Bluebird
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- Create Date：2022-03-07 04:19:45
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ciel Pierlot
- ISBN：B097GF6F76
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Lesbian gunslinger fights spies in space！
Three factions vie for control of the galaxy。 Rig， a gunslinging， thieving， rebel with a cause， doesn’t give a damn about them and she hasn’t looked back since abandoning her faction three years ago。
That is， until her former faction sends her a message: return what she stole from them， or they’ll kill her twin sister。
Rig embarks on a journey across the galaxy to save her sister – but for once she’s not alone。 She has help from her network of resistance contacts， her taser-wielding librarian girlfriend， and a mysterious bounty hunter。
If Rig fails and her former faction finds what she stole from them， trillions of lives will be lost--including her sister's。 But if she succeeds， she might just pull the whole damn faction system down around their ears。 Either way， she’s going to do it with panache and pizzazz。
Three factions vie for control of the galaxy。 Rig， a gunslinging， thieving， rebel with a cause， doesn’t give a damn about them and she hasn’t looked back since abandoning her faction three years ago。
That is， until her former faction sends her a message: return what she stole from them， or they’ll kill her twin sister。
Rig embarks on a journey across the galaxy to save her sister – but for once she’s not alone。 She has help from her network of resistance contacts， her taser-wielding librarian girlfriend， and a mysterious bounty hunter。
If Rig fails and her former faction finds what she stole from them， trillions of lives will be lost--including her sister's。 But if she succeeds， she might just pull the whole damn faction system down around their ears。 Either way， she’s going to do it with panache and pizzazz。
Reviews
AnnMaree Of Oz
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An epic， fast paced sci-fi read， with everything you want and more！ There's humour from our sassy MC named Rig。 Who is one of those cocky characters you just can't help but root for。 She's endearing and badass， even when she's not。 She has been 'on the run' from her home planet for 3 years now， after running away with weapon schematics she herself made under the authoritarian regime。 She's an ethnic minority in her own world， but was seen as 'exceptional' because of her smarts with weapons tech。 An epic， fast paced sci-fi read， with everything you want and more！ There's humour from our sassy MC named Rig。 Who is one of those cocky characters you just can't help but root for。 She's endearing and badass， even when she's not。 She has been 'on the run' from her home planet for 3 years now， after running away with weapon schematics she herself made under the authoritarian regime。 She's an ethnic minority in her own world， but was seen as 'exceptional' because of her smarts with weapons tech。 But she realizes her technology will be used against her own race， a race that is mostly slaves for the world order in power。 We also find out there are two other similar world orders also with the same lust for power and war， fighting over mythical origins that are over 10'000 years old。 The lore presented and world-building is really interesting， and yet not that far removed from what is happening in our own world today。 With various things all whittling us down into factions that promote prejudice and power plays。 This is just on a universal scale， of space and multi-world， and multi-galaxy reaches。 Yet it was never too hard to understand。 But I'd still make sure you're in a place to really concentrate on the story to gather the full details - perhaps not one to read while say watching the tele or doing something else to distract you。 There's so many elements here that fascinated me。 From the characters own reflection of their complacency and sometimes even happiness under the controlling regimes， simply because they didn't know any better， and thought that playing along was the 'right' thing to do， to have some form of comfort。 To the ones that fight， hard， against all ideals of faction and identity that continues to divide。 Another MC character we meet is still so very ingrained in her faction and the brain-washing way she had been raised， despite being cutoff from them， and made promises that mean nothing。 Learning about her history and seeing her bond with Rig was wonderful， and heartening。 Very much a 'found family' situation。There is a touch of romance here， Rig is in an already established relationship with a woman librarian who lives on a world， living and working in a protected area。 They obviously love each other， but their lives and lifestyles are quite different， too。 Meaning a lot of time apart， and neither wanting to ask the other to leave the lifestyles they have chosen。 There's heaps of action and world-building as I said， and it feels like there's always something happening， or something being planned， and the intimate details and monologues internally are very beautiful and touching and very worthy of thinking on， too。It gave me everything I want from a Sci-Fi read， and reminded me of old episodes of Star Trek I used to watch in the 90's such as the Generation's versions with Picard and also Voyager with Janeway。 It had that right mix of moral responsibility and philosophical discussion， with quirky humor and the indominable spirit of humanity or just LIFE as we know it。 Would recommend！ 。。。more
