leadership, collaboration & cooperation for the greater good, diplomacy, egocentrism/speciesism, and generally learning to accept others, build good relationships and manage boundaries.
In this third installment of the trilogy - we see Rachael, the empathic artist, come into her own as a leader in a time of crisis. She learns coping skills to keep herself from withdrawing or shutting down, and she learns to identify ways of helping others to manage with their emotions. People share burdens and learn about each other. There's love, starship battles, spies and double crossing. It's a fantastic trilogy and I look forward to reading more stories of the people in this world.
April 1, 2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🚀🐒👑👩🚀👾
This is a fantastic conclusion to the Unstoppable trilogy.
It is filled with found family, learning, growing, accepting, loving, sacrificing, and just plain amazingness.
If you have read the first two Unstoppable books, Victories Greater Than Death and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, then you know that Charlie Jane Anders has an amazing cast of LGBTQIAP+ characters, a well-written plot and edge-of-your-seat twists and turns.
Without giving anything away, this book is the same. It's a fantastic conclusion!
I received a copy of this eArc from Netgalley and Charlie Jane Anders. I leave this review voluntarily.
🚀🐒👑👩🚀👾
This is a fantastic conclusion to the Unstoppable trilogy.
It is filled with found family, learning, growing, accepting, loving, sacrificing, and just plain amazingness.
If you have read the first two Unstoppable books, Victories Greater Than Death and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, then you know that Charlie Jane Anders has an amazing cast of LGBTQIAP+ characters, a well-written plot and edge-of-your-seat twists and turns.
Without giving anything away, this book is the same. It's a fantastic conclusion!
I received a copy of this eArc from Netgalley and Charlie Jane Anders. I leave this review voluntarily.
June 16, 2024
Absolutely loved reading this book, it was so great to read and I really enjoyed where the story went!
April 21, 2023
this trilogy is a lot and I love it all.
I hope the author revisits this universe in the near future... I would love a novel about the Ardenii.
I hope the author revisits this universe in the near future... I would love a novel about the Ardenii.
April 8, 2025
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I won't lie, I had a love-hate relationship with this series.
It started with book one. I really struggled with it, there were just so many characters to remember that it was easy to lose track of the story. Not only that but I struggled to connect with most of the characters and couldn't wait until I finished it. I would've DNF'ed if not for having gotten an ARC for book 2.
Book 2 though felt like a complete 180 from book 1. The bonds between characters got strengthened and I started to see the chemistry between Elza and Tina. This book elevated some of the greatest parts of the series, that being the world and its social norms (eg, characters ask for consent before physically touching someone, pronouns are introduced along with name upon first greeting, and every planetary species have cultural norms different to another). I had very high hopes for book 3 and I was very excited to see how the series would end especially since the villain's superpower (that being to not only kill people with a single touch- but also make everyone hate their memory) added a very interesting dimension.
Book 3 for me was okay but continued a common theme that I found in the series- a lot of characters being introduced that you somewhat struggled to remember. Their species would be mentioned briefly but never really touched on afterwards. But there were so many to remember it was a struggle to remember them all. It was a struggle to also follow a few of the action scenes. It just seemed like action - resolving of action and then instantly jumping to action again. Did there really need to be so many action scenes? probably not to be honest. By limiting the amount of action scenes, it most likely would've given more anticipation for the final battle.
All in all, this was a wild ride of a series. Book 2 still remains my favourite though. I think sci-fi fans would really enjoy this trilogy.
I won't lie, I had a love-hate relationship with this series.
It started with book one. I really struggled with it, there were just so many characters to remember that it was easy to lose track of the story. Not only that but I struggled to connect with most of the characters and couldn't wait until I finished it. I would've DNF'ed if not for having gotten an ARC for book 2.
Book 2 though felt like a complete 180 from book 1. The bonds between characters got strengthened and I started to see the chemistry between Elza and Tina. This book elevated some of the greatest parts of the series, that being the world and its social norms (eg, characters ask for consent before physically touching someone, pronouns are introduced along with name upon first greeting, and every planetary species have cultural norms different to another). I had very high hopes for book 3 and I was very excited to see how the series would end especially since the villain's superpower (that being to not only kill people with a single touch- but also make everyone hate their memory) added a very interesting dimension.
Book 3 for me was okay but continued a common theme that I found in the series- a lot of characters being introduced that you somewhat struggled to remember. Their species would be mentioned briefly but never really touched on afterwards. But there were so many to remember it was a struggle to remember them all. It was a struggle to also follow a few of the action scenes. It just seemed like action - resolving of action and then instantly jumping to action again. Did there really need to be so many action scenes? probably not to be honest. By limiting the amount of action scenes, it most likely would've given more anticipation for the final battle.
All in all, this was a wild ride of a series. Book 2 still remains my favourite though. I think sci-fi fans would really enjoy this trilogy.
September 3, 2023
The conclusion of Charlie Jane Anders' Unstoppable trilogy had all the high stakes, trauma, beauty, tough decisions, and amazing friendships of the first two books in the series, but then turned the amp up to 11. I didn't even know it had a setting that high, but here we are.
THE DIVERSITY! Yes, of course there's the gender and orientation diversity that has been an effortless constant throughout the series (one of my favorite character's pronouns are fire), but I love how this respect for differences was highlighted in this installment. The non-humanoid species were brought more into the spotlight, and it opened up conversations about differences in communication and so much more. One example of this is how Anders used the three-winged, three-eyed species, the Grattna, as a device to explore the space between black and white decisions and thinking. Their entire philosophy is built around there always being at least three sides, three possibilities, to every situation and choice. It even affects the structure of their language and all their relationships.
With hundreds of suns at risk of being snuffed out by the Bereavement, the stakes could not be higher. The decisions that the crew of the Undisputed Training Bra Disaster face this time around are the hardest that have had to in the entire series. Anders writes the trauma process so realistically there were times when I could only read a chapter or two in one sitting, because my own heart would twist with the tension. Each character approaches this prolonged emotional strain in their own way, and Anders doesn't just drop them afterwards. She explored the aftermath, and how they were each scarred and changed, but also how it brought out their strengths and crystalized for each what is truly important to them.
I for one would love to see Anders explore this universe more in the future. She left the door slightly ajar to do so, and I hope open day she decides to open it again.
