Some Desperate Glory takes some really challenging prompts - a fascist and unpleasant lead, a meditation on war and moral relativism, dimensional shenanigans that can make stakes hard to comprehend - and absolutely aces them. I think Kyr feels like such an interesting response to the stereotypical YA-dystopia protagonist, who is often instinctively morally right even in a twisted society; her story is a powerful one of redemption, mistakes, and a continued process of deradicalization. Getting the balance of this right is a huge task (and one that will doubtless have mixed results on different readers), but, for me, I think the distorted logic of Kyr's initial beliefs feels so believable and always allowed me to see the brainwashed human underneath who had the capacity to be better. A lot of phases are packed into this story, but I didn't find it rushed, with more of a propulsive sense of consequence, particularly as I clued in to where the story was going with its setup. At once a deeply personal and a highly philosophical narrative, with just the right amount of worldbuilding and tons of close characterwork, which is pretty much my ideal recipe for standalone sci-fi.

HIGHLIGHTS⁠
🌌 Space Setting⁠
🚀 Future of Earth (and Earthlings)⁠
👧🏼 Female-Centered POV⁠
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I'll be honest, this one took me a while but that is mostly due to traveling and work being insane for the past two weeks and not having a lot of time to read.⁠
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That being said, every time I picked up this one I felt absolutely transported. Space travel, cults, and alternate universes will keep you guessing and guessing and guessing.

A space opera is fun in and of itself, but complex and morally questionable characters are even better. This book tries to tackle a lot of subjects and I feel as if it was done pretty well. This book is slightly more brutal than I originally thought it was going to be, which is not a bad thing. I did not like the main character at first and still don’t harbor overly fond feelings for them. It is so interesting to see the way this system is set up with issues ranging from race to forced pregnancies under the guise of choice (Cause yeah, sure. You can choose to not fulfill the job selected for you. You’ll be known as a coward unwilling to do what is required for humanity’s survival, but sure) and to follow someone who absolutely believes each of those lies and ideals without considering if it makes her a bad person or not. Some of this kind of reminded me of The Blood Trials and Red Rising - both of which I enjoyed. It also keeps you just about questioning how much of what the Command has told the population has been a lie. It tackles interesting and difficult conversations while still remaining fun and quick for a read. If anything, I’m even more excited to see the special addition of it from Illumicrate.

When this book starts, you are not going to love Kyr. You just will not. She is cold, and even the other girls she grew up with can't wait to be rid of her. And take the trigger warnings seriously- Kyr's people (initially, anyway) really are sexist, homophobic, racist asshats. Full stop, I kind of wanted the whole society to explode. Is that wrong? Well, anyway, it is what it is.

But eventually, Kyr starts to come around, and understand that maybe her people aren't who she thought they were. Maybe they have been feeding her false information, messing with her minds. You know, as cults do. And make no mistake- this society is very culty. Idk what even the name of the Overlord is (that is not actually his title, just what I am calling him). In my head, he was absolutely giving me Jim Jones vibes, frankly. She's not exactly tickled when they send her, a lifelong trained fighter, to be an incubator. But the last straw for her is when her brother is basically ordered to go to his death. Kyr can't take that, on top of the whole "being a human incubator" bit, and she takes off to find him.

From there... well look, things get bananas. I don't know if I could fully explain it to you if I tried, but I don't want to try because that would ruin the plot. Let's just say that as the story goes on, with some help from some new (and old) friends, Kyr starts to figure out what is real and what is at stake- and it is a lot. So with the help of these friends, she sets out to right some of the gross wrongs. And it gets really intense along the way.

The character growth throughout the story is impressive, not just for Kyr, but for the side characters too. Speaking of, I loved so many of the side characters, and they injected some humor and levity into an otherwise tense story. I found the world incredibly fascinating, and the stakes super high. I also loved that Kyr had lots of moments of doubt- it made her progress seem that much more realistic, since she had spent her whole life being indoctrinated into these lies. There were tons of twists and exciting turns, and basically, I could not stop reading!

Bottom Line: Full of adventure and tons of character growth, I definitely did not want to put this one down!

