7.5 out of 10 because I think a 5 star scale doesn't give you enough nuance.

This pulled me out of a hell of a long reading slump, which alone is enough to show how good the book is. I'm a big fan of sci-fi, but have become disillusioned with it after reading many a novel in which all alien races are underdeveloped, essentially providing you with a cast of characters that goes Human, Human But Blue, Human But Tall, etc., and the writing is mind-numbingly dry. This book made for a nice change of pace.

The tone of Chamber's novel is pretty much what you'd expect from a book with a title like Long War to a Small, Angry Planet. It's upbeat, it's got a strong sense of humour, and a lot of life and spirit, which I really appreciate. The cast of characters is well-developed, with a large helping of the found family trope. Additionally, the world-building in this novel is absolutely fantastic. The alien races are diverse in custom and doesn't shy away from alternative conceptualizations of gender, family, and romantic relationships in the cast of alien species. It reminds me a fair bit of a drama podcast called The Strange Case of Starship Iris - I'd recommend giving that a listen if you're into Becky Chambers's stuff.

One thing that may strike others as a negative, but didn't bother me much, was the fact that the novel was very heavy on lore and exposition, and Chambers opened up a lot of interesting doors in this novel that I'm excited to see developed on later in the series. However, this did hinder the plot, and I would expect some to find it too slow, poorly paced, or find certain scenes unnecessary as a result.

I did take off one star for a plot-related issue, though. I found that this novel really held back in terms of conflict. It's kind of a given that Rosemary's secret past gets revealed at some point, for example, but I felt that it happened wayyyy too early into the plot and makes for a really underwhelming scene.

You could've had a really emotional moment that drove a wrench into the dynamic on the ship, but instead the reveal was a "why would we care?," played off for laughs and making Rosemary out to be dramatic. Not that I didn't like the scene - I actually found it quite funny - but with regards to the greater plot of the novel, I thought Chambers could've done more with it.

My thoughts with regards to the development of Ohan's character arc are quite similar. I like all the characters, and I feel like the series has a lot of potential, but I really wish that some of the plot points had higher stakes and that there was just more overall negativity in the novel.

That being said, with 40 pages left of this book, I went out and bought the sequel. A really good, heart-warming and exciting read.