This was a fast paced sci-fi with action galore. I felt like the pacing was too quick. The book starts off throwing you straight into action and the action doesn't stop. It took me a while to get through the book because I kept having to put it down to take a breather. It was very intense.

The writing was great. There were many sci-fi elements that were awesome. I would have liked to have more back story as to why the humans were fighting the aliens, but the story was well done.

This was a great break out novel for Tristina Wright and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

'27 Hours' is fast-paced and absolutely packed with action scenes. These kids just don't stop. But that makes the down-to-earth moments even more beautiful. I've been so lucky with ensemble cast books this year, and '27 Hours' has to go down with Ryan Graudin's 'Invictus' as one of the best. The fact this is a fantasy debut is also incredibly inspiring, since the diversity was EVERYTHING. Practically everyone on the LGBT+ scale was represented, there's also disability rep with the potential for even more in the sequel! This is how you do it, people. Inclusivity is important, It makes readers feel important. I wish I could go back to the beginning and savour it all over again, I can't wait for this serious to continue because the drama didn't stop, and the final page was no exception.

I couldn't get into this book, the writing was not for me, so I did not finish this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review 27 Hours by Tristina Wright. Rumor loses his father when they're attacked by Hellhounds and a dragon. A gargoyle, speaking their language, rode the dragon as its leader. When the gargoyle spoke he yelled to find Vala, so they seem to be searching for someone. Rumor's dad ordered him to run and to warn others of an imminent attack. Rumor ends up in Epsilon. He meets with Dahlia, an old acquaintance. The hormones all over the place became confusing. Then we meet Jude who sees emotions and intentions of others in different colors. He knows deception and truth because of his sense; I did enjoy this power. Dahlia's best friend Nyx wears hearing aids and they practice sign language together, which is awesome and interesting. Nyx has a crush on Dahlia and this became too sappy. The setting is eventually explained, a two hundred year-long journey from Earth to colonize in space. I kind of got tired of hearing about everyone being gay because if somewhere down the line there are no heterosexuals then we will become extinct and if colonization is a priority then reproducing should be a priority also. I guess maybe they can produce test tube babies or something similar. This book is more about categorizing sexual preferences and less about the plot, which was annoying to me. I enjoyed the descriptions of the chimera and found them interesting. I also enjoyed Braeden's and Rumor's sarcastic humor. The conflict and prejudice of the war on the Saharan moon took precedence for a while and that's interesting enough to pull me into the story but then, for some reason, even though everyone is worried about death and impending battle in less than 16 hours, they act like they have time for sex. Attraction and love were being confused with each other. Just because you're attracted to someone you just met, doesn't mean you love them and I feel that too many people use the word "love" too lightly. 3.5 stars for the storyline and world building.
* I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.

Review:
Content/trigger warnings (in the REVIEW, THIS REVIEW) for: colonization, racism.

I want to just put a disclaimer here that I loved this book. It's been a rough year for me - a rough life? - and something about this book touched me? The characters, mostly, I adored them all. I'm aware there are issues with it, though. However, hi, I'm white so the recent talk about this is not for me to speak about, though I agree with them. I'm just linking some reviews about the problems people had below which were about how it has colonization issues, and also not great PoC rep.

I’m not going to go into depth about either because it’s not for me to speak on, so I’ll just leave these reviews and go:

"Has colonist guilt & flawed racial representation" by Aimal (Bookshelves and Paperbacks blog) (quotes used here and below cause what their review is titled with/called)

2/5 - "disappointed and frustrated" by Jesse

3/5 - still had problems, but enjoyed by Anna Elisa Monte


I still have a few things to say, but honestly I feel like I should just leave it there. I just can’t, though, because I did really enjoy this book. Like I really, really loved this book. Mostly because I didn’t notice this was happening – well with the colonist bullshit, I was a little skeptical about the heritage representation, but I guess I added more time in my head. Looking back, maybe shouldn’t have read this during/right after BEA.

Tristina has addressed this online yet, so I’m just going to link that here with no more comment from me. Once again, not something for me to speak of.

I've rewritten this part about 100 times in the past three weeks and I just don't know anymore. First off - I loved this book, as I'm sure you can see by the rating. It's been a rough year, hell a rough few years, and this one just was amazing to me.

