4.5 STARS

CW: death (including of loved ones), grief, violence, blood, colonialism

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read which I had not necessarily expected so it was a delightful surprise. I was immediately sucked into this world and one of the reasons why I absolutely loved reading this was definitely that the worldbuilding is so inspired by Korean culture. I studied Korean for four years at uni, spent one year abroad in Seoul and just have a tremendous love for this culture and language.

That being said, I absolutely loved how all the Korean expressions and words were used without providing translations in the text. The appendix with an explanation of all the vocab was very fun to go through even though I had no trouble understanding all the words that were used. This generally made me miss Korea a lot, the descriptions of food and general customs also contributed to that. I was just very nostalgic about my time in Korea while reading this.

In addition to this more sentimental aspect (for me), I think the story was very entertaining, I definitely see the Becky Chambers comparison and I really enjoyed learning more about the characters and get to know them more and more over the course of the story. They were all lovable, I think, and I loved seeing them interacting with each other in various constellations.

One thing that bothered me a little bit (but not a lot) was that what is pitched in the blurb of the book only happens at about the 50% mark. On one hand, I really liked the pace and getting introduced to the world and the characters, but on another I kind of wished that the plot would have moved along a little bit quicker.

From how the book ended I'm hoping that there will be a second installment. I desperately need more background info about how North and South Korea reunited in the canon of this story. This was another VERY interesting thing about the worldbuilding to me: thinking about what must have happened for a reunified Korea to attain dominance in space and how the Alliance came about.

If it has not become clear from my review yet, I'd definitely recommend checking this book out! It's perfect to read in between large tomes, it's a great palate cleanser in my opinion and it was just a great, entertaining read. Especially if you're interested in Korean culture, language (and history) in any way, I think this would be the perfect read. It's also not as focused on the science fiction aspect (not hard sci-fi at all) and more so about the characters and their relationships to each other which is where the Becky Chambers comparison comes from. Seriously, go buy and read this!

3.75, rounded up to a 4 because I had a fun time but my feelings depend on what happens next.
This book felt to me like Firefly/Battlestar meets Iron Widow - very much a space opera with a diverse cast of characters.
The main characters of Teo, Ocean and Haven I think stand out as the leads. There is a large cast of characters to keep up with but I think these three have the most development. There is a place for all of the characters but there were times where it felt like there were too many for how short the book is.,
The world building was cool, centered around a Korean superpower. For pacing, I felt like we were missing some pages and this book is very short. The ending felt very abrupt and unfinished even though a lot of characters got a semblance of a conclusion and I think my overall feelings on the plot of this book is dependent on what happens if there is a sequel.

This book has a lot of great things going for it but, unfortunately, is a bit rushed towards the end.

The beginning was pretty strong and continued to be compelling until around the 70% mark. I think at that part the pacing felt off. Most books go full speed at this point and hurtle towards the end. However this book slowed down to develop the romance which I think still felt rushed and a bit out of the blue. And the ending was really like... what?

There are a lot of cool elements and great world building. The characters all have distinct and interesting personalities. I think this books suffers from being too short. There are two different romance and three points of view, along with the main plot. This is too much to put into 362 pages so ultimately the romance suffered quite a bit. I wanted more of Sasani.

Not to be reductive, but I think my shorthand for handselling this book might be "Six of Crows in space in a future solar system where Korea has become the dominant political power." While this may be a very niche statement, perhaps the best compliment I can give is that I was delighted by the adventures of Ocean and her crew, even though as a person who usually covers their eyes during harrowing cinematic motion scenes, I experienced them on the page without the option of looking away. LOL!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Books for the eARC of this unique title!**

On paper this book is everything that I love, and I was super excited to read about a badass female diver living in a cool, science-fiction world. The scifi parts of this book were incredible and I thought the world-building was well done. For a debut novel, I could see glimpses of a really good story under everything. Unfortunately the characters fell super flat for me and even when perspectives changed, it didn't feel like I was reading a different character.