The premise of Some Desperate Glory intrigued me, and I had hoped it would live up to the hype. The story felt like it fit the YA genre with how it dealt with issues (way to simplistic/basic). And if it was actually marketed for YA, then I would have less issues with how the author dealt with race/gender/fascism. That alone turned me off. There’s a seen later on in the story where I had a wtf moment, ‘did she really just do/ask that?’ So. I feel like folks in different age groups and maturity will definitely comprehend this story a bit differently. This just had too many cringe moments for me.

What I did enjoy the world building and space odyssey feel. I liked the actual plot of the story, but there was just too much in the questionable actions of the MC and how the author handled it.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

2.5 stars

I have a few thoughts about this book, but I will start off by saying that I loved the writing in this book. Any issues that I have are not with the writing, but the plot itself. I need to read more of Emily Tesh’s work!

There are a lot of things about Some Desperate Glory that I was excited about: a space colony with cult vibes, girl friendship, fun family dynamics, and a redemption arc.

I was not a huge fan of Kyr in this book, and I know that it was purposeful and because of indoctrination, but I couldn’t get myself to look past it. I felt bad for everyone around her, and even though she realized the reality of her situation, I don’t think she got any better. She never really apologized for anything.

The time traveling, multiverse part of the story was surprising to me, but it took me out of the story when, about 1/3 through, it started all over. And then once again, about 2/3 in. I did like the idea of it, but didn’t really vibe with how it ended up. And queer space opera? No, that’s not quite right.

I know there’s a few criticisms, but I do recommend this book to my science fiction lovers. Some may love it more than I did, and I always recommend stories like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for the chance to read this advanced review copy.

CW for suicide, violence, child abuse, murder, genocide, blood, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, racism, bullying, sexual assault, rape (implied, not on page), suicidal thoughts, and ableism

Months after finishing this book, I'm finally returning on the eve of its publication to say a whole lot of nothing, ultimately.

I'll start by giving immense credit to Emily Tesh's ability to hit emotional beats, keep me invested in a thoroughly unlikable character, and to write engaging combat scenes.

That said: while fast paced and action packed, this science fantasy bites off more than it really seems able to chew. The young tone read more like YA than its intended adult and the book's attempt to tackle a laundry list of social issues through the aggravatingly and regressively cult-like environment of Gaea Station was both underwhelming in its execution and pulled focus from what was already a fairly busy narrative.

As in the Greenhollow Duology, Tesh's prose is strong and her care for her main character (and a favourite side character or two) is apparent. I only wish that in this vastly bigger and broader setting, more care had been afforded to fleshing out characters other than Kyr and into giving the over all narrative a little more maturity.

Despite adoring Emily Tesh’s Some Desperate Glory, I’ve put off reviewing it for months because I don’t know quite how to review it. If I talk about the plot beyond what you can read in the jacket copy, it takes away from the experience of reading it; this is one of those books where I believe the less you know going in, the better the experience will be.

Instead, I will say that protagonist Kyr almost certainly will infuriate you. She is, bluntly, a fascist asshole programmed in a misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic organization. If you’re anything like me, the book will go interminably slow until about the midpoint. You will wonder how much more of Kyr’s radicalized awfulness you can take. But swiftly, suddenly, and surprisingly seamlessly, the direction of the novel pivots. Tesh unfolds a complex, gut-wrenching journey that ultimately makes Some Desperate Glory an early contender for my favourite novels of 2023.

Queer space opera is a favourite of mine. In particular, I love queer space opera that digs into the comparatively infinitesimal forces of individual lives when compared to the vastness of galaxies—how single individuals can shape the trajectory of an entire universe… or not. Some Desperate Glory delivers that in superb fashion with a novel that stands out in my memory months and months down the line.

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this book from the very beginning to the very end. Previous to reading this book I had read Tesh's "Greenhollow Duology" and really loved it. This book was very different from the Greenhollow books, this is science fiction/space opera setting. However, it touches on many similar themes and was beautifully written.

