Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Actual Rating: 3 stars
Content Warning: Some violent imagery, as to be expected in a sci-fi novel.
“Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak” is the second book in the Unstoppable series, following directly after the events in the first book. This time around, we live the story through different points of view: Rachael, as she lives with not being able to make art anymore; Tina, who is studying at the Royal Space Academy in hopes of becoming the hero she’s supposed to be; and Elza, Tina’s girlfriend, who’s competing to become a princess.
This did not read like a book, it read more like an elaborate AU fanfic. The world-building and character introduction weren’t the absolute worse there is, but I personally consider there are better ways to introduce a character’s gender than adding their pronouns after their name. The (she/her), (he/him), etc. threw me off from the start. Also, why break that science fiction, futuristic feel by talking about real-world things like Tiktok? I get that they’re teenagers in space, but those references and mentions threw me off.
Overall, it’s entertaining and relatively fast-paced. It’s a fun read that isn’t necessarily short, but it’s so action-packed that it feels like it’s short, in a good way. I really enjoyed the different gender and sexuality representation in this book, it mostly felt organic to the story. I think my favorite parts of this book were told through “letters” sent through Joinergram, which tells you a lot about why I gave this book 3 stars.
If you read the first book in this series, then by all means grab this one too, you will know what to expect and will get to see the main characters again. I would also recommend this book to younger readers trying to get into science fiction writing, or young readers who have enjoyed reading “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card.
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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
andrea's galley 