Review: Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

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Release Date: January 25th, 2021

Genre(s): Adult fiction, Science-Fiction, Space Opera, LGBT

Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press

Pages: 512

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery / Saga Press for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis

Persephone Station is a planet that’s been largely ignored by the United Republic of Worlds – that is, until the Serrao-Orlov Corporation finds that it’s hiding secrets that it wants to exploit. Rosie is an owner of Monk’s Bar, which is often frequented by an exclusive criminal class and those who seek to employ them. Angel has a job to do for Rosie, and a job that will ultimately impact Persephone and put Angel and her group against the Serrao-Orlov Corporation’s army.

Review

I’m a big fan of space opera. Between the heavy worldbuilding, the exploration of the cast of characters, and the political intrigue, there’s so much to explore. Persephone Station definitely heavy on political intrigue, although I did find myself wanting more.

The first half of Persephone Station especially is rich in setting the stage. We’re introduced to the world, all of the characters that are taking center stage in the story, and the backstory of the central conflict. But as I was reading, I found myself wanting more backstory on why and how we got here. It felt like a strange combination of being heavy on worldbuilding, but not quite giving the answers to the questions that I wanted. 

I felt a similar way when it came to the characters. I liked them all, and they all had their unique personality traits, but I found myself wanting a little more from all of them. I don’t think I connected with them as well as I would have in other space opera books. 

But what I did get from the world I really liked. For one, I really liked the exploration of a team of women in a sci-fi novel. I’ve been starting to see similar themes in other sci-fi books and I enjoy seeing how these characters’ roles are explored in this context. I also enjoyed the inclusion of non-binary characters without the presence of judgment from other characters or the world as a whole. One aspect of sci-fi I really enjoy personally is the inclusion of speculation of how societies will exist in the future, and I especially like seeing books explore more positive changes, like inclusivity, in them.

Overall, I thought Persephone Station was a really interesting space opera, but I do wish I got to experience more in the story! I would have loved to see this as a series or as a longer standalone to be fully immersed in the conflicts it presented.