I will 100% check out more from this author in the future and I think for fans of romance this one could work out really well. The cover of this one also gets an A+ !!

This was a very interesting book but I’m still unsure how I feel about its execution.

In the first 30%, I couldn’t tell where the heck the story was going at all and it took me a month to slug through it. I was intrigued by the mashup of cultures and the twist on the Korean language being used, but too much but also nothing was going on. Then we finally got to the meat of the story after all the set up and I loved it. Seeing Ocean, Haven and Teo on this raider ship was intriguing and I liked the fast pace of the middle part. But then, it ended on a major cliff hanger and I’m unsure if there’s going to be a pt.2? So now my feathers are ruffled.

The good:
- dual POVs
- queer rep
- diverse characters and language used
- space travel (so cool)

The eh:
- plot was confusing at points
- ending: where do we go from here?
- reading romanization for Korean always confuses me (also banmal being called common took me a few moments to realize)
- romance bits were also confusing

Overall, it was an interesting debut novel and I’m curious enough to read more of Cho’s work, especially if there is a book 2!

Overall 3.5 rating for me and thanks to NetGalley and Zando for the DRC!

Whilst this book had all the ingredients of a rollicking good space adventure, after 50% I found the end product just didn't quite deliver. I'm sure others will have appreciated the story and enjoyed the ride, but for me there were a couple of issues that meant it just didn't capture my interest enough to continue.

Firstly, it took a while to get a handle on the world-building - while I'm not an advocate of info-dumps, it is essential for the reader to be at least somewhat informed of what kind of technology etc we are dealing with. Korea's space-dominance is never really explained, and the current political situation only vaguely discussed. There's a lot of hand-waving going on with regards to the space travel part as well.
Ocean's custom-installation of footpedals in any spaceship she's piloting is giving very much "not like other girls" vibes, something later underlined by her infamous hostage-saving act that is the gossip of the entire world it seems. Both of these issues, the sparse understanding of setting and a way too unique, special, kickass heroine I can forgive if I am enamored of the Found Family characters and especially their dynamic but alas was let down here as well. Every character has at least two names, and whilst yes this is quite normal in a book add to this their nicknames and the fact that they are inconsistently used multiplied by the number in the ensemble... I honestly was struggling to understand WHO, at any given time, was actually in the room. I also didn't really warm to any of them, and I so wanted to take these quirkly, brave, potentially lovable spacefolk into my heart.

It's unusual for me to DNF a book this late however I did want to see if the pacing picked up and where the plot was going. Unfortunately, when the action only commences at 1/3 of the way through it was hard for me to buy-in and found myself uninterested in either the story or the characters. I do wonder if the pacing was off from a traditional three-act play because this is intended as the first in a series rather than a standalone, though there is no hint of this in the blurb or marketing. If so, the author needs to sketch the world and its politics on a grander scale, in order to place their characters more firmly within its architecture and give their quest more weight.

Review not publicly posted due to DNF.

I'm always in search of good Korean literature, so finding one in my favourite genre was exhilarating.

I enjoyed this story despite the pace being very slow. I felt like the last 20% of the book wrapped up the story too quickly and abruptly. I did like Ocean's character- she is fierce and really develops throughout the book. This book has a misfit crew, adventure, and a little romance that is the best mix I love in my books. We also have her best friend in need, who is framed for a murder and it's up to her and her new crew to navigate this new situation with the help of her friends while balancing who she is and what she can become.

I enjoyed the writing immensely and can't wait to read more by this author!

Real Rating: 3.75* of five

Well, what can I say. I love <I>Firefly</I>, I love Becky Chambers, I thoroughly liked the <I>Ketty Jay</i>. This story hits all those tales' beats, and does it from a new angle that centers Korean culture. The author, who lives in Seattle, is definitely working inside that frame. The strong anticolonial message is interesting, as the entire ide of human expansion is by definition colonialist....

