Review of Persephone Station by Stina Leicht
This was a pretty exciting space opera. When I heard about a sci-fi book that was filled with lesbian, bisexual, and non-binary characters, my interest was immediately piqued. And of course, when I saw the cover I knew I had to read this. The cover art is just so good. I do want to apologize to Gallery/Saga for being a little late with this review. I’m so glad I finally got this read and while it wasn’t everything I was hoping for, I did enjoy it.
While the book had a large cast of characters, there were three main characters that most of the POV times was spent in, Angel, Kennedy, and Rosie. Angel is an ex-military and current mercenary, Rosie is a crime boss, and Kennedy is hiding the biggest secret of all. This brings me to my main issue with this book in that I wanted more character development. There was some really good character potential here, between main and secondary characters, but I think some characters were harder to connect with than they should have been. Kennedy was my favorite but I think it was because she had the biggest and most important backstory. The times that I liked all three main characters the best was when we were getting important details of their past and how it shaped who they were today. Rosie’s past, Angel’s family, and Kennedy’s sisters, and her fight for humanity were all parts when I really cared about the mains. I wish there were more of those really effective and well-written character parts throughout the book.
I know a lot of people that read my reviewers always want to know if a book has a romance. This does not have any. There are some characters with girlfriends or boyfriends, but they are mainly secondary characters and the relationships are more just mentioned in passing. I had this weird hope that Angel and Kennedy might end up at least in the same place together. Trust me, I get how weird that is and you will too when you read this book, but I could not help thinking they might make an interesting pair.
This book had a good mix of excitement. The beginning felt like a bit of a slog and I just could not get comfortable reading. Luckily, once the book found its groove, the story flow was so much better. Just about the last two-thirds were exciting, action-packed, and more fun to read. So if you find the beginning a little bumpy, don’t worry because the action eventually heats up.
This book is not supposed to be a series but I could see a spin-off as a possibility. There is an alien race that is really interesting and I think Leicht has only just scratched the surface of what this race could become. A race of people that can shapeshift and speak to animals was just really well done and interesting and I would love to see them star in their own book.
I would recommend this to space opera fans, especially if you are looking for book casts that are mostly women and non-binary characters. I was happy about the diversity and queerness of so many characters. Again, I did want more of a connection to many of the characters than I had. Lives were on the line in this book I wanted to feel that worry, but this didn’t quite grab me enough. The action and excitement were good and Kennedy is a character that will stick with me. If Leicht ever writes a spin-off I would read it. 3.75 Stars.
A copy was given to me for an honest review.
One Response
I really liked the characters, especially Kennedy, who may be the best AI character I’ve encountered in years. Sukyi, the terminally ill black woman with a passion for explosives, was a favorite too.