The book follows Kyr, a battle breed human born on Gaea Station. When Earth was destroyed by the majoda, Gaea Station stood as a last line of defense protecting the humans that were left from the aftermath. Kyr has trained all her life to command a dreadnought and attack the enemy; then suddenly she finds she's been regulated to Nursery duty. Command feels it is more important for her to use her battle breed gene pool to breed more humans than to use her hard-earned battle skills. Kyr starts to rebel against the Gaea Station doctrine and ends up taking things into her own hands to discover the truth behind Gaea Station.

I think the synopsis gives too much away. I didn't read it before I picked up this book and was seriously stressed about what assignment Kyr would get, although this does happen pretty early in the story. I loved watching Kyr grow throughout the book; she has to overcome a lifetime of brainwashing and really stretch her mind and beliefs to do what she needs to do.

This book is full of amazing characters trying to understand the huge worlds around them and make sense of their own militant upbringing. All of the characters are incredibly well done and engaging to read about.

The world-building here is phenomenal. Most of the universe is run by an entity called The Wisdom and all of the majoda are in sync with it. Although, things become much more complicated than that as Kyr starts to unravel the truth behind humanity's relationship with the rest of the galaxy.

There is quite a bit of action here and some visiting other worlds and meeting other species. I loved the creativity and description in these scenes; it was so much fun to meet these new alien races and visit these new worlds. Tesh did a fantastic job creating them and making them come alive for the reader.

This book was a wonderful balance of unique world-building, amazing characters, action, conspiracy, and mystery. This book does an excellent job of wrapping things up but I would love to see more books set in this world and see what the future has in store for Kyr.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I loved everything about this book. This book only made me love Tesh as a writer even more. This is so different from the Greenhollow Duology but still so completely amazing. If you enjoy sci-fi, space opera reads that focus on what it means to be human in a crazy alien universe I would definitely pick this up. I think fans of Becky Chambers' book will find a lot here to love (although this is a bit more action-packed than Chambers' books). Highly recommended!

~ 3 Stars ~

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for gifting me a copy of this eARC to review.

I want to start by saying I DNF'd this book at 20% and the review is based on what I did read.

I found this world of a destroyed Earth and humans inhabiting a planetoid very interesting. The life that they create, where people are sectioned into different purposes based on several factors is intriguing. By being the last surviving humans, it puts them into a very militaristic society, where everyone's duties contribute back to this common belief of human race preservation. We follow Valkyr/Kyr, and her relationships with her training group as well as others within this command base. Within Kyr's group, everyone is being assigned to what will be their adult positions within this space station, all of their cumulative work and training comes to this moment, which prompts some very strange turns of events to happen.

Overall, Kyr is just extremely unlikable, she's ruthless and intolerant of others, like, not a team player whatsoever. She treats the people around her really awfully and it was hard to watch. I think while this was a fairly quick read, not too dense, the concepts of The Wisdom and The Majo are really hard to understand. At 20% I think there was a little more enlightenment going on, but ny this point in a book, it just wasn't grabbing me. I found that I was picking up other books and avoiding this one.

I would like to continue possibly reading this at a leisurely pace and maybe finishing it in future, but for now, I just am not motivated. The ideas and concepts were interesting but I think maybe not executed as well as it could have been...

Some Desperate Glory took me back to being a kid reading dystopian fiction- and I mean that in the best possible way. This book is remarkable for its creation of a world that feels real and terrifying and questions the line between good and evil. Kyr and Mags and Avi are all fantastic to follow as they learn the truth about where they grew up and their genetics. The family ties are strong between Kyr, Mags, and their long-lost sister. I didn't want to stop reading.

Is this book an instant sci-fi action classic? Yeah probably, but that’s almost secondary to the way it’s a longform exploration of the way fascist cults poison everything around them, and how even if you manage to “get out”, that really doesn’t mean you’ve gotten out - not if that mindset, that belief system, is still with you. So what *can" you do about it?

I’ve read a number of SF books in recent years along these same themes - guess it’s on people’s minds for uh some reason - and this was the best *by far*.

