Earnest and tangled, Persephone Station by Stina Leicht has all the badass female protagonists a reader could want with far too many plot points.

Upon being framed for the assassination of a corporate head honcho, Angel and her close-knit group of mercenaries are sent on a mission to the planet's outskirts to defend an indigenous alien race from being wiped out by the same corporation. Added to that is a subplot about Kennedy, a woman from off-planet with a penchant for computers, who arrives, searching for the owner of a distress call only she can hear.

That might sound fairly straightforward, but with the addition of shady corporations, hidden alien species, soldiers revived after death, organized crime families, mercenaries, and Artificial Intelligence, the novel becomes muddied. With too many dots to connect, the rollercoaster, bang-out finale in the last third of this massive 500-page space opera fizzles out instead of exploding. If Leicht had taken more discretion with her many topics and edited out a few of these plots, the novel's length and overall success could have benefitted.

Persephone Station is rife with diverse female-centric characters, and Leicht brings them all aborad this space action romp. From straight to non-binary characters and everything in between, Leicht creates a promising future of inclusion, even though she holds on to the classic trope of indigenes under attack.

There are clear nods to Seven Samurai, with Angel's AI spaceship being named Kurosawa, as well as Firefly, and even The Expendables. But for all the salutations to great films, shows, and self-proclaimed similarity to Cowboy Bebop, Persephone Station lacks the depth that the well-crafted works mentioned above have succeeded at creating.

This was a frustrating book for me, because at times it was so good, and then something would happen to just take me right out of the story. It was also frustrating because I felt like there was a lot that just didn't make sense, or was inadequately explained. Additionally, there were two generally unrelated stories going on (one to do with an indigenous species and the other to do with AIs) that, aside from involving the same characters, didn't really have much to do with each other. And then they way a major character's motivation was revealed at the end...and then, the deus ex machina escape...it just turned out to be a lot less than it could have been.

This had so much potential. Instead this book focused on the wrong aspect and by the end most of the attention was devoted to something that wasn't important to the ending.

At Persephone Station, there is a native species that is hiding from the United Republic of Worlds. They had an understanding with Serrao-Orlov Corporation to be left alone. Under new leadership, the corporation wants to wipe out the natives. Angel, an ex-marine, is enlisted to save these people.

This book is very diverse. It felt like to fully show off the diversity there had to be a lot of characters. The good thing is that the characters are well crafted. The bad thing is that it didn't feel like all of different storylines were given enough attention. Angel's is given the most but I would have loved to have seen more of the politics with Rosie, short for Rosencrantz which made me love them more and Kennedy who dealt with the technological aspects which gave an interesting twist at the end that had no real build up.

This is based on an advanced reader's copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

This is such a cool book. I loved how the main cast of characters were pretty much all female with a great showing of diversity. Also, this world Stina Leicht creates is very interesting and unique. I did think it had a slow beginning for me, but when it picked up, it was very exciting. The ending feels a little quick, just feel like I was left hanging. However, this is definitely worth a read, especially if your in the mood for a badass space opera!

DNF at 20%.

I received a copy of this book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those that's just not for me. I usually don't care much for sci-fi in general, but the description of the book, the promise of great queer rep, and its amazing cover told me to give it a shot. While I'm sure people who like sci-fi will enjoy this book, I couldn't get into it. Again, this has nothing to do with the writing. I just generally don't enjoy sci-fi, and this book didn't persuade me otherwise like I hoped it would.

Epic space adventure! A band of female mercenaries are hired to protect a secret indigenous species. Fantastically interesting characters and a riveting plot really move this story along. It’s not often you get a novel with 100% female characters; and the author doesn’t disappoint with very complex and interesting women. A must read!

Big ol’ queer crew in space, y’all!

Now, I’m not going to focus on the plot for this little write-up. Don't get me wrong, the plot is interesting enough, and I liked it just fine. However, the thing about this novel that takes center stage for me personally isn’t the different story beats it hits. Rather, it’s Stina Leicht’s characters – who they are, and how they’re written.