Marian
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Very niceThis was a really enjoyable book。 Man， I loved Rig， the smart， snarky， good hearted woman。 And Ginka， well， what a heart breaker。 I will look for more from this author。
Artemis Fair
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A fun Romp in space very fit as a pick-me-up on a bad day。 Bluebird took me a bit to get invested but once I got there， I genuinely cared about the characters and their wholesome friendship that spawned from a happenstance。 The romances were so sweet and the depiction of a complicated twin relationship was unusual in media and nice to see （I would have liked more time spent on that， actually "seeing" it versus being "told" it， but I digress）。 I particularly loved part of the past of the story be A fun Romp in space very fit as a pick-me-up on a bad day。 Bluebird took me a bit to get invested but once I got there， I genuinely cared about the characters and their wholesome friendship that spawned from a happenstance。 The romances were so sweet and the depiction of a complicated twin relationship was unusual in media and nice to see （I would have liked more time spent on that， actually "seeing" it versus being "told" it， but I digress）。 I particularly loved part of the past of the story being told in interludes throughout。 There was a tangible sinking feeling when you realize what's about to happen in the past after seeing it in the present。 As with all my reads， I listened to the audiobook version and loved the narrator， they had such subtlety and wonderful difference between the two main characters。 And they made Janis sound like such a prick！ SO GOOD。 Also I would die for Ginkgo。 。。。more
Jennie
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After reading the synopsis， this book is exactly what you'd expect it to be。 After reading the synopsis， this book is exactly what you'd expect it to be。 。。。more
Lay
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gays in space， political intrigue， heist and spy shit （including a scene at a ball because this author knows what we want）， so much soft love and nuance in all of these （very hot and badass） characters， fantastic world-building and superb humour。 this book is a wild fucking ride in the best of ways。 this is a very specific note and probably influenced by the fact I am currently rewatching critical role campaign 1 but I feel like Percy would appreciate Rig and her guns very much。
Erin
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more of a 2。5 but I’m feeling generousa lot of cool ideas but the execution was very much lacking
Sarah Jacobson
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I really enjoyed the world -- the factions， the politics， the alien races。 I found the main protagonist to be a bit annoying。 I've never been fond of the brash， devil-may-care， fly-by-the-seat-of-their pants heroes。 Rig was just that， but the other characters definitely carried the books。 Also， I wish there had been more gay and more crimes。 I really enjoyed the world -- the factions， the politics， the alien races。 I found the main protagonist to be a bit annoying。 I've never been fond of the brash， devil-may-care， fly-by-the-seat-of-their pants heroes。 Rig was just that， but the other characters definitely carried the books。 Also， I wish there had been more gay and more crimes。 。。。more
Samantha Powers
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Those was fantastic。 And really loved how the interludes intertwined into the story。 And that ending！ Definitely a favorite of this year。
Tina
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This is what fun space opera should be like。 Fun， interesting characters， a vibrant world-building that’s easy to understand but is still complex， entertaining action， the right amount of humour， and a hint of poignancy。 I really enjoyed the world-building of this book。 I’m not going to get into all the details， as discovering it is part of the fun， but there are three main factions of humanity and aliens， as well as the vagabonds who refuse to participate in the societal setup。 These factions a This is what fun space opera should be like。 Fun， interesting characters， a vibrant world-building that’s easy to understand but is still complex， entertaining action， the right amount of humour， and a hint of poignancy。 I really enjoyed the world-building of this book。 I’m not going to get into all the details， as discovering it is part of the fun， but there are three main factions of humanity and aliens， as well as the vagabonds who refuse to participate in the societal setup。 These factions are involved in a millennia-long cold war and all three have major disadvantages to living under them。 One aspect that is integral to the story but not belaboured is Rig’s status as an oppressed alien living under the one system。 Her people have had their culture and much more strangled by one of the factions。 Yes， Rig is an alien。 She’s blue， bald， and wears a headscarf。 There are also other alien races， such as Zazra， who are empaths （if they touch you with their palms） and a few others。 Now， unless my brain isn’t remembering， there aren’t any really weird aliens in this novel， like cephalopods or something; everyone is humanoid。 