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The Tradepoint Saga #1
Refuge
A Dangerous Haven. Adapt or die. Nine hundred Vennans undertake a cultural exchange to Tradepoint, a space station where aliens from different worlds meet to do business. A young and gyfted Speaker, Gredin, is translator and diplomat for the happy occasion. But a horrific vision shatters her first night's sleep on Tradepoint. Venna, their homeworld, has been destroyed. Now the safety of the delegation, the only Vennans left in all of time and space, rests on Gredin's young shoulders. Stunned and grieving, she navigates trade wars and political prejudice, bartering with other races-some friendly, some neutral, some outright hostile-for what her people need to survive. And the cost of failure is the unthinkable. Extinction.
528 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2020
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97 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 21, 2020
I'm a sucker for stories set on space stations and this also had trade, politics and diplomacy so I had to request this on Netgalley. Add in some planetary destruction and I was completely intrigued.
There's a huge convocation going on at Tradepoint with many beings from an array of planets and the Vennan has arrived with a delegation of just under a thousand people to participate. The diplomatic arm of the delegation includes Gredin a translator, on her first assignment fresh off her honeymoon. Tetrelanna, known as The Voice is who she is subordinate to and fairly quickly it's clear this is not a good working relationship. Tetrelanna has barely concealed contempt for her translator and also seems temperamentally not to be suited to diplomatic endeavours. The rest of their direct party includes Cirin and Burlon, both Travelers (Burlon is also a Trader for his House), Keegan, a historian and Sill, a Memory. The rest of the delegation are made up of many artisans, crafters, musicians, culinary experts and others with cultural expertise.
There's a lot covered here and many beings to meet. My favourites were the Prett because how could I not really be interested in the runners of the space station? Wyve is the Director of Tradepoint and had a good amount of characterization, so I was very pleased. Also, the Beng, Shodekekeen and the rest were fairly fascinating. While reading I was reminded of The Retrieval Artist series by Kristine Katherine Rusch because the non-humanoid beings were so well rendered and so varied. Also, there's a bit of a trial that highlights the deft dance of rules, laws and rendering of justice can come about when so many come together in order to maintain peace and trade ties. A small thing to one can be a catastrophe for another and just like reading KKR's series, it gave this reader a lot to think about. I loved that!
There's so much that happens but I'm not going to spoil because it was enjoyable to discover. That's not to say there were not a disappointment or two along the way. The Venna have a bit of fantasy woo-woo going on and while I don't need an explanation for it, I was a bit let down when Gredin is basically transformed overnight by this woo-woo thing from a grief-stricken person unable to do anything to help herself to a collected and steady person grasping the mantle of leader because Chosen One reasons. I wanted to see her grow into that role or at least marshal herself to the task. She lost a bit of that whole formidable bona fides with the woo-woo. To be fair, as this story takes place over about three days, she spends several chapters an inert crying mess after a calamitous situation and it was grating on my nerves. What can you do with compressed time? I certainly wouldn't have wanted to exist with her like that any longer than the story allowed but still. I did like that other characters voiced skepticism given the rapidity of the shift. But everything that followed the woo-woo was excellent.
This is the first book in either a duo or series (I'm not sure which) but I am inclined to read the next. There's enough given and this ends at such a pivotal point that I want to know more. Who did it? Why? What did Palomar have to do with whatever to suffer its fate? What will become of the Vennan when their rotations on Tradepoint have elapsed? What will the Beng do next? I mean, I have many questions so... this is good.
I should also mention there are a lot of in-universe words and there's no glossary but with context, a reader can likely work out what things and meanings are. Honestly, the names and such felt so much like SFF Random Name Generator outputs, and made only more noticeable when one of the characters has such a normal human name, Keegan. I wondered why he was so different (great character, btw).
Recommended. I'll be on the outlook for the next book and would read another by Blacklocke, no question.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Advance Readers Copy.
There's a huge convocation going on at Tradepoint with many beings from an array of planets and the Vennan has arrived with a delegation of just under a thousand people to participate. The diplomatic arm of the delegation includes Gredin a translator, on her first assignment fresh off her honeymoon. Tetrelanna, known as The Voice is who she is subordinate to and fairly quickly it's clear this is not a good working relationship. Tetrelanna has barely concealed contempt for her translator and also seems temperamentally not to be suited to diplomatic endeavours. The rest of their direct party includes Cirin and Burlon, both Travelers (Burlon is also a Trader for his House), Keegan, a historian and Sill, a Memory. The rest of the delegation are made up of many artisans, crafters, musicians, culinary experts and others with cultural expertise.
There's a lot covered here and many beings to meet. My favourites were the Prett because how could I not really be interested in the runners of the space station? Wyve is the Director of Tradepoint and had a good amount of characterization, so I was very pleased. Also, the Beng, Shodekekeen and the rest were fairly fascinating. While reading I was reminded of The Retrieval Artist series by Kristine Katherine Rusch because the non-humanoid beings were so well rendered and so varied. Also, there's a bit of a trial that highlights the deft dance of rules, laws and rendering of justice can come about when so many come together in order to maintain peace and trade ties. A small thing to one can be a catastrophe for another and just like reading KKR's series, it gave this reader a lot to think about. I loved that!
There's so much that happens but I'm not going to spoil because it was enjoyable to discover. That's not to say there were not a disappointment or two along the way. The Venna have a bit of fantasy woo-woo going on and while I don't need an explanation for it, I was a bit let down when Gredin is basically transformed overnight by this woo-woo thing from a grief-stricken person unable to do anything to help herself to a collected and steady person grasping the mantle of leader because Chosen One reasons. I wanted to see her grow into that role or at least marshal herself to the task. She lost a bit of that whole formidable bona fides with the woo-woo. To be fair, as this story takes place over about three days, she spends several chapters an inert crying mess after a calamitous situation and it was grating on my nerves. What can you do with compressed time? I certainly wouldn't have wanted to exist with her like that any longer than the story allowed but still. I did like that other characters voiced skepticism given the rapidity of the shift. But everything that followed the woo-woo was excellent.
This is the first book in either a duo or series (I'm not sure which) but I am inclined to read the next. There's enough given and this ends at such a pivotal point that I want to know more. Who did it? Why? What did Palomar have to do with whatever to suffer its fate? What will become of the Vennan when their rotations on Tradepoint have elapsed? What will the Beng do next? I mean, I have many questions so... this is good.
I should also mention there are a lot of in-universe words and there's no glossary but with context, a reader can likely work out what things and meanings are. Honestly, the names and such felt so much like SFF Random Name Generator outputs, and made only more noticeable when one of the characters has such a normal human name, Keegan. I wondered why he was so different (great character, btw).
Recommended. I'll be on the outlook for the next book and would read another by Blacklocke, no question.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Advance Readers Copy.
August 16, 2020
I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I do want to note that I know the author personally, but have done my best to view the book and my opinions of it through as unbiased of a lens as possible.