It was completely that right time, right book kind of thing and I'm fully aware of that but the characters. I love them so much. I had minor problems with it when I was reading it, but didn't see all the problems that are there. Mostly because I kind of forgot any of the main characters were white - and was confused a few weeks ago when I saw fanart and he was white, but apparently he's white.

I first read this book in June and haven't reread yet, but I just got the physical copy in my hands - wanted to reread the physical one because things do change. My personal problem is that we never get a clear answer about Braeden, if he's aro/ace or gray-romantic, I'm kind of on board for either but really want gray-rom/ace.

I feel a little guilty now, which is why I've rewritten this review so many times, with that I love this so much and it is problematic. I just - I'm not dealing with that well but that's my problem. I still wanted to review this, though, because I loved it so much.

And, no, some good rep doesn't cancel out the bad rep, that's now how that works, but it meant a lot to me when I read it and I think it might to others. If it did hurt you, though, I'm sorry - and definitely, if you're going to check it out, check into this before you do (reviews above)

Happy reading!

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I freaking loved this book.

The plot is fast-paced with lots of twists and turns, that keep you on your toes. Granted, it is a young adult novel, so do not expect it to be on par with big names in literary fiction in terms of style or plot twists, but Tristina Wright knows her way around the prose and does it really well. The narrative flows easily. There wasn’t a moment in my reading when I would think: “yeah this is a bit slow”. It was action after action, and at times I needed a moment to process who was running where and who was almost killed this time.
 
Because I swear, all of the characters of "27 Hours" seem to have a death wish.
 
It is a well-constructed world, with enough composition and descriptions to fill you in as you go. I found the idea of mystic creatures, chimera (not gargoyles, thank you very much), living on the moon fascinating. The rules of the world are well defined, and even though at some point I was a bit confused about the hierarchy of HUBs and colonies, I felt quite comfortable while reading about the rest of it.

I think the characters of "27 Hours" is the best part of this novel. I have not read a single other young adult (or adult, for that matter) book that would have this much representation. We have characters of colour, various origins, ability, gender identities, and sexuality. There is no discrimination based on any of that either. However, using her characters’ voices, the author touches upon few very critical issues that exist in our world, making them sound as ridiculous and horrific as they truly are.

I loved this book, plain and simple. It gave me a band of incredibly brave teenagers, who are set on defending their home, even though it seems like a suicide mission. Who are willing to against everything they were taught. Who stand together in spite of differences that try to pull them apart.

I loved "27 Hours" so much that I doodled George. I am not an artist but it had to be done. Just because.
 
I loved all the characters in the book, I can’t even decide who is my favourite. And I ship all of the ships. Yes.
 
And today, I ordered my own copy of "27 Hours" - because I need to have something to console me as I impatiently wait for book two in this trilogy.
 
I am usually pretty fair with my rating. To be honest, I would give the plot itself only 4 stars. However, the diversity and representation in this book are so good, that it deserves an extra star. I can not wait to find out what happens next in the story.

Personal rating: 5 stars

An exciting gripping sc-fi that was really enjoyable and exciting. Looking forward to what this author writes next!

This book was a complex, somewhat intense YA adventure, with lots of diverse characters, set on a far away planet’s moon. The pace varied from fast-paced action/fight scenes to slow-paced scenes of inner turmoil and stolen moments between characters.

There was also some interesting commentary that I wasn’t expecting, basically about how humans ruin everything. I agreed with the commentary, but it was a little heavy handed. One character outrightly said humans are parasites. The moon was kind of a character of her own, and she was angry and hurt by the destruction. And pretty much the whole premise was about how the humans showed up on the moon that was home to the native gargoyles/chimera and then proceeded to go to war with them and how now there are kids and teens living there that had no say in the matter and call this place home but have to deal with the consequences. I was struck with this immense sadness at one point though for a dragon in the book because it wasn’t his fault that any of this was happening or that he was big and scary and deadly, he was just an innocent creature harmed because of the humans and chimera. That was a more subtle moment that I appreciated.

And if you’re looking for books with diversity rep, as I mentioned, this one had a lot of that—gay guys, bisexual characters, an asexual guy, a pansexual girl, a non-binary person, a trans girl, a deaf girl who used ASL, a guy with three fingers on one hand, a guy with anxiety and PTSD, POC characters (including Latina, Cuban, and Nigerian/Indian/Portuguese). I don’t fall into any of those categories, so I can’t say how well any of them were portrayed, just that they were present in the book and that none of the characters were judged or treated badly for these things. And each character was an individual person with their own personality traits and motivations and emotions.