THE DIVERSITY! Yes, of course there's the gender and orientation diversity that has been an effortless constant throughout the series (one of my favorite character's pronouns are fire), but I love how this respect for differences was highlighted in this installment. The non-humanoid species were brought more into the spotlight, and it opened up conversations about differences in communication and so much more. One example of this is how Anders used the three-winged, three-eyed species, the Grattna, as a device to explore the space between black and white decisions and thinking. Their entire philosophy is built around there always being at least three sides, three possibilities, to every situation and choice. It even affects the structure of their language and all their relationships.
With hundreds of suns at risk of being snuffed out by the Bereavement, the stakes could not be higher. The decisions that the crew of the Undisputed Training Bra Disaster face this time around are the hardest that have had to in the entire series. Anders writes the trauma process so realistically there were times when I could only read a chapter or two in one sitting, because my own heart would twist with the tension. Each character approaches this prolonged emotional strain in their own way, and Anders doesn't just drop them afterwards. She explored the aftermath, and how they were each scarred and changed, but also how it brought out their strengths and crystalized for each what is truly important to them.
I for one would love to see Anders explore this universe more in the future. She left the door slightly ajar to do so, and I hope open day she decides to open it again.
July 12, 2023
Probably the first thing worth mentioning is that I had to leave this book in my house when I was about 10 pages from the end, because of not carrying an extra hardcover on the plane ... so I bought the e-book in the airport to finish it. Yep, that good.
From the beginning of this trilogy, Charlie Jane Anders (who is a friendly acquaintance) has promised us at least two impossible things: nonstop action paired with genuine human -- even teenage -- reactions and responses to stress; and moving away from human -- even bipedal -- centrality paired with deeply relatable characters. Both of those require extraordinary control and discipline from the writer, which should be no more visible to the reader than the control and discipline of a Simone Biles gymnastic display.
The third book begins with Tina, one of the original human characters, having been supplanted by the Makvarian warrior Thaoh Argentian, presumably permanently. Rachael and Elza, two more original human characters, are mourning Tina. Rachael is so deep in grief for her best friend that she can't connect with Yiwei, her boyfriend from the original human group. Yiwei has put away his music (and Xiaohou, his irresistible robot dog) and is expressing his suffering as aggressive autocracy.
Meanwhile, all the suns in the galaxy are slated to go out, the two mind-melded pilots of the Undisputed Training Bra Disaster are locked in combat with each other, the Princess who displaced Elza is trying to regain the crown in Elza's possession, and (we soon learn), the rather literal key to saving the suns from extinguishing is the most sacred object of the Grattna, and only Wyndgonk's mother can agree to let it off planet, which she is most unlikely to do. Meanwhile, the evil Marrant wants the suns to go out -- as long as he can control which ones.
Both the human reactions and the high-tension crazy story spiral upward from there. Tina sets her mind to stop relying on the universal translator and really learn how the Grattna think, with everything in threes (Grattna pronouns are fire, water, and blood). Yiwei's unexpressed fears lead him to come way too close to killing people he loves before he can convince himself they are not attackers.
Somehow, Anders manages to pull the story, and the characters, and the ideas, and the values together. The entire trilogy is a high-wire act, and though it teeters to one side, and then looks like it will fall off the other, the author never lets it fall. So you wind up buying a second copy rather than put off the last ten pages for five days--that should say it all.
From the beginning of this trilogy, Charlie Jane Anders (who is a friendly acquaintance) has promised us at least two impossible things: nonstop action paired with genuine human -- even teenage -- reactions and responses to stress; and moving away from human -- even bipedal -- centrality paired with deeply relatable characters. Both of those require extraordinary control and discipline from the writer, which should be no more visible to the reader than the control and discipline of a Simone Biles gymnastic display.
The third book begins with Tina, one of the original human characters, having been supplanted by the Makvarian warrior Thaoh Argentian, presumably permanently. Rachael and Elza, two more original human characters, are mourning Tina. Rachael is so deep in grief for her best friend that she can't connect with Yiwei, her boyfriend from the original human group. Yiwei has put away his music (and Xiaohou, his irresistible robot dog) and is expressing his suffering as aggressive autocracy.
Meanwhile, all the suns in the galaxy are slated to go out, the two mind-melded pilots of the Undisputed Training Bra Disaster are locked in combat with each other, the Princess who displaced Elza is trying to regain the crown in Elza's possession, and (we soon learn), the rather literal key to saving the suns from extinguishing is the most sacred object of the Grattna, and only Wyndgonk's mother can agree to let it off planet, which she is most unlikely to do. Meanwhile, the evil Marrant wants the suns to go out -- as long as he can control which ones.
Both the human reactions and the high-tension crazy story spiral upward from there. Tina sets her mind to stop relying on the universal translator and really learn how the Grattna think, with everything in threes (Grattna pronouns are fire, water, and blood). Yiwei's unexpressed fears lead him to come way too close to killing people he loves before he can convince himself they are not attackers.
Somehow, Anders manages to pull the story, and the characters, and the ideas, and the values together. The entire trilogy is a high-wire act, and though it teeters to one side, and then looks like it will fall off the other, the author never lets it fall. So you wind up buying a second copy rather than put off the last ten pages for five days--that should say it all.
July 4, 2024
2024 Lodestar Award finalist for Best YA Book
2024 Locus Award finalist - Young Adult Novel
The first book of this series, Victories Greater Than Death, was a nice tribute to Heinlein juveniles. With the second book, and especially this third book, it seems to be closer to Harry Harrison's parodies of space operas (such as Bill, The Galactic Hero and Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers). S0. Many. Characters! So. Many. Strange. Aliens! And our heroes jump from one amazing crisis to another, no hope for rescue or savior, then miraculously and easily avoiding catastrophe at every turn. The villains are mustache-twirling stereotypes. Granted, the action is fast and furious, but the romantic relationships are the teen-angsty stuff of soap operas. To top off my list of gripes, this "trilogy" finishes with a clear promise for further adventures to tie up a huge loose end.
2024 Locus Award finalist - Young Adult Novel
The first book of this series, Victories Greater Than Death, was a nice tribute to Heinlein juveniles. With the second book, and especially this third book, it seems to be closer to Harry Harrison's parodies of space operas (such as Bill, The Galactic Hero and Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers). S0. Many. Characters! So. Many. Strange. Aliens! And our heroes jump from one amazing crisis to another, no hope for rescue or savior, then miraculously and easily avoiding catastrophe at every turn. The villains are mustache-twirling stereotypes. Granted, the action is fast and furious, but the romantic relationships are the teen-angsty stuff of soap operas. To top off my list of gripes, this "trilogy" finishes with a clear promise for further adventures to tie up a huge loose end.