That said, I loved this book; it would be unjust to say any less. I started it around 8pm on a Friday, and finished it less than 24 hours later, because I could not put it down. The world Blacklocke creates on the page is vivid and alive, filled with nuance and detail that left me filled with visions of what various locations and alien races looked like, smelled like, sounded like, WERE like. The characters were truly unique individuals, regardless of how large or small their part in the story was-- everyone matters, and it's clear Blacklocke took careful time bringing life to each and every one. There is nuance to everyone, regardless of role or race; no one is a cookie-cutter "good guy" or "bad guy," they're just regular people doing their best to muddle through situations as they arise. Some rise to the challenge and grow and flourish; others fail, sometimes spectacularly so, and the consequences of their failures are far-reaching. But never does a character feel stiff or like a simple plot device-- these are all people living their lives, and we are happening to see a snapshot of a specific time in their existence.
If you're looking for explosions and battles, this won't be the right book for you. This isn't a book filled with dramatic laser fights or high-tech chase scenes; rather, it is about the magic of encountering situations that are completely alien to you and somehow finding a way to understand and work within them anyway. This is a book about heart, about truth, about bravery, about trust. This is a story about people, of all sorts, figuring out how to best proceed in challenge after challenge. This is a story filled with small actions that have big consequences, with regular people who do their best, with difficult problems that have no simple solutions.
Refuge is a character-driven, emotion-heavy, high-stakes story full of creativity and discovery. It's a treat from start to finish, rich with detail and generous with imagination. Highly recommend!
That said, I loved this book; it would be unjust to say any less. I started it around 8pm on a Friday, and finished it less than 24 hours later, because I could not put it down. The world Blacklocke creates on the page is vivid and alive, filled with nuance and detail that left me filled with visions of what various locations and alien races looked like, smelled like, sounded like, WERE like. The characters were truly unique individuals, regardless of how large or small their part in the story was-- everyone matters, and it's clear Blacklocke took careful time bringing life to each and every one. There is nuance to everyone, regardless of role or race; no one is a cookie-cutter "good guy" or "bad guy," they're just regular people doing their best to muddle through situations as they arise. Some rise to the challenge and grow and flourish; others fail, sometimes spectacularly so, and the consequences of their failures are far-reaching. But never does a character feel stiff or like a simple plot device-- these are all people living their lives, and we are happening to see a snapshot of a specific time in their existence.
If you're looking for explosions and battles, this won't be the right book for you. This isn't a book filled with dramatic laser fights or high-tech chase scenes; rather, it is about the magic of encountering situations that are completely alien to you and somehow finding a way to understand and work within them anyway. This is a book about heart, about truth, about bravery, about trust. This is a story about people, of all sorts, figuring out how to best proceed in challenge after challenge. This is a story filled with small actions that have big consequences, with regular people who do their best, with difficult problems that have no simple solutions.
Refuge is a character-driven, emotion-heavy, high-stakes story full of creativity and discovery. It's a treat from start to finish, rich with detail and generous with imagination. Highly recommend!
October 11, 2020
Not sure the protocol for publishing a review before the publish date - so I've set my personal blog to publish my review at that time, instead of currently.
____________________________
Generally, I enjoyed reading this book. (More than it might seem…) But, there was also a lot I didn’t like about it.
It did however, commit major crimes of one of my biggest pet peeves as a Reader. Using made-up words for things. (Coffee/Tea [who knows which] is now Besk.) The use of made up words - along with being nonsensical, it complicates people/place names, making it impossible to remember what each is supposed to be. This sucks the enjoyment out of reading for me, when I constantly have to stop and try to recall what X is supposed to be.
I have developed my own way of handling this, by substituting them in my mind, as I read to something I do know/can remember how to pronounce; without constant frustration of trying to sound it out and wonder how it's said, every single time. …It works better with names - as at least those are generally identifiable as Names of people/things/places.. (Tetralanna = Tetra. Gredin = Red. Sill - Jill. Trisectoriana = Trisector. Venna = Vienna. And so on...) But it still annoys me to have to do such things in order to make the reading enjoyable. And it’s not possible in all places - like If I have no idea what the real intent of the made up word is.
Sure, I get why Authors do this - world building (insert eye rolls here) But I disagree with it on principle, when it makes the reading a struggle to understand, & enjoy. You want your readers to understand and enjoy your book, yes? Just call it what it is. A warm steaming mug of something that wakes you in the morning. It's coffee. The end. Call it Vennan Coffee (or whatever), if you must.
So yeah... while the book was moderate in it’s use of nonsense words - there was still plenty there - and plenty I never sorted out a definite translation of. Some were obscure enough in use, a reader might not really know what the author was trying to make it be.
Along those lines, the author here sometimes went the opposite direction and would do such as instead of calling a pen, a Pen; it was a simplistic writing instrument. (This may not be an actual sample.) Also annoying. Detracts from the story.
***Mild Spoilers ahead****
My biggest issue with this book is the author holding out until essentially the last few pages, to drop the bomb that the 'people' are actually ‘Navi’-like, and are scooping features from the well know Avatar movie. Connecting the fibrous filament ends of a thing that seems like it very well could be the Navi hair tail off their heads, and interlacing them with another's’ in couple bonding. 100% Navi. I'm surprised the Editors let the author get away with this.... Though there is some confusion, as just shortly before that it seemed like the book implied that this 'halo [or otherwise know in this gibberish as a ‘hlao’] was created by the child's ‘parents, guides and head of house,’ when they are 3 days old. So it's a handmade version of the Navi's hair-tail-fiberoptic-thingie. As best as can be understood. For something so 'major' to the peoples of this origin, it had very little information, description, or even mention of though 99% of the book. This was a grievous error. We need to know a lot more. How? Why? What is it? And are these people Blue? [asking for a friend....]
It felt like there were some mis-steps in plot. These people are bound to their special skill [gyft]. They are an expert in that thing. But when the main character has a vision, about their home planet/place of being - disappearing from existence (but with absolutely no details on how or why, or what happened...) almost all the others she tells this of - brush off her vision as a [night-thought] foolish, childish, nightmare. That seems a little out of line with what you would expect. Oh this is your expertise? No, but that's not right. You just made it up....
There is no backstory on how the people are given these gifts, or any details about how they do the things they do. Like instant travel their physical forms to other locations. Planets away. This seems like some pretty important data. I wanted to know more, aside from 'they sent there.' um, ok?
... So, a group or approximately 1000 of these people, instant-travel to another solar system, in which the traders go to trade, to be honoured, for their long history of 300... somethings... [weeks, months, years? Who knows.] Vision girl dreams the disappearance of their world. Tells other trusted peoples. They don't believe her, brush her off. Majority of story revolves around her fretting over all this. Toss in a few tragic events where she accidentally hurts another being, and there's some sort of very casual judgement handed down, and fines to be paid. Then the honouring event, and a party after. Which, is disrupted by the return of a Traveller, who went to verify if their home was indeed gone from time & space. He somehow dies from wounds, after returning, despite it specifically being made known that their people have extremely gifted healers who can instantaneously heal away any issue. Or so it was implied earlier in the book, when someone else needed fixing. [“Injuries are not permitted to linger.”] But not this guy. He died. Thank you for your service verifying the crazy girls's very important story!