I have to admit I had a hard time feeling gripped by the book or really connecting to the characters though. One problem I had was that there were so many characters that it was hard to remember who was who, what each looked like, what their relationships to each other were, etc. Plus there were four different POVs, and sometimes the chapters were very short, making it hard for me to sink into the story or into any of the characters’ minds. There was also so much going on—gargoyle/chimera attacks, dragons, trying to stop a war between chimera and humans, multiple romantic subplots, friend/family drama, secrets/conspiracies, a mysterious cloaked figure, one character could understand the moon language, one character was an empath… I also didn’t feel much chemistry in any of the romances. *SPOILER* I thought it was strange when Dahlia suddenly loved Nyx even though there were no signs of that before, at least not from what I could tell, not to mention that literally just hours prior to this love confession, Dahlia had broken up with her previous partner, who then died, and she was still grieving him. As for the romance between Rumor and Jude, it was kind of cute, but their feelings still seemed kinda strong considering they just met. *END SPOILER* But I did like all the consent, communication, and playfulness in the romantic scenes, like how characters asked before even kissing each other.

But despite not being gripped by the story, there were no serious flaws that I noticed. It didn’t quite suit my taste, but I can see other readers, especially teens, loving this YA dystopian in space.

"I'm sorry, but i cannot in good conscience promote this title due to the openly abusive nature of the author on social media towards anyone who has a different opinion than them...

This is an awesome addition to the sci-fi genre: tense (there's a clock down) and full of futuristic technology. Fans of the worlds of Illuminae and Gemina will like this book: there's a visually stunning foreign planet, human space colonies, a fascinating indigenous alien race, and SPACE DRAGONS. And of course the diverse, inclusive cast is great and fun to see in any genre book. In spite of all the technology and whats-it happening, the main focus is on the characters, friendship, family, love and relationships. The world-building occasionally got muddled and there were a few flat character moments when the characters rode a zig-zagging plot wherever it took them, but on the whole, this was fantastic.

I am honestly hesitant to post this review since I have read/heard about the author's behavior on Twitter and it is completely deplorable. However, I will still review this book as honestly as I can.

It's a DNF for me at 30%. I give every book at least 30% and I just couldn't do this one. This book felt like someone took every spice in the spice cabinet, put them all in a pot and asked "What's the worst that can happen?"

My main issue with this book was the colonialist centered POVs. I think that Aimal's review pretty much says it all. To read her review click here: my link text. As an Ukrainian - I have come across racism, probably not as much as Aimal or people of color, but it's there. Furthermore, I have studied post-colonialism and let me tell you the marks which it leaves on the psyche of the individuals and on nations as a whole are disturbing, egregious and long lasting. Colonialism is not something that should be glorified, no matter how diverse the cast of characters is. The fact that this novel had none of the POVs from the occupied species, just made me sick to my stomach. How can one promote diversity with one hand while silencing the voice of another group?

Moving on, the writing was so flowery that I honestly zoned out on a lot of it. I had to read sentences over, and over and over again. Let me just say, I have read Salman Rushdie - the king of beautiful prose - and even his sentences were not as convoluted as these were. It seems like the author made them complicated for the sake of them being complicated.

Honestly, I would have loved the cast of MCs this diverse (w/o their prejudices) in another book, but this disturbing futuristic tale was just not for me. I gave it a month. I am done.

I really loved this book. I loved the diversity in this story and loved just the world building so much. I loved easy the represnrtion was built in the story and all the characters that we meet. We did meet so many characters so sometimes the details of who was connected to who confused me a tad but it was such a fun read. I loved the political elements of the story and also the "powers" these kids had. I loved the unexpected twists that happened in the story and will def tune in of for the sequel book in this series.

I was contacted by Entangled Teen to see if I would be interested in a review copy of 27 Hours and as this was already an anticipated release for me there was no way in hell I was saying anything other than yes.

I’d heard so many positive things about this book due to its diverse cast and as I love science fiction I was excited to get started.

From the first few chapters two things are clear to me. One, this is going to be an action packed journey. Two, the praise it was getting for a diverse cast is true and it didn’t feel forced.

I was about half way through and loving the book when 27 Hours blew up on my twitter feed again. This time though it was in a much more negative light. There is no way I can write this review without addressing the important and informative criticism it has received on how it centers on colonist guilt so I’ll direct you to Aimal’s review so you can get a better view of things. I believe Aimal has addressed very important issues and you can’t read my review without hers because the aspects she’s been critical on shouldn’t be swept under the rug. I’m not super eloquent so hopefully I’ve made sense here.