I think for me, what will stick with me is the way Kyr’s perspective/thought process is written. The way, when you’ve been raised in a cult like this, your mind is taught from birth to just… glide right around any ideas that challenge the favored ideology. And look, it’s not unique to these types of cult-like environments - we are all inculcated with harmful ideas by the culture(s) we live in, in various degrees and ways. But for me personally this book reminded me specifically of people I have known from extreme religious backgrounds - the way you can have a conversation with someone about certain topics and actually see in their eyes the moment their mind just skips over something, because they simply cannot process that the world would be any other way than what they were taught, even if what they were taught was blatant lies. The way you can watch someone hurt those around them - and themselves - and brainstorm desperately about what you could say that might get through to them when all you want to say is “you don’t have to do this” but you know that they won’t hear you, because “you don’t have to do this” is incompatible with reality as they understand it.

Reading this book - reading Kyr’s thoughts and reactions in the first half especially - is like those conversations, the heartsickness of seeing someone you love wall themselves up in their own mental prison, the way they’ve been taught, over and over again. (A mental prison, of course, with very real, very harmful consequences.)

This book works so well, I think, because even though it goes to some very dark places it always keeps you moving *through* them. The plot is propulsive, with twists that keep you thinking while never letting up on the action - just the way excellent SF should be.

If you’re looking for a hook, I would probably describe this book as Ender’s Game meets Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Seriously!

And I have to say I enjoyed this author’s two novellas when I read them a couple years ago but this book blew me away. I couldn’t put it down, and when I had to, I was thinking about it constantly. Hardcore looking forward to whatever is on the agenda next.

Last but not least I do want to thank my AP English teacher lol, because that lengthy unit on WWI poetry has just been paying dividends throughout my entire adult life and it continued to do so here!

a stunning brutal read i am blown away by this debut! I’ve been tossing this book around in my mind for a couple weeks trying to figure out what to say in this review and why exactly I loved it. It showed how well the author understood the genre of Sci-fi and followed certain genre strokes in such a great way while not being stale. The pacing and the journey of our main character Kyr was phenomenal; the world building really hooked me in. It gets incredibly dark, but the author truly makes the darkness feel worth it/justified with a good pay off

Book Summary:

Kyr has spent her entire life on Gaea Station, training hard to become the best soldier she can be. Why? She must avenge the loss of the Earth, which means taking the battle to the aliens that rained destruction upon the human race.

This had always been her goal. Then she and her twin brother got their assignments...and it was nothing like Kyr had expected. This sets off a series of events that will change Kry's life forever – along with everybody on Gaea Station.

My Review:

Okay, if you hand me a book and promise it's a queer space opera, you know I will read it! But seriously, Some Desperate Glory has been in my sights for a while now, and I'm so happy to finally sit down and read it.

Some Desperate Glory is full of action, drama, and Kyr's internal struggle to do right by her people. It's a lot to take in, yet I can see why people are absolutely gushing about this read. Throw in aliens, an evil character or two, and some sympathetic secondary characters, and you've got the perfect story in your hands.

The transition that Kyr goes through is fantastic. She goes from being a protagonist I almost want to root against to somebody I want to cheer for, all in one book. You can imagine how all the secondary characters felt watching that happen!

There's a lot of commentary in Some Desperate Glory, so don't go into this book expecting a light read. Kyr is basically part of a cult, and it takes her a while to fight through the brainwashing she's experienced her entire life.

My biggest complaint about Some Desperate Glory? The novel kept telling us how big and physically impressive Kyr is (I believe the term "built like a tank" came up at least once). Yet she looks relatively small on the cover. Maybe that's a perspective issue, but I would have loved to see them push this description more on the cover.

Highlights:
Supersoldiers
LGBT Lead
Space Opera
Aliens!

Trigger Warnings:
Sexism
Racism
Sexual Assault/Rape
Mental Health/Depression/Suicide

“She had been born into a universe gone wrong. She had waited her whole life to come face-to-face with something she could blame.”