Perspehone Station has a bit of everything when it comes to representation. That’s one of the things that drew me to it in the first place (aside from the absolutely gorgeous cover and the promise of a story for Mandalorian fans, because hi, Star Wars is my life), and I was not let down by how the inclusiveness was handled here. We get BIPOC rep, Asians in space, LGBTQIA+ rep, a non-binary POV character... I mean, seriously. What more could I ask for in terms of diversity?

Now, if you're not as gung ho about these things as I am, you may be thinking "meh, I don't want this kind of forced diversity in my sci-fi". Well, my skeptical friend, Persephone Station may prioritize a diverse cast of characters, but personally, I never felt like it was thrown in there to appease any imagined "SJW" reader. Allow me to introduce myself; hi, I am actually that “SJW” reader, and not once did I feel pandered to - the author has simply imagined a future where "gender binary" might as well be a long forgotten phrase found on a stone tablet for scholars to hem and haw and scratch their heads over.
In fact, at one point while I was reading, I actually went to my notes and wrote down “Nice to see that in the future, we don’t assume genders.”

As a queer person, I really appreciate when a piece of media takes a very clear political stance for equal rights, and makes it a point to be as inclusive as possible. So for me, reading a sci-fi novel and coming across sentences like ”No woman—and women without uteruses were certainly counted as women—willingly left(…)” makes me all warm inside. To me, that’s not forced. To me, it simply says that the author is really concerned with making their readers feel seen. The author is writing a cool story, sure, but they’re simultaneously using their literary platform to help normalize that which should by rights already be considered normal everywhere in the world, but unfortunately isn’t yet. Kind of like an anti-Rowling. And oh, how I love that. I love it so much.

Diving into Persephone Station, the richness of culture and the echoes of media that I already love - Cowboy Bebop, The Mandalorian, Mass Effect and Firefly to name a few - had me instantly glued to the page. I've read other reviews saying that the beginning of the story is a bit of a slog, with a lot of world building to get through, but I feel quite the opposite. Persephone Station takes its time introducing the world and its characters, and that is to its benefit. This way, I got to know the characters and the world so well that once things started to get dicey and the real adventure took off, I was very engaged in the action, and very scared that I might lose one of my new friends.
Anyone who knows me knows I live for a good found family narrative, and look, I was so invested in this crew of misfits that I jotted down in my notes "NOTHING BAD HAD BETTER HAPPEN TO THESE CHARACTERS, OR I SWEAR--"
That's just how gripping these characters and their relationship dynamics were to me. They felt so real. All throughout the book, these people really did live in my head. It got a bit crowded up there for a while, let me tell you.

What about the action? Well... it's quick, entertaining and punchy. It has weight, but it's also not afraid to let characters exchange a few balls-to-the-wall sarcastic zingers. And as previously mentioned, the fact that I cared so much about the people involved made the action all the more engaging and at times nerve-wracking.

It's too bad, really, that this is a standalone novel. The world and the characters hold a whole hell of a lot of potential. Then again, I do like a well-crafted narrative that doesn't overstay its welcome, and I do appreciate an author who can deliver this much solid storytelling and keep it contained to one volume. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I loved spending time in this fictional world, and I think there are a lot of readers out there for whom this book will be a perfect fit. For all of those readers, a big queer space adventure awaits them. I look forward to placing Persephone Station in their hands by January 2021; what an absolutely lovely way to kick off a new reading year.

I got a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the premise of the novel--a band of female mercenaries takes on what seems to be a routine assassination job for a local crime boss on an outer planet. But then things go awry, two people end up dead instead of one, and the women find themselves framed for the assassination of the CEO of the huge intergalactic corporation that owns the planet--and on the run.

I appreciated that Leicht gave each character personality and that not every character is white. (As a person of color, I chafe at SFF worlds which assume that all people of color have been wiped out, but never explicitly state what happened. I see in the Acknowledgments that Leicht, a white author, attended the "Writing the Other" workshop and bought the book by the same title.)

I also loved how Leicht worked in descriptions of various dwellings--from Angel's untidy housekeeping alerting her to a break-in and attempted assassination (the would-be assassin trips over a boot she left lying in the walkway) to Lou's apartment filled with lace and vintage clothing scattered on every surface.

The later chapters that detailed the battle scenes went on a little too long for my liking. But I can see fans of Star Wars and other space battles enjoying them.

