Sapphic romance, space pirates, a blind witch and powerful priestesses… Sign me up.

Korinna is a Redseer, a type of witch and member of the Order of Vermicula–worshippers of one of the three sisters who created the universe. She has been training since birth for the chance to become the navigator of a spacecraft, but she is by far the weakest in her cohort. Until she discovers just where her power has been hiding, and that she might be the most powerful of them all.

Korinna begins a coveted new position as navigator on a governor’s warship, and fails in one of her primary duties when the ship is attacked by a pirate craft and she is captured. She finds herself drawn to her captor, and soon uncovers the secrets kept by higher-ups not just in her own Order, but the other two as well.

This world is so creative. So many sci-fi/fantasies feel formulaic, but there were tons of original ideas and I was engrossed, especially in the second half. I think the first half was important to set up the story, but it was a bit of a slog compared to the second half, where I was engaged the entire time and really felt the story come together.

I found Korinna bland at first, but she developed nicely throughout the story. Aster was probably my least favourite of the MCs, but she grew on me by the end. And I really wish we’d seen more of Sahar; her background was really interesting to me and I wish I’d had the chance to get more invested in what happens to her.

Redsight is so unlike anything else I’ve ever read. If you find yourself looking for something different–even if sci-fi and fantasy are your regular genres–this might be the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A refreshing space opera. Redsight comps Dune, and it is a treat to read a sprawling space fantasy with a unique religion and melding of tech and magic, especially with a blind heroine written by a blind author. I love space opera, and seeing it with disabled and queer rep is a delight. While the prose is more functional than flowing, it serves the pacing of the book. Redsight stands out as unique in the current market.

Thanks to net gallery for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Religious orders, bloodthirsty sapphic priestesses, interesting magic systems and space pirates. Need I say more? This book is right up my alley. Mooring throws you into the world but doesn’t make it too confusing to follow. I wish there had been more discussions about the magic systems mostly because I found it so intriguing. I could spend a hell of a lot more time piercing together how the universe worked.

I think the narrative suffers a little with pacing. The plot moves quickly and doesn’t leave much enough time for the relationships between the characters to develop more naturally. I don’t really have a problem with this but it left me wanting a little more time to marinade in them for a while. Sahar didn’t feel particularly developed in comparison to Korrinna and Aster and I would have appreciated a little more insight into her backstory and how she came to be where she was.

These issues can be overlooked however, in my opinion and I did enjoy this book. I’ll be very interesting to see what comes next.

What I liked:
- The magic system! Having the magic system tied into space (like the gravitational pull of stars/blackholes/etc.) was unique and an interesting way to frame how everything was connected.
- The characters. They were compelling and I enjoyed reading about them. I loved reading their interactions, but I do wish we got more interactions between Sahar, Korrinna, and Aster.
- The plot. Overall, I think it was pretty tightly plotted and created a compelling story.
-The ending! I found the ending to be really beautiful and impactful. It helped tie up the idea of everything being connected and the circle of existence.
The Struggles:
-Division of POV chapters. Korrinna got the most chapters out of everyone, and although I liked her character, I wish we got more chapters from Sahar.
- Dialogue. Some dialogue felt a bit stilted and felt like it was explaining the plot to the reader.

Overall, I enjoyed this book!
3.5/5

I liked the original idea of this book, unfortunately I found it to not be in a style that I could finish the book with. Despite this I can tell it is good writing and has a good story. I found the authors writing style to be different than typical sci-fi fantasy book which was interesting but not what I like. I would mainly recommend this book to those who don’t typically like the normal sci-if fantasy style of writing because it is unique in a way that may change your mind about the genre.

Conceptually, there's a lot to love about this book. The worldbuilding potential is so high - blind magic priestess in space! What a damn great idea!

Things I liked:
Korinna's POV on blindness and how that influences her interactions, especially once she's not with other people who are also blind, is very interesting. Also, the idea of deprogramming your (slightly culty) upbringing once exposed to a much bigger world is something I find fascinating, although I wish there had been a bit more depth to this.

