Ladybug Books | Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, 1)

Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, 1)

Ann Leckie

Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards: This record-breaking novel follows a warship trapped in a human body on a quest for revenge. A must read for fans of Ursula K. Le Guin and James S. A. Corey.

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren—a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

“MIND-BLOWING.” —io9.com
“THRILLING, MOVING AND AWE-INSPIRING.” —Guardian
“UTTER PERFECTION, 10/10.” —The Book Smugglers
“ASTOUNDINGLY ASSURED AND GRACEFUL.” —Strange Horizons
“ESTABLISHES LECKIE AS AN HEIR TO BANKS.” —Elizabeth Bear

The Imperial Radch trilogy begins with Ancillary Justice, continues in Ancillary Sword and concludes with Ancillary Mercy.

Reading Updates

Paperback | Finished:

To Bargain with Mortals

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Thoughts: To Bargain with Mortals is an excellent start to a new fantasy series! Basu delivers a compelling twist on familiar fantasy story elements. I really loved the depth and complexity given to each of the characters. Poppy, in particular, was really forced to confront her biases and privilege. This book has so much to say about identity, family, culture, and community. I am incredibly excited to see where the story goes in the sequel. The characters are in a very precarious position and I am sure the next book will be filled with tension, betrayal, and scheming.

Audiobook | Finished:

Ancillary Justice

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Thoughts: I absolutely see why this is such a beloved SciFi series. Ancillary Justice captures a lot of the things that I love to read about in SciFi. Interesting depth to unique characters, large scale politics, scheming, and fascinating world building. There is definitely a lot of setup in this first book, but I found myself so interested in all of the details. I particularly loved the attention to linguistic features. This is a surprisingly excellent audiobook read as well! The narrator's performance is exceptional and I think it really helped compensate for some of the slower moments in the book.

Audiobook | Finished:

Ancillary Sword

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thoughts: Look at me actually reading a series back to back! I haven't been this obsessed with an audiobook series since Murderbot. This second book features a shift to a seemingly random station that serves as a marked example of flaws and weaknesses that have been plaguing the Radch empire. I really enjoyed watching Breq maneuver through the complex politics of this situation. You can really feel both her grief and her simmering rage in her narration and actions. I am obsessed with both Breq and Seivardan. I also loved the occasional moments of humor and banter in this one. I cannot wait to finish up the trilogy and then explore the other books in the Imperial Radch world.

Ebook | Currently Reading:

The Sacred Space Between

Progress: 10%
Thoughts: I got a little distracted by the Imperial Radch trilogy this week so I'm still at the very beginning of The Sacred Space Between. I am incredibly intrigued by the mysterious magic that has been hinted at so far as well as the dark truths of the church. I have heard nothing but glowing praise for the romance in this book and I cannot wait to continue!

Future Reading Plans

To be honest, nothing has really changed with my future reading plans. The Everlasting, Kill The Beast, and The Isle in the Silver Sea remain at the top of my TBR. Of course Ancillary Mercy will be the next book I pick up.

Book Recommendations

I read a lot of audiobooks and there are definitely some types of books that I prefer to read via audio. Sometimes the audiobook performance really enhances the reading experience. Here a few books that I think are even better to read via audiobook.

The Murderbot Diaries

This is the shining example of a series that is even better via audiobook. This series follows Murderbot, a SecUnit that has hacked itself into sentience and now has anxiety. It just wants to be left alone, but when one of the groups of humans it is in charge of protecting finds themselves in unexpected danger, Murderbot gets wrapped up in galactic plots and conspiracies. Kevin R Free's performance adds so much to the reading experience. His voices for both Murderbot and ART are absolutely perfect. The Network Effect audiobook has become a comfort read for me. I started the series reading it on my Kindle, but once I experienced the audiobook I couldn't go back.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is an epistolary story told through letters between missing scholars, recovered documents, and messages between the scholars' siblings. This is an enchanting story that slowly reveals its secrets. More than just a romantic tale between scholars, this story explores a range of emotional character relationships. I was particularly moved by the siblings' journey bonding over the grief and the mysterious, sudden loss of their siblings. The full cast audiobook adds vivid personality to the various characters whose letters make up the book.

Book Lovers

Romance is one of those genres that I love to read via audiobook and Julia Whelan is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. Big city literary agent, Nora, travels to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for a girls trip with her younger sister. While there she keeps running into Charlie Lasta, a cutthroat book editor that she has had quite a few unpleasant interactions within the past. But sparks fly in this small town, dislike-to-like romance. As someone who cannot stand when high-powered, badass city women in Hallmark movies give it all up to move to a small town to be someone's wife, this book spoke to my soul. I literally listened to this audiobook in one sitting. The banter was incredible and some of Charlie's one-liners had me squealing! I highly recommend any of Emily Henry's books via audiobook.