Overall, this is a fun read, particularly if you're looking to escape from the daily horrors of the world that we're currently on.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3510147390

Wow.

I repeat: wow.

In a sentence, PERSEPHONE STATION is a space opera about how an exiled combat veteran turned small scale criminal musters a small army to protect indigenous sentient life-forms from intergalactic corporate greed. It's also a story about terminal illness, the ethics of AI, and an exploration of what motherhood really means. It's also like a 512 page episode of Cowboy Bebop if Cowboy Bebop had an all female cast and all of the sapphic vibes ever.

To say I loved it is in an understatement. This book is incredible and I will be a woman on a mission come January when PERSEPHONE STATION hits stores. There's just so much going on inside it, and I mean that in the best of ways. This book has layer after layer of complexity with soft moments of tenderness and a whole lot of spicy action--if PERSEPHONE STATION was a dessert, it'd be baklava, ok?

Beyond the content itself, PERSEPHONE STATION continues to kick ass. The characters were so vividly imagined and real to me. The narrative tone was fantastic.

There's nothing I don't love about PERSEPHONE STATION and you need to read it. That's it, that's the review.

I had kind of an uneven reading experience with this book (Which bummed me out, since I was so pumped to read it.)

For me personally, the first quarter (third?) of the book was a bit of a slog. I felt like the characters weren't terribly well developed (someone in the story does some quick research on the main characters, which becomes the reader's de facto introduction to them too) and the book seemed to need much more world-building (People are sick, but I didn't entirely get why or how that fit into the political situation or why people were being assassinated.) As a consequence, I put this book down twice, intending never to finish it.

However, some time opened up and I jumped back into the book, and am glad I did so. Because once of crew of bad ass ladies (and honestly when was the last time I read a book that had an all-female space crew on a mission? Half-past NEVER, that's when) went off to save some settlers the book got MUCH more interesting. The characters took on life and the story started to hum along.

Frustratingly though, once I was finally getting into a groove with this book, I felt like it very quickly wrapped up (and in doing so, seemed to leave a lot of loose ends hanging.) I get that this is ideal for setting up a sequel. However, for me as a reader, it ended up being unsatisfying.

So, on the plus side: cool characters, great representation and exploration of the notion of gender, PEOPLE WHO TALK TO GIANT BEARS, and fun action scenes. On the minus side: fuzzy details on international politics and illnesses, light world building, not enough time for the the cool characters to hang out together and develop relationships. (Seriously, I just wanted to say to the author, "Why don't you let these characters stand still for just a hot second so I can fall in love with them?")

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a fun and imaginative sci-fi, this book is for you! With unique world-building--including a society where queerness is no big deal!--and a fast-paced plot, this one kept me engaged from start to finish!

On the planet Persephone Station, Angel is a mercenary contracted to Rosie, who asks her to take her team of misfits on a sketchy mission to protect a mysterious settlement. Unfortunately, a few key details have been left off the job briefing. As Angel and her team are forced to make perilous choices, danger converges on the settlement. There are strong team dynamics here and each team member has some (definitely illegal) misadventures in their past. The bonds between teammates were both fun and heartbreaking to see explored throughout the book. Here, space is an inclusive environment, in particular featuring non-binary representation. My favorite character is an AI, as the novel grapples with the paradoxes and complexities of what sentient artificial intelligence might do.

With an explosive beginning, Persephone Station hits the ground running and the excellent pacing ensures that you won’t want to put this book down. Persephone Station is sure to be a hit with sci-fi lovers! (Especially those who are seeking more women and LGBTQ characters in space!) If you’re looking for a fast-paced and futuristic standalone adventure, Persephone Station absolutely delivers. If you enjoy stories from multiple points of view, complex characters, and space opera then you need to check out Persephone Station! Persephone Station releases on January 5, 2021. Thank you to Stina Leicht, Gallery/Saga Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For the publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc.

For a book that is not a series, this is so well rounded, with such in depth characters. You find out our main characters back stories in a way that is satisfying, and you have time to become attached to them in different ways. The relationship between Angel and Sukyi wrecked me on levels I didn’t expect at all.