This book is a revelation, a gut punch, an anthem. SOME DESPERATE GLORY is the brutal and gorgeous story of Kyr, a teenage supersoldier on Gaea station, the last known holdout of humanity after earth was destroyed by a reality-bending artificial intelligence known as the Wisdom. Kyr is completely obnoxious: hyper-competitive, rule-following, and condescending, a “space fascist girl scout” unable to focus on anyone else’s humanity because she’s too busy suppressing her own for the sake of the cause drilled into her since birth. But trust me, reader, you will be on the edge of your seat rooting for her by the end. This is ultimately the story of a girl decommissioned, of a great unlearning that Kyr undergoes as she is given chance after chance to make new choices until finally, she does. The narrative is compelling from the jump but shifts into high gear at the halfway point; the remainder held me emotionally hostage, sobbing on one page and laughing on the next as Kyr and her merry band of queers seek out a new, just path forward. A fiercely, achingly hopeful book that will be adored by existential gays everywhere. Thanks to Tordotcom and Macmillan Audio for the review copies! This book is out 4/11.

“So what do we do? What do we do now?” // “While we live, we’re alive. And that’s all.”

Content warnings (from the author): sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist & ableist attitudes, sexual assault including discussion of forced pregnancy, violence, child abuse, radicalization as child abuse, genocide, suicidal ideation, and suicide

I have always loved how scifi allows authors to reframe recognizable human conflicts utilizing unfamiliar settings and technology. Tesh demonstrates this excellently, touching on some very current issues, while also building strong crossover appeal to readers like myself who may often stay more in the fantasy lane. I see fans of Mass Effect, Hunger Games, and Enders Game all being target audiences.
Of note, this is an adult book, even if our view point is through young adult eyes. Contant warnings are contained at the beginning of the book, please read and consider these carefully prior to jumping in. When we meet our MC I found her incredibly unlikeable (which appears to be by design). She was raised in an extremis cult and this story is very much a focus on her deprogramming.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh was one of my most anticipated SFF releases of 2023. I am so bummed to say that I did not love this book.

First, what I liked: this has such a strong start! I loved learning about Kyr’s life on Gaea station. It’s a fairly fast-paced and easy read. I feel SDG would be a good pick for those wanting a transition novel from YA to adult books.

I thought the concept of Some Desperate Glory was better than its execution. The book tries to tackle several “-isms” without providing much nuance. And for an adult novel, I expect there to be nuance when it comes to discussing topics such as facism, sexism, racism, etc. Another pitfall for me was that the main character, Kyr felt extremely flat. She’s a teenage supersoldier with the personality of a doorknob. I never felt connected to her or her motivations to get revenge on the majoda. In fact, I didn’t feel connect to a single character in this book.

I primarily read this book via audiobook and oh my goodness, this was one of the worst listening experiences I have had in a long time. My enjoyment of the story was definitely impacted by the narrator. The narrator sounded very choppy and kept pausing in places where there shouldn’t be pauses. It made for a very irritating listening experience. If you do pick up this book, I would not recommend listening to the audiobook.

I didn’t feel like Some Desperate Glory was doing anything new. It was a fine book. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, pick it up and go for it but this won’t be a title I’ll be going out of my way to recommend.

3/5 stars

This was truly epic and stunning. It's one of those times I wish I could give an extra star or two on top of the usual 5 because this story deserves it.

Kyr is SO hard to like at the beginning. She's completely brainwashed and has 100% bought in to the narrative her "uncle" Joel is selling: that they're a resistance determined to get revenge and glory for humanity -- rather than a barbaric cult in the middle of nowhere. And yet by the end, you find yourself completely on her side, rooting for her every step of the way and feeling everything she feels.

Watching events play out, feeling the layers of brainwashing being stripped away as the narrative progresses, was incredible. The twists were shocking, the characters endlessly compelling, and the plot was truly stunning, once you get to the end of it and look back. I LOVED it.

The audiobook narrator did a phenomenal job giving all the characters unique voices and capturing the pain and trauma they have lived, and the transformation Kyr undergoes.

Absolutely one of the best books of the year.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Tor/Forge, and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy and early audio copy for review.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly April New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

If you love sci-fi and want a book with a female main character who is tough as nails, THIS IS IT! Blew my expectations away and i can’t wait to buy my own copy. A great read for all adult sci-fi lovers who want more female & queer representation