Is the story anything groundbreaking? No. Do I want to read the next one, assuming there is one? Yes. The fun of being within this group of cooperative misfits led by a Korean lesbian far exceeds the investment in absorbing the different cultural background unfamiliar to most Western readers.

It is, to me, very much an enhancing feature of the read. Get out of your cultural rut within your genre preference.

- Y’all know how much I love a ragtag space crew adventure, and OCEAN’S GODORI is a great one, full of gunslinging, witty quips, and found family love.
- Cho hits that sweet spot of worldbuilding and interstellar politics where it feels real but doesn’t get bogged down in too many people or other details.
- My one gripe is the pacing - some parts moved very fast and others felt super slow. However, it’s a pretty short book so even the “slow” parts don’t last too long.
- I really hope this becomes a series. The ending is left wide open, and I’d love to see what else Cho can do.

An amazing addition to the space opera genre, it oozes style and touches on the hallmarks of the genre. While at the same time it brings it's own spin with its Korean influence. Being this authors debut it has some rough spots and can seem a bit campy/cheesy at times but it is mostly forgiven. Wonderful representation and lovely wholesome story, feels as if Becky Chambers smashed together Cowboy Bebop and Firefly. Amazing work

I thought about DNFing this constantly until about the halfway mark, and that is obviously never a good sign. Once that Big, Catastrophic Thing happened, I was invested in the plot, but up until then it was just pointless, meandering filler plot with no real stakes and characters that I was unable to tell apart from each other. The ending was extremely rushed and made the whole book feel more like a prequel than an actual first part of a series. I still feel like I barely know anything about these bland, stereotypical characters, and I‘m frankly not invested enough in their fates to want to read the next book in the series.

I think one aspect that didn’t help at all with telling the characters apart was that they all have rather unique, gender-neutral names (or, well, at least the important ones). It gets confusing so quickly, when you have Phoenix, Gemini, Aries, Teo, Haven and Ocean and then she did this and he said that and he argued bla…wait, who is speaking now? I struggled so much to keep up with who was doing what that it hindered my enjoyment of the plot quite significantly. And then several of these names are codenames and we get hit with another bunch of other codenames and/or real names and I was just ready to give up by then. It would have been a different story had I been able to tell them apart by their unique characters, but they all seemed to blend into each other more or less.

The world building also felt super rushed. All I got from it is that Korea was unified and is the dominant spacefaring power, supported by the Anand family who run all kinds of (exploitative) companies throughout our solar system (and possibly others, I never did figure out quite where Haven‘s home world is). It’s the Alliance against the suppressed colonies, but there is no open warfare (yet?) and the characters in this plot get dragged into the conflict. But that’s literally all the reader ever gets to know. The exploitation of the colonies isn’t described very well, why Teo is so convinced that his family is doing good for the solar system is also never backed up, and why are Haven‘s people so severely ostracised?

I hope all of these issues will be dealt with in the sequel, although it is quite safe to say that I will not be reading it.

2.5/5 stars.

Ocean's Godori is the debut adult science fiction novel by Elaine U. Cho. It's a Korean space opera with rich cultural threads throughout a story of familial obligations, self-reflection, and a misfit crew who are pulled into a far-reaching conspiracy.

Ocean Yoon is the perfect disgraced character, with brilliant skills but a terrible attitude. She serves as the XO and pilot on an Alliance Class 4 Transporter, the Ohneul. Her character arc is somewhat stereotypical, but her observations are poignant, and her friendship with similarly disgraced Teophilus Anand is enchanting. When they're together, the book is delightful. The two only truly come alive and show their true selves when alone with each other.

"Back when they first met, he nicknamed Ocean 'Finesure' since that was how she answered every question." Teo thinks handling Ocean is like "trying to pet a cat. You have to feign complete disinterest and leave the door ajar for her to nudge open on her own."