This story is intricate, and there are moments where I had no idea what was going on except “they/them mob boss and space.” There was several plot lines going on at once, and they all wrapped up in the last 90%- which, addmitedly, was going to give me a heart attack.

All in all, this was another amazing step in the the SciFi genre for me.

Full review: 12/14/2020

I mean, it's not a bad story... but the marketing pissed me off.
Described as a story in the vein of Cowboy Bebop, when clearly its a copycat of Firefly.

Seriously, I have zero idea why anyone in the story does anything. Motivations are "because story requires it"

The banter is witty and I guess the characters would look good in a movie... which maybe explains why I don't like this book. It feels like it was written for a screen. Emotions are downplayed in favor of visual action.

But whatever, it is what it is.

**I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't make it far past the first chapter of Persephone Station. The story and characters didn't grab me. I put it down a few days ago and I remember the villain's actions more than what the protagonist was like. My bad for not persisting. I'm still struggling with concentration in my pandemic reading.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book is for me - I ended up DNF'ing this one at the 50% mark. While the premise was thrilling and the characters were compelling enough, I didn't really feel a lot of drive behind the plot or the characters, and the ensemble cast felt a bit too muddy for each character to really feel distinct and lively, with a few notable exceptions. I would describe this as just a bit wandering and lacking a steady drive, and I found myself dragging my feet and not wanting to pick it up, so I'll have to put this one aside. That being said, this novel certainly has a fascinating concept and some wonderful queer representation, so if it sounds intriguing I would still recommend giving it a shot!

You know, I love sci-fi but the worldbuilding here never clicked with me here. I feel like it was too smart for me, which isn't a bad thing. I would recommend this for people who love really complex sci fi, gritty books!

This book was good. I loved the action, adventure feel to it. Plus the characters in this book all had a uniqueness to them that I very much enjoyed. And the diversity in this book was amazing. I did feel that some parts of the story were slow but it fleshed out the plot and characters well.
Highly recommend to read this if you love space opera.

A busy but entertaining and fast-paced sci-fi tale, "Persephone Station" by Stina Leicht at times reminded me of the TV shows "Firefly" and "Killyjoys," and the movies "The Expendables" and "The Magnificent Seven." This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book will be available on January 5, 2021.

It’s possible to boil the plot down to two sentences: framed for the assassination of a corporate bigwig, a close-knit group of mercenaries is sent to hide from the authorities and defend a hidden sentient alien species from being wiped out by the same corporation. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman with an affinity for computer networks arrives searching for a distress call only she can hear.

Seems fairly straightforward, but with unscrupulous corporations, a hidden alien species, soldiers reanimated after dying in battle, organized crime families, mercenaries, and Artificial Intelligences in various stages of independence thrown into the mix, there are just a whole lot of dots to connect. Too many, actually, as I haven’t listed everything. Quite a few of these dots, including some I thought were really interesting, end up having little to no impact on the overall story.

So, if you’re the type of reader who likes to know how every piece in the box fits into the puzzle … this story may not work well for you. That is my default, but once I decided at about the halfway point to just ride the waves, as it were, my enjoyment went up.

The final third of the book is basically a running gun fight, on the planet and a station in orbit, and those pages just flew by in one sitting. After all that the finale was a bit anticlimactic, but the door is wide open for more stories set in this universe. Perhaps we’ll get to know more about those reanimated soldiers. :)

Okay so first off - marketing, it’s a cyberpunk riff on Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven, please at least try to be accurate when you’re describing what the novel is like. (Yes, I am mildly irritated by being misled by a comparison to Cowboy Bebop.) The AI is called Kurosawa, it’s not exactly subtle here. And here’s the thing - it’s a perfectly solid riff of a novel. But I would have rathered that it focused mainly on the crew rather than all the POVs that that are thrown at us in the beginning, and as interesting as the Kennedy subplot was, it could have been left out and we wouldn’t have missed anything. It all does come together eventually, but I finished this yesterday and I’m already forgetting character names and anything more than broad strokes. There’s also a lot of info dumps at the beginning that make it hard going reading wise. I think it could have used a bit more editorial tightening honestly, but when it inevitably goes on sale digitally for a few bucks, I’d recommend picking it up.