City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Synopsis- An heiress runs away from her father to try to save her sister. She meets up with a gang of outlaws and has to convince them to help her make it to Earth to save her sister. LGBTQ ✅ Enemies to lovers✅Sci-fi ✅Action packed ✅

Review: I received a copy of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had issues with the format of this book. This is mostly just my personal preference though. I love books with multiple points of views but it has to be a done a certain way in order for me to enjoy it. That being that the point of view changes need to be very clear (I.e- chapter changes/ name headings). This was not the case with this copy. Point of view was changed in between chapters. Which is hard for me because a lot of times I only read one chapter before I have to put the book down and then I don’t know who’s viewpoint I’m starting with when I pick it up. The action in this book was incredible. The plot was very complex to the point that I was confused in the middle parts sometimes. For awhile I felt like I was forcing myself to read it and not enjoying it though. I loved the last 20% of this book though. This book had great LGBTQ+ rep. I’m very intrigued on if there will be more given that the book ends on a cliff hanger. Definitely pick this up if you want to read an LGBTQ+ action packed Sci fi novel. This book releases October 19th 2021

~ Thank you to NetGalley and North Stars Edition/Flux for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. ~
This story had me stay up late refusing to put the book down. The synopsis promises a heist, but it gives us so much more. The plot was moving fast, twists and turns were made and I was so here for the ride.
The general plot is very YA, but the execution was done in such a unique way. However, I am not a fan of love corners (which did not bother me as much in of itself, since the romance was not the centre of the story), but (minor spoiler) I absolutely hate it when that love corner is resolved with one party having to sacrifice themselves. Add this to the underdevelopment of the side characters and you get my reasoning behind the four-star rating.
Overall, if you love Sci-Fi, heists that go wrong and require on-the-spot plans that you do not know if they will work out, found family, and to die for cover (because, again, just look at it and admire it) this book is for you.

First of all, a big Thank You to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this eARC! I read the description and was immediately taken in by the story; on top of this gorgeous cover, it was hard to resist!

City of Shattered Light is a Science Fiction adventure that takes place on a distant moon. Asa is the heiress to a big tech company and dedicated to becoming the kind of person her father wants her to be. When his experiments on her sister go too far, however, Asa is forced to flee and she ends up in Requiem, a city controlled by criminals. There, she meets Riven - a bounty hunter whose only goal it is to protect her crew. Both of the protagonists have conflicting motivations and goals, but the only chance to survive lies in their cooperation. Not only are other bounty hunters after Asa, she was also followed by a terrifyingly intelligent virus that threatens to destroy the entire city.

I really liked the setting from the get-go. Requiem is atmospheric and such a cool backdrop for the story. In extension, the characters are also relatable and likable despite their flaws. It didn't really stand out to me most of the time, but after some reflection the side characters felt a little flat. That is really only an issue at one specific part towards the end where I just didn't feel the emotions I was supposed to feel. But that might have been on me for not getting invested enough. In contrast, I absolutely adore the way Asa and Riven are written - despite her painful naiveté, Asa is smart and quick on the uptake. She struggles with the guilt of realizing just how harmful her father's - and her - technologies are and the uncertainty of leaving behind everything she has ever known. Riven, on the other hand, is obsessed with creating a legacy and ensuring the future of her crew while also being full of vengeance and grief. Those dynamics are utterly fascinating to me.

The rest of the book is fantastic. I really appreciate the fast pacing and the numerous heists that propel the action forward. The found family dynamic between the characters is really enjoyable, too! Not all the fights are described in full detail in order to keep the plot moving, which works very well in this action-packed story. There is one subplot with a romance - a love triangle, no less - but it doesn't take too much time and, thankfully, doesn't create unnecessary drama. I do have to say that this is the first time I read about a love triangle where I found it odd that no one is really stressing about it at all. Which is nice! And it gets another plus for being queer.

In conclusion, I recommend this book to anyone who likes fast-paced action, sci-fi-aesthetics and super cool protagonists. It combines the snappy feel of a YA novel with dark themes (do check out the content warnings online) and characters that feel pretty grown up. I really enjoyed reading this adventure and I am hoping that one day it will get a sequel!