Did Not Finish
December 23, 2025DNF - 43% of the audiobook
(December 22, 2025)
No one is sadder than I to find this series sitting at a DNF. The City in the Middle of the Night was such an influential read for me, I really expected this trilogy to be more of the same.
Unfortunately, even though the plot itself was actually quite interesting, I found the characters' narrative voices to be much too young for the story this series was trying to tell. I was also not particularly engaged with the romantic plots.
I hope this series has found its people, but sadly I am not one of them.
(December 22, 2025)
No one is sadder than I to find this series sitting at a DNF. The City in the Middle of the Night was such an influential read for me, I really expected this trilogy to be more of the same.
Unfortunately, even though the plot itself was actually quite interesting, I found the characters' narrative voices to be much too young for the story this series was trying to tell. I was also not particularly engaged with the romantic plots.
I hope this series has found its people, but sadly I am not one of them.
May 22, 2023
Ok let’s start with that cover, I love it so much, how Dr Who is that, well they all are, but it’s fab and I can hear music as I look at it! I adored the multi POVs, it’s so wonderful how the author writes them with such clear and distinct personalities/voices, I love how much individuality is expressed in this and all of Charlie Jane Anders books. I loved this so much, fantastic world building, great writing, fast paced and full of action. Can’t recommend this enough
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 20, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review! First and foremost I would like to note that the writing style was incredible! I really enjoyed the poetic, and picturesque style that author has. Another thing to note, I didn't realize till half way that this book was part of a series which I have not read, but it didn't deter me from enjoying the story. If anything I definitely plan to go back and read from the beginning! The characterization was great, the overall flow of the story was engaging there really isn't much else to say! Overall enjoyable read.
January 6, 2023
["Promises Stronger Than Darkness" is the title on the cover and on the author's blog]
This series is amazing and it absolutely sticks the ending. No spoilers but it continues on as strong as the first two, with inspiring characters overcoming obstacles and not always turning to violence to do it (which is great to see in something that could be called space opera). The characters seem so real, even though some of them might have more limbs than most humans or use 'fire' as their only pronoun, and they talk about their problems (sometimes) instead of just having an idiot plot where everything would just be fixed if people talked to each other. The books are messy like real life, but triumphant too and with a diverse cast of characters.
This series is amazing and it absolutely sticks the ending. No spoilers but it continues on as strong as the first two, with inspiring characters overcoming obstacles and not always turning to violence to do it (which is great to see in something that could be called space opera). The characters seem so real, even though some of them might have more limbs than most humans or use 'fire' as their only pronoun, and they talk about their problems (sometimes) instead of just having an idiot plot where everything would just be fixed if people talked to each other. The books are messy like real life, but triumphant too and with a diverse cast of characters.
January 8, 2023
Anyone who thinks the universe, to paraphrase J.B.S. Haldane, is stranger than we can imagine is clearly unfamiliar with the weird and wonderful universe of Charlie Jane Anders’ Unstoppable series. Book three of the YA space opera, Promises Stronger Than Darkness, is a delightful read, wrapping up the story with plenty of exoplanetary adventure, angsty romance, truly creepy villains, and galactically high stakes. I appreciated that underpinning the fun, the cast of diverse human and extraterrestrial characters engage in some fairly weighty trolley-problem debate over the consequences of their actions, while each one has opportunities to be clever, brave, flawed, and heroic. I’ll be happy to recommend this series to the young adult readers in my life.
January 10, 2023
Note: I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley.
Read PROMISES STRONGER THAN DARKNESS by Charlie Jane Anders if you love spaceships, teenagers saving the world, linguistics, body snatching, art, messy breakups, difficult decisions, having your heart broken, dragons, punching fascists, songs, origin stories & donuts.
Read PROMISES STRONGER THAN DARKNESS by Charlie Jane Anders if you love spaceships, teenagers saving the world, linguistics, body snatching, art, messy breakups, difficult decisions, having your heart broken, dragons, punching fascists, songs, origin stories & donuts.
July 24, 2023
I need the author to know that a "chef's kiss" gesture isn't what she thinks it is and that it was not necessary to use this descriptive more than once.
March 31, 2023
Promises Stronger Than Darkness is the third and concluding volume of Charlie Jane Anders' Unstoppable trilogy. I previously reviewed the first volume on my blog, and the second volume here on Goodreads. Promises provides a strong ending to the series. It has less exposition and more heart-pounding suspense than the earlier volumes; after setting everything up in the previous books, here Anders is able to just let the action fly. The fascist Marrant (a figure in the line of Donald Trump and Benito Mussolini) is in control of the galaxy; and a time bomb (or perhaps I should say, black hole bomb) originally set up millenia ago by a now-extinct civilization threatens to extinguish all the stars in the galaxy that have planets supporting sentient life. Our teen heroes have to stop this apocalypse, while at the same time avoiding Marrant's forces, not to mention preventing Marrant from taking control of the doomsday machine and converting it into a weapon for selective genocide. There is less reflection here on LGBT+ themes than in the previous volumes -- we now simply have to take such multiplicity for granted, as we rush through one attempt after another to save the galaxy.
I think that in her entire trilogy, culminating with this volume, Anders takes us back to the origins of science fiction, only to twist it through the looking glass. I started reading science fiction when I was nine years old; my uncle gave me a copy of the first volume in E. E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman series. These books, published starting in the 1930s, were the beginning of what is now known as space opera, and set many of the parameters for the Golden Age science fiction of the subsequent decades. As a nine year old, in the 1960s, I devoured Smith's volumes, thrilled by his vistas of infinity and his ability to deliver one rip-roaring story after another. It wasn't until much later that I recognized the defects in Smith's books; he wasn't exactly a great prose stylist, and he never questioned his straight-white-cis-male presuppositions (not to mention his idealized portrait of the engineer who thinks all problems are merely technical ones) -- instead, he took his narrow presuppositions entirely for granted, and assumed his readers would do so as well.