Things that didn't work for me:
I think a lot of the elements needed more development. Korinna's characterisation is very hard to pin down - she isn't given a lot of character room, and what we're given is often contradictory between what we're told about her and then what she actually does/thinks. The magic system is... shaky. I'm not the kind of reader that needs all the magic rules spelt out, but I want to be convinced into hand-waving it at least. I was also promised a sapphic romance and, hm, this didn't work for me. And finally, the writing is... fine but nothing to write home about and there were a couple of times with phrasing that felt current-day, which jarred me out of a sci-fi setting.

Ultimately, big concept that didn't quite deliver.

An expansive, ambitious science fantasy with one of the most intricate magic systems I've encountered in a while and three-dimensional, flawed characters you couldn't help but root for. I can't believe this was a debut! Meredith Mooring is definitely an author to watch.

P.S. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so unique and intriguing. I really enjoyed the world building and the unique magic system created in this book.

The characters are so well written and all have their own interesting quirks and flaws. I feel the representation of disability was well done in this book.

My only issue is that at times the pacing of the book felt too fast, it felt like so much was happening that there was no time to digest what was going on.

I enjoyed reading this and look forward to seeing what Mooring creates next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion for providing me with this ARC.

This book had such unique concepts, and such a nice magic system. I did find that the characters were quite naive, and tbh a bit dumb. A lot of things happened because otherwise there would be no plot or a happy ending, and it kinda removed a bit of my joy of having found a unique book that I had in the beginning. The most important plot took place in the last pages. Some of the characters also didnt get enough screen time. And Im tired of things happening "just because".

I really loved this one, the style is perfect, the lore is wonderful.
The story of these three priestess and the sapphic love are just marvellous !
I appreciate how the author render the disabilty (blindness) of Korinna and how it is incorporated in the scenario.
We need more good books in OwnVoice like that !!!

This was SO interesting; the writing style was smooth and intrigued me with every bit of information and dialogue. I loved the vastness of the world and the explanation of powers, plus how it didn't shy away from difficult decisions. I'm not a sci-fi girlie At All but this book was so fun and I sped through it. What an exciting debut.

My first ever sci-fi read and it was sapphic!

A blind priestess, a space pirate, and an engineer turned judge are all fascinating characters in their own way. The world building and history of their universe is outstanding and so well wrote, the book continuously showed more of how the universe ended up in the turmoil. The history is so unique and I loved that aspect of the story.

Unfortunately, there are some things I didn’t enjoy. One thing being the pacing, it was strange at times and some of the plot didn’t line up. I didn’t like how some things were wrapped up either.

I loved the representation in Redsight. There is so much representation from - different races and ethnicities, bi and lesbian representation and of course blind representation! It was so interesting how Korinna viewed the world :)

How do I even begin? Utterly addictive and enchanting, from start to finish. A little stilted in points which is why I opted for 4 rather than 5 stars but would read again in a heartbeat

So, this was certainly a unique book, I'll give it that. The concepts, too, were very interesting. Three separate Orders--one of which was eliminated--with a militarized institution(?) called the Imperium taking up the slack to keep order among the Orders, all isolated from each other in space. The story follows three characters--Korinna (possessor of the titular Redsight), Aster, and Sahar--but their narratives are very uneven. Korrina gets the majority of the page-time, but she still feels underdeveloped as a character. Her progression from the weakest member of her Order to one of the strongest isn't done in a way that felt cohesive or narratively satisfying. Aster gets the second-most page-time and, while I think she has the coolest powers and motives, it also doesn't feel fully formed in a way that gets you to care about her as a character. Sahar has the absolute least page-time and barely feels like a character at all. Even when you get to the end, you kind of question why she was even there in the first place. She needed more fleshing out and more to do outside of just being a convenient plot device at times.

