"...certain aspects of the book could have been condensed."

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lindsi Avatar

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DNF at 25%

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

First of all, I listened to 8 hours and 20 minutes of this book - it's a BEAST. I believe it's like 32 hours and 29 minutes total, which is simply too much for this story. I think Paolini wanted to be descriptive and really explain the world he's created (an amazingly complex universe), but I also think certain aspects of the book could have been condensed. I also wasn't 100% sold on certain parts of the story, and wish character development had been more of a priority (especially at the start), rather than extensive descriptions of planets and alien life.

Unfortunately, that's not what ruined this book for me. Oh, it's much worse than that... the main character, Kira, vomited into her alien spacesuit - where it had nowhere to go - so she basically ate and then choked on her puke. The author follows that by going into GREAT detail about how her barf then goes up her nose when she inhales (basically suffocating AND drowning on her own upchuck), and I just could not anymore with this book. That was too much, Paolini. Too. Much. 🤢

I also thought the author based a lot of the "alien" on Venom and the other Klyntar from Marvel. There were SO MANY similarities. How the alien attaches to her skin, how the alien can feel the pieces of itself that are no longer connected, how it functions to protect its host, how it communicates - the backstories were too alike to be coincidental. I wish Paolini's alien had been unique and something unrecognizable. I'm actually really curious if anyone else has made this connection, so let me know if you had similar thoughts while reading this one. Additionally, Kira called the alien "Soft Blade," but I always heard "Soft GLADE," which lessened the appeal for me. Neither name worked, to be honest.

Audiobook review: The narrator was PHENOMENAL. There are a ton of characters in this book, and she had a different voice for everyone. It was easy to keep the characters separate in my head, and I'm looking forward to listening to more books read by her in the future. (★★☆☆☆)