Sixty years later, Anders gives us something like a revision and updating of Smith's original space operas, only written in much better prose, and with a far more enlightened (as well as more contemporary) sensibility. What I mean is that we have the same excitement and thrills, the same marvelous twists and turns, and the same exhilarating sense of roving freely through the galaxy; but we also have a broad multicultural and multisexual sensibility, one that celebrates the vitality and creativity of which people (and other sentient species) are capable, rather than just romanticizing the somewhat narrow skills of white male nerds (Smith's original audience in the 1930s, and an accurate description of me as a child and teenager in the 1960s as well). The narrow straight-masculinist perspective is replaced by a rainbow coalition, and the figure of the engineer gives way to that of the artist (my favorite character through out the series is Rachel, a visual artist but also a sensitive soul in the way that my inner teenage nerd can still totally relate to). (No criticism of engineers is implied here, by the way; but rather a broadening of aesthetic sensibility). If science fiction was mostly read by shy cerebral white boys in the 1930s, and still in the 1960s, then today it especially appeals to BIPOC and LGBT+ people, because it combines the same thrills as previously with new sorts of inclusion and recognition. Charlie Jane Anders is one of the standard-bearers of this transformation.
I think that in her entire trilogy, culminating with this volume, Anders takes us back to the origins of science fiction, only to twist it through the looking glass. I started reading science fiction when I was nine years old; my uncle gave me a copy of the first volume in E. E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman series. These books, published starting in the 1930s, were the beginning of what is now known as space opera, and set many of the parameters for the Golden Age science fiction of the subsequent decades. As a nine year old, in the 1960s, I devoured Smith's volumes, thrilled by his vistas of infinity and his ability to deliver one rip-roaring story after another. It wasn't until much later that I recognized the defects in Smith's books; he wasn't exactly a great prose stylist, and he never questioned his straight-white-cis-male presuppositions (not to mention his idealized portrait of the engineer who thinks all problems are merely technical ones) -- instead, he took his narrow presuppositions entirely for granted, and assumed his readers would do so as well.
Sixty years later, Anders gives us something like a revision and updating of Smith's original space operas, only written in much better prose, and with a far more enlightened (as well as more contemporary) sensibility. What I mean is that we have the same excitement and thrills, the same marvelous twists and turns, and the same exhilarating sense of roving freely through the galaxy; but we also have a broad multicultural and multisexual sensibility, one that celebrates the vitality and creativity of which people (and other sentient species) are capable, rather than just romanticizing the somewhat narrow skills of white male nerds (Smith's original audience in the 1930s, and an accurate description of me as a child and teenager in the 1960s as well). The narrow straight-masculinist perspective is replaced by a rainbow coalition, and the figure of the engineer gives way to that of the artist (my favorite character through out the series is Rachel, a visual artist but also a sensitive soul in the way that my inner teenage nerd can still totally relate to). (No criticism of engineers is implied here, by the way; but rather a broadening of aesthetic sensibility). If science fiction was mostly read by shy cerebral white boys in the 1930s, and still in the 1960s, then today it especially appeals to BIPOC and LGBT+ people, because it combines the same thrills as previously with new sorts of inclusion and recognition. Charlie Jane Anders is one of the standard-bearers of this transformation.
Read
April 17, 2023Alrighty. What an end to this trilogy. It was a freaking ride and I'm still a little baffled but they managed to kill that many people. Pretty sure I can count on two hands the number of characters that are in the first book and the last book so that's something.
Rachel is still my favorite. I loved her entire journey and I will fight anyone who says that Rachel is not autistic. I felt it In the first book and it was solidified in the second and just confirmed in this last one. And by confirmed I mean my own opinion and the word autistic is not on the page. But you're going to tell me that you have a character who legitimately goes nonverbal at times, refers to herself as a slow cooker meaning that she processes her emotions hours or days after the fact, has a special interest that when she can't do it anymore absolutely loses her entire way of life, struggles to communicate her feelings and emotions verbally and you're going to tell me that character isn't autistic? Nah that's not a thing. I mean it is not super surprising that Rachel is my favorite character since she is a fat autistic artist 😂👏
Moving on, this book had a little bit more cohesion than the last one and I enjoyed listening to it. I do wish we had a little bit more resolution at the end or maybe just longer resolution. Cuz everything does wrap up but I feel like it wrapped up quickly and you just supposed to move on but I was not ready to move on. I had questions.
I feel like this is the perfect book for people who like epic high sci-fi and especially aliens. This author has a vivid imagination when it comes to creating alien characters that span an entire gambit of physical and personality traits. I mean at one point there's a walking pile of rocks and there's sentient clouds and there are slime people and beyond. I was constantly amazed and intrigued at their ability to create such unique and unusual characters. I also really liked the very diverse spectrum of queer representation and neo pronouns. It is without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read when it comes to neopronouns.
Of the POV's my favorites were definitely Rachel and Elza. Tina just never really grew on me to be honest. I think I'm just biased from the narration from the first book and could not get over it. It is unfortunate but I really just didn't love her as a character.
Rachel is still my favorite. I loved her entire journey and I will fight anyone who says that Rachel is not autistic. I felt it In the first book and it was solidified in the second and just confirmed in this last one. And by confirmed I mean my own opinion and the word autistic is not on the page. But you're going to tell me that you have a character who legitimately goes nonverbal at times, refers to herself as a slow cooker meaning that she processes her emotions hours or days after the fact, has a special interest that when she can't do it anymore absolutely loses her entire way of life, struggles to communicate her feelings and emotions verbally and you're going to tell me that character isn't autistic? Nah that's not a thing. I mean it is not super surprising that Rachel is my favorite character since she is a fat autistic artist 😂👏
Moving on, this book had a little bit more cohesion than the last one and I enjoyed listening to it. I do wish we had a little bit more resolution at the end or maybe just longer resolution. Cuz everything does wrap up but I feel like it wrapped up quickly and you just supposed to move on but I was not ready to move on. I had questions.
I feel like this is the perfect book for people who like epic high sci-fi and especially aliens. This author has a vivid imagination when it comes to creating alien characters that span an entire gambit of physical and personality traits. I mean at one point there's a walking pile of rocks and there's sentient clouds and there are slime people and beyond. I was constantly amazed and intrigued at their ability to create such unique and unusual characters. I also really liked the very diverse spectrum of queer representation and neo pronouns. It is without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read when it comes to neopronouns.