I did enjoy the peoples from other cosmic systems. Though they were not a great deal of importance in the story (more of a setting feature), nor where they described in super amounts of detail - there was enough details about their appearances, sounds, smells, and behaviours it was easy to envision what these peoples might have been; along with their interactions between worldly races in the Tradepoint trader’s market area. I would have enjoyed them being much more active actors in this story.
Another small point I enjoyed was the creative use of cursing. [At least I assumed they were meant as curses…] SCABS! Blisters. Bloody Cuts. (Hmm, interesting, all the examples I found were bodily injuries?)
Obviously, I feel like there was plenty of dropped balls in the plot of this story, and so much more that should have been in it. It was interesting though, despite feeling like it could have been so much better developed. I would only recommend reading it, if you keep your expectations quite low. Or, plot details aren’t as important to you, as a general story enjoyment. The quality of writing was fine and no complaints about that, aside from the already mentioned detractors, like choice of language.
____________________________
Generally, I enjoyed reading this book. (More than it might seem…) But, there was also a lot I didn’t like about it.
It did however, commit major crimes of one of my biggest pet peeves as a Reader. Using made-up words for things. (Coffee/Tea [who knows which] is now Besk.) The use of made up words - along with being nonsensical, it complicates people/place names, making it impossible to remember what each is supposed to be. This sucks the enjoyment out of reading for me, when I constantly have to stop and try to recall what X is supposed to be.
I have developed my own way of handling this, by substituting them in my mind, as I read to something I do know/can remember how to pronounce; without constant frustration of trying to sound it out and wonder how it's said, every single time. …It works better with names - as at least those are generally identifiable as Names of people/things/places.. (Tetralanna = Tetra. Gredin = Red. Sill - Jill. Trisectoriana = Trisector. Venna = Vienna. And so on...) But it still annoys me to have to do such things in order to make the reading enjoyable. And it’s not possible in all places - like If I have no idea what the real intent of the made up word is.
Sure, I get why Authors do this - world building (insert eye rolls here) But I disagree with it on principle, when it makes the reading a struggle to understand, & enjoy. You want your readers to understand and enjoy your book, yes? Just call it what it is. A warm steaming mug of something that wakes you in the morning. It's coffee. The end. Call it Vennan Coffee (or whatever), if you must.
So yeah... while the book was moderate in it’s use of nonsense words - there was still plenty there - and plenty I never sorted out a definite translation of. Some were obscure enough in use, a reader might not really know what the author was trying to make it be.
Along those lines, the author here sometimes went the opposite direction and would do such as instead of calling a pen, a Pen; it was a simplistic writing instrument. (This may not be an actual sample.) Also annoying. Detracts from the story.
***Mild Spoilers ahead****
My biggest issue with this book is the author holding out until essentially the last few pages, to drop the bomb that the 'people' are actually ‘Navi’-like, and are scooping features from the well know Avatar movie. Connecting the fibrous filament ends of a thing that seems like it very well could be the Navi hair tail off their heads, and interlacing them with another's’ in couple bonding. 100% Navi. I'm surprised the Editors let the author get away with this.... Though there is some confusion, as just shortly before that it seemed like the book implied that this 'halo [or otherwise know in this gibberish as a ‘hlao’] was created by the child's ‘parents, guides and head of house,’ when they are 3 days old. So it's a handmade version of the Navi's hair-tail-fiberoptic-thingie. As best as can be understood. For something so 'major' to the peoples of this origin, it had very little information, description, or even mention of though 99% of the book. This was a grievous error. We need to know a lot more. How? Why? What is it? And are these people Blue? [asking for a friend....]
It felt like there were some mis-steps in plot. These people are bound to their special skill [gyft]. They are an expert in that thing. But when the main character has a vision, about their home planet/place of being - disappearing from existence (but with absolutely no details on how or why, or what happened...) almost all the others she tells this of - brush off her vision as a [night-thought] foolish, childish, nightmare. That seems a little out of line with what you would expect. Oh this is your expertise? No, but that's not right. You just made it up....
There is no backstory on how the people are given these gifts, or any details about how they do the things they do. Like instant travel their physical forms to other locations. Planets away. This seems like some pretty important data. I wanted to know more, aside from 'they sent there.' um, ok?
... So, a group or approximately 1000 of these people, instant-travel to another solar system, in which the traders go to trade, to be honoured, for their long history of 300... somethings... [weeks, months, years? Who knows.] Vision girl dreams the disappearance of their world. Tells other trusted peoples. They don't believe her, brush her off. Majority of story revolves around her fretting over all this. Toss in a few tragic events where she accidentally hurts another being, and there's some sort of very casual judgement handed down, and fines to be paid. Then the honouring event, and a party after. Which, is disrupted by the return of a Traveller, who went to verify if their home was indeed gone from time & space. He somehow dies from wounds, after returning, despite it specifically being made known that their people have extremely gifted healers who can instantaneously heal away any issue. Or so it was implied earlier in the book, when someone else needed fixing. [“Injuries are not permitted to linger.”] But not this guy. He died. Thank you for your service verifying the crazy girls's very important story!
I did enjoy the peoples from other cosmic systems. Though they were not a great deal of importance in the story (more of a setting feature), nor where they described in super amounts of detail - there was enough details about their appearances, sounds, smells, and behaviours it was easy to envision what these peoples might have been; along with their interactions between worldly races in the Tradepoint trader’s market area. I would have enjoyed them being much more active actors in this story.
Another small point I enjoyed was the creative use of cursing. [At least I assumed they were meant as curses…] SCABS! Blisters. Bloody Cuts. (Hmm, interesting, all the examples I found were bodily injuries?)
Obviously, I feel like there was plenty of dropped balls in the plot of this story, and so much more that should have been in it. It was interesting though, despite feeling like it could have been so much better developed. I would only recommend reading it, if you keep your expectations quite low. Or, plot details aren’t as important to you, as a general story enjoyment. The quality of writing was fine and no complaints about that, aside from the already mentioned detractors, like choice of language.
November 1, 2020
Overall, a great read for sci-fi beginners; however, it is a bit on the longer side.
Spoiler-free review: https://amberinoface.wordpress.com/20...
I was provided an ecopy of this through the author vai Netgalley; however, opinions are my own.
Spoiler-free review: https://amberinoface.wordpress.com/20...
I was provided an ecopy of this through the author vai Netgalley; however, opinions are my own.
November 23, 2020
I picked this up on lark. I didn't know the author, but I love Kate Reading's narration work from many other books. In case you don't already know, Kate's an awesome narrator... and oh boy howdy, I found that this was just simply an incredible book! It excells by virtue of both a dynamite storyline, and by Kate Reading's vibrant, yet nuanced performance! All that, even after a kinda' slow beginning... and this book easily made it onto my top favorites list for the entire year!
JJ Blacklocke really set up the story with some intense world-building, and she did it perfectly. Holding her cards close, she gave nothing away to the readers, so when everything was finally in place, all hell broke loose! Refuge has plenty of action and bunches of political intrigue... Blacklocke never looked back, and never let the plot get mired in its own complexity as the story ran on to its epic finale!