I liked this convergent evolution approach because having non-humanoid aliens would have bogged down the rest of the story。I really liked the characters though I didn’t love them; they were lacking a complexity that kept them from feeling like people and not just characters。 I really enjoyed though how Rig is a tough and determined mercenary with a heart of gold， but she’s also not impervious to damage。 She’s a good shot and scrappy fighter， but she also doesn’t have superhero-level strength or skills。 She fell in over her head at times and often she relied on help from Ginka， the aforementioned mysterious bounty hunter who does have these skills。 The side characters， like June and the antagonists， fit their roles， but there was something there that kept me from finding them entirely three-dimensional。 I enjoyed that Rig already had an established relationship （as much as I love a good ship） and their story was about whether they could move forward with said relationship despite disparate lifestyles。 We don’t often see this - usually， it’s a relationship starting out。 The side plot with X-74 could have used far more scenes， though I very much enjoyed these sections。 The trajectory of that storyline was pretty obvious， but I liked that plot so it didn’t bother me。 Speaking of plot， I liked how the novel didn’t go where I was expecting for the most part。 Betrayals I expected didn’t happen and small events from earlier in the novel came back to have relevance later。 I also liked the technology - “hard” vs “light” particle weapons weren’t really explained but they didn't need to be: this was not a hard sci-fi by any means so I liked the pseudo-explanation for things。 The world-building is very easy to understand。 When it came to the writing itself， it took me a bit to adjust to the casual prose， such as phrases like， “big honkin’ megalopolis。” I didn’t dislike these， I just wasn’t used to it。 The balance to which they were used， and only when the pov was focused on Rig， worked for me in the end。 I really recommend this novel。 It’s a great book for those used to space opera and those new to sci-fi， it’s a lot of fun， it has a great message about systemic oppression， and， if you need more convincing: forbidden romance and a big fancy library。 。。。more
Jen
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3。5 stars - this was a fun popcorn book， but dragged a bit in the middle。 It would probably make a good movie or TV series。Of note， the Kindle version （borrowed from the library） had a number of typos。 Not something I blame the author for at all， but occasionally distracting。
Ellen | reading_theend
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（#partner @angryrobotbooks） I saw someone recommend this book on Twitter， looked it up and saw the description — lesbian gunslingers fights spies in space — and was sold。 And it did not let me down！ I felt like the world building was done really well， revealing information about each faction later by layer without getting confusing。 Rig is my favorite kind of space opera heroine — a cocky badass who would sacrifice anything for the ones she loves。 And I loved the mystery surrounding who Ginka re （#partner @angryrobotbooks） I saw someone recommend this book on Twitter， looked it up and saw the description — lesbian gunslingers fights spies in space — and was sold。 And it did not let me down！ I felt like the world building was done really well， revealing information about each faction later by layer without getting confusing。 Rig is my favorite kind of space opera heroine — a cocky badass who would sacrifice anything for the ones she loves。 And I loved the mystery surrounding who Ginka really is， and what her purpose is。 Every time I had to put this book down to deal with real life， I was displeased， and to me， that’s the sign of a good book。 。。。more
Tammy
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Bluebird was a blast， and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it。 According to the publisher’s description， you can expect “Lesbian gunslingers in space！” And yes， you get all of that， but Bluebird is so much more。 Ciel Pierlot has written a thrilling adventure complete with spies， thieves， betrayal， secrets， gunfights， and more。 Think Star Wars meets Indian Jones with a dash of The Good， The Bad and the Ugly， and you’ll have an idea of what to expect。 I thought it would be fun to do a “list” r Bluebird was a blast， and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it。 According to the publisher’s description， you can expect “Lesbian gunslingers in space！” And yes， you get all of that， but Bluebird is so much more。 Ciel Pierlot has written a thrilling adventure complete with spies， thieves， betrayal， secrets， gunfights， and more。 Think Star Wars meets Indian Jones with a dash of The Good， The Bad and the Ugly， and you’ll have an idea of what to expect。 I thought it would be fun to do a “list” review for this book， because there is a lot to love！Here are ten reasons to read Bluebird:1。 The relationships。 Pierlot really develops her characters so well， and I loved so many of the relationships。 Rig and Ginka are my new favorite pair， and when I say “pair” I’m not talking romance。 Rig is queer， but she’s in love with June。 Ginka is straight and she’s in love with a man named Crane。 But together， these two are dynamite。 Think a comedy buddy movie with female characters and you get the idea！2。 The dialog。 Give me fantastic dialog and I’m a reader of yours for life。 