Emma Newman – Cannonball Read 17

A good start with a disappointing finish

Planetfall by Emma Newman

May 6, 2021 by Bothari43 2 Comments

This book was SO AGGRAVATING! The first half was interesting, and it tackled mental health in a way I hadn’t seen from a sci-fi book before, and then the ending was just MADDENING. Twenty years ago, a group of scientists and pilgrims left Earth for reasons I thought would be explained but weren’t. (I thought they were fleeing from some kind of planet-ending doom, but then it seemed like not? They just got the traveling bug?) A scientist named Suh had a vision/dream of some […]

Questions on the Nature of All Good Things and Ending

All Good Things by Emma Newman

May 19, 2019 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

Why is Cathy suddenly a potentially powerful Sorcerer? Who/What/How is Beatrice? And what’s up with her rather pointless ending? Why is Lucy suddenly back with a big part in the story? There must have been a better way to give Lucy purpose or explaining her besides using the otherwise pointless Edwin, right? Why do we need to hear so much from William, and what’s up with his sudden need for total power? Was that scene with him and Amelia necessary? Why is there so little […]

Sometimes the sequel is even better

March 10, 2018 by yesknopemaybe 1 Comment

4.5 stars. Genre bending fiction is my favorite when it’s done right. I’m especially a sucker for the mystery genre being smushed with other genres, so I was really excited to find that this mostly standalone sequel to a Planetfall, a favorite from January, was a science fiction/thriller/mystery. It’s hard to talk about it because I’m still pretty blown away by how much I loved After Atlas. First things first, you can read this without reading Planetfall, but there is an extra layer of meaning […]

Finding Meaning in Meaningless Ways

January 30, 2018 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

The basic premise of Planetfall is that Renata Ghali and a group of fellow scientist and explorers have left Earth and set up a colony on a distant planet, but something happened in the process of getting there and getting set up. There are some mysterious goings on that Ren has complicated feelings about and doesn’t quite understand, especially when it comes to their leader and her former roommate/love interest Lee Suh-Mi. Everything starts to unravel when Suh-Mi’s supposed grandson appears out of nowhere, and […]

Starting to not like things

January 14, 2018 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

Weaver’s Lament has the same elements to recommend it as did its predecessor Brother’s Ruin, but it also has the weaknesses too. The premise is interesting, the world has promise, but nothing is really developed enough for the ideas to really come together. Part of what annoys me is that I’ve read some of Emma Newman’s full novels, so I know she’s capable of good world- and character building, and even if it is YA and a novella, there’s so much that left out that […]

Left wanting more more more

January 9, 2018 by yesknopemaybe 2 Comments

Holy shit, this book was good. It started slow and then just kept building and building until the breathtaking ending. It was recommended to me by an extended family member and I’m so glad I didn’t just blow them off and actually picked it up. I hope Newman’s other books are as good, because I plan on reading them stat. Renata “Ren” Ghali lives in a colony on a far away world, working as the settlement’s engineer. She’s a respected member of the community, but […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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