Grateful to Netgalley/the publisher for giving me a chance to read beyond the first section, which I would have read as a preview and been encouraged to buy the full book. This saved me some money.

This book was so promising in the first (checks) 7%, but then it becomes a complete and utter slog. Characters are pretty much interchangeable. The weird, fun, unique first contact story that started the book is completely dropped in favor for a generic scifi invasion story full of characters I didn't care about. They spouted math and science exposition in a way I'm sure the author thought made him seem smart but just made the book drag on and on. The poor narrator tried her best but eventually it was all just white noise and I gave up.

I wish I knew why the author spent so long on that first section just to waste it. So much potential just dropped in favor for Soldiers and Government Operatives Doing a Mission and an incredibly odd obsession with name-dropping Obama at random points. I felt like I was gearing up for a great read. Instead it was just a bait and switch.