Thank you to Tor Teen for sending me an advance copy of Victories Greater Than Death for review.
Tina is just your average teen, going to school and sitting at home, waiting for her life to begin. She always knew she was destined for greatness. Maybe it’s because she’s an alien clone living in hiding on Earth. When her chance to prove herself finally arrives, she narrowly escapes the monsters hunting her down. Up in space, Tina slowly regains the alien captain’s memories that are supposed to save the galaxy. With all eyes on her, she accrues enemies and allies and discovers how far she’s willing to go to protect the universe.
It’s officially time for Charlie Jane Anders’ YA debut! Known for her bestsellers All the Birds in the Sky and The City in the Middle of the Night, Anders is a science fiction and fantasy wiz. I’ll happily read anything she writes. Victories Greater Than Death is the first book in a projected new trilogy that promises adventure and heart.
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The friendship and relationships between characters are at the heart of the book. To save the world, Tina assembles a motley crew of young, inexperienced aliens and brilliant but ignored human teenagers. The crew always has each other’s backs, especially when standing up to genocidal monster aliens.
I loved the diversity of characters, both those from Earth and the far-flung reaches of space. Thanks to language-translating technology, the characters communicated easily without readers losing a sense of their individuality. Everyone, no matter where they were from, introduced themselves with their names and pronouns.
Although characters used words that were literally alien, this small but powerful aspect felt organic and natural in the world Anders created. In this way, Victories reminded me a bit of Becky Chambers’ book The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Character introductions show readers all different cultures and environments while revealing that, despite their differences, they’re still able to get along.
No review of Victories is complete without a look at Tina herself. To say she’s complicated would be an understatement. Tina grew up as a regular human teenager with the memories of an alien military hero. She has trouble at times determining which aspects of her personality are truly her own, especially once she’s aboard the starship Indomitable. She has a military mind, appreciating teamwork and understanding the chain of command.
Still, she values creativity and has a soft spot for the neglected and downtrodden. Tina strives to handle conflict without killing or dying. She truly comes into her own throughout the book, and I look forward to seeing how Tina grows even more in the sequels.
Victories is a strong, detailed and well-developed start to a new series. It’s perfect for fans of action-packed outer space sagas and found family narratives looking for their new favorite adventure.
Victories Greater Than Death comes out from Tor Teen on April 13. You can preorder a copy now from Bookshop.org or your local independent bookstore!
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wow its wonderful. （ i just read apart ，i am a english learner in the first stage，i
want to find the bool but in chinese its so difficult……）