Book Review: Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot

Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot is a captivating space opera that delivers a thrilling adventure set in a vividly imagined galaxy. The novel features Rig, a renegade ex-member of one of the three dominant factions that control the galaxy. Rig’s story unfolds as she escapes from the faction Pyrite, known for its ruthless use of weaponry, and embarks on a mission of redemption and survival.

Pierlot’s world-building is particularly noteworthy, creating a richly detailed universe that feels both expansive and intimate. The galaxy is fraught with conflict, and the political intrigue adds layers to the narrative, providing a backdrop for Rig’s personal struggles and heroic journey. The interaction between Rig and Ginka, a mysterious and enigmatic character, is central to the plot and adds depth to the story. Their evolving relationship, marked by camaraderie and mutual respect, is a highlight of the novel.

The characters are well-crafted, with Rig standing out as a complex and compelling protagonist. Her evolution from a weapon designer for a warring faction to a daring hero with a personal vendetta is portrayed with nuance. The supporting characters, particularly Ginka, are equally engaging, contributing to the story’s emotional and narrative depth.

While the novel excels in character development and action, some readers might find the plot’s pacing occasionally frenetic. However, the fast-paced narrative and high-stakes conflicts keep the reader engrossed. The book’s conclusion, while satisfying, might feel somewhat anticlimactic for those expecting a more dramatic resolution.

Overall, Bluebird is a standout entry in the space opera genre, blending action, political intrigue, and personal growth in a memorable and entertaining way. It’s a must-read for fans of space adventures and those who appreciate strong, multifaceted characters.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I wish I could articulate why Bluebird didn’t quite work for me. I really wanted to like it, and it has a lot of elements I did enjoy. As a whole, though, it took me a long time to get through the book and left me feeling frustrated.

I haven’t gotten to finish this book and I no longer have access online to do so but I hope to purchase a copy soon. At first I didn’t like this book but then as I read more and more I got attached. It was almost like enemies to lovers but with a book 😂.

The story world here was very interesting, but the excess of description and slow plot development didn't keep me at all hooked.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

"Bluebird" by Ciel Pierlot is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant YA novel that tells the story of a young girl's journey to self-discovery and acceptance. The book follows the life of Mia, a teenager struggling with her identity and sense of belonging in a world that often feels hostile and unforgiving.

Pierlot's writing is both lyrical and heartfelt, with a keen sense of character and a richly imagined world. The story explores themes of identity, mental health, and the power of friendship and love to heal and transform us.

What sets "Bluebird" apart is its authentic and compassionate portrayal of mental health. The author handles sensitive topics such as depression and self-harm with great care, avoiding cliches and stereotypes in favor of a nuanced and empathetic perspective.

The characters in "Bluebird" are complex and fully realized, with each one adding depth and nuance to the story. Mia is a particularly compelling protagonist, with a unique voice and a relatable journey that will resonate with readers of all ages.

Overall, "Bluebird" is a powerful and moving YA novel that tackles important themes with sensitivity and grace. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a thoughtful and engaging coming-of-age story.

maybe it's time to admit that this brand of sci-fi just isn't for me, even when it's sapphic. I've started this 3 times and even got to like 75% once but I never really got attached to the plot or the characters and was just reading for the sake of finishing the book (which ironically never happened). super interesting premise and the gritty characters and worldbuilding were done well I think, I just didn't care personally.

Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot is a fun space adventure. One thing I really enjoyed about this is although there is a lesbian relationship in the book and it does involve one of the MC, it's both not the focus of the book and is also with a secondary character. This allows the story to unfold without chemistry having to be built between the two MC's and instead we get an excellent heist in space. I would definitely recommend this if you want something adventurous and queer but don't mind less of a focus on worldbuilding as the focus is definitely on the characters. Whilst this is a standalone, something that feels like it's becoming a bit of a rarity, I really enjoyed my time with Rig and Ginka and I would certainly enjoy reading more set within this world.

"Lesbian gunslinger fights spies in space!"

That's the first sentence for the description of this book on Goodreads. That's kind of all you need to know, but if you want just a little bit more....

Rig, a blue, bald, headscarf-wearing alien, is a gunslinger and a thief. She's a badass who knows that no one is looking out for herself beside herself. She's fighting to stay safe in a universe that has three main factions fighting each other for territorial control. They can all just go to hell as far as she's concerned. Until, that is, she gets a message from one of the factions that she used to belong to. They want something - something they claim she stole from them - and if she doesn't return it, they're going to kill Rig's sister.