Of the POV's my favorites were definitely Rachel and Elza. Tina just never really grew on me to be honest. I think I'm just biased from the narration from the first book and could not get over it. It is unfortunate but I really just didn't love her as a character.
February 15, 2024
This is a really good finale to an already good sci-fi trilogy and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it.
At first I took a while to remember who the side-characters are (both because it's been a while since I read the second book and because there's just so many characters!), but due to their often unique personalities I managed quite well a few chapters in. Just like the first and the second book this book quickly whisked me away on a tense and high-stakes mission through space and I could barely put it down.
This book is drenched in grief, as the crew and especially Rachael and Elza mourn Tina after her body was taken over by Captain Thaoh. Not only that, but the characters have been running for two books now, unable to deal with the terror of what the Makvarian death touch causes the survivors the feel about the desceased, unable to truly mourn the dead. How do you mourn somebody if their literally body is still walking beside you? How do you mourn somebody when disgust overcomes you any time you think of them? How do you overcome grief when you find yourself unable to connect to others because of it and the only thing that works is isolating yourself? These themes were beautifully and heartwrenchingly explored.
And as if all that wasn't enough to deal with there's still the issue of the genocidal intergalactic leader Marrant, who wants to kill them and cleanse the galaxy of the wrong kind of sentient life (i.e. anybody not bipedal), the fact that all the suns in the galaxy are slated to go out unless they can fix it and a new princess is trying to cut off Elza's connection to the Ardenii.
One of my absolute favorite things about this book is the incredible diversity. And I don't just mean the fact that we have trans and queer characters of a variety of races, but we also have interesting aliens with fascinating pronoun usage (fire, water, earth, but you gain the pronoun that fits with your profession), aliens with speech that does not simply work with the universal translator, aliens with all kinds of cultures and body types. I really liked seeing this varied and wonderful cast of characters.
The stakes are high and the resolutions satisfying and I can definitely say that this was a wonderful conclusion to a very good sci fi trilogy. If you like fun sci fi I would absolutely recommend this series.
At first I took a while to remember who the side-characters are (both because it's been a while since I read the second book and because there's just so many characters!), but due to their often unique personalities I managed quite well a few chapters in. Just like the first and the second book this book quickly whisked me away on a tense and high-stakes mission through space and I could barely put it down.
This book is drenched in grief, as the crew and especially Rachael and Elza mourn Tina after her body was taken over by Captain Thaoh. Not only that, but the characters have been running for two books now, unable to deal with the terror of what the Makvarian death touch causes the survivors the feel about the desceased, unable to truly mourn the dead. How do you mourn somebody if their literally body is still walking beside you? How do you mourn somebody when disgust overcomes you any time you think of them? How do you overcome grief when you find yourself unable to connect to others because of it and the only thing that works is isolating yourself? These themes were beautifully and heartwrenchingly explored.
And as if all that wasn't enough to deal with there's still the issue of the genocidal intergalactic leader Marrant, who wants to kill them and cleanse the galaxy of the wrong kind of sentient life (i.e. anybody not bipedal), the fact that all the suns in the galaxy are slated to go out unless they can fix it and a new princess is trying to cut off Elza's connection to the Ardenii.
One of my absolute favorite things about this book is the incredible diversity. And I don't just mean the fact that we have trans and queer characters of a variety of races, but we also have interesting aliens with fascinating pronoun usage (fire, water, earth, but you gain the pronoun that fits with your profession), aliens with speech that does not simply work with the universal translator, aliens with all kinds of cultures and body types. I really liked seeing this varied and wonderful cast of characters.
The stakes are high and the resolutions satisfying and I can definitely say that this was a wonderful conclusion to a very good sci fi trilogy. If you like fun sci fi I would absolutely recommend this series.
May 8, 2023
A thoroughly satisfying conclusion to a "space opera" that perfectly blended rollicking ride with big themes and character growth. This trilogy covered a lot of territory--in terms of plot and where the characters went both physically and emotionally, as well as in terms of Charlie Jane Anders' approach to the story.
In the first book, Victories Greater Than Death, we experience what I think of as a straight-up space opera--basically, an adventure story with epic threats and vast interplanetary scope. Anders herself likened the book to Star Wars (the first one), and this is a pretty accurate comp. It's told first-person from the POV of Tina, who has enough sass to fill a galaxy, and reflects a lot of well-used tropes while also introducing some truly original aliens/worlds/cultures that break beyond the "they're basically humans with weird foreheads."
Then comes book two, Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, and here we have a quieter, slower, more introspective tale told from two third-person POV's: Rachael, Tina's best friend, and Elza, Tina's girlfriend, who are facing steep personal challenges while the galaxy descends further into the chaos that was introduced in the first book. I loved this book so much, as it really delved into the hearts of the characters, and through Rachael and Elza's perspectives we get to see deeper and richer sides of the other characters as well. I think it remains my favorite of the series.
Now, the third book brings these two different approaches together, wrapping up the trilogy with a perfect fusion of adventure and character development. This one also delves deeper into themes introduced in the first two, including racism and privilege, how past trauma shapes our present, the needs of the many vs. the needs of the few, and--most notably--the morality of killing in the name of saving others. Pretty damn deep for "just" a "space opera." I love that a story we thought would be about space travel ended up being about many different kinds of journeys, and I loved traveling these paths with these characters. I hope we see more of them in the future.
ETA: Wyndgonk 4-Ever!! ❤️
In the first book, Victories Greater Than Death, we experience what I think of as a straight-up space opera--basically, an adventure story with epic threats and vast interplanetary scope. Anders herself likened the book to Star Wars (the first one), and this is a pretty accurate comp. It's told first-person from the POV of Tina, who has enough sass to fill a galaxy, and reflects a lot of well-used tropes while also introducing some truly original aliens/worlds/cultures that break beyond the "they're basically humans with weird foreheads."
Then comes book two, Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, and here we have a quieter, slower, more introspective tale told from two third-person POV's: Rachael, Tina's best friend, and Elza, Tina's girlfriend, who are facing steep personal challenges while the galaxy descends further into the chaos that was introduced in the first book. I loved this book so much, as it really delved into the hearts of the characters, and through Rachael and Elza's perspectives we get to see deeper and richer sides of the other characters as well. I think it remains my favorite of the series.