I bet you'll find yourself wishing that Aftershock: Book 2 in The Tradepoint Saga, was already released in audio! 😊👍
JJ Blacklocke really set up the story with some intense world-building, and she did it perfectly. Holding her cards close, she gave nothing away to the readers, so when everything was finally in place, all hell broke loose! Refuge has plenty of action and bunches of political intrigue... Blacklocke never looked back, and never let the plot get mired in its own complexity as the story ran on to its epic finale!
I bet you'll find yourself wishing that Aftershock: Book 2 in The Tradepoint Saga, was already released in audio! 😊👍
December 19, 2020
One of my fav fanfic authors wrote this book so I had to check it out!
Wonderful character-driven scifi! I really enjoyed the full length of this book although it did seem a bit long in places. I wish we had been given more world-building details. How did Tradepoint come to be? What kind of ships are the different species using? Hopefully we see more in the future books!
I felt the main character was a bit whiny and unlikeable at first and felt her transformation a bit heavy handed. Otherwise, this book was a fun ride! I devoured it all in one sitting. Great quality writing too! I think my favorite bits was the focus on all the different species, how they looked and how they spoke!
Wonderful character-driven scifi! I really enjoyed the full length of this book although it did seem a bit long in places. I wish we had been given more world-building details. How did Tradepoint come to be? What kind of ships are the different species using? Hopefully we see more in the future books!
I felt the main character was a bit whiny and unlikeable at first and felt her transformation a bit heavy handed. Otherwise, this book was a fun ride! I devoured it all in one sitting. Great quality writing too! I think my favorite bits was the focus on all the different species, how they looked and how they spoke!
December 24, 2020
4 stars!
If you’re looking for a character-focused space opera with a slow-burn plot, this would be the one for you. The story started off somewhat slow gathered momentum as it went, the climax being both expected yet not happening as expected. The story mainly follows Gredin after she has a vision of her people’s planet having been destroyed and her having to navigate politics, trade wars, higher ups who refuse to believe her, and deal with her own grief over losing both her home and her world’s version of her soulmate. This book is more of a character study than anything, and I really enjoyed it.
The first paragraph intrigued me about the protagonist’s race and their objective there. I wasn’t immediately hooked but my overall curiosity paid off because it became more and more interesting as I read on. There are no humans whatsoever in this book (and maybe the series?), which was refreshing. The world-building is well done, especially in regards to the ways and inner workings of Tradepoint. The main characters, Gredin especially, felt like real people, even the asshole Vennan that was Gredin’s superior. Their emotions and feelings came across so vividly; they all had their own motivations, goals, and hopes, and reacted to the news of their world being destroyed in different ways.
The different races were all very interesting: they all had their own customs, ways of communicating, race-specific tics. They were all described as being very different, despite the author not really describing any of them in much detail. I was suprised that there were so few races actually at Tradepoint (the station), considering it’s the place for races to make mass trades with each other. I found each of them interesting, though the knowledge of each of them limited to that of the characters that had points of view in the book. The interactions between the different species were cool to see, the side characters from these species helping to flesh out the world.
Not a lot truly happens in this story, but what does happen is not at all boring but almost captivating (if you like politics). The problems are often complicated and some are carefully walked and talked through, while others are dismissed only to come back worse than ever. The solutions are never morally black and white, and often take a lot to pull off; that was what really drew me in. I just had to know what happened, how they pulled it off, what the repercussions were. I was never disappointed.
The problem of there being different species who don’t speak the same language but needing a shared one to communicate is solved by the Tradetalk language. Due to some races not knowing it very well, when it’s used in the story, it’s oversimplified (ex: “You no talk. You talk one more, you go out. You not come back in”). Although it’s off-putting at first, it’s easy to get used to. It doesn’t take away from the seriousness and gravity of the situations it’s used in, either, which one would think would be very hard to do. I felt it really added another layer of complexity to the world of Refuge but it also was rather realistic. Language is complex and takes a long time to learn and the complexities of it can be forgotten or hard to memorize, so it makes sense that Tradetalk is oversimplified.
The story is a mix of point of views from different important characters, though Gredin is clearly the protagonist and has the most chapters. She is clearly overwhelmed by grief, though her grief isn’t solely focused on herself, but her people as well, how they’re going to survive. I liked her character a little less; I wanted to know how she felt about it— then again, she wasn’t really ‘feeling’ much of anything.
There’s not a lot of description of the five senses. Rather, the book is composed mostly of exposition and the inner thoughts of the characters. The author also wrote in such a way that a lot of explanation was left out in terms of the purpose of some things or what they are in general (like the Vennans’ hlao). Some of these things were explained at the very end of the book or not at all. That aside, I enjoyed the author’s writing style, which felt almost effortless. I never felt lost or confused; I always knew exactly what was happening. The world developed gradually, rather than all at once.
The complexities of the Vennan race’s customs and culture were really interesting and I’m looking forward to reading the free prequel (which can be found on the author’s blog) to learn more. The different Houses for each gyft type were cool but proved to have not been the best of choices in regards to survivability. I think Gredin realized this near the end. I think, however, that this will change in the next book, considering the choice of one of the main characters.
Overall, this was a good book that I really enjoyed, which was a surprise since I’m not one for politics or character study-type books. I’m looking forward to the sequel, Aftershock!
Aftershock, the sequel to Refuge, debuts January 12 2021!
If you’re looking for a character-focused space opera with a slow-burn plot, this would be the one for you. The story started off somewhat slow gathered momentum as it went, the climax being both expected yet not happening as expected. The story mainly follows Gredin after she has a vision of her people’s planet having been destroyed and her having to navigate politics, trade wars, higher ups who refuse to believe her, and deal with her own grief over losing both her home and her world’s version of her soulmate. This book is more of a character study than anything, and I really enjoyed it.
The first paragraph intrigued me about the protagonist’s race and their objective there. I wasn’t immediately hooked but my overall curiosity paid off because it became more and more interesting as I read on. There are no humans whatsoever in this book (and maybe the series?), which was refreshing. The world-building is well done, especially in regards to the ways and inner workings of Tradepoint. The main characters, Gredin especially, felt like real people, even the asshole Vennan that was Gredin’s superior. Their emotions and feelings came across so vividly; they all had their own motivations, goals, and hopes, and reacted to the news of their world being destroyed in different ways.
The different races were all very interesting: they all had their own customs, ways of communicating, race-specific tics. They were all described as being very different, despite the author not really describing any of them in much detail. I was suprised that there were so few races actually at Tradepoint (the station), considering it’s the place for races to make mass trades with each other. I found each of them interesting, though the knowledge of each of them limited to that of the characters that had points of view in the book. The interactions between the different species were cool to see, the side characters from these species helping to flesh out the world.
Not a lot truly happens in this story, but what does happen is not at all boring but almost captivating (if you like politics). The problems are often complicated and some are carefully walked and talked through, while others are dismissed only to come back worse than ever. The solutions are never morally black and white, and often take a lot to pull off; that was what really drew me in. I just had to know what happened, how they pulled it off, what the repercussions were. I was never disappointed.
