Toxic by Lydia Kang

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Title: Toxic
Author: Lydia Kang
Published by: Entangled: Teen
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Format: Audiobook, Kobo Book
Narrator: Vikas Adam, Amanda Ronconi
Pages: 368
Length: 11 hours
Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Space Opera
Source: Hoopla
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 Backlist Reader Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Fall, Lenoreo's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ IndieBound ✩ Book Depository ✩ Libro.FM
My rating:

Blurb:

Hana isn't supposed to exist. She's grown up hidden by her mother in a secret room of the bioship Cyclo until the day her mother is simply gone—along with the entire crew. Cyclo tells her she was abandoned, but she's certain her mother wouldn't leave her there to die. And Hana isn't ready to die yet. She's never really had a chance to live.

Fenn is supposed to die. He and a crew of hired mercenaries are there to monitor Cyclo as she expires, and the payment for the suicide mission will mean Fenn's sister is able to live. But when he meets Hana, he's not sure how to save them both.

As Cyclo grows sicker by the day, they unearth more secrets about the ship and the crew. But the more time they spend together, the more Hana and Fenn realize that falling for each other is what could ultimately kill them both.

My Review:

3.5 stars — While I was intrigued by the plot and where it would go, in the end I wasn’t particularly attached to the characters, or the romance, which tends to be my bread and butter…and something I need to really push a book over the top.

I both listened and read, though I only listened to a third of the book in the end.  I hadn’t been a huge fan of Mr. Adams from a previous book, but he was okay in this one.  And this was my first listen by Ms. Ronconi, but I enjoyed what I heard, it just probably wasn’t enough to judge for future books.

I was sucked in pretty quickly by the mystery of it all, and I enjoyed the bizarre setting of a biological living ship.  My only other experience with the concept is Farscape, and I got bits of that from Cyclo…though obviously she was at a complicated stage of her life.  I had some theories that panned out, but there was definitely a twist or two I wasn’t expecting at all.

I was trying to explain the concept of Hana’s existence to my hubby, particularly with her Mother and Cyclo and being hidden and “cared” for, and he’s like “so it’s an allegory for an abusive relationship?”  I guess?  I guess it’s sort of another play on the title of Toxic, because her relationships were NOT healthy.  Hana had some moments where I was cheering for her as she embraced her confidence, but I also had a hard time with her holding on to her lessons growing up…even though that’s completely realistic, and what I wanted was completely unrealistic.  It’s just hard as a reader to watch someone miss obvious things.

Fenn was…odd.  I feel like I got told a lot of who Fenn was, and what I saw didn’t always match up.  He’s supposedly this reckless thief and reprobate, but other than annoying his crewmates, he was pretty docile.  Maybe a thief doesn’t have to be a dick.  Though I guess he was a jerk at times, he just…I don’t know.  I think it was his reactions and interactions with Hana that threw me off a little.  It felt slightly less believable.  And I still don’t quite get why Fenn was the way he was.

Their relationship was very teenagery…a bit too sweet and over the top at times, a bit hard to understand the depth of feelings and connection at others.  And yet I still enjoyed it for the most part.

Lots of odd secondary characters — most of whom I didn’t really like that much.  I kind of wish I had liked them more, but I’m not sure if I was supposed to or not?

I guess in the end it felt like one of those Doctor Who episodes where it’s more about the action and less about the characters — fun and intriguing, but never going to be a fave.

COYER Scavenger Hunt #23: Read a book with a character who is an assassin or thief.  While not explicitly stated in the review, Fenn is a thief…or was a thief?  A thief trying to make good?