Now, the third book brings these two different approaches together, wrapping up the trilogy with a perfect fusion of adventure and character development. This one also delves deeper into themes introduced in the first two, including racism and privilege, how past trauma shapes our present, the needs of the many vs. the needs of the few, and--most notably--the morality of killing in the name of saving others. Pretty damn deep for "just" a "space opera." I love that a story we thought would be about space travel ended up being about many different kinds of journeys, and I loved traveling these paths with these characters. I hope we see more of them in the future.
ETA: Wyndgonk 4-Ever!! ❤️
May 27, 2023
"We've never won by having the biggest gun. Not even once. We've never won by being the strongest, or the most powerful, or even the smartest. When we've won, it's by getting creative and weird. By noticing all the stuff everybody else missed. By talking to people nobody else bothered to talk to. That's how we're going to win this time. Let's go."
I have been critical of the first two volumes of this trilogy--I had issues with everything from the quality of the prose to the handling of LGBTQ characters--but I have to admit Anders sticks the landing in this final entry. The plot combines just the right blend of snark, satire, and ridiculousness. The character relationships are surprisingly strong. There are satisfying resolutions for every story arc:
The Murrant/ Nyitha/ Thaoh love-hate triangle.
Elza's new role as Rogue Princess: "This is a cruel universe, and it's getting crueler. But there's one person out there who fights for all of us. When hope seems beyond all reach, pray she finds you."
The return of Tina and the consequences of having to live with the choices Thaoh made with her body: "There's no fuel more toxic than despair, but it'll burn just fine with enough friction."
The Grattna dealing with the generational betrayals of all the biped races.
The rival power dynamics between the new Queen, the AI's (the Ardenii), and the terrorist regime that has taken control of the galaxy.
The most interesting arc is the explanation of the war between the Vayt and the Fatharn. The latter seem to be modeled after Octavia Butler's Oankali. They reproduce by blending their genes with other races to create new species: "Wherever we traveled, we made alliances and when found civilizations as exalted as our own, we always proposed a marriage: our two peoples would combine, blending our DNA and creating hybrid offspring."
It turns out that Wyndgonk's race--the fire-breathing roach people--are the genetic-hybrid descendants of these ancient warring species. They are the "flower of love" that just might be instrumental in averting the destruction of all the suns in the universe.
"Thank the Hosts of Misadventure!"
I have been critical of the first two volumes of this trilogy--I had issues with everything from the quality of the prose to the handling of LGBTQ characters--but I have to admit Anders sticks the landing in this final entry. The plot combines just the right blend of snark, satire, and ridiculousness. The character relationships are surprisingly strong. There are satisfying resolutions for every story arc:
The Murrant/ Nyitha/ Thaoh love-hate triangle.
Elza's new role as Rogue Princess: "This is a cruel universe, and it's getting crueler. But there's one person out there who fights for all of us. When hope seems beyond all reach, pray she finds you."
The return of Tina and the consequences of having to live with the choices Thaoh made with her body: "There's no fuel more toxic than despair, but it'll burn just fine with enough friction."
The Grattna dealing with the generational betrayals of all the biped races.
The rival power dynamics between the new Queen, the AI's (the Ardenii), and the terrorist regime that has taken control of the galaxy.
The most interesting arc is the explanation of the war between the Vayt and the Fatharn. The latter seem to be modeled after Octavia Butler's Oankali. They reproduce by blending their genes with other races to create new species: "Wherever we traveled, we made alliances and when found civilizations as exalted as our own, we always proposed a marriage: our two peoples would combine, blending our DNA and creating hybrid offspring."
It turns out that Wyndgonk's race--the fire-breathing roach people--are the genetic-hybrid descendants of these ancient warring species. They are the "flower of love" that just might be instrumental in averting the destruction of all the suns in the universe.
"Thank the Hosts of Misadventure!"
July 25, 2023
This book is a great conclusion to the trilogy. Rachael, Elza, Tina (or Thaoh, who's taken over her body), and their mixed-species crew of mostly other adolescents, need to save civilization from The Bereavement, an attack that is going to turn off all the stars. They have 300 days from the beginning of the book, and it takes all those days. They have to find out where the Bereavement is coming from and how to stop it while dealing with the evil and deadly Marrant, who has a whole other agenda - basically he wants to be in charge of everything. Elza is now a Princess, so she has constant access to a powerful AI.
I had to re-acquaint myself with most of the characters, and still didn't remember some details about the some of them, but that's par for the course. The action is broken up into a number of smaller quests to get or do things needed to work towards stopping the Bereavement. So they have breaks between the space battles, heists/borrowings on various planets, etc.
These kids are so endearing. They try to manage their own feelings and work things out with each other as needed, and they do it earnestly and respectfully. A couple of times, things they said were relevant to things I was dealing with right then - unexpected synchronicity. In contrast to how it works in 99%+ of space operas, they don't consider that killing anyone, however evil, is okay. Even when deaths seem inevitable, they try to figure out a way to avoid or minimize them. Of course, they introduce themselves with their pronouns as well as their names. Some of the other species have totally different pronouns than humans - I love "fire" as the pronoun for Wyndgonk, a giant, beetle-like member of the crew.
The climax, on the day all the stars are supposed to go out, is satisfying. The book ends with a postscript that brings things back around to how the series started. Excellent and highly recommended.
I had to re-acquaint myself with most of the characters, and still didn't remember some details about the some of them, but that's par for the course. The action is broken up into a number of smaller quests to get or do things needed to work towards stopping the Bereavement. So they have breaks between the space battles, heists/borrowings on various planets, etc.
These kids are so endearing. They try to manage their own feelings and work things out with each other as needed, and they do it earnestly and respectfully. A couple of times, things they said were relevant to things I was dealing with right then - unexpected synchronicity. In contrast to how it works in 99%+ of space operas, they don't consider that killing anyone, however evil, is okay. Even when deaths seem inevitable, they try to figure out a way to avoid or minimize them. Of course, they introduce themselves with their pronouns as well as their names. Some of the other species have totally different pronouns than humans - I love "fire" as the pronoun for Wyndgonk, a giant, beetle-like member of the crew.
The climax, on the day all the stars are supposed to go out, is satisfying. The book ends with a postscript that brings things back around to how the series started. Excellent and highly recommended.