Rig gets a little bit of help - from her librarian girlfriend (June) and a mysterious bounty hunter (Ginka) - and they will fly to the ends of the galaxy to keep both her sister, and tens of millions of innocent souls, safe. Her sister will be killed if she doesn't turn over what she stole, but if what she's got (and has hidden) gets into the wrong hands (which is pretty much anyone's hands), then a lot of people will die! It's not a dilemma, it's a challenge.

This is really just, fun space opera fiction. Lot's of action surrounding a gruff, tough main character, and one crises/climax following another - bordering on too many, depending on how you like your space opera.

What sets this apart (and I'm often complaining that books don't set themselves apart from similar works enough) is the dominant female characters throughout. Even though Rig is a lot like every rogue male character you've ever read or seen, (does she chomp on a cigar?) the very fact that she is alien and she identifies as female, makes this just different enough, a different outlook on so many things. But at the same time, she's got a very tender (ie feminine) side that we don't often get to see in these reluctant, rogue hero types.

I did feel that author Ciel Pierlot did pull the trigger once too many times with the ending(s), but not enough to make me dislike the book. Overall this was fun and I'm glad I read it. Would I read another book with these characters? Yes. Would I be actively seeking out such a book? No. It would be a case of me picking up a book at the store and reading the description and saying, "Oh yeah, I read Bluebird ... that was pretty good. I could read this, too."

Looking for a good book? Bluebird, by Ciel Pierlot, is rip-roaring space opera with a lesbian twist, which gives it just enough of an edge to make it stand out among all the other space operas out there.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review

Je n'ai malheureusement pas eu le temps de lire ce livre mais l'intrigue me plait tout particulièrement.

Once again, I find myself disappointed after promises of "lesbians in space!" I mean, who doesn't want lesbian Star Wars, right? Instead of an evil Empire, the galaxy is split between three warring (religious?) factions. Rig, a former faction weapons inventor turned rebel is at the center of this story but she is also a fairly one note (and that note is "smart ass") character. In the book's first action scene, she's thrown together with Ginka, a deadly assassin and the true shining star of this book. From here, the unlikely pairing have to learn to work together to...blah blah blah we all know the rest. It's Ginka that actually goes through the full emotional character journey, and someone we as the reader actually see change from scene one through the epilogue. She's the interesting one, but our main protagonist here is Rig and unfortunately she doesn't have much more going for her than the smartass descriptor; her background and relationship with her girlfriend all happen off the page and before this book begins. She doesn't have that satisfying evolution and true journey that is so interesting to experience as a reader. Most of this book is from Rig's perspective, and it's flat for me. Any time these two aren't fighting or on the run, the book drags. Let's just say Star Wars it is not.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! Seriously, it didn't miss! The plot, the characters, the banter, the love, the world building, spot on. I will definitely read more from this author, and if the write more about these characters I will SPRINT to the bookstore. Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Really how can you say no to: Lesbian gunslinger fights spies in space!
was a really fun and fast passed Sci-fi. I had a very Firefly feel while reading. The world building and our MC where my highlights. I really enjoyed just being dumped into the world and discovering as the story unfolded. Rig was the perfect amount of smart-assery for me to fall inlove with.

It did take me a little while to get use to the writting style, but it didnt really pull the story down that much. I hope theres more coming from this world - panache and pizzazz it certainly had.
3.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Great fun .. genuine relationships .. maybe too much ACTION sequences fir me .. but that's the nature of the genre after all .. politics duesnt count for Riga .. but using her skills well engages her .. I'm not much in to romance either but this should be fine .. I need more sophistication about the world they are in I suppose to engage me further... good stuff however .. looking forward to more ...

3.5/5

Lesbian gunslingers!? Sounds like a book for me!

I really wanted to love this book. And I did enjoy it. But I think I had too high of expectations. It took me two tries to finish it. I think the pacing at the beginning was just a bit off for me, so it took me a while to get into it. Once I did, I liked it. But the failure to grab my attention from the get go really dampened my enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

Fun, action packed LGBTQ space opera.

Multiple plot lines woven seamlessly together - a strong, likeable female lead, several relationships at different stages of development, a bit of skullduggery by over the top villains and great world building.