It’s such an important element for me， dialog that feels real， dialog that’s funny and emotional depending on what’s going on in the story， dialog that’s sharp as a whip。 Rig’s dialog was my favorite， but really， Pierlot gives all her characters a lot of good lines。 Here’s just one example:“If it isn’t Double Trouble，” he drawls， shifting his weight to one foot and casually resting his hand over the gun holstered to his thigh。 “Pleasure to see you both again。”“If it isn’t…I don’t have a good nickname for you yet; but I will， and it’ll be devastating， cause you’re an asshole，” Rig snaps back。3。 Badass women。 Rig and Ginka are badass。 But wait， so is June！ I was surprised when seemingly quiet First Assistant Librarian June started holding her own in a fight。 There’s definitely a Wild West vibe to the story， and the characters are constantly jumping head first into danger。 It doesn’t hurt that the women can hold their own in fights with the men。4。 Humor。 If humor is done right， it can make the book for me。 That’s what happened here。 The humor just worked， and the snarky characters， quips and snappy comebacks made me laugh out loud。5。 The worldbuilding。 The story is obviously set in space， but there’s a touch of a fantasy vibe going on as well。 Pierlot includes fascinating details about the different factions—Pyrite， Ascetic and Ossuary—which each have their own gods and belief systems。 I also loved the idea of Windshadow and the Nightbirds， two clandestine groups with vastly different agendas。 The author adds her worldbuilding details in an organic way so the story isn’t bogged down with info dumping。6。 High tech weapons and gadgets。 There’s a cool type of weapon made of a golden substance called Helltech， and it’s Ginka’s main weapon。 She can create knives and other sharp things just by thinking about it because of a biological connection， and it was pretty cool。 And we can’t forget Rig’s guns， Panache and Pizzazz， which just might hide a secret… 7。 The romances。 Romance isn’t the focus at all， but there are a couple of nice， emotional relationships in the story。 My favorite is Rig’s and June’s。 You could call theirs a long distance relationship， which I thought was pretty unusual。 June is a librarian on Ascetic and she can never leave the library （not sure why）。 She’s dedicated to her faction and loves her job。 Meanwhile， Rig loves her job and doesn’t want to give it up to live with June。 Rig visits when she can， and it works for them。 I also enjoyed the forbidden romance between Ginka and Crane， her Handler。 It was sweet watching their relationship unfold， although I can’t say much about it because of spoilers。8。 An exciting plot that never gets boring。 Bluebird has all of my favorite thriller tropes: assassins， thieves， double crosses， tests of loyalty， gunfights， chases through space， mortal danger， near death experiences， and enemies who fight with words just as much as with their weapons。 9。 The little details。 I love when authors take an object and write a story around it that carries throughout the entire book。 For example， Rig finds a scarf pin that belongs to her kidnapped sister， and the pin keeps popping up again and again。 Likewise， a valuable crystal statue that belonged to Rig’s people， the Kashrini， becomes an important element。 Both these objects added a nice extra layer to the story。10。 Wait， this is a debut？ Ciel Peirlot’s writing is so polished and punchy， and it didn’t feel like a debut at all。 Did I mention how much I loved the dialog？ Oh yeah。 Well， I’m mentioning it again。I thought the ending wrapped up really well， and although it reads as a standalone， I would love to read more stories set in this world。 Whatever Pierlot writes next， I can’t wait to read it。Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy。 。。。more
Maddie
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Thank you to Netgalley， the author， and the publisher for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review。There really is only one word i can use to describe this book: fun。It’s been a while since i’ve felt like a book was made for me to actually enjoy。 I loved the main character， because， just like me， she ALWAYS had something to say。 I also liked that it was full of action and excitement， and never felt boring。 It was strange in the best ways possible， and i’m definitely going to be reading Thank you to Netgalley， the author， and the publisher for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review。There really is only one word i can use to describe this book: fun。It’s been a while since i’ve felt like a book was made for me to actually enjoy。 I loved the main character， because， just like me， she ALWAYS had something to say。 I also liked that it was full of action and excitement， and never felt boring。 It was strange in the best ways possible， and i’m definitely going to be reading more of Ciel’s future work and just more sci fi in general :） An in-depth review will be posted for the author and publisher on Netgalley。 。。。more
Bookish Sophia
