Title: Goldilocks
Author: Laura Lam
Pages: 353
Publisher: Wildfire
Release Date: 30th April 2020
Blurb from Goodreads:
Ravaged
by environmental disaster, greed and oppression, our planet is in
crisis. The future of humanity hangs in the balance - and one woman
can tip it over.
Despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on Earth,
Valerie Black is spearheading the first all-female mission to a
planet in the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions are just right for
human habitation.
It's humanity's last hope for survival, and Naomi, Valerie's
surrogate daughter and the ship's botanist, has been waiting her
whole life for an opportunity like this - to step out of Valerie's
shadow and really make a difference.
But when things start going wrong on the ship, Naomi starts to
suspect that someone on board is concealing a terrible secret - and
realises time for life on Earth may be running out faster than they
feared . . .
This is The Martian by way of The
Handmaid's Tale - a bold and thought-provoking new
high-concept thriller.
My Review:
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Headline and NetGalley*
Naomi's dream of
going into space becomes reality when her adopted mother, the rich
and passionate Valerie Black, organises an all-female mission to a
planet that could be humanity's salvation.
Naomi jumps at
Valerie's offer to be the ship's botanist, knowing that it is the
only chance she will have to go space thanks to the restrictions
being placed on women.
But things soon
unravel as the crew face unforeseen problems and Naomi begins to
think that one of her crew-mates may be hiding a dark secret.
Will the crew make
it to their destination?
I love a good sci-fi
and when I heard that Goldilocks had an all-female crew in it I knew
I had to read it.
The themes and
events in Goldilocks are very relevant at the moment - climate change
had changed the Earth irreversibly, women's rights/lives were being
restricted and controlled, and there were virus pandemics as well,
which hit a bit too close to home given the current global situation.
Naomi was a mixed
character for me. Did I feel sorry for her? Yes, I did, but she
didn't have much of a personality. Bland seems like a strong and
harsh word to use, but that's the word that comes to mind when I
think of Naomi, unfortunately.
Of the characters,
Valerie felt the most developed, and I did find Valerie and Naomi's
dynamic and relationship interesting.
Half of the novel is
set in the past and half in the present. I found the chapters set in
the present more interesting and engaging because they were set in
space, but the backstory was important to establish the relationship
between Naomi and Valerie as well as Naomi's past.
The plot was
enjoyable overall, but I did guess several twists and wasn't as
gripped as I expected to be, which could be because there wasn't as
much action or suspense as I thought there would be.
The science was
interesting and made me want to learn more about the Alcubierre
drive.
The writing style
was easy to follow and understand.
I feel like
Goldilocks didn't quite reach its potential for me, but I did enjoy
it overall, and found it to be a well-rounded sci-fi with a feminist
twist.
Overall, this was an
enjoyable read.