The reason the characters all feel so uneven is because this story moves at a breakneck pace. Some people might find that satisfying, but as a character-driven reader this really hurt the story for me. The emotional weight of certain aspects of the story didn't hit hard at all because there wasn't enough time given to really showcase how much any particular decision or revelation mattered. Even the ending felt far too abrupt, despite the magnitude of it.

The romantic relationship between Aster and Korinna was also supremely rushed. Nothing about it felt genuine nor did it feel like it made all that much sense. Perhaps if the chapters had been divided more evenly between the three characters and there had been more initial interactions between Aster and Korinna, then it might've given it a bit more substance. Unfortunately, it went from insta-lust to enemies(?) to lovers to "I love you and I can't live without you". It all felt very bland.

In terms of the writing, it was also very repetitive. There were multiple instances--sometimes even in the same chapter--where information was relayed to the reader in the exact same way each time multiple times. There were some cool action scenes and some of the way the powers were described were interesting. But the plot elements and even the character interactions felt a little stale.

Despite all the criticisms I have of this book, I will say that the concept is really interesting. I just wish it had been given a bit more room to grow and slow down to let the reader and the characters breathe.

A sapphic space opera with good writing in a really well-built world - what would one need more? For my taste, the characters were a bit naive, and, more annoying, there was too much tell instead of show, as seems to be the case quite often these days. However, it's an overall enjoyable, and very bloody, read!

You say sapphic space opera with great disability rep. I say give it to me!! This fast-paced space opera with deeply immersive world-building and novel magic systems DELIVERED. The fantasy elements jelled very well with classic space-opera beats and created additional layers to an already really nuanced and meticulously crafted story. I am really thankful for NetGalley giving me this ARC and I can't wait to see what Mooring comes up with next!

This book is a new take on the classic space opera. Its gay, its gory, and it could have been so so good, but unfortunately I felt the last chunk of the story really let this book down.

The characters were reasonably interesting, and the power mechanics were very novel. My favourite character was Sahar, as I thought that a witch grappling with her old science life was very interesting, so I wish we’d had more with her.

While this novel started out good, the last 30% or so really let it down. I become very confused with what was happening, with the switching sides etc. not being very clear. It also felt very anticlimactic at the end.

Overall the worldbuilding and ideas of this were very good, with decent characters and some god sapphic love, but I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped.

One of the best space operas I have read in awhile. The book starts at a slower pace to introduce the main character and build the world in which they live. Once the action starts, however, it doesn’t let up. Relationships are formed and tested against a universe where multiple factions vie for power. The main characters evolve throughout the book and it feels organic. Their growth and relationship to each other isn’t forced. The plot has many twists and turns that kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. The book’s ending fit the overall story and I hope it points to this one becoming a series.

I am in pure awe of this book.

I don’t give 5 star ratings lightly, and this book is the most deserving.

I don’t even know where to begin. The concept, the world building, the magic system, the other worldly beings, all of it was just out of this world, figuratively and literally!!

All three FMC are smart, questioning and believing, but they make mistakes and learn from them. They are so complex and it really makes this whole book.

And the ending!? I had goose bumps at the way this book and I can’t stop thinking about it. Meredith Mooring is an incredibly talented woman and I can’t wait to see what else she produces in the future!

Redsight by Meredith Mooring follows three priestesses from different powerful sects as they uncover the truth of their existence and their goddesses. Korinna is a young Redseer trained to be a ship navigator, capable of sensing and moving matter at terrifying speeds and across vast distances. Aster, the last Star Eater, can control gravity and form black holes, a power the pirate readily uses on her mission to tear down the Imperium. Sahar, an engineer turned White Priestess, has the ability to sever any energy and matter, with which she fights the pirate to protect her people.

The three of them come head to head in a series of clashes, thrilling action scenes, and the ever-unravelling truth of their Orders and the universe. What really happened to the three entombed deities? What is the Red Order doing to the Redseers that aren't good enough? Things only get darker as they find out.