The second son of the Anand Tech empire, Teo describes himself as the "solar’s favorite ne’er-do-well son." He "wonders how long Ocean is for the Alliance. How long she’ll stay in the limbo of her fallen state." With her skills, she "could easily get a job with some other spaceflight program, even with her record." That record is one of the many pulls that keep readers engaged, seeking answers.

The third major character is Haven Sasani, who is captivated by the story of Ocean and her fall from grace. Her position as a respected pilot in the Alliance was cut short by an incident that's been redacted and covered up. This mystery is what drives Haven to join the crew of the Ohneul when his father insists he leave home and join the Alliance for some much-needed life experience.

Haven is a member of "the close-knit community of Mortemians" whose "sacred ceremony in learning the death arts" sets him apart from the rest of the solar. His people were ostracised to the point that they no longer physically touch anyone outside their community. While most people who learn about Haven are disgusted, the crew of the Ohneul is mostly curious, and respectful of his avoidance of physical contact. The Ohneul's captain appreciates the bonus she received for having a Mortemian on board; Ocean is distant and watchful, and there's a delicious tension whenever she and Haven interact.

Together, they become entangled in a plot of sabotage, where Teo is framed not only for the destruction of the Senobi Embassy to Mars - a brutal attack that almost killed him, as well - but also for the murder of his own parents. Ocean is determined to prove her friend's innocence; Haven and the rest of the crew of the Ohneul are along for the ride.

Sprinkled with vivid characters and subtle glimpses of future technologies, and seeped in Korean culture, Ocean's Godori has a setting that is rich, deep, and integrated into every scene. The reader is firmly transported to a place and time that feels real.

Ocean's Godori is beautifully written, too, with descriptions that catch the eye without taking the reader out of the story. There are dozens of quotes I could share, but I'd prefer to let you discover the magic on your own. With excellent writing and captivating characters, there's lots to love.

I look forward to more books in this universe, and hope to see Ocean, Teo, and Haven again soon. The ending was a cliffhanger and I want to know what happens next.

Did this book start a little slow, yes, but was it worth it, also yes though the cliffhanger! The ride was worth it though from raiders, to romance, and to space chases. Despite the larger cast of characters, it was easy to keep track of them and their histories because I had so much fun with the story.

I loved this book from the first page! This book builds on itself, starting small to establish itself and the characters before showing the scale of impact. The plot was engaging, with enough mystery and unanswered questions propelling me further into the exciting future Cho has created. I found the characters complex enough to be interesting but still straightforward enough to be relatable, each unique and entertaining and compelling on their own, but an absolute delight together. Their relationships (familial or platonic or romantic) feel developed naturally and organically, and I appreciated that romantic relationships aren't the drive of the story without being nonexistent. However, some of the characters seem far more attached and loyal to each other than I would anticipate, given the history we know they've shared, so I'm curious if there's more to them we've yet to learn, or maybe those characters just attach to others easily. There are also things I don't fully understand about the plan and motives of the antagonist, but I am confident that more will be revealed and resolved in later books.

I feel like the end of this book came out of nowhere - not what happened, I mean the actual end of the book came far too soon and left me wanting more! It seemed like too sudden of a conclusion, and it was actually a little jarring when there wasn't another page. I look forward to the sequel (THERE BETTER BE A SEQUEL!) to continue on this amazing adventure with Ocean & Company.

Language: High
Violence: High
Drugs: None
Sex: Mild

Too much Lifetime TV style drama and half-baked romance, not enough sci-fi. Very sad about this one, because the premise sounded amazing: "a thrilling adventure across the solar that delivers hyperkinetic action sequences and irresistible will-they-won't-they romance alongside its nuanced exploration of colonialism and capitalism". Where was all of this? Buried under drawn-out drama that's happening to extremely bland and cliché characters. I did enjoy the world-building though, which was the best part of the novel. Korea as a leader of space exploration in a future headed towards utopia? Sign me up! Give me more of that! Sadly, the story didn't live up to its beautiful setting, and if I'm being honest the first half of the novel barely has any plot at all.