However, I still really enjoyed the book. That isn’t to say the book doesn’t have flaws. Its clearly it does.

I like my books how I like my movies. Fast paced and action packed.
Things I liked:
The characters

27 Hours is from multiple point of views which I find very hit and miss as I think its easy for characters voices and identities to get lost. However I didn’t find this the case for this book.

I really loved getting to know these characters in this format and how there was a clear focus to make sure Nyx was included in all the scenes that feature her, and done so correctly. The mention of signing, or the well too known look of someone not knowing how to converse with her, and many others all made me smile.

The fact that queerness is openly talked about indicating its not taboo made me very happy too. As did the other rep too!

A really huge bonus was how well the characters interacted and connected with each other as one big group but also the smaller pairings too. I thought it was great seeing how each person adapted to their new lives, how differently they fought and viewed their world.
The Plot

As mentioned, I really enjoyed how full of action this story was.

I also liked how this wasn’t a story of good vs evil. Both sides had done bad things, some in retaliation and some in ignorance. Following the story from a younger generations point of view as they uncover the truth about their world and the lies/propaganda their elders have spread felt rather relevant and helped me see how their was still hope for peace.

There was some almost sex scenes on page too! Which I don’t think happens very often in YA. Both were fully consensual and one even had some great puns. (I love puns guys, give me more)

Two of the characters have some special abilities too. Its not fully explained as to why but one can see people’s colours/auras and another can hear the moon speak to them. I think these two additions helped to add another layer to how the story was told, particularly the latter as it connects well with how the chimera experience things too.

Lastly, I guess this falls under both character and plot. There is a mysterious hooded person with no aura. But who is features twice (I think?) and both time appears to be helping the rebels. I’m really intrigued by this person and their importance to the saga overall.
Things I didn’t like:
Timing

The story takes place over 27 hours. *roll credits*

That is the length of one night. I find stories that take place over a day/time like this usually bother me as it makes me question when the characters have time to sleep, eat, shower, and go to the toilet.

There are a few mentions of food and one character even passes out from exhaustion but this was set at night so surely they’re all due to go to bed. I get that adrenaline and fear are things to help but still?
Point of Views

Part of me feels like having the story be told from point of views from humans-only helped in the reveal of the plot, the truth, and how corrupt their military/government its.

But a larger part of me does feel like having a chimeras point of view would’ve helped the narrative too. Even if it was only used after the introduction of the rebels. The chimera are there. They’re interacting with the main characters. So why not?

I think I can forgive not seeing Reaper’s point of view as I think keeping the reader in the dark helps to feel how the main characters feel as they’re uncovering why all this is happening.

I would definitely like to see chimera’s point of view in the sequel though.

I dunno, there is probably more I could talk about but I’m just tired and don’t want to be ignorant? If you think I missed something vital I’m all ears.

To summarise, I really enjoyed this book. I found a few flaws with it but more importantly listen to the book community who’re informing us of much tougher flaws (and way more eloquently than I can ever handle in any review). Some of these characters will stay with me for a while for sure. #IDidn’tGetTearyOverBi+AceRepNope

Wow - what a wild ride. Action packed, vivid world and characters who also have unique abilities. My favorite character was Braeden although many of the characters had one liners I loved. Story line was good with a couple twists thrown in. Book ended well with the opening for the next one. I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Kudos to the author for creating such a diverse and inclusive cast of lovable characters.  And boy, do these characters get put through the wringer - nearly nonstop action, incredible world-building, tense, heart-stopping moments.  All of this, along with strong themes of family, friendship, and acceptance make for a thrilling, engaging read.  Admittedly, I struggled with the pacing at times - it's a tad over 400 pages - and some of the actions scenes were quite long.

If you're a YA sci-fi fan or searching for #ownvoices books, you can't go wrong with 27 Hours.  Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was an interesting sci-fi /fantasy read. There were a lot of diverse characters. ( like a lot of them). The story also uses multiple pint of views which I enjoyed.

I am going to decline to review due to the hostility that is brewing about this book. I've read half, and I am enjoying it so far.

27 Hours is a fast-paced queer sci-fi with fascinating world building that made my inner sci-fi geek squeal. While there was a lot of unnecessary exposition, and the plot dragged at certain parts, I mostly enjoyed the novel and can’t wait for the sequel.

