To be honest I had a very hard time staying invested and finishing this book. Maybe it was not for me. While the two story lines of Kim and Kala tied together by the end, it took a while to get there and felt quite disjointed. I had difficulty understanding or believing the motivations of the characters and didn’t find the narratives believable, particularly with characters like Eeshi. All in all I had a hard time staying engaged and understanding the intention of the book. 1/5 stars.

“Spearthrower” is a metaphysical science fiction novel that intertwines the lives of two distinct characters, Kim and Kala, each representing different backgrounds.

Kim raised in a comfortable environment with access to food and shelter, Kim embodies a wild spirit. After completing high school, she joins an organization known as The Branch, where she undergoes rigorous training to become an astronaut. Her journey takes a significant turn when she accepts a classified mission that propels her into deep space. In this role, she is not merely a test pilot; she becomes part of the experiment itself.

Kala in contrast to Kim, Kala grows up in the open grass plains, armed with a spear but lacking the wildness that characterizes Kim. Her life is marked by adventure that will force her into violent choices, shaping her destiny.
The narrative explores themes of civilization versus wildness, identity, and the human experience through its characters’ journeys. It delves into philosophical questions about existence and societal dilemmas while maintaining an engaging plot filled with imaginative elements.

The blurb is what caught my attention when it came to this book. I was intrigued and, as I love scifi, I thought it sounded very promising.

Sadly I had a very hard time to get through the story. For me the book fell short when it comes to, not only, the storytelling but also the writing style. It seemed chaotic and messy at times and I could not enjoy it.
It was disappointing because the premise seemed very promising.

Then there is also the chance that, maybe, I wasn’t the target audience. But seeing as genre wise it was right up my alley, I was really hoping to love it.

All the same, thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I feel like I maybe wasn't the target audience for this one. I didn't love the writing and I was mostly just bored honestly

This book had a great idea going on, but the actual book itself was missing the mark for me. It was a bit too out of place, too much going on, and felt messily put together. I love the premise, it is what made me want to read this book after all! But the execution is where I am upset. The writing was not that great, characters were not developed, and I feel there were too many questions left unanswered so I am not into that.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

I really enjoyed getting into this universe, I enjoyed getting to know Kim in this universe and how she worked with getting to know her and the rest of the people in this world. The overall story worked well with what I wanted based on the brief description. The overall feel worked and thought the addition of the adventure element worked with the story being told. I enjoyed that there was social dilemmas and that it made the reader think. Overall I would read more from D. BRAISTED.