Cyberpunk, sapphic, diverse, good-hearted criminals and found family. What more do I need? This book was amazing. I’m so impressed and believe me when I say I was shocked by the end of this. What a twist. If the synopsis didn’t sell you on this, just take a look at the cover. It’s so gorgeous (okay, I may or may not be obsessed . . . )

"That left Riven, outnumbered.

But she’d never be outgunned."

Riven is exactly the type of character I needed to read about. She’s a gun-slinging, badass, take-no-crap kind of girl. I absolutely loved reading about her, and although she could be a little cold at times, she’s fiercely loyal and could actually be really nice.She’s the type of character that rarely shows her feelings and I was basically begging her to open up to people throughout this book. She can definitely be reckless, but she has good motivations and just wants to protect her family (which was so sweet, the whole found family element in this book was just amazing and so wholesome.) Overall, I found her personality to be pretty unique and I enjoyed reading about her, especially when she showed her love and care for her friends.

Her relationship with Samir and Ty was the sweetest thing ever (I don’t care what people say, I’m calling them siblings). Samir being her protective older brother and Ty being her younger one that she just has to protect. And the slow way she became friends with Asa was perfectly done, and true to both of their personalities.

Also, the fact that she’s apart of a crime syndicate is so cool.

"Right now, she was a part of one of the galaxy’s biggest crime syndicates–a thief, a runaway, a liar. She was a nobody.

And she fit right in."

Asa was my type of girl. She’s smart, she has a kickass brain, and you gotta love her. She goes through so much character development and I really enjoyed watching it. I probably enjoyed her perspective more than Riven’s, just because it seemed a bit more interesting. She goes from a shy, naive girl who just wants to meet her father’s high expectations to someone who knows that they are enough (I love the messages the author is sending with this book, they’re all so relatable and positive).

Something I didn’t like, though, was the lack of complexity for the side characters. I always want likable and interesting side characters so I was disappointed in that aspect of the book. Ty, Samir and Diego were likable and sweet but the author barely went into their personalities and motivations which I didn’t like. The book would have improved a lot if she went into more depth.

I loved the romance, despite the love triangle between Asa, Riven and Ty. I really liked how it was a minor thing throughout the story and the only time it’s prominent is the end. There was so much tension and I was there for it. To be honest, though, I felt like Asa and Ty had more chemistry than Asa and Riven, which sounds kind of weird.

"You might think you’re too good for Requiem, but you’d better damn respect it. It’ll devour you otherwise."

The world-building was incredible. The author took cyberpunk and put an incredible, unique spin on it. I’ve never described worldbuilding as vibrant, but that’s what I think about when I think of this book. Claire Winn created a gorgeous world of Requiem, a lively, colorful, and ruthless planet filled with criminals, Cortellion, a prim, upper-class world with the best technology in the galaxy, and regular ol’ Earth.The way these places were described, the changes in mood when traveling to different planets, were all amazing. The descriptions were amazing, I could clearly imagine everything in my mind.

The writing was gorgeous. It wasn’t flowery at all, just vividly descriptive and I loved it. The dialogue were perfect and simple. Also, I loved the humor.

"When all the world has burnt, even the ashes feel like home."

This plot never stops. It’s filled with twists and turns and betrayals that will break your heart. There are so many details wedged into each sentence and you never know what’s important. There are so many things happening at any given time. This book fills you with excitement and sadness and literally everything. The ending is heartbreaking and yay, it’s a cliffhanger because authors hate us.

Unfortunately, it was pretty easy to guess who the real antagonist was. I wish I had been kept on my toes throughout the mystery, but it was obvious who it was (or maybe that’s just me since I watch a lot of mystery).

Is it weird that I need the 2nd book to come out when the first hasn’t even come out yet? Overall, City of Shattered Light was an electrifying cyber-punk debut novel by the talented author Claire Winn. I’m excited to read the sequel.

"The city of shattered light. The place Kaya had wanted to start her life over. Despite the rumors, Asa couldn't deny it was beautiful."

This is an electrifying cyberpunk debut novel that is all bark & all bite.

Winn's world-building is out of this world, literally. The setting for this book spans 3 different planets; Requiem : a neon, vibrant, full-of-life planet overrun by crime syndicates, Cortellion : a crisp, elite planet overflowing with the most sophisticated technology across the galaxy & plain old Earth. The VARIETY of setting in this book is phenomenal. There are scenes that take place in hangars, run-down streets, spherical arenas, bass-booming nightclubs, palaces, spaceships, shiny cold labs...I could go on & on. The creativity from the locations alone blows my mind.

