The end of the year is coming closer, and I feel stressed about the number of books left on my Netgalley TBR. So I stress-read Under Fortunate Stars, and I was not disappointed. Let’s jump into my review!
{You might also like – Grave Things Like Love Review}
Quick Synopsis
Under Fortunate Stars is a fast-moving, compelling time-travel story about what it actually means to live on in history, and what could happen if history doesn’t stay the same.
About Under Fortunate Stars
Title: Under Fortunate Stars
Author: Ren Hutchings
Rating: 4 Stars
CAWPILE: 7.6/10
Genre: Science Fiction
Content Warnings: Death, war, murder
Format: eARC
Publisher: Solaris
Date Published: 12 May 2022
Goodreads Description: Fleeing the final days of the generations-long war with the alien Felen, smuggler Jereth Keeven’s freighter the Jonah breaks down in a strange rift in deep space, with little chance of rescue—until they encounter the research vessel Gallion, which claims to be from 152 years in the future.
The Gallion‘s chief engineer Uma Ozakka has always been fascinated with the past, especially the tale of the Fortunate Five, who ended the war with the Felen. When the Gallion rescues a run-down junk freighter, Ozakka is shocked to recognize the Five’s legendary ship—and the Five’s famed leader, Eldric Leesongronski, among the crew.
But nothing else about Leesongronski and his crewmates seems to match up with the historical record. With their ships running out of power in the rift, more than the lives of both crews may be at stake.
Purchase Links
Purchase Under Fortunate Stars here!
Under Fortunate Stars Review
Characters – 7/10
While Under Fortunate Stars is a character-driven story, I feel like there were too many characters. We only get a few POV chapters, but the cast is quite large. I would have liked a smaller cast, with more POV chapters from the main characters. That being said, I really loved the characters; Shaan and Jereth the most. It makes me wish we got more of their story, but overall I think Hutchings did a great job. The main cast felt fleshed out and real, and I loved every minute.
Atmosphere – 8/10
I love sci-fi worlds. While we spend most of our time on a ship, the rest of the world feels fully fleshed out and real. I could easily read more books set in this universe. It felt like a Star Trek episode, mixed with some classic Doctor Who shenanigans.
Writing – 8/10
The writing was easy to read and fairly consistent. I always enjoy simple writing more, and overly flowery prose would have felt out of place for this story. There’s a good balance between the past and present POVs, and I really liked the short chapters. I would 100% read more from Hutchings.
Plot – 8/10
Time travel shenanigans are always tricky. It can feel like cheating or sometimes it’s just not that well executed. In the case of Under Fortunate Stars, I think it was well done. This book reminded me of my favourite Doctor Who episode Under the Lake (iykyk). I did see the final twist coming but didn’t predict the “how” only the end result. Overall it’s a really cool premise with a bit of mystery and time travel. What’s not to love?
Intrigue – 7/10
I think this book should have been 100 pages longer. Sometimes it felt like we were missing key scenes and descriptions, and a few vital moments happen off page. I would have liked the epilogue to be a bit longer (hell even give me a follow-up novella or something, I NEED TO KNOW) and I could have used some more background on the war. Overall though, it’s not bad.
Logic – 7/10
One of my favourite parts of this book is how the characters think their way out of the problem they are facing. There’s an appropriate amount of techno-babble, and fairly difficult concepts are described well enough for the reader to understand.
If you’re looking for a well-crafted, edge-of-your-seat sci-fi action standalone with a hint of enemies to lovers, this is the book for you.
Enjoyment – 8/10
I can’t believe it took me so long to pick this book up. I saw it on Netgalley back at the beginning of the year and the premise really intrigued me. I had been meaning to get to it, but time just ran away from me. However, I’m really glad I picked this one up when I did. This is a space opera that will stick with me for a long time.
Chat with me about Under Fortunate Stars
Have you picked up this book?
If you enjoy my content, please consider supporting me by buying me a coffee!
Pin This!
One thought on “Under Fortunate Stars Review – a surprisingly fun time travel tale”
Comments are closed.