This book is about a team of astronauts with the mission of exploring a failed colony in the planet Keto.
The beginning of this novel was a mess. The author started with a flashback, which could have worked out if the first quarter of the book wasn’t a complete mess. In that flashback, there were characters introduced that the author never mentioned again, like Odis. After that first chapter, where I was already feeling lost, there was a list of characters (that weren’t mentioned in the flashback) and their jobs. The rest of the plot surrounded some of them but it is not like I was going to memorize who they were and what they did just from reading the list. The second chapter starts and I get even more confused than in the first. All the characters of the list are together, talking to each other. I try to memorize their names but the author just throws descriptions and backgrounds. If there were less characters, maybe I’d retain something but with a group like that, I didn’t even know those descriptions belonged to who.
This character confusion only passed about halfway through but, with all the flashbacks, I would just get confused again.
Now, the plot. The overall concept of the book had potential. The problem was that the author didn’t deliver. The book was full of action-filled flashbacks but then, the “present” was only two characters walking around. There was almost no plot there but, luckily, after the middle, it got better.
The ideas were there but I still had a lot of problems with this book.
From the weird pacing, the flashbacks and the complete mess the characters were, this book offers a lot of confusion.
Still, it wasn’t all bad.
The mystery in Keto was interesting and, once I got used to the characters, the book was mildly enjoyable.

This book tells the story of a team whose mission is to explore a 'lifeless' planet (there were humans, they died, now there's algae and lichen).

The writing's effective, however, I noticed at least two spelling mistakes. Also, there's a chapter in which the reader is bombarded with too much information - I wasn't able to absorb any of it.

Story wise, there's a lot to talk about. First off, Kali has a weird sense of vengeance - she wants to avenge her friend who got hurt but, if she had been more cautious, no one would have gotten hurt to begin with. Also, the first 20% of this book is a bloody mess - there's name throwing, things happening, and I wasn't able to tell characters apart.

However, it gets better! As the story progresses and as the characters stop being so trope-ish, it somehow saves itself and becomes interesting.

I still feel sad that this was the first non graphic novel I've read in this genre, however, I know for a fact that I'll read more of it soon enough.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. The prologue was a touch confusing because the reader is thrown directly into the action, but by the end of the first chapter, things start to make sense. Most science fiction I have read make the mistake of giving the backstory/history as dialogue, or obnoxiously long descriptions: White Seed does neither. It unfolds organically and doesn't dumb things down for the reader. The novel assumes that the reader is smart and is actively trying to figure how everyone and everything is connected. It's a rare treat.

It actually reminds me a bit of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

The only complaint however, is the cover design. It could be so much better. It doesn't stand out in a crowd, and I am afraid people will pass this up because of it.