November 3, 2024
such an incredible ending to this series! - perhaps my favourite of the 3 books! i’ll miss these characters and this world so much - i hope we get some more stories within it at some point <3
- CJA writes devastating romance lines so well god (thaoh and nyitha saying goodbye to each other was absolutely devastating 3 i am so mad they sacrificed their love for that stupid man and then lost it again bc of him grr, tina and elza)
- loved getting to see POVs from some of the non-earthlings!! i do wish the other earthlings had been a bit more fleshed out though
- i appreciated the whole exploration of ‘are we good people if we do bad things to survive and where is the line’ but it was laid on a bit thick at times but i guess that is YA!
- the exploration of the limits of the easy speak and how language influences our understanding and perceptions of the world was so so fascinating
- friendship being as important as romance!!! “I know you think I rejected your love, or I chose Marrant over you, but that’s only true if you think that romance is more valid than friendship. I never stopped wanting to be your friend, and I’m sorry I made you feel like you mattered to me less than Marrant”
- and of course all the things i love about this whole series - fascinating world building and gender fuckery, acceptance for everyones needs (rachaels neurodrivergence for example)
- dealing with some realistic issues like mental health, tina feeling violated from thaoh using her body, what it means for her species to be poly (though i feel these latter two were kind of brushed off/left unresolved??)
- leadership requiring multiple people versus just one e.g., co-captains - but also you have to take it in turns to be in charge sometimes
- ending did feel a little rushed/wrapped up too quickly but i will probably always never be fully satisfied by an ending haha
- CJA writes devastating romance lines so well god (thaoh and nyitha saying goodbye to each other was absolutely devastating 3 i am so mad they sacrificed their love for that stupid man and then lost it again bc of him grr, tina and elza)
- loved getting to see POVs from some of the non-earthlings!! i do wish the other earthlings had been a bit more fleshed out though
- i appreciated the whole exploration of ‘are we good people if we do bad things to survive and where is the line’ but it was laid on a bit thick at times but i guess that is YA!
- the exploration of the limits of the easy speak and how language influences our understanding and perceptions of the world was so so fascinating
- friendship being as important as romance!!! “I know you think I rejected your love, or I chose Marrant over you, but that’s only true if you think that romance is more valid than friendship. I never stopped wanting to be your friend, and I’m sorry I made you feel like you mattered to me less than Marrant”
- and of course all the things i love about this whole series - fascinating world building and gender fuckery, acceptance for everyones needs (rachaels neurodrivergence for example)
- dealing with some realistic issues like mental health, tina feeling violated from thaoh using her body, what it means for her species to be poly (though i feel these latter two were kind of brushed off/left unresolved??)
- leadership requiring multiple people versus just one e.g., co-captains - but also you have to take it in turns to be in charge sometimes
- ending did feel a little rushed/wrapped up too quickly but i will probably always never be fully satisfied by an ending haha
March 21, 2023
There was a point several years ago when I got frustrated with YA and all the teenagers saving the world/saving the universe. Part of my frustration was that I don’t want kids to have to save the world. I got over that fairly quickly, but I remembered that feeling towards the end of Promises Stronger Than Darkness. Now I am so grateful that teens have a whole body of literature about fighting oppression and fascism.
I might get a bit esoteric, because I don’t want to get too much into the plot. I will say though that this series is binge worthy. In Victories Greater than Death, Tina starts off thinking she is a galactic hero reborn. Anders subverts that chosen one trope and continues to do so through the series. Tina gathers friends, builds community, and together they tackle the forces against them. And even more importantly, they hold each other together with love and genuine compassion. They help each other hold on to the good inside them.
The enemy calls itself The Compassion. Their desire is to eliminate the species that they view as a drain on the universe – the species that aren’t humanoid. Marrant, the leader of the Compassion is legitimately terrifying. His touch can turn you to goo, and turn love into disgust.
Anders balances high stakes with an abundance of love, even with occasional silliness. The resolution leaves the kids with more work to do, but having vanquished the forces of genocide and intolerance.
I read this as part of the #TransRightsReadathon.
CW: Violence, betrayal, genocide and it’s justifications, murder, near death experiences.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Tor Teen and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.
Similar Books (Beta)
I might get a bit esoteric, because I don’t want to get too much into the plot. I will say though that this series is binge worthy. In Victories Greater than Death, Tina starts off thinking she is a galactic hero reborn. Anders subverts that chosen one trope and continues to do so through the series. Tina gathers friends, builds community, and together they tackle the forces against them. And even more importantly, they hold each other together with love and genuine compassion. They help each other hold on to the good inside them.
The enemy calls itself The Compassion. Their desire is to eliminate the species that they view as a drain on the universe – the species that aren’t humanoid. Marrant, the leader of the Compassion is legitimately terrifying. His touch can turn you to goo, and turn love into disgust.
Anders balances high stakes with an abundance of love, even with occasional silliness. The resolution leaves the kids with more work to do, but having vanquished the forces of genocide and intolerance.
I read this as part of the #TransRightsReadathon.
CW: Violence, betrayal, genocide and it’s justifications, murder, near death experiences.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Tor Teen and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.
Similar Books (Beta)
May 10, 2023
Elza may be a princess now, but she isn't doing the princessy things she thought she'd be doing. Instead, she is on the run with her friends in an odd spaceship trying to save the world. Better yet the worlds, without Tina who is now gone. They have found a clue to stop the ancient curse but unfortunately, they need the help of the one who has taken Tina's body, Thaoh Argentian...
The narrative is inviting with a zany demeanor. It presents the great sense of humor we are used to, even though there is an undertone of melancholy because of Tina and all that has happened. There is beauty in the honesty, the evolution of the characters in this series. Also, you can feel the ticking timebomb, the fear of the Bereavement coming to fruition. I must applaud the author for making every character shine in their individuality. There are unexpected POVs that I loved. Some characters do get whiny though, or have repetitive thoughts (like Elza about what Fernanda would say), unnecessary in my opinion and maybe a little grating.
The worldbuilding continues to amaze and the author's creativity shines with unbelievably fantastic objects and places. I really like the pace and the unfurling of the plot. Anders delivers us science fiction that is not heavy-worded, but light on its feet though still impactful.
A lesson we keep relearning is that actions have consequences. Choices make us who we are. Pondering on how much can actually be done in the name of the 'greater good'. About never giving up and the evils of prejudice.