The problem of there being different species who don’t speak the same language but needing a shared one to communicate is solved by the Tradetalk language. Due to some races not knowing it very well, when it’s used in the story, it’s oversimplified (ex: “You no talk. You talk one more, you go out. You not come back in”). Although it’s off-putting at first, it’s easy to get used to. It doesn’t take away from the seriousness and gravity of the situations it’s used in, either, which one would think would be very hard to do. I felt it really added another layer of complexity to the world of Refuge but it also was rather realistic. Language is complex and takes a long time to learn and the complexities of it can be forgotten or hard to memorize, so it makes sense that Tradetalk is oversimplified.
The story is a mix of point of views from different important characters, though Gredin is clearly the protagonist and has the most chapters. She is clearly overwhelmed by grief, though her grief isn’t solely focused on herself, but her people as well, how they’re going to survive. I liked her character a little less; I wanted to know how she felt about it— then again, she wasn’t really ‘feeling’ much of anything.
There’s not a lot of description of the five senses. Rather, the book is composed mostly of exposition and the inner thoughts of the characters. The author also wrote in such a way that a lot of explanation was left out in terms of the purpose of some things or what they are in general (like the Vennans’ hlao). Some of these things were explained at the very end of the book or not at all. That aside, I enjoyed the author’s writing style, which felt almost effortless. I never felt lost or confused; I always knew exactly what was happening. The world developed gradually, rather than all at once.
The complexities of the Vennan race’s customs and culture were really interesting and I’m looking forward to reading the free prequel (which can be found on the author’s blog) to learn more. The different Houses for each gyft type were cool but proved to have not been the best of choices in regards to survivability. I think Gredin realized this near the end. I think, however, that this will change in the next book, considering the choice of one of the main characters.
Overall, this was a good book that I really enjoyed, which was a surprise since I’m not one for politics or character study-type books. I’m looking forward to the sequel, Aftershock!
Aftershock, the sequel to Refuge, debuts January 12 2021!
January 21, 2021
Link to my philosophy on book reviewing: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/...
Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! I am a sucker for a good political sci-fi story and I love the exploration of different cultures and this book really hit that spot. It's an interesting blend of sci-fi and fantasy. The setting and most of the alien races in the book are firmly sci-fi, but the main characters and their culture feel plucked from a fantasy world. So you have this interesting dynamic of a fantasy race trying to get by in a sci-fi world.
The pace of this book is very slow. In 450 pages, we barely get through three days of story time. This means that we get a lot of different perspectives from a variety of characters providing a rich, fleshed out view of the cultures and character dynamics, but if you're looking for a quick, punchy sci-fi adventure, look somewhere else!
When I stepped away from this book, I found my mind drifting back to the characters and the story while doing other chores. For me, a book that I can't get out of my head is a good book!
Deeper Dive:
My biggest complaint with this book was that it leans a bit too heavily for my liking into overly emotional female characters. It's not bad enough to ruin the book for me, and as a reader, I am fairly sensitive to this. Still, it stuck out to me as annoying in a few places. For example, lecturing a young female character about 'controlling her emotions' is a bit cringy to me, even though there was some justification for it in the context of the story. That being said, if it didn't ruin the book for me, it isn't likely to ruin it for most people. This is a personal pet peeve.
This story plays with tropes and conventions of sci-fi and fantasy, but does usually pulls and twist those tropes enough to not be predictable.
There is a lot of PoV jumping from chapter to chapter in this book and it is handled very well. The different PoVs serve the story well and provide a nuanced perspective on the story. Each character had a unique voice and their own goals and concerns. I enjoyed the different PoVs.
There is a lot of world building to be done in this story. As mentioned in the overall thoughts, this story shows a contact point between a sci-fi world and a fantasy world, which means there are two worlds that need to be world built. Because the story takes place in the sci-fi world, a lot of the early exposition focuses on that setting and only the bare minimum of the fantasy elements are explained. This establishes a sense of mystery around the magic that the main characters use. For those who want to know all the rules of a magic system from the start, this might be frustrating. Major elements of the magic system aren't positioned until the last hundred pages of the book, and even then it's a sparse description. That being said, while there were a few points where I was confused by the magic, I think it overall worked for the story. The main characters deeply understand their own magic system, so it would be strange for them to wax poetic about it. I hope future books provide more opportunity for the characters to better explain what their magic can do and how it works.
There is a frustrating note to the driving tension throughout the book, especially the first half of the book. One major character is absolutely grating. For me, the frustrating elements were tempered enough with other story beets that it didn't drive me away, but a reader who just doesn't like that frustrating driving tension might not enjoy this story.
This book contains a simplified language that is common between all species. It's awkward and stilted and there is dialog spoken in this language. That dialog can be confusing to follow. I think it works for the world since the language is as unyielding and confusing for the characters as it is for the reader and this writing choice helps with immersion, but for readers who don't like that sort of thing, this might be off putting. I will say, there aren't many conversations in this mutual language and most dialog is perfectly understandable.
I'll keep my comments on the ending vague as I want to keep this review spoiler free, but I found the ending satisfying. It is clear that the story is the first in the series and it sets up a path forward, but it doesn't end in an unsatisfying way. The story's main threads are all wrapped up by the end of the book.
Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! I am a sucker for a good political sci-fi story and I love the exploration of different cultures and this book really hit that spot. It's an interesting blend of sci-fi and fantasy. The setting and most of the alien races in the book are firmly sci-fi, but the main characters and their culture feel plucked from a fantasy world. So you have this interesting dynamic of a fantasy race trying to get by in a sci-fi world.
The pace of this book is very slow. In 450 pages, we barely get through three days of story time. This means that we get a lot of different perspectives from a variety of characters providing a rich, fleshed out view of the cultures and character dynamics, but if you're looking for a quick, punchy sci-fi adventure, look somewhere else!
When I stepped away from this book, I found my mind drifting back to the characters and the story while doing other chores. For me, a book that I can't get out of my head is a good book!
Deeper Dive:
My biggest complaint with this book was that it leans a bit too heavily for my liking into overly emotional female characters. It's not bad enough to ruin the book for me, and as a reader, I am fairly sensitive to this. Still, it stuck out to me as annoying in a few places. For example, lecturing a young female character about 'controlling her emotions' is a bit cringy to me, even though there was some justification for it in the context of the story. That being said, if it didn't ruin the book for me, it isn't likely to ruin it for most people. This is a personal pet peeve.
This story plays with tropes and conventions of sci-fi and fantasy, but does usually pulls and twist those tropes enough to not be predictable.
There is a lot of PoV jumping from chapter to chapter in this book and it is handled very well. The different PoVs serve the story well and provide a nuanced perspective on the story. Each character had a unique voice and their own goals and concerns. I enjoyed the different PoVs.
There is a lot of world building to be done in this story. As mentioned in the overall thoughts, this story shows a contact point between a sci-fi world and a fantasy world, which means there are two worlds that need to be world built. Because the story takes place in the sci-fi world, a lot of the early exposition focuses on that setting and only the bare minimum of the fantasy elements are explained. This establishes a sense of mystery around the magic that the main characters use. For those who want to know all the rules of a magic system from the start, this might be frustrating. Major elements of the magic system aren't positioned until the last hundred pages of the book, and even then it's a sparse description. That being said, while there were a few points where I was confused by the magic, I think it overall worked for the story. The main characters deeply understand their own magic system, so it would be strange for them to wax poetic about it. I hope future books provide more opportunity for the characters to better explain what their magic can do and how it works.
