Hands down one of my favourite books so far this year. Curtis creates an ingenious framing device to shape the narrative, making her protagonist at once well-known from many angles, and mysterious in her shifting roles. Incredibly creative and utterly unique! The worldbuilding is also beautiful, focusing on the small everyday while also slowly peeling back to reveal a huge, expansive and vibrant world. The romance was soft and yet all-consuming, and Curtis has become an instant-buy author from me with this one book. Great for fans of Tamsyn Muir, Alix E Harrow, and Alice Isn't Dead!

The narrator is also incredible, with a brilliant range of voice and great emotional depth. Really great variation between dialogue and narrative voice as well!

A western space epic, combining the vastness of the space with the vastness of land as well. I initially found it hard to properly gel with the characters and the plot together but the setting and premise carried along really well. Over all a really enjoyable read - just a bit vague and long winded plot wise

This book was different than anything I have read before. I listened to the audiobook but have since bought a physical copy as I think I will enjoy reading it more.

It’s a western but in space, if you liked the TV series Firefly then I think this will be right up your street!

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed this audiobook, it was easy to listen to and had some interesting moments. I think the episodic feel of the book made it really suitable as an audiobook. I felt that although the world building was good and I was engaged in the story, there wasn’t enough explanation or backstory to satisfy properly.

Space Western... gave me Firefly vibes so I was very intrigued.

With a surprising start to the story, we then follow a stranger as she traverses her way through this almost post apocalyptic world, we don't know a lot about her only that she is searching for someone.

We then continue to follow the stranger through this world and we tag along through her various encounters - with a wide variety of people.

One of those, not really sure how all this is going to play out at first, kind of books but as it progresses you see small reveals and crossovers as the stranger finds her way.

I won't say too much but bear with the story. It jumps about a lot and was a little hard to get into the swing of at first, but enjoyed well enough once we got there. I read part and jumped into the audio for other parts, with the way this is told, both mediums worked really well

I was really excited about this book and I loved the idea of it! It was a good story, but what made me like it less was the writing style of it. That we were told the story from other characters pov all the time made me connect less with the protagonist. But it was a good book otherwise and that cover is amazing!!

When I heard that this book was being compared to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, I knew I had to read it. It’s another genre bending novel, that incorporates science fiction, dystopian and has Western themes, which was cool. I’d probably consider it a soft sci fi, dystopian with romance, it was a fast paced, fun read, that I would recommend to anyone looking for something a little different. This is Grace Curtis’ debut, and I personally cannot believe it. Frontier had the feel it was written by a seasoned author.


A little about the book itself. It starts with a crash to Earth; a spaceship dramatically plummets from space to the ground. Earth is a barren wasteland, ravished by climate change, and the only people still inhabiting it are Gaia worshipers, these inhabitants believe space travel is a sin. Our nameless MC is looking for someone and has come to Earth to find them. As the story progresses, we find out more about the MC through the eyes of others, which is so clever. We discover their backstory as we read on, and the reason they are looking for a particular individual.


This book is so skilfully written it had me hooked from the very beginning. I was in awe of the different interactions the MC had with people, and their interpretations of her. I would say if you’re looking for something unique then look no further.



- Sapphic

- Gunslinging

- Science Fiction with a Twist

- Debut Author

Frontier is the sort of space opera you would like, if you liked the Western feel of the Mandalorian (think laser guns and wandering lone rangers) mixed in with a soothing writing style that is reminiscent of Becky Chambers. The story follows a soldier who crash lands onto a post-climate change Earth inhabited by people who reject technology and space travel, in search for her lost lover.

I was guided through the story from the perspectives of all the side characters. While this made for an interesting narrative. While some readers may find it difficult to connect with the protagonist on a deep emotional level, I believe the interactions between the side characters and the soldier are meaningful and valid. This is based on personal life experience travelling and meeting strangers, which has taught me that these chance encounters are no less meaningful or impactful than a longer relationship with someone. Sometimes the only portrayal of a person is the sum of the opinions, others have for them, and I feel like Curtis’ portrayal of the soldier is valid.

More flashbacks earlier in the story would have helped readers to connect better with the sapphic relationship that forms the heart of the story. As a reader, I wanted to feel invested in the goal of the journey as much as I grew to care for the soldier. I think more flashbacks earlier on in the story would have helped with that.

The world building in Frontier is also notable, as Curtis creates an intriguing possible future world that explores the rise of fundamentalism movements in modern society. The universe feels deeply familiar in its bleakness and hopefulness, which keeps readers engaged and invested in the story. I think the world building draws a lot of inspiration from debates around climate change, whether humans should colonise other planets and climate engineering. The inspiration is a constant presence throughout the book, and Curtis gently warns us of the dangers of fundamentalism.

Frontier had the pacing of an old Western, a slow start with plenty of long slice of life scenes. But the tension build-up gets more palpable towards the end of the book and the resolutions happen in a flash. For some readers the ending may feel anti-climatic, but I personally enjoyed the gentle “stare into the sunset together” type ending. We spent an entire book watching the soldier struggle to find their lover, we deserved a glimpse of peace and quiet.