I loved how 3D & distinct the characters were. Riven was an angry whirlwind, a turbulence. Her intensity jumped out at me through the pages. I loved how her background gave her much depth & complexity because it helped readers understand why she was the way she was. Asa had a quiet kind of determination, which made her a little more relatable to me. She wasn't anything like Riven & yet she was her mirror in terms of her determination & her unrelenting love for her sister..

This book is the definition of 'the plot thickens'. A truly creative & riveting plot-line built upon the most unique premise. It was an absolute page-turner. The action just never stopped. There was no drag at all, no unnecessary section. It was mission after mission. Action-packed has never been more of an understatement.

This book would be a A+ blockbuster Marvel movie.

This book was one of the best I've read this year, so I'm not going to stop talking about it, and I'm going to make it my personality for the next month.

City of Shattered Light took the Sci-To genre to a whole new level. The characters were so well written, they came alive off the pages. The novel was full of witty banter and unexpected plot twists. The story was so addictive I could've read it in one sitting.

Asa is the heir to her fathers tech company, a title she holds proudly. When her sister Kaya is caught in the middle of an experiment, Asa will do whatever it takes to get her back. Even become a fugitive.

Riven is a smuggler. A gunslinging one, to be exact. With her crew, and her ship, she has all she needs. But when her path crosses Asa, and the two realize they might need to work together, the rest of the universe needs to watch out.

Claire Winn has an amazingly unique way of writing, and each of her characters have a distinct voice. The diversity in the pages is something that not many YA Sci-Fi novels have. The subtle queer relationships are amazingly written, and I wish more people wrote them. Asa is a new bisexual character that I can look up to.

Winn is definitely an author to look out for, and I cannot wait until I can hold this book in my hands. This book will always hold a special place in my heart, knowing I was able to read this in advance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flux for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A bit underwhelmed by this sci-fi story which I'd read good things about (and seen the amazing ratings). I guess it just wasn't my thing, but I couldn't get into the story, mainly because I just didn't click with the two main characters, Asa and Riven. One is supposed to be a genius but always walks head first into traps, and the other is toeing the line between confident and too arrogant...and often crossing it. These characters felt very two-dimensional, and I didn't feel any chemistry between them, which I was disappointed about because I really thought this was going to be an addictive enemies-to-lovers type thing. Instead they just kept going back and forth between "I like her" and "oh no actually I hate her" with barely any material for these changes. Moreover, it might just be me, but I found too many inconsistencies and plot holes in the story. The "plot-twists" were all pretty easily predictable as well for me (which is saying a lot, as I often miss all the clues and hints).

I did however enjoy the secondary characters (like Ty, Samir, Diego, or even Kaya) and I wish they had been more developped. As it was, it felt like they were mostly added for plot convenience, even though each of their stories and personalities had great potential.

I did read it all the way through though, because I liked the ambiance and setting and it read pretty easily overall.

i am in love with this book! i was captured from the minute it started. riven and ty’s relationship!!!! i am not so patiently awaiting the sequel

Thank you Netgalley and North Star Editions for providing me an advanced reader copy of this book!! I’ve already posted my review on my goodreads, which is linked to this account.

I was really looking forward to reading this and I’m so glad I got the chance to do it. However, I did not love it. I’m going to be clear, this book was not for me. But that doesn’t mean other people won’t love it. It wasn’t strictly bad but it wasn’t very good either.

I came in with zero expectations, all I knew was “pretty cover, sapphic, sci-fi”. I usually don’t really like sci-fi, but I expected this to be one of the exceptions. It wasn’t. There was barely any world building, and that made the story very hard to understand. I still don’t understand some things. How did the different worlds work? What were the Etri and what happened to them? What was the deal with Almeida’s daughters? What did those beats look like and where did they came from? Many plot wholes, many unanswered questions. The ending felt rushed and very convenient too.

The slowness and flatness of the story didn’t help. It was predictable and nothing surprised me. Also, the characters felt really flat, the only one I cared about was Ty, but Riven was the only multidimensional one.

