If you ask me, Illumicrate‘s superpower is making people fall in love with books that they never expected to love. In my case, this usually means that they made me read a science-fiction book (which is not at all my genre) and, against all odds, I adored it. Case in point: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh.

Some Desperate Glory

Some Desperate Glory is the story of Kyr, a young woman who has been raised and trained to avenge Earth. The planet was destroyed years ago by aliens, and the few humans remaining have regrouped on a space ship, preparing their revenge. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when Kyr, the best fighter of her generation, is assigned to nursery instead. Refusing to accept a life focused solely on child bearing, she takes matters into her own hands and decides to set up a military mission of her own.

Unexpected from start to finish

As usual with science fiction, I wasn’t that keen to start this book. The intro is great, however, and pulled me right into the story. I realised quite soon that I started to be very much invested in the characters and storyline. Kyr has been brainwashed and says and does things that are completely unacceptable. This makes her a very interesting point-of-view, because the reader really gets to understand her warped perspective and the internalized hate and thought framework that make her the way she is. Furthermore, I highly appreciated the changes in beliefs that slowly start to happen once she sets on a path of deradicalization, and the general exploration of themes like self and otherness.

Don’t be mistaken though, it’s not easy to read this space opera. Some of the things the characters say and do are quite vile, and will no doubt shock some readers. Please read the trigger warnings at the start of the book.

I especially liked the first and last parts of the book. The middle was a bit less strong and made even me uncomfortable at places. Nevertheless, this book truly surprised me, so: four out of five gemstones!

Age Category: (New) Adult audience

Representation: LGBTQ+ characters, PTSD

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Warnings for sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, sexual assault, forced pregnancy, child abuse, radicalization, genocide, suicidal ideation, and suicide.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: Hardcover Edition

Amazon.nl: Paperback Edition

Amazon.nl: eBook Edition

Illumicrate has included a special edition of this box in their April 2023 box (my unboxing). It has shiny foil on the cover, digitally printed edges, foil embossing on the hardback, endpaper artwork, and came with a signed bookplate.

Similar to this

I’m looking forward to discovering more of the work of Emily Tesh. Next, I’m going to read Silver in the Wood, the first part of The Greenhollow Duology. Stay tuned for my review!

If science-fiction that leaves you speechless is what you’re after, make sure to check out Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. This is a young-adult mecha retelling of the Chinese Empress Wu Zetian, set in a dystopian/futuristic version of Medieval China. This book simply blew me away. My review can be found here.

I also loved the Bewilderness Series by indie author Kevin Cox. It’s second novel, Shadowsphere, has several similar elements to Some Desperate Glory (without all the triggers). Highly recommended! My review can be found here (Shadowsphere can be read relatively independently from the first book, Bewilderness. I wouldn’t recommend skipping that one, though, as it is equally great. My review).

I would also love to recommend the Girls of Paper and Fire Trilogy by Natasha Ngan, which tells the story of girls forced into a harem but deciding to fight for their freedom. My spoiler-free review of the entire series can be found here.