Overall, Frontier is a cozy and captivating space opera that is well worth a read. The diverse range of side characters and their brief but meaningful encounters with the soldier add depth and realism to the story, while the world-building and character development keep readers engaged from start to finish. If you're a fan of science fiction with a touch of sapphic romance and a perilous journey, then this book is definitely worth checking out.

Dystopian Sapphic Sci-fi - Frontier is about a stranded soldier who crash lands on a broken earth and tries to find her lover.

We are taken through a version of Earth that has been ravaged by climate change and is populated by religious fanatics who refused to leave when most of the people emigrated to a different planet. They are very anti tech and have very warped religious views.

When the Stranger lands, she starts looking for a communicator that she can use to find her person, but is immediately drawn into a one step forward, two steps back minefield as she negotiates with a plethora of characters and situations, and has to adapt to what must be for her, a very backward mindset.

The world building is very deftly done - we are drawn into this post apocalyptic world without the author being over sanctimonious about the effects of climate change. Character development is sacrificed here as we don’t get to spend enough time with any of the people before we are thrown into the next situation. It makes for interesting fast paced reading without much depth.

I enjoyed the narrator and how she brought the characters to life. 3.75 Stars overall

Frontier is a slow paced space western with some fun worldbuilding and characters, It can be a little difficult to get into the story and might not be for everyone. I thought the narrator was great at bringing the different characters to life and was easy to listen to.

Laser guns and lesbians, what else do you need? Absolutely ADORED this book - hook it to my veins, can't wait to reread.

A sci-fi western love story about finding someone who is lost. Our main character's story is told through a number of vignettes from the people she meets and in doing so slowly reveals more about who she is, her past, and the current climate she finds herself in. Uplifting and harsh, it's a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the journey..

Lauryn Allman did a great job of bringing the world to life - brilliant character voices and one of the most soothing voices to immerse yourself into a new world.

Read it, love it, and thank me later.

Firstly, let’s talk about the first half of this book. We follow a nameless stranger and her various escapades on a futuristic, near-deserted Earth. She meets various different people, gets in and out of various scrapes, and the whole time we don’t find out her name, only knowing her by how she is seen by the people she meets.

I loved the first half of this book. Curtis’ vision of a future Earth was intriguing and novel, from the culture and religion, to the way climate change has decimated the planet. She conjured up such a vivid image, and the Western mood fit perfectly with the tone of the story. The plot was great fun, meandering from one adventure to another, and I was quite happily settled in for the ride.

And then things took a bit of a turn. The first half was weird, but it somehow got even weirder, and to be honest the second half felt like a completely different book. I don’t know if it was clumsily done or if I zoned out for the crucial few paragraphs, but suddenly I was in a completely different story from the one I’d been in before. In the first half I always knew what was going on (just about), but in the second half I was completely lost. It didn’t help that the audiobook narration was very soothing, which made it hard to focus on the story, especially while driving (which is where I and, I suspect, the majority of people, listen to audiobooks).

The narrator did do a great job of bringing the world to life. The accents she did transported you into the middle of an old Western, so it was a very immersive listening experience. That being said, this might be the slowest audiobook narration I’ve come across! I have never before listened to an audiobook on anything faster than 1.0x speed, but with this one I just had to speed it up to 1.5x, and then it sounded like normal speech. Of course, if you’re happy to speed up your narration this isn’t a problem, but I was really surprised at just how slowly it went.

So all in all, this book was a mixed bag. If you consider DNFing, I urge you to continue; you may prefer the second half considerably. But there were plenty of exciting and interesting ideas in here, so I’m excited to see what the author comes out with next.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

DNF - Listened to 30% and it just hadn't hooked me. Starting scene was okay, kinda funny, but I feel like it's been done before.

I did really like this book. Solid 4/5 stars.

Frontier is a mix of SciFi and Western, if you've ever seen Firefly you know that those genres actually go really well together.
The book follows a mysterious traveller whose spaceship crashed on earth in the distant future and is now searching for her lover.
It is a little different than I expected since we don't see the story from the traveler's point of view but instead follow her journey in smaller sections told by the people she meets. I can totally see why some people would find that off-putting but for me, it made the book perfect for reading in smaller bites. The characters are interesting, the worldbuilding atmospheric, and the vibes are just there.
It lost me a little towards the end, I honestly think the flashbacks were unnecessary and I would have liked it better if we didn't learn how the two of them got together. It just took away from the mystique of it all.

But overall still a very enjoyable SciFi adventure and if you're on the lookout for something shorter, maybe give it a try!

The narrative style in the book is some of my favourite work I have read recently. I loved circling around a character, waiting to figure out who and what the protagonist was, and what she wanted. And by the time I actually met her, I was deeply invested in her success and story. The romance in this was fabulous; the world was horrible in a delightful way. I absolutely adored this and will be recommending it broadly.

While the narrator for this was really good I just couldn't get into this story. It was too disjointed to really get into and I couldn't develop a connection to the main character. There were just too many unknowns and I just did not enjoy it.