It took me longer than I expected to finish this book. I’m not sure if it was because of all I mentioned before, or due the fact that the eARC I received could only be read in my phone and I got distracted all the time.

Nevertheless, this is the author’s first published book, and I want to congratulate her for writing it! It is noticeable that she worked really hard on this book and that she put all of her heart in every paragraph. I fully believe she has potential, and that her writing skills will improve a lot in her next book.

city of shattered light is exciting, vibrant, and so much fun!!

there’s a lot to love about this book, one of my favorite aspects was the setting. their city, requiem, is a place filled with thrills, danger, and chaos, so it was really fun to read about! also, the writing style was great and transformed the story from interesting to electrifying.

the characters felt so realistic and had really great development! i also loved that pretty much all of the characters are queer, we love to see it. plus, found family!!

also, the plot was constantly moving and i never was bored. there’s heists, tons of action, betrayals, and so much more.

i enjoyed a lot about this book but i did have some minor dislikes. there’s a love triangle and i’m not a fan of those, but that’s just a personal preference and not a flaw of the book. i actually wasn’t too bothered by this one, but i liked one love interest more than the other so at times i was kind of annoyed. also, sometimes the humor didn’t feel like something a teenager would say. neither of these bothered me that much though!

i really loved this book and had a great time reading! also, i need book 2 because omg, that ending. i highly recommend city of shattered light!! 4.5 stars.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. i really enjoyed this book, i love the plot, characters, and how the book turned out. because of this, i am giving it 4/5 stars.

I loved the concept of this story, the world building and most of the characters but the plot also fell a little flat and became predictable.

Asa and Riven are great foils to each other but the overall recklessness of Riven made it hard to really want to see any ending other than the one provided.

Hopefully the sequel will answer more questions and also give us more to guess

City of Shattered Light is a very enjoyable read. It is action-packed, and I sped through the book because of its fast pacing.
It follows the heiress Asa embarking on a journey to save her sister, and she runs into a group of close friends. Together, they encounter several bumps in the process.
Saving her sister is Asa’s main motivation. I like that the reason for her decisions at the beginning of the book is personal and a bit selfish, which adds a bit realness to the character. Still, I find all the characters lacking depth. There’s nothing about them that stood out to me.
I love that this book has a founded family trope. However, there is a lack of chemistry between the romantic couples. It feels rushed and doesn’t feel genuine. There’s a love triangle, and I don’t like how it is settled at the end of the book, but maybe it is better resolved in the next book
The science-fiction world is so cool. There is a virus-like AI and technology that can combine the human mind with machines.

The book ends with a cliffhanger, and I’m curious to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 75 %

If I’m going to be honest, I had high hopes for this book. I really wanted to like it. I loved the premise; sapphic enemies to lovers, but the book just fell so flat. I found I was forcing myself to read 100 pages a day, and still not enjoying it with 100 pages left. It’s hard to explain exactly why is fell flat, but I think it was mostly the pacing and plot. Technically, I liked the writing style, but there was basically no plot whatsoever. Girl escapes father. Girl ends up on another planet. Girl tries to escape planet (for like 300 pages). And the PACING. Good lord. All this took up practically the whole book. I can see that my opinions are clearly not popular, so if you truly like the premise I encourage you to give it a try, but keep in mind the lack of plot.

THIS!! this book!! I loved it so much. I've been wanting more sapphic fantasy, and I was really excited to start this one.
I fell in love with the characters already from the first few chapters, and I just grew to love them more and more. I loved the romance, but I also really loved that the romance wasn't the only focus –– there was plot, and there was action, and there was world building, and I loved all of it. Claire Winn balances it all in an amazing way.
Also, this better be a series, because that ending....