There is a frustrating note to the driving tension throughout the book, especially the first half of the book. One major character is absolutely grating. For me, the frustrating elements were tempered enough with other story beets that it didn't drive me away, but a reader who just doesn't like that frustrating driving tension might not enjoy this story.
This book contains a simplified language that is common between all species. It's awkward and stilted and there is dialog spoken in this language. That dialog can be confusing to follow. I think it works for the world since the language is as unyielding and confusing for the characters as it is for the reader and this writing choice helps with immersion, but for readers who don't like that sort of thing, this might be off putting. I will say, there aren't many conversations in this mutual language and most dialog is perfectly understandable.
I'll keep my comments on the ending vague as I want to keep this review spoiler free, but I found the ending satisfying. It is clear that the story is the first in the series and it sets up a path forward, but it doesn't end in an unsatisfying way. The story's main threads are all wrapped up by the end of the book.
November 24, 2020
Thank you, J. J. Blacklocke for sending me the eARC of Refuge through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.
Refuge is the first book in The Tradepoint Saga, a sci-fi series set in a space station called Tradepoint. In this first book, we follow the Vennans, an alien race that's gone to Tradepoint to trade their goods with other beings and celebrate the anniversary of when they first made the trip to the space station. But when Gredin, a young Vennan translator that's helping with the celebrations, receives a message from the Power that their entire planet no longer exists, it's up to her to help her entire delegation with this horrible future.
I'm going to start by saying that, if you're expecting space fights and explosions and a lot of action, you're not going to get it. This is a very political character-focused story, and you're mostly following Gredin's struggles when coming to terms with the knowledge that's given to her and making people believe it. That said, I adore political stories so I really enjoyed this book.
Blacklocke did a fantastic job on fleshing out all the different alien beings, even when they were just side characters to enrich this world. The main characters we follow also feel like real people, with beliefs and motivations, and I loved to see how the different races interacted with each other, especially the Vennans and the Prett (the hosts of this space station). The Vennan culture was what fascinated me the most. How their society is divided into different houses and how each Vennan has a specific ability that places them in this world. I would've liked a bit more backstory on how they come into these abilities, but I believe there's a prequel eBook available on J. J. Blacklocke's website that I expect touches upon those aspects of their culture.
Even though I really enjoyed this book, I thought its pacing was a bit off at times. It is a fairly long book but, because it's really political based, there's not much going on for a lot of it. That made me feel like the plot dragged on in parts but I wished it would've been more developed in others. Specifically how Gredin goes from a grief-stricken kid to the saviour of these people. I'm not going to give any spoilers, but how this happens isn't really explained and it's one of my biggest pet-peeves with books when something happens and you just have to accept it and move on.
The writing was what made me really enjoy this book. We're thrust upon a different world, with a variety of people that are completely different from one another and, even when I was still a bit lost as to how everything works, I was already sucked into the plot. The writing is effortless and you come to know the world as things happen. I realise that's not some people's preferred method of world-building as yes, you're quite confused for a while, but I personally really enjoyed how it was done.
Overall I gave this book a 3.75/5 ⭐️. I was fully immersed in the story and got through it fairly quickly, considering its size. I would've liked more explanation on some things and there were some characters that I absolutely loved and wished they were more prominent in the story, but overall I had a great time with this book and would love to read the following books in this series. Based on how Refuge ended, I feel like the next instalments will be even more exciting.
If you're interested in a political thriller set in space, Refuge just came out on November 10th, so you can pick it up now. And if you love it, Aftershock and The Bereft (books two and three of The Tradepoint Saga) come out in January and April, so not long at all to wait.
Refuge is the first book in The Tradepoint Saga, a sci-fi series set in a space station called Tradepoint. In this first book, we follow the Vennans, an alien race that's gone to Tradepoint to trade their goods with other beings and celebrate the anniversary of when they first made the trip to the space station. But when Gredin, a young Vennan translator that's helping with the celebrations, receives a message from the Power that their entire planet no longer exists, it's up to her to help her entire delegation with this horrible future.
I'm going to start by saying that, if you're expecting space fights and explosions and a lot of action, you're not going to get it. This is a very political character-focused story, and you're mostly following Gredin's struggles when coming to terms with the knowledge that's given to her and making people believe it. That said, I adore political stories so I really enjoyed this book.
Blacklocke did a fantastic job on fleshing out all the different alien beings, even when they were just side characters to enrich this world. The main characters we follow also feel like real people, with beliefs and motivations, and I loved to see how the different races interacted with each other, especially the Vennans and the Prett (the hosts of this space station). The Vennan culture was what fascinated me the most. How their society is divided into different houses and how each Vennan has a specific ability that places them in this world. I would've liked a bit more backstory on how they come into these abilities, but I believe there's a prequel eBook available on J. J. Blacklocke's website that I expect touches upon those aspects of their culture.
Even though I really enjoyed this book, I thought its pacing was a bit off at times. It is a fairly long book but, because it's really political based, there's not much going on for a lot of it. That made me feel like the plot dragged on in parts but I wished it would've been more developed in others. Specifically how Gredin goes from a grief-stricken kid to the saviour of these people. I'm not going to give any spoilers, but how this happens isn't really explained and it's one of my biggest pet-peeves with books when something happens and you just have to accept it and move on.
The writing was what made me really enjoy this book. We're thrust upon a different world, with a variety of people that are completely different from one another and, even when I was still a bit lost as to how everything works, I was already sucked into the plot. The writing is effortless and you come to know the world as things happen. I realise that's not some people's preferred method of world-building as yes, you're quite confused for a while, but I personally really enjoyed how it was done.
Overall I gave this book a 3.75/5 ⭐️. I was fully immersed in the story and got through it fairly quickly, considering its size. I would've liked more explanation on some things and there were some characters that I absolutely loved and wished they were more prominent in the story, but overall I had a great time with this book and would love to read the following books in this series. Based on how Refuge ended, I feel like the next instalments will be even more exciting.
If you're interested in a political thriller set in space, Refuge just came out on November 10th, so you can pick it up now. And if you love it, Aftershock and The Bereft (books two and three of The Tradepoint Saga) come out in January and April, so not long at all to wait.
February 7, 2021
It's a decent story that lays a lot of good groundwork for future books. The main issue I had with the book is there was a lot of terminology invented for the story, but no glossary provided. This made some of the parts more difficult to read than they should have been.
The main character starts out as extremely weak-willed and relatively inconsequential. She goes through her transformation and comes out different, (as expected). However, there is a lot of background to the Vennans that *really* needed to be explained. There's a major amount of background that is really critical to the Vennans and the story that is not presented, and enough of a teaser during the story to keep it interesting. However, the lack of explanation also makes parts of the story, and the personality & interactions of the Vennans basically opaque. This really detracts from the story overall. I've read a lot of other stories with their own terminology, and almost all of them provide a glossary for the terms and how they relate to characters/etc. in the story.
