Sarah O'Connor

I received this book from Wunderkind PR in exchange for an honest review.

“‘Permission to speak of doom, Captain?’

Permission denied,” (Rambo).

Retired former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind Niko Larson has set up a restaurant on the edge of the known universe with her former unit. They work hard to keep The Last Chance up and running, and with a critic coming and the promise of a Nikkelin Orb the restaurant could finally be seeing the pay-off to all the work they’ve put in. But when disaster strikes, Niko and her crew find themselves on a sentient ship who believes it has been stolen. With a suspicious ship, a mysterious package, and a sadistic pirate from Niko’s past she and the crew will have to work their hardest to get out of this mess.

I’ve never read a Space Opera before so I was very excited to receive You Sexy Thing and see what it was like. I’ve always enjoyed sci-fi but have never known where to start, have been a bit intimidated by the genre. Would it be too complex like some high Fantasy novels can be? Would I understand it or would all the space stuff just make me confused? If anything You Sexy Thing has made me more eager to explore the sci-fi genre and to check out more Space Operas!

The characters are the real stars of this novel. There is so much diversity in this cast of characters, from squid-like and swan-like characters to shapeshifters, lizard mages, and crew members with many limbs I was so thrilled to meet each crew member. They were all so memorable and had such unique voices that set them each apart from one another. I’d have to say my favourites were probably Darby, Skidoo, and Atlanta, and of course Niko. She’s a great captain with so much wit, I was always eager to see what she’d do next. I also loved that reader’s got to see inside the ship’s mind, even though the idea of a bioship that has skin inside of it and is classified as a living thing freaks me out, it was a unique and different way of writing a spaceship.

I also just really enjoyed the story. I loved trying to predict what would happen next and just had a fun time reading it. It’s funny, witty, with such wonderful characters that I was always eager to get right back into reading.

My biggest criticism with You Sexy Thing is that a lot of it’s marketing is centred around “Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off.” I haven’t seen either show but I can say that the restaurant aspect of the story is surprisingly small. It makes itself known in little ways throughout, and the food descriptions when provided are certainly enough to get your stomach rumbling, but I wouldn’t say the crew’s focus during the novel is keeping their restaurant thriving.

You Sexy Thing may have been my first Space Opera but it certainly won’t be the last. With a memorable and fantastic cast of characters, and the possibility of a series to come (PLEASE!) You Sexy Thing is a fun sci-fi novel that any fans of the genre should be eager to get their hands on.

Publication: November 16th 2021
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 699 pages (Netgalley, 304 Hardcover)
Source: Wunderkind PR (Thanks Emma!)
Genre: Fiction, Sci-Fi, Space Opera, LGTBQ*
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:

TwiceFar station is at the edge of the known universe, and that’s just how Niko Larson, former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind, likes it.
Retired and finally free of the continual war of conquest, Niko and the remnants of her former unit are content to spend the rest of their days working at the restaurant they built together, The Last Chance.
But, some wars can’t ever be escaped, and unlike the Hive Mind, some enemies aren’t content to let old soldiers go. Niko and her crew are forced onto a sentient ship convinced that it is being stolen and must survive the machinations of a sadistic pirate king if they even hope to keep the dream of The Last Chance alive.