Bluebird

genuinely one of the best books I've read recently. really fun world building and GREAT characters. the main focus is on building community and choosing friendship over hatred and it's great!!! kinda gives me Gideon the ninth vibes but like star trek instead of gothic horror.

Thoroughly satisfying space opera adventure, featuring a renegade ex-member of one of three religious factions which dominate the galaxy. Rig is a character with history and depth, who grows throughout the book. Her interactions with the mysterious woman Ginka, who saves her from potential captors and becomes very more embedded in Rig’s life, are entertaining. Glinka’ s emerging backstory is part of a well structured plot-line, which proceeds with furious pace and culminates in a completely enjoyable conclusion. Well done.

Excellent world building and action packed heroines. Interesting political takes allows a robust Robinhood vibe, with a bit of a love story or two thrown in. A fast and fun read.

Bluebird, by Ciel Pierlot, promises a lesbian gunslinger rebel fighting her way across the backdrop of a galaxy torn apart by war, desperate to save her sister, defy the faction she escaped, and do it all with panache and pizzazz. It didn’t just deliver. It knocked my socks off!

Everything starts when Rig escapes the life forced upon her by the Pyrite faction – one of using her incredible intellect to design weapons of mass death and destruction. Pyrite, along with rivals Ascetic and Ossuary, have waged war between themselves for millenia, conducting battle with no regard for the millions of civilians they’re killing along the way (they couldn’t hold those skirmishes on their own planets, after all). Safe to say Rig’s got a score to settle – and she gets right to it, joining rebels from outside the factions, ferrying refugees from areas about to turn into warzones, stealing back the stolen artifacts of her people – and making a girlfriend out of a gorgeous, brilliant, well-respected librarian while she’s at it.

But nothing precarious lasts forever, and when Pyrite agents track Rig down, she’s forced to join forces with a mysterious and deadly stranger known only as Ginka. Rig’s old faction have her twin sister, and a lot of pointed questions about just where the deadliest weapon designs she’d ever produced vanished to on the night she left. What follows is a high-stakes rescue mission across the galaxy – because all’s fair in love and war, and not everyone’s above fighting dirty.

When I tell you I loved this book, it doesn’t even come close. Rig and her assorted acquaintances are the kind of characters that will live on in my head – they felt real, they were just the right amount of sardonic, and they managed to both surprise and delight me (and cause me endless stress by being selfless heroines who crack wise, but care deeply, and put themselves in danger for others over and over again). There is a deep core of kindness to this book, but while Rig’s determined that pessimism is boring, she’s also an absolute crack shot and not afraid to be quick on the draw when people live down to her expectations. Ginka, meanwhile, is tiny, deadly, and prone to impromptu naps. The plot itself was so satisfyingly twisty, and the locations we were taken to along the way – stunning! Ciel Pierlot has built an entirely original universe, and described it beautifully – think of the landscapes of the Fifth Element, or Bladerunner, teeming with people or stark and isolated, glossy and shimmeringly beautiful or grimy, gritty and downtrodden by turn.

Bluebird has captured my heart entirely, and while it seems to be a standalone, there’s a whole galaxy left for the author to play with, should she choose to return. With her unusual blend of heartwarming, action-filled, high-stakes storytelling, I’ll be back for anything Ciel Pierlot does next.

Bluebird
By Ciel Pierlot

so, I haven't read that much SciFi before but this book may of just confirmed me as a fan.
Bluebird faces a lot of hard truths in a almost star wars like constructed world where those who fight for free will are seen as outlaws and thieves.

Rig is one of those outlawed when she stole her own weapon plans from her home plant to save millions of lives from the weapon that she had made.
she flees leaving behind her twin sister and joining the Bluebirds and gets to work saving lives that would of die by her weapon.
There are three factions that are fighting for control over the galaxy each one believing that they are the better and all want the weapon plans that Rig has taken, when her sister is bought into the mix, Rig doesn't hold back any longer as she and Ginka an odd girl who has saved her life a few times set out to save her.

I absolutely love this book, the detail of the worlds and plants, cities and characters is amazing and the book itself was without any flaws, I highly recommend this book for lovers of star-wars and scifi
happy reading :)

'Bluebird' is a story of rebellion, freedom and ties that cannot be broken. It's also one of the most gripping works of science fiction I've read in a while.

The main narrative of a rebel, Rig, who chooses justice and freedom over her own wellbeing, is intertwined with Ginka's history. Through a series of events, the two women become allies and friends in a world of perpetual war between factions. I enjoyed the different political dimensions of the story and found them pertinent and relatable to today's world. The relationships between the characters are complex and well thought through, making this book a highly enjoyable read.

I literally couldn't put the book down. The suspense and tension kept me on the edge of my seat all the way till the end. I was with Rig right from the start and rooted for her until the very end, yet I wasn't able to always tell how things were going to turn out.

Ciel Pierlot's storytelling is effortless. Her dialogue, characters and world-building are superb, making for an absolutely stunning debut. I'm looking forward to reading more work from the author. Big thanks to the NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for the reviewer's copy of the book.

I really liked this sci-fi book which delivered exactly as promised in its blurb. Rig is a female gunslinger with an attitude who doesn't belong to any of the 3 different factions in the galaxay and lives by her own moral compass.
Her old faction is chasing her to get their hands on weapon schematics and now they have kidnapped her sister to force her hand.
Forming an uneasy alliance with a fighter from another faction Rig tries to stay alive, safe her sister and make sure the weapons don't fall into the wrong hand.
Great fast-paced story with good world building, interesting characters and a great developing friendship between Gingka en Rig. This is a must read for any sci-fi fan that loves a good space fight and strong female characters.

***Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book ***

4.5 stars ^

I love scifi/space operas but one of my favourite tropes is gays in space. And this didn’t disappoint. It also has a woman who can kick butts and take down an oppressive system so what more could you want?

I dont think think there’s much more I can say about the plot without spoiling it so I’ll just say I loved it and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi or queer books. I really hope this author writes more in the future as I’ll definitely read them!

Bluebird hits the ground running and doesn't falter, carrying you through a space opera adventure. It is exactly what is promised, and another excellent title published by Angry Robot.