J. W. Ferguson

I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Representation: #ownvoices for two mlm main characters; one wlw main character
Trigger warnings: two scenes of sexual assault

Periphery is a sci-fi adventure where all three of the main characters are queer, which was refreshing to see. Two male characters are in a slow-burn romance with some serious Han/Luke vibes, and the third character, a black woman is in an established relationship with another woman, although the girlfriend only shows up towards the end.

Plot-wise, this was a kind of typical sci-fi adventure, with the kidnappings, scoundrels and alien invasion (and honestly, I couldn't find a fault in the logic of the aliens - humanity does kind of suck). I sometimes felt like the book went on too long, but overall the plot was okay, and the cliffhanger twist at the end certainly earned some more points from me.

One thing that rubbed me the wrong way is that Arsen was a textbook example of the slutty bisexual trope. We meet him literally while in the process of hooking up with a girl (whose name he later doesn't even remember), he flirts with most people he meets including antagonists, it's implied that he frequently uses sex to get himself out of trouble, and he keeps making sex jokes. I'm not entirely sure whether Ilaria and Ion are bisexual or gay/lesbian, but Arsen is the only one who is explicitly shown to be attracted to multiple genders, so this was kind of meh.

I was going to give this 3 stars, but I really did like the ending twist, and it's great that all three mains are queer. I'm curious to see what happens in the sequel. (I really hope ***** can still be saved or otherwise I'll be kinda pissed.)… (meer)