Book Review for: Frontier
By: Grace Curtis

Ever wondered what Graeme Green’s The Power and The Glory might be like if it was a sci-fi western? Well now we have an answer.

Frontier opens with the recruitment of a three-person gang, heading out to salvage the space shuttle that has so recently fallen from the sky. We instantly find ourselves in a world dripping in classic spaghetti western aesthetics, and are treated throughout to the slow, richly descriptive character driven vignettes that the classic “lone stranger on a horse” genre was so well known for. The shocking yet inevitable conclusion to the opening chapter sets us up to explore a world where people live in the ruins of hubris and tragedy, seen through the eyes of “The Stranger” who fell to earth along with the ship.

Frontier follows the journey of the protagonist, known by various titles such as “The Stranger”, as she travels through a technophobic land, searching for communications equipment in order to contact her ship. As we follow her through a series of adventures and interactions with the locals, we learn more of her backstory and what drives her on.

The plots of Frontier are incredibly skilfully woven together and presented to the audience in a most edifying manner. The first half of the book or so is almost like a series of short stories as our Hero interacts with the people and situations she finds along her journey. Each of these stories serves the main plot in that it both moves the Hero closer to her destination, and also gives both her and us deeper insight into the world we find ourselves in, and the motivations of its inhabitants.

The second half of the book brings back in many of the elements established in the first half in a way which feels like a satisfying payoff. Like Mad Max: Fury Road, we were given a pleasing symmetry to the narrative that really paid off. My only gripe with this book would be that it is yet another book where characters make world changing decisions and then leave without much regard for the ramifications of that decision beyond their own happy ever after. I want to know how Earth was reintegrated into the Galactic Empire!

Frontier has beautifully organic and logical world building. Grace Curtis clearly put a lot of thought into the moral, religious and psychological responses people would have to living on a dying planet. Her use of classic western motifs makes the analogies she draws easily legible, and she unfolds the world skilfully as the Hero travels through it. Each chapter builds on what is established in the previous chapter in a way that draws you further and further in to the world.

Frontier is very much a character driven book. Our hero starts as an almost completely blank state, with only a purpose and a direction to move in, and as we meet the characters along her journey that we learn her own backstory and personality. Each of the characters we meet feel fully fleshed out, and there was not one character I resented spending time with. I have no doubt I could ask Grace Curtis questions about the backstory of any of the many supporting characters in this book, and she would almost certainly have an answer for me. All the characters behaviours and reactions feel reasonable to them and their motivations are believable.

Grace Curtis has a wonderful way with words. Her prose really reminds me of great authors of the 50s and 60s, such as Graeme Green and le Carre. She has a wonderfully measured and considered way of describing a scene or character that is truly evocative. I’m not sure how to explain it, but her prose just has the same feeling that the long establishing shots in Western Films have. Like she writes through an anamorphic lens, her prose just feels so cinematic. It has the texture of celluloid film. It works eminently well as an audiobook and made doing my chores fly by.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought both characters and the world were compelling. The plot(s) were delightful and the pay-off incredibly satisfying. I would quite happily read more set in this world, particularly as the Hero left the world on the precipice of a pretty radical social and political change.
Whilst on the whole I enjoyed the narrators work, her limited range of character voices did mean there were a few places where I was a bit confused as to who was talking.

This was a delight. The characters, the athmosphere, and the worldbuidling through religion hooked me from the start, and Lauryn Allman's narration of the audiobook brought it all to life for me even more.

The story explores a post-apocalyptic Earth where climate change has left the planet near inhabitable. A large portion of the population abandoned our planet a long time ago, but a few remainded out of loyalty and faith in Gaia, the Mother Earth. We follow a stranger who has crash landed on this weird, backwards corner of the universe, and I really enjoyed how the author mostly uses side characters' points of view to move the story forward and let us observe how the stranger interacts with this world. The tone is often light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek but there's an undertone of melancholy and black humour that keeps it grounded.

The queer romance is comfortable and relatable, and plays on archetypes that I really enjoy. It is always lovely to read about queer characters you feel like you could know from your own circle of friends and who you immediately feel a fondness for.

This was a really exciting story to listen to. The setting is really well-written and the choice to hide the main character's name for most of the novel was a bold choice. I enjoyed the western/space opera feel to it as well.
I found it be a cool, fresh story!

A desolate planet, space-opera type book starring a wanderer trying to find her lost love (bonus: it's Sapphic). This was bound to be a book I tried to pick up and read as a lover of science fiction, romance/star-crossed lovers stories and general LGBT+ romances. It also contains a lot of commentary about religion and different 'classes' of people if we can call it that. All of this has the makings of a great book.

I really wanted to like this book. Sadly, I just couldn't get connected to the story at all. I tried listening to this and reading on my Kindle and neither version immersed me into this world as I had expected. The narrator did a great job and I feel bad for not connecting to the storyline despite her great work, but it just dragged on for too long into storylines I really didn't care for nor do I strictly remember anymore. The side-story of the religious bits were somewhat interesting and I think were making a broader point, but honestly I couldn't concentrate much past these bits.

<i>Many thanks for the complimentary book (both digital and audiobook) by Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily</i>.