I just finished this and okay okay. this BETTER be a series. Like that ending. ARE YOU KIDDING ME.
Anyways, this book is everything I ever needed.
A fantasy lesbian ya novel. What more could I ask for?
BUTTTTtt this was soooooo good. I liked it so much because the romance and all didn't take away from the action and the plot and also the fantasy aspects of the novel.
Claire Winn did such a good job writing this and piecing it together in a way that makes everything really balanced.
Furthermore, the characters were all so different, yet likable.
If you know me, I really hate annoying characters and also, characters are everything to me in books. The plot could be HORRIBLE, but if I loved the characters, I would still rate the book 5 stars. Luckily for this book, I loved the characters AND the plot (and the writing, setting, etc.)
Sooooo 5/5 stars
HIGHLY recommend ---- you will not be disappointed :p

I have received an ARC e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A sci fi sapphic story is something that we need more of and this book delivers on that front! Very reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy so if you are into the found family trope with a group of outlaws, this is for you.
Really appreciated how Asa's father is the villain of this story. I love that dynamic of a hero fighting agaisnt one of their progenitors because it makes the story more intriguing and complex.
Riven is such a badass and I love seeing her in action. She has a temper and I love seeing that characteristic on female characters. However, her character is very wishy-washy: she thinks "Asa didn’t care about anyone but herself." but, no joke, 3 paragrahs later she's thinking about how Asa had risked herself to save her (her being Riven). It just doesn't flow well.
I loved how casual queerness was in this book, be it how both the main characters are bi/pan or the use of singular "they/their" for one of the minor characters.
Plotwise, it wasn't my favorite because I felt the world-building was a bit clunky and I was confused at times but at least it's very fast paced and there's always something happening so you won't be bored.

Claire Winn’s debut novel is a solid one. It is told in two perspectives - Asa Almeida, a heiress who flees her home with her sister’s brain after finding out about that her faster has been manipulating her and her sister all along to Requiem where she meets Riven Hawthorne, resident thief, smuggler, and all around badass who wants to make a name for herself.

This book is about carving your own space in the universe, and refusing to be defined by what others want you to be. It’s about finding out that you are capable of so much more than you think. Its about finding your own family who you would do anything for and finally feeling the comfort of belonging,

It was fast paced and we hit the ground running from the practically the first page. I enjoyed how the world-building was rather seamlessly integrated with the action scenes. Some authors tend to do a lot of info-dumping at the start of a book which can make it quite dry, but Winn managed to strike a lovely balance between world building, action, and character introduction and development.

While the imagery was done pretty well and kind of reminded me of Shinjuku / Tron (y’know, neon lights and all that futuristic stuff), I felt that the character building fell short. For Asa, it was refreshing to see a physically weak character with a sharp mind. Watching her find herself and learn to trust herself was beautiful. Riven wasn’t too interesting to me and I found myself being more invested in Asa’s chapters but I do think both MCs complemented each other well. The side characters - Samir, Ty and Diego - had so much untapped potential and it felt as though they simply existed as plot devices, which seems like a waste as they were such a diverse ragtag crew and it would have been fantastic to see them being more fleshed out and nuanced.

There was also a love triangle (well, more of a love corner) which was not stated on the blurb. I’m not particularly fond of love triangles. I went in with an open mind hoping that this might change my opinion but unfortunately it didn’t and resolution felt overly rushed and unsatisfying.

Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable read. Solid 3.5 stars with lots of potential and if there is indeed a sequel (I believe Winn has mentioned hoping for one), I would certainly be queueing up to read it!

Thank you to Netgalley & North Star Editions/Flux books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 ⭐
This book. This book was a phenomenon! How am I to recover after everything that happened here? Claire created a universe filled with the outburst of technology and it runs the world with a mind of its own.
I went through this book blindless and I confess there were some predictable things. However, those made me love the book even more.
The two protagonists, Riven and Asanna, really got to me and I loved to see their relationship grow. Riven reminded me a lot of Kaz Brekker, with her brilliant mind and being the head of a crew and Asanna, with her genius brain and brainstorming, mechanical skills made me fall in love with this story.
This was just breathtaking and so magnificent to read. I read this entire book so quickly and I can't wait to find out what happens next. I mean, Claire, you need to get this book to more people! Thank you both to NetGalley and Claire Winn for allowing me to read this eArc copy!

I felt like I was put into the middle of the book with no clear explanation of the world building or even the plot in reality. I'm sure this wasn't done intentionally. It was hard to get through not because it was necessarily a "bad book" but it was confusing and not in a purposeful and effective way. It was hard to grasp not because the world building and plot was complicated but simply because it just gave everything to you all at once. I had to double check that I didn't accidentally receive an arc for the sequel to a book I didn't read. There was still a lot of elements I enjoyed and the concept itself was interesting just not in the writing style I really enjoyed.