The overall writing is good, and as I mentioned, the story is good, and presents a LOT of potential. Without giving anything away, this story is a great intro for a long series.. almost like the first couple of chapters in a great book. (Most SciFi/SciFantasy books fall into categories like this - the overall story is huge, and the publishers require that the author break it up into multiple books. The character development is fair for some characters, poor for a couple, and good for some.
And the biggest spoiler/missing piece...
The explanation of the Power is really required and it's missing. Not having this leaves a lot of questions about the story and how it plays out - and not in a good way.
The main character starts out as extremely weak-willed and relatively inconsequential. She goes through her transformation and comes out different, (as expected). However, there is a lot of background to the Vennans that *really* needed to be explained. There's a major amount of background that is really critical to the Vennans and the story that is not presented, and enough of a teaser during the story to keep it interesting. However, the lack of explanation also makes parts of the story, and the personality & interactions of the Vennans basically opaque. This really detracts from the story overall. I've read a lot of other stories with their own terminology, and almost all of them provide a glossary for the terms and how they relate to characters/etc. in the story.
The overall writing is good, and as I mentioned, the story is good, and presents a LOT of potential. Without giving anything away, this story is a great intro for a long series.. almost like the first couple of chapters in a great book. (Most SciFi/SciFantasy books fall into categories like this - the overall story is huge, and the publishers require that the author break it up into multiple books. The character development is fair for some characters, poor for a couple, and good for some.
And the biggest spoiler/missing piece...
The explanation of the Power is really required and it's missing. Not having this leaves a lot of questions about the story and how it plays out - and not in a good way.
January 10, 2021
I want to start by saying that I am not a fan of science fiction. Of all the genres out there, sci-fi is one of my least favorite. But, when JJ Blacklocke approached me to read and review Refuge, the blurb hooked me. I hesitantly picked it up, but once I did, there was no going back.
I adored this novel! The writing is excellent, and the storyline captured my attention from the very first. I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what was coming. There were no disappointing moments throughout the entire book.
I can’t even begin to tell you about the range of emotions that I experienced while reading. I was so angry at times, yet at others, brought to tears. One of the events toward the end made me ugly cry because it was so beautiful. There is one character that I wish I could slap across the face. She is horrible and relentless in her bullying of our main character.
Blacklocke has done what many sci-fi writers have failed to do. They made me fall in love with a sci-fi space opera. I am glad that this is the first in a series because I need more Gredin. I want to know what happens next. It is all I can do not to spoil the greatness that is in this book.
As I am sure you will guess, I am awarding Refuge a full 5 out of 5 stars. Whether you enjoy sci-fi or not, I recommend this novel. If you are like me, you may find your way into the science fiction world.
I adored this novel! The writing is excellent, and the storyline captured my attention from the very first. I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what was coming. There were no disappointing moments throughout the entire book.
I can’t even begin to tell you about the range of emotions that I experienced while reading. I was so angry at times, yet at others, brought to tears. One of the events toward the end made me ugly cry because it was so beautiful. There is one character that I wish I could slap across the face. She is horrible and relentless in her bullying of our main character.
Blacklocke has done what many sci-fi writers have failed to do. They made me fall in love with a sci-fi space opera. I am glad that this is the first in a series because I need more Gredin. I want to know what happens next. It is all I can do not to spoil the greatness that is in this book.
As I am sure you will guess, I am awarding Refuge a full 5 out of 5 stars. Whether you enjoy sci-fi or not, I recommend this novel. If you are like me, you may find your way into the science fiction world.
December 10, 2020
Great world-building, believable characters, powerful story
This story is compelling and wondrous. I can't wait to read book 2.
This is a complex, beautifully told story of life taking unexpected twists and turns that fundamentally deconstruct the main characters' circumstances, assumptions and/or beliefs. They are required to handle unexpected, alien circumstances, then to continue functioning after a momentous disaster occurs. They are forced to create radically different perspectives and behave in ways they never conceived of in order to survive.
Each of the alien races on the trade station (in space) is vividly depicted physically with a general sense of its character. The trade station itself and the Venna home world are described in detail. The culture and life style of the Vennans is beautifully brought to life. The key Vennan characters are quite different from each other in important ways. They react differently to the small and large challenges, and yet obviously operate within the same culture. The communication between key characters of different races is well-developed. Everything in this novel is tightly interwoven into a cohesive reality. This is top quality opera science fiction.
This story is compelling and wondrous. I can't wait to read book 2.
This is a complex, beautifully told story of life taking unexpected twists and turns that fundamentally deconstruct the main characters' circumstances, assumptions and/or beliefs. They are required to handle unexpected, alien circumstances, then to continue functioning after a momentous disaster occurs. They are forced to create radically different perspectives and behave in ways they never conceived of in order to survive.
Each of the alien races on the trade station (in space) is vividly depicted physically with a general sense of its character. The trade station itself and the Venna home world are described in detail. The culture and life style of the Vennans is beautifully brought to life. The key Vennan characters are quite different from each other in important ways. They react differently to the small and large challenges, and yet obviously operate within the same culture. The communication between key characters of different races is well-developed. Everything in this novel is tightly interwoven into a cohesive reality. This is top quality opera science fiction.
September 5, 2020
I received this as an ARC. REFUGE is an intriguing mix of alien species politics/diplomacy and a coming of age story set in an alternate universe. The book’s strengths are the writing, which flows wonderfully, and details of the world building. What stayed with me most was the author’s degree of creativity in carefully constructing all of the details of Tradepoint and the diverse cultures that interact there – communication and commerce, food, belief systems, etc. That aspect reminded me of a similar attention to cultural/technological details in the work of B. Sriduangkaew and A. Martine. If you enjoy detailed immersion into alien worlds and close character study in scifi you’ll like REFUGE. There’s a lot going in the story - as other reviewers noted, you need to pay close attention to keep track of all the moving parts, character names, etc. If you do, it rewards you with a tale of nuanced intrigue. Recommended if you enjoy character-driven political thrillers set in space.
December 24, 2020
A Whole New World, err Universe
The Vennans are a private people but they have decided to share some of their culture on the trade station, Tradepoint. Tradepoint is where all races can coexist in peace. It orbits the Prett homeworld. The Pretts have been kind to Vennans since they have some very valuable crystals on their home world.
Gredin, is a young translator who helps the “first” speaker. The “first” speaker is a bitter woman who doesn’t like and is jealous of Gredin. As the Vennans prepare for their event, Gredin has some bad dreams and gets very emotional. This leads to a series of events that will shape the Vennans’ future. I do not want to spoil it for you but it is definitely worth the time and you will enjoy it.
The Vennans are a private people but they have decided to share some of their culture on the trade station, Tradepoint. Tradepoint is where all races can coexist in peace. It orbits the Prett homeworld. The Pretts have been kind to Vennans since they have some very valuable crystals on their home world.
Gredin, is a young translator who helps the “first” speaker. The “first” speaker is a bitter woman who doesn’t like and is jealous of Gredin. As the Vennans prepare for their event, Gredin has some bad dreams and gets very emotional. This leads to a series of events that will shape the Vennans’ future. I do not want to spoil it for you but it is definitely worth the time and you will enjoy it.
August 12, 2020
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Refuge in exchange for an honest review.
