Review: Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot

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Author: Ciel Pierlot
Edition: eARC
Publisher: Angry Robot (February 8, 2022)
Genre: Adult, Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+

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Synopsis

Three factions vie for control of the galaxy. Rig, a gunslinging, thieving, rebel with a cause, doesn’t give a damn about them and she hasn’t looked back since abandoning her faction three years ago.

That is, until her former faction sends her a message: return what she stole from them, or they’ll kill her twin sister.

Rig embarks on a journey across the galaxy to save her sister – but for once she’s not alone. She has help from her network of resistance contacts, her taser-wielding librarian girlfriend, and a mysterious bounty hunter.

If Rig fails and her former faction finds what she stole from them, trillions of lives will be lost–including her sister’s. But if she succeeds, she might just pull the whole damn faction system down around their ears. Either way, she’s going to do it with panache and pizzazz.

My review of Blubird

Bluebird is a queer adult space adventure that comes in guns blazing, delivering action and political intrigue with ease and nuance.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

⚠ Content and trigger warnings for gun violence, murder, vomiting, drug use, body horror, medical trauma. ⚠

Space Spies and Political Intrigue

In a world where factions control most of the galaxy, being a deserter makes Rig an outsider. But with her charm and her guns Panache and Pazazz by her side, she knows her way around most issues. Until her sister’s life is at stake and she teams up with a mysterious bounty hunter.

If I were to make a list of things I love in a book, Bluebird ticks off most of them. It has gays in space and all the action and spy and heist shenanigans my heart desires. That gets mixed with great world-building, stunning visuals, great humour and a lot of nuances both in characters and political intrigue. In short, it’s like a perfectly assembled meal with all your favourite foods.

Ciel Pierlot controls the pacing of the story incredibly well, there was not a single dull moment. As with all my favourite books, I easily could’ve spent a few more chapters exploring this world. There are so many fantastic nooks and crannies in this universe that I’d love to revisit in a sequel!

So much of this book is about the ways in which governments and institutions instrumentalise and abuse their people. It’s a story about trauma, faith and finding one’s place in a vast and dangerous galaxy. It’s a book about healing in some ways, too.

Gays in Space Being Awesome

I love all of the characters so much! Rig and Ginka are incredibly cool but have so much depth to them. And June is a literal space librarian! I’ll say it, I’m weak for badass women and this book has three of them, how do you expect me not to be head over heels in love?

I loved Rig’s confidence and swagger, even though it’s more armour than anything else. She was a delightful main character and watching her grow throughout the book was one of my favourite aspects of the story.

Ultimately, I do think Ginka is my favourite of the bunch. Her story is tragic and I felt truly angry on her behalf for all the abuse she’s experienced, especially because she herself struggles to see it. Like Rig, I often felt the urge to shake Ginka and tell her “don’t you see that you deserve better?”. Ginka is badass and lethal, but also a total cutie. Yes, she may be able to murder me in a second but that’s part of her charm. Maybe I just like murderous women.

Overall…

Bluebird was a thrilling sci-fi adventure with a perfect balance of action, political intrigue and nuanced character work.

This book is for you if…

…you like spies and space lesbians
…you are looking for a book with political intrigue and stellar world-building

A post you might also enjoy: My Review of Light Years From Home

Synopsis