Cute and fierce, huggable and nail-bitingly exciting, entertaining and adventurous, this installment has the highest stakes of all the books in the series. And gave me the biggest smile at the end. I cannot recommend this sci-fi done sassy series enough.
The narrative is inviting with a zany demeanor. It presents the great sense of humor we are used to, even though there is an undertone of melancholy because of Tina and all that has happened. There is beauty in the honesty, the evolution of the characters in this series. Also, you can feel the ticking timebomb, the fear of the Bereavement coming to fruition. I must applaud the author for making every character shine in their individuality. There are unexpected POVs that I loved. Some characters do get whiny though, or have repetitive thoughts (like Elza about what Fernanda would say), unnecessary in my opinion and maybe a little grating.
The worldbuilding continues to amaze and the author's creativity shines with unbelievably fantastic objects and places. I really like the pace and the unfurling of the plot. Anders delivers us science fiction that is not heavy-worded, but light on its feet though still impactful.
A lesson we keep relearning is that actions have consequences. Choices make us who we are. Pondering on how much can actually be done in the name of the 'greater good'. About never giving up and the evils of prejudice.
Cute and fierce, huggable and nail-bitingly exciting, entertaining and adventurous, this installment has the highest stakes of all the books in the series. And gave me the biggest smile at the end. I cannot recommend this sci-fi done sassy series enough.
July 18, 2023
While it finished strong, the first 100 pages were a bit of a slog for me. But perseverance paid off and I enjoyed the book in the end, just not as much as the first two.
When Elza became a space princess, she thought she'd be spending her time at the palace, wearing gorgeous couture and soaking up everything there is to know—but instead, she's on the run, with everyone hunting for her and her friends. She and her friends have become the galaxy's most wanted.
Rachael followed her best friend Tina to space—but now Tina's gone, and Rachael has to hold her friends together as they go on a desperate quest to save everyone from an ancient curse.
Rachael, Elza and their friends have found one clue, one shining mysterious chance to stop the end of the world. And that takes them back to the second-to-last place they'd want to be: enlisting the aid of Captain Argentian, the woman who stole Tina's body and who now seems to be relishing a second chance at teenage chaos and drama, instead of living up to her legacy of an intrepid heroic commander.
With a ragtag band of misfits, the Unstoppable Crew soon find that in order to survive, they may have to cross a line they vowed never to cross.
Last Starfighter meets Wayfarers, this hero's journey is full of teenage angst, space battles, and alien creatures, with a despicable antagonist, a confused and sometimes clueless protagonist, and a marvelous and varied cast of supporting characters.
Since Book 2 was slightly smaller than Book 1, I went with Kindle for Book 3, since I was never going to display these on my shelves - I don't like inconsistency. Though I enjoyed them, they will go to my next used bookstore drop where I'll get store credit for MORE books for my TBR pile. 🤣
When Elza became a space princess, she thought she'd be spending her time at the palace, wearing gorgeous couture and soaking up everything there is to know—but instead, she's on the run, with everyone hunting for her and her friends. She and her friends have become the galaxy's most wanted.
Rachael followed her best friend Tina to space—but now Tina's gone, and Rachael has to hold her friends together as they go on a desperate quest to save everyone from an ancient curse.
Rachael, Elza and their friends have found one clue, one shining mysterious chance to stop the end of the world. And that takes them back to the second-to-last place they'd want to be: enlisting the aid of Captain Argentian, the woman who stole Tina's body and who now seems to be relishing a second chance at teenage chaos and drama, instead of living up to her legacy of an intrepid heroic commander.
With a ragtag band of misfits, the Unstoppable Crew soon find that in order to survive, they may have to cross a line they vowed never to cross.
Last Starfighter meets Wayfarers, this hero's journey is full of teenage angst, space battles, and alien creatures, with a despicable antagonist, a confused and sometimes clueless protagonist, and a marvelous and varied cast of supporting characters.
Since Book 2 was slightly smaller than Book 1, I went with Kindle for Book 3, since I was never going to display these on my shelves - I don't like inconsistency. Though I enjoyed them, they will go to my next used bookstore drop where I'll get store credit for MORE books for my TBR pile. 🤣
June 2, 2023
You can always count on Charlie Jane Anders for a good read, and Promises Stronger Than Darkness, the third and final book in the Unstoppable YA series, doesn't disappoint. The space opera has come to a heart-pounding climax: can rogue princess Elza, artist and grudging leader Rachael, and Captain Thaoh—once Tina Mains—save the world from total annihilation as the Bereavement threatens to snuff out stars across the galaxy? Or will the terrifying villain (favorite all-time villains, he scares the shit out of me) Marrant and his fascist Compassion get to the Bereavement first, and use it to accomplish their genocidal ends?
I love this series. It's a book with a lot of space drama and trauma, but with a lot of queer joy. It's powerful to read a book where queerness is accepted and pronouns are automatic, because there's plenty of drama to go around, but none where that's concerned. I love Rachael's anxiety and the fact that she can still lead. I love the messages about being selfish where it matters, about protecting the ones we love, about finding ways around violence even in the most extreme of situations. The characters deal with trauma in realistic and painful ways. It's believable, rich, complex, fun, emotional, and cinematic, all at once. It's hard to let go of these characters and their accomplishments and their relationships, but I suppose I have to, at least for now.
If you haven't picked up this series yet, now is your chance to dive in all in one go, without having to deal with a long wait between books. Go do it! There's no better Pride Month read.
Content warnings for death, grief, trauma, body horror, anxiety/panic.
I love this series. It's a book with a lot of space drama and trauma, but with a lot of queer joy. It's powerful to read a book where queerness is accepted and pronouns are automatic, because there's plenty of drama to go around, but none where that's concerned. I love Rachael's anxiety and the fact that she can still lead. I love the messages about being selfish where it matters, about protecting the ones we love, about finding ways around violence even in the most extreme of situations. The characters deal with trauma in realistic and painful ways. It's believable, rich, complex, fun, emotional, and cinematic, all at once. It's hard to let go of these characters and their accomplishments and their relationships, but I suppose I have to, at least for now.
If you haven't picked up this series yet, now is your chance to dive in all in one go, without having to deal with a long wait between books. Go do it! There's no better Pride Month read.
Content warnings for death, grief, trauma, body horror, anxiety/panic.
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