Also, it's gay. Incredibly gay. And there are eldritch star-devouring space snakes.

The premise of Redsight caught my attention very quickly. A lesbian coupling in a sci-fi space opera between a blind priestess who can manipulate space-time and a kick-ass space pirate as they fight to take down the patriarchy? Hell yeah, sign me up. It has all the makings of an amazing story. There is also good POC representation, with skin colours other than white being completely normal in the setting.

It's compared to Gideon the Ninth, and in the way of it being a sapphic space opera, I can somewhat see the comparison. However, I enjoyed the concept of this story much more, and I found the execution better as well. Where Gideon could sometimes be too slow and the writing dense, Redsight was action-packed from beginning to end. A little bit too much for me, actually.

While the beginning has excellent pacing and the mystery slowly but steadily unravels into horrifying truth, the plot begins to very quickly pick up pace towards the second half of the book. It begins moving so quickly that it can get hard to get invested in what's happening. One important plot point rapidly follows the other, often leaving me thinking how many could have been much more impactful if given the time to first develop and then play out.

This especially holds true for the character's relationships with each other - romantic or otherwise. Korinna's love for Lititia is instantaneous, simply because she can see Lititia's face while she can't see anyone else's, resulting in a slightly unhealthy obsession with the older woman. Other changes in personality or attitude can be quite drastic and sudden as well. A slower build-up would feel much more rewarding once it pays off. I think this book would've worked great as a trilogy, which would allow each character and plotline the time to really shine.

At times, I also struggled a lot with the main characters. I really enjoyed Sahar for the most part (I would've loved to see her get more screentime!) since she has the most personality -- she used to be an engineer, but she enjoys her work keeping balance and being a judge in a distant edge planet well enough and strives to keep the galaxy in balance. Aster was really intriguing, but the fast pace of the book sometimes meant her actions didn't quite make sense to me as a reader, making them seem extreme times. Still, I loved the concept of an eldritch space snake capable of eating stars on a quest for vengeance after the rest of her kind was eradicated. Doesn't that sound awesome?

The character I struggled with the most and who also gets the most screen time is Korinna. Especially in the beginning, she could be difficult. She stated at various times how lonely and outcast she felt, but simultaneously, she purposefully pushed others away and kept her distance. This dissonance in behaviour and feelings could get a bit frustrating. This does get better towards the end, although her sudden shifts in opinions could throw me for a bit of a loop. That mostly comes down to the book being so fast-paced, however.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I wish that Mooring had taken more time to explore the amazing ideas she had to really make everything come to life. Still, if you like lesbian fiction with awesome worldbuilding, varied (and diverse!) characters, and a space opera setting with gods and political intrigue, this book may very well be the one for you.

-=-=-=-

Content warnings
Blood. Lots of it.
As part of Korinna's abilities, she begins to bleed blood from all sorts of surfaces when she uses her magic, starting with her eyes. This can get quite gory. She passes out and nearly dies several times throughout the book, often covered in blood. Blood transfusions and nonconsensual blood drawings, blood rituals, etc. happen as well.

Eugenics
(minor spoilers) To weed out the weakest Redseers, the half that isn't strong enough is drugged, killed, and emptied of their blood in a recurring ritual. Novices are forced to partake in this and kill the younger generation to ascend to priesthood.

Cults, brainwashing, financial abuse, blood sacrifices
Korinna is raised in a blood cult, raised solely to be a tool for the Imperium to use, schooled in nothing except what her Order deems necessary. It's confirmed that Redseers don't get paid for their work; all money goes to the Red Order instead. If the ship they work on ever gets captured, they have been trained into "entombing" themselves and slowly dying. There is also a heavy focus on religion, forced sacrifices (of yourself and of others), and similar.

Brownie points
LGBTQ+ inclusion
The main characters become a lesbian couple with the potential to become a lesbian polycule (a relationship with more than 2 people).

POC inclusion
Most of the cast is POC.