I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Give me all the space novels! Give me all the chosen family! And characters making their own way! Ciel Pierlot’s talent for character-driven novels and their knowledge with just cool freaking space stuff are on display with this compelling space epic.
Full review to come on YouTube.

Bluebird is an exciting space opera with a cinematic feel to it in the way each scene is put together. There's lots of action, Rig is a wonderful character, the world building is well done, and the romances are charming. Sometimes the attempted humor falls a little flat, and it drags a bit at times, but overall this is a quick and fun read that I enjoyed and would recommend.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the eARC.

Rig is a Nightbird, a rebel who does odd jobs—like rescuing refugees—to eke out a living beyond the control of the three factions fighting over the control of the galaxy. She is also Kashrini, a species whose homeworld and culture have been nearly annihilated by her former faction—Pyrite—and now Rig does all she can to preserve any Kashrini artifacts she can get her hands on. Alas, Pyrite Intelligence has decided it needs to retrieve the schematics for nanotech weapons that Rig designed for them once upon a time. And they are not the only ones who would be interested in that power.

The first thing you’re going to notice about Bluebird is the frequency of action sequences. Seriously, this book is jam-packed with them. We go barely a scene before someone picks a fight. That might be annoying in less-deft hands, but Pierlot makes it work. I’m not huge on action sequences because I don’t visualize as I read, yet I still enjoyed the majority of this novel simply because Pierlot is very good at describing what’s happening and why we should care. For that same reason, if you do visualize cinematic sequences, you are in luck.

This novel reminds me of that genre of plucky science fiction I might associate with something like Titan A.E.. Rig just does not care about interstellar politics. She wants to do good, make some money, and be left alone to her own devices—and of course, spend time with the love of her life. You can almost feel her rolling her eyes at all the people who are trying to convince her of the importance of the faction conflict.

Although Pierlot provides us with a general backstory for the origins of the factions, there is no continuity with our human history, aside from certain idioms that seem to have survived into this far future. The legends seem to imply that humans came to this galaxy from another (the Milky Way?), but their method of arrival resulted in their fracture into the three factions that have since messed it up for everyone else. Typical humanity, amirite? Again, some people might feel disappointed that this mythos is unexplained—and again, I say, it works well here. It’s the point, actually, because as Rig tries to explain to Ginka, no faction has the full story—not even the Nightbirds. It’s pointless to fight about something you can’t be certain about because you weren’t there.

The third element that I really enjoyed was the relationship between Rig and June. I liked that there is clearly a lot of love and respect between them, but there is also some unresolved tension as a result of the vast differences in their lifestyles. There is an important conversation between June and Ginka early in the book, followed by a recapitulation between Rig and Ginka, that finally manifests as a tearful, heartfelt resolution between Rig and June. It feels organic, healthy, and it’s generally the type of lovely romance my aromantic self can really enjoy.

If Bluebird has any flaws, it’s that some of the characters feel larger than life and a little cartoonish in their villainery. This is the case with Lord Umbra—I mean, the whole “Lord” thing is just the start of the problem, and let’s not even talk about how he wields a sword. The whole throwback imperial vibe of Ossuary didn’t work for me, but then again, neither did the nihilistic technophilia of Pyrite. Indeed, for all that I loved the protagonists and deuteragonists of this book, there isn’t really a formidable or compelling antagonist. As a result, Bluebird’s overarching plot suffers and sputters its way into its final act.

Would I read another book in this universe? Yes, absolutely. Pierlot’s writing blends action seamlessly with careful character development, and the result is a type of compassionate science fiction I want more of in my library.

But do you really want to know what I’d like to see? A Bluebird video game. I would love to be able to play as Rig, fly the Bluebird, chat with June and Ginka, and generally be cool while inadvertently saving the galaxy. This is a universe I would play in, because even when the stakes are high, what really matters is the human connection.

There really is only one word i can use to describe this book: fun.

It’s been a while since i’ve felt like a book was made for me to actually enjoy.

I loved the main character, because, just like me, she ALWAYS had something to say. I also liked that it was full of action and excitement, and never felt boring.

It was strange in the best ways possible, and i’m definitely going to be reading more of Ciel’s future work and just more sci fi in general :)

My only really issue with it was that the amount of named characters was often overwhelming. It could get confusing after a while, especially if they were all in the same place.

Other than that, I’m so grateful to have read this, and I’d like to thank everyone who gave me that opportunity.