The Dragonfly Gambit is a 2024 science fiction novella by A.D. Sui. This novella came onto my radar after the author reached out to me, and asked if I was interested in reviewing it.
The blurb reads as follows: Nearly ten years after Inez Kato sustained a career-ending injury during a military exercise gone awry, she lies, cheats, and seduces her way to the very top, to destroy the fleet that she was once a part of, even at the cost of her own life.
Ennis Rezál, Third Daughter of the Rule, has six months left to live. She is desperate to end the twenty-year war she was birthed to fight. But when she brings Inez aboard the mothership, a chess game of manipulation and double-crossing begins to unfold, and the Rule doesn't stand a chance.
My Thoughts: This is a fantastic revenge story that doesn't waste its time or pull its punches. Despite the short length, the author weaved together an engaging tale of revenge, regret, rage and resentment. (I didn't mean for it to be so alliterative). There are twists and turns, betrayals and revelations, and an ending that left me staring at the wall for a bit when I was done. While there isn't extensive world-building, the small piece of this universe we see indicates a lot about the larger one, and the wider conflict happening around Inez's one-woman mission for retribution. I love morally grey characters and I love well-executed unreliable narrators, and this book delivered on both. It's a quick and exciting read that I couldn't put down until I was finished with it.
This novella explores themes of disability, queerness and colonialism. Each of those themes fits so well within the story, and makes for a complex, but not overly complicated, plot and cast of characters. Any of those elements being absent would make this novella feel like something was missing.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Links for the book: Goodreads / Author Website
Follow Me Elsewhere: Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Instagram / Buy Me A Coffee?
Support Local Bookstores (Please note, this is an affiliate link and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase)
No comments:
Post a Comment