By far the best element of 27 Hours is the incredibly diverse cast. Every single character is on the LGBTQ spectrum, and I actually believe that their society as a whole is intersectional and queer. It is very obvious that Wright did her research in regards to positive representation for sexualities and identities, and it still shocks me, in the best of ways, that a book like 27 Hours – a sci-fi fantasy book with bisexual, gay, pansexual, asexual, trans, POC, and deaf characters – even exists. It really shows how far publishing has come.

The main characters, although diverse, did not have especially distinctive voices and were actually a little bland. Rumor’s POV had a tendency to feature the action/fight scenes, and so everything moved incredibly fast and the reader had less time to connect with him, as opposed to the other characters. I still liked him, but I found his POV chapters rushed, which meant I struggled to pay attention and found myself skimming his chapters. Rumor is Nigerian, Portuguese and Indian, and bisexual; and he crushes on Jude, a boy who has been raised with the chimera – or gargoyles as the humans know them.

Jude was protective and loving to both humans and the chimera. The best way to describe him would be ‘soft’, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. He has a big heart and loves deeply. I was a little irked by the speed in which he falls for Rumor – they only know each other for perhaps an hour or two before they both begin to have romantic feelings – but I guess this was necessary considering the entire novel takes place over just 27 hours. I did really enjoy their relationship towards the end of the novel, but the pacing was a little off simply due to time constraints. That can actually be said for a lot of the issues with the book.

Nyx was by far my favourite character and I loved her from her very first POV chapter. She’s chubby, Cuban, deaf and pansexual, and has been in love with her best friend, Dahlia, for almost a year. She’s one of the novel’s strongest characters and frequently puts herself in harm’s way to protect those she loves.

Dahlia, a black Latinx bisexual trans girl, was just as protective as Nyx was, and is probably my second favourite character of the group. Although she didn’t have a POV, the reader interacts with Dahlia through both Nyx and Rumor’s chapters, as Rumor and Dahlia used to date. I just adored the relationship between Nyx and Dahlia and was glued to the page each time they interacted. Nyx could be a little jealous of Rumor and Dahlia’s bond, but she eventually comes to realise that what she and Dahlia have is just as important. Dahlia and Nyx’s growing romance is just beautiful to see develop and I can’t wait to read about them in the next book.

Braeden, one of the novel’s best characters, was asexual. He was loyal, selfless and willing to sacrifice himself if need be. He was the son of the city’s commander and often feels as though he had to live up to his mother’s legacy. Braeden was also cast the group’s joker, although there were many occasions the reader saw his vulnerable side. He used humour as a coping mechanism and a way to keep his true emotions hidden. I really enjoyed his relationships with both Nyx and Dahlia, and it was refreshing to see that this book doesn’t just focus on romantic relationships, but platonic as well.

I thought the world-building was fascinating, although it takes quite a while before everything is explained fully to the reader. Usually, I don’t mind this, but in 27 Hours there were a few occasions where an unfamiliar term was dropped into the text with no explanation until many chapters later.

There are undoubtedly issues with the novel’s world building history, and I have to say I was uncomfortable by the level of prejudice shown to the chimera. One could say this was the author’s intent – especially in today’s climate where there is decidedly an us vs. them mentality – but several characters go through eye-opening experiences as they begin to realise that their deep-seated prejudices are unfounded.

The novel tries to open a dialogue about these significant issues: your ancestors landed on this world centuries ago, to the chagrin of the indigenous species, but it’s your land now too. How do we balance this? What happens now? These are the questions 27 Hours attempts to answer, but in reality only scratches the surface. It would be remiss of me to not say the question that is on everyone’s mind: is Tristina Wright, a white author, even qualified to answer these questions? Remember what happened with Laurie Forest? This is something I think many readers should be aware of before they read this book.

It is also probably important to note that for the humans, issues of culture and ethnicity no longer exist between them. That has been left behind on Earth, as Nyx frequently explains, and the most humans ever talk about it is to find out where they come from, because they’re simply interested.

27 Hours is an interesting novel, but all in all I found it quite average. There are important issues the novel attempts to address, but ultimately doesn’t. The representation was amazing, but I still felt a few characters to be bland and similar to each other. If you’re interested in queer sci-fi, definitely check this book out. Just make yourself aware of the problems beforehand.