I suppose it's my own fault that I didn't enjoy Refuge, so I'll give it the most average rating possible.
Refuge's description does not hide the significance of space politics on its plot, but I was expecting a little more adventure and a little less talking about intergalactic communications. I was expecting a sci-fi story with strong political themes, but I'd actually categorize this as a political thriller set in space.
It's certainly unique and well written, I'm just not the right reader for this.
I suppose it's my own fault that I didn't enjoy Refuge, so I'll give it the most average rating possible.
Refuge's description does not hide the significance of space politics on its plot, but I was expecting a little more adventure and a little less talking about intergalactic communications. I was expecting a sci-fi story with strong political themes, but I'd actually categorize this as a political thriller set in space.
It's certainly unique and well written, I'm just not the right reader for this.
August 28, 2020
The premise for this book was fascinating and the main character, Gredin, is very likable, but at times I found the story very confusing. There wasn't much exposition in the beginning, so there isn't a lot of context for the reader; we don't know much about Vennan society, culture, or what the various roles mean. I also wasn't entirely clear as to how they travel through space. I very much enjoyed the dialogue between characters, which I found believable, but the difficulty I had following the plot made the overall reading experience less enjoyable than it might have been.
November 12, 2020
Character driven political space opera
Tradepoint is space station where different species can trade with each other.
Not a fan of politics (especially in military space opera) but here I did not mind.
Kate "reading" from the start is great, I did feel like I was part of this universe.
Love that the is no humans no earth but there are plenty of other interesting species.
I like that mystery was in the background not the main focus of the story.
Kate Reading did a great job narrating this book.
Tradepoint is space station where different species can trade with each other.
Not a fan of politics (especially in military space opera) but here I did not mind.
Kate "reading" from the start is great, I did feel like I was part of this universe.
Love that the is no humans no earth but there are plenty of other interesting species.
I like that mystery was in the background not the main focus of the story.
Kate Reading did a great job narrating this book.
January 19, 2024
Rarely have I been so violently catfished by a novel.
Premise: political sci-fi, a remnant population from a planetary disaster struggles to survive on a space station.
Reality: banal fantasy as the universe's only magical race hand waves their way through an undeveloped sci-fi setting and the problems are solved through the most blatant deus ex machina.
SPOILER:
The protagonists 'character development' is accomplished by her personality being retooled by a night visitation from god. Thereby what little dramatic tension there was was removed.
Premise: political sci-fi, a remnant population from a planetary disaster struggles to survive on a space station.
Reality: banal fantasy as the universe's only magical race hand waves their way through an undeveloped sci-fi setting and the problems are solved through the most blatant deus ex machina.
SPOILER:
The protagonists 'character development' is accomplished by her personality being retooled by a night visitation from god. Thereby what little dramatic tension there was was removed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2024
This book offered an intriguing take on aliens co-mingling, which was the aspect I enjoyed the most. Some parts felt a bit long-winded, especially with the repeated translations, though I understand that was central to the main character's role. The main character irritated me by how frustratingly useless she was in the beginning, but then later I was upset that she changed so much, so not really sure where I stand with her anymore. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with a unique perspective on sci-fi that I haven’t encountered before.
December 12, 2020
This review is for the audiobook version of Refuge by J.J. Blacklocke and narrated by Kate Reading.
Text Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Narration Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Refuge was an enjoyable bit of world-building with a fair bit of melodrama typical in Space Opera. The story crawled more than it ran, but Kate Reading was awesome.
***Full Disclosure: I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
Text Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Narration Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Refuge was an enjoyable bit of world-building with a fair bit of melodrama typical in Space Opera. The story crawled more than it ran, but Kate Reading was awesome.
***Full Disclosure: I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
May 26, 2021
Fantastic look into social, cultural interactions between multiple alien species at an intergalactic trading hub. This is all politics, diplomacy, talk; while exciting things happen, and people react with high emotions, there's little of battle or war, so this isn't military sci-fi.
I especially enjoyed the lack of humans. All aliens, all the time! Strange worlds, foods, plants, languages, religions... everything. Glorious, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!
I especially enjoyed the lack of humans. All aliens, all the time! Strange worlds, foods, plants, languages, religions... everything. Glorious, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!
Read
November 30, 2020Wow!
I really loved this book. It is space opera at its very best. But it’s so much more. The deaths of worlds are not a simple thing and leaders rise to aid those left behind. There’s so much depth and beauty between the pages that I turned back as soon as I finished them, to start over again. It’s a keeper!!
I really loved this book. It is space opera at its very best. But it’s so much more. The deaths of worlds are not a simple thing and leaders rise to aid those left behind. There’s so much depth and beauty between the pages that I turned back as soon as I finished them, to start over again. It’s a keeper!!
December 19, 2020
Detailed and thought provoking.
I really liked this book and its narration. At first it was confusing and seemed like a lot of formal hub bub...but as I got to know the characters better and heard their voices portrayed...I was drawn in. I am very eager to read the next in the series. I also loved all the varied races of beings.
I really liked this book and its narration. At first it was confusing and seemed like a lot of formal hub bub...but as I got to know the characters better and heard their voices portrayed...I was drawn in. I am very eager to read the next in the series. I also loved all the varied races of beings.
November 17, 2020
A good space station story, and pretty good for a first novel. Interesting premise, nice characterization, and a fairly complicated plot make this mostly engaging. Recommended
I really appreciate the review copy!!
I really appreciate the review copy!!
February 4, 2021
Refuge was a refreshing scifi that i didnt know i was looking for. Immensely original with vibrant culture and language, Refuge stands out in a class of its own.
I cannot wait to read the remaining books in the series!
I cannot wait to read the remaining books in the series!
November 14, 2020
3.5 rounded up
November 18, 2020
Powerful story
What a fun adventure! I enjoyed the characters and plot very much. I love the premise of a world destroyed and how to recover. I look forward to the next one.
What a fun adventure! I enjoyed the characters and plot very much. I love the premise of a world destroyed and how to recover. I look forward to the next one.
November 23, 2020
Refuge
Venna a world of beauty and people of incredible power who come together in a trade mission to share their talents. I recommend this book as a lovely otherness.
Venna a world of beauty and people of incredible power who come together in a trade mission to share their talents. I recommend this book as a lovely otherness.
December 30, 2020
Good read
Surprisingly a very good and interesting book that will force me to wait for the next two books ( note: I hate waiting for series and normally drop them or worse forget them)
Surprisingly a very good and interesting book that will force me to wait for the next two books ( note: I hate waiting for series and normally drop them or worse forget them)
January 3, 2021
This is quite well written but almost nothing happens in the book and it takes forever. Almost all of the book is just waiting to tell everyone their planet is gone, with some minor inter-personal drama.
I was hoping for a stranded group of aliens to come together under new inexperienced leadership, make trade deals and relationships with other alien races to secure their future. With necessary intrigue and action. This book is not that and I'm not sure what the author is aiming for.
I was hoping for a stranded group of aliens to come together under new inexperienced leadership, make trade deals and relationships with other alien races to secure their future. With necessary intrigue and action. This book is not that and I'm not sure what the author is aiming for.
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