"Ocean's Godori" is another book I had to skim through after the halfway point - the storytelling and character work just weren't there, unfortunately.

This debut Sci-Fi novel focusses on Korea as the main power in space exploration. A very unique point of view and definitely a reason to watch out for this author.

Unfortunately, Cho uses the usual tropes of the genre, paired with too many one dimensional characters that often feel like plot devices, and a plot that seems to hover in stasis until the last few chapters when the story goes to warp speed only to end in a cliff-hanger.

I'm looking forward to the next book though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Zando for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this was super intriguing, and seeing as Becky Chambers was a comp author I was super excited to check this story out!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book, I felt lost throughout and it was making the reading process not too fun, however I did like the writing style and atmosphere!

I might pick this one up again in the future, because the premise does sound so cool, but at this moment in time I just couldn't get into it.

3.75

I'm not going to lie, I saw this cover and then saw Korean science fiction and pretty much requested it on those two things alone. And honestly I think because I went into this with no expectations, I had a much better time with it than some of the other reviewers I have seen.

This is such an imaginative world and Cho really drops the reader in from the start. The story starts out slow and feels like it will be a cozy space opera in the vein of Becky Chambers' Wayfarers but then pivots into a high adventure action story. Ultimately it most reminded me of J.S. Dewes' Divide series though I admit I connected with the characters better in both Chambers and Dewes work than I did here. That being said, I had a great time with this book and would absolutely read more from Cho! I hope that she continues to write in this world because while I haven't seen anything about this being sold as a series, the ending is rather abrupt and open ended so I would like to see more.

It's the twenty-third century, and Korea has become the major power known as the Alliance in the Solar (our solar system).

Ocean Yoon is an outsider, despite coming from a wealthy family, who are descendants of Jeju Island's pearl divers, and she has gone through diplomacy training. She's also a fantastic pilot, and was on her way to a promising career in the Alliance till an incident on her previous posting gained her a reputation for violence.

Now she's pilot on the small Alliance ship Ohneul for mediocre spaceship captain Dae Song, who frequently needles and talks down to her. Ocean's fellow crew are the wonderful Maggie, a mechanic and engineer, and sweet Von Kent, a xenobotanist. Haven, a Mortemian (they deal with the dead and consequently are reviled in the Alliance) recently joined the crew as their medic.

Ocean's best friend and younger son of the powerful Anand Tech empire, Teo, is escorting a diplomatic mission when the ship he is on is attacked. Teo barely manages to escape, setting his escape pod's trajectory to meet up with the Ohneul.

Needless to say, the Ohneul is threatened once news drops that Teo's entire family, on Earth, was slaughtered by, yup, you guessed it, Teo (who was in space when this occurred). And then more bad things start happening, from multiple attacks on the Ohneul crew, encounters with assassins, and pirates (whose captain Phoenix is amusingly flamboyant), to a frantic chase and crash.

Author Elaine U. Cho takes a while to build to all the conflict and chasing, giving us a much needed understanding of who Ocean, Teo and Haven are, and what obstacles they are facing everyday. We really get a feel for these three people, and how they cope with society's expectations and their responses to this. And who they care about. Interestingly, we also meet the assassin who is busy framing Teo as they pursue the heir across the solar.

Cho skillfully sets all the pieces in place for much of the novel, before the action kicks into high gear. Note that the tone of the novel is primarily quiet and thoughtful, even with the minor skirmishes and conflicts they experience before the big parts of the plot takes off.

The characters are well-realized, and I got a sense of the limitations of the Alliance and how someone like Ocean, or Haven, and even Teo, would have difficulties fitting in.

What with the way the book ended, I am eager to find out what happens next in this satisfying beginning to what I hope is a totally fun space opera.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Zando for this ARC in exchange for my review.