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you Angry Robot Books for providing me this arc。Now， I haven't read a worthy science fiction in a long time。 This， BlueBird is definitely worth your time if you're a space geek。 We follow Rig， a Kashrini， lesbian with two guns she named "Panache and Pizzazz。" But there's another thing， she's a indentured runaway from her faction， Pyrite。A long time ago， the 3 factions， Pyrite， Ossuary and Ascetic lead by humans started a war to pr This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you Angry Robot Books for providing me this arc。Now， I haven't read a worthy science fiction in a long time。 This， BlueBird is definitely worth your time if you're a space geek。 We follow Rig， a Kashrini， lesbian with two guns she named "Panache and Pizzazz。" But there's another thing， she's a indentured runaway from her faction， Pyrite。A long time ago， the 3 factions， Pyrite， Ossuary and Ascetic lead by humans started a war to prove how powerful each factions were。 But indigenous species of the invaded galaxies like the Zazra and Kashrini are caught up in the war between these factions。 Rig， one of the chosen Kashrini， by the Pryite faction， trains to become a weapons developer that aids the her faction in standing at the winning pedestal of the faction wars。 Now， she realises the weight of her actions and how many deaths happened because of her weapons。 Rig is now on the run to escape her past sins and find redemption with her smuggling partner， Mohsin。 But soon her past comes knocking at her doors and she has to choose between destroying her greatest work created and saving her twin sister。 It takes an unlikely team of a sarcastic Rig， and a stiff Ginka to travel across the luminalspace from faction to faction to save Rig's sister and find redemption along the way。 Rig as a character is layered。 You'd see she has so much pain and hurt。 And in a world where everyone is loyal to their faction， believes in the purpose their faction spells out for them。 So change didn't come easy for Rig， abandoning her life of being someone important， of having to make impact。 There was significant character development with Rig。 And the right amount of humor， just spiced Rig's character。 She's Headstrong， but reasonable。 She's bold and confident but still scared of the outcome of her actions and consequences that would take place on the people she loves afterwards。 She's trusting but also ready to defend and protect herself when she feels a betrayal etching close to her。 The interlude chapters introduces the second main character， Ginka。 A Zazra， loyal to the Ossuary faction。 Given a rare mission to find a rare person across the galaxy， Ginka bands with Rig to help her fight the faction and their oppression of the species。 Ginka is a tough character but the interlude reveals so much of her soft sides。 She's has so much endurance and is loyal。 Her convictions to Ossuary are strong。 This is a well written 400 page science fiction。 It's a vivid storytelling， makes you feel present with every bit of the story。 From the fight scenes （which are epic by the way） to the emotional growth of the characters， to the love they share for each other and their love interests。Ciel Pierlot did a number with BlueBird and I think every science fiction lover should pick this book and enjoy Rig and Ginka's story。 。。。more
Pile By the Bed
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The tag line for Ciel Pierlot’s space opera debut Bluebird really says it all: Lesbian gunslingers fight spies in space。 From its opening chase scene in a disreputable space station to its big set piece finale in one of the galactic seats of secret power， Bluebird delivers on its promise。 Its main character Rig is a lesbian who has two （named） guns and she is on a seemingly impossible quest while being pursued across the universe by more than one secret police organisation。 When the book opens R The tag line for Ciel Pierlot’s space opera debut Bluebird really says it all: Lesbian gunslingers fight spies in space。 From its opening chase scene in a disreputable space station to its big set piece finale in one of the galactic seats of secret power， Bluebird delivers on its promise。 Its main character Rig is a lesbian who has two （named） guns and she is on a seemingly impossible quest while being pursued across the universe by more than one secret police organisation。 When the book opens Rig， formerly Traxi， is on the run from the Pyrite collective， having stolen the plans for a superweapon that she designed。 Pyrite is one of the three factions that not only divide up the galaxy but are constantly fighting for ascendancy over the other。 Anyone not aligned with a faction is pushed to the fringes and it is these people that Rig tries to help， when she is not watching her back。 Following a close call she picks up a passenger called Ginka who is handy in a fight and has secrets of her own， and Rig nicknames Cactus。 Ginka accompanies Rig on a mission which enables her to visit her lover June who is a member of the Ascetic faction。 But before long Rig is in the crosshairs again， learning that multiple groups are after the plans and that Pyrite forces are holding her twin sister hostage in return for them。 Soon Rig has a new mission – keep the plans out of enemy hands while finding the secret Pyrite base， breaking in and rescuing her sister。 Nothing， of course， goes according to that plan。 There is another story that plays out along the way that provides some useful backstory about one of the factions and leads to a revelation that every reader will see coming。While wearing its space opera influences on its sleeve， Pierlot still manages to throw in some new wrinkles with her tripartite faction system。 And she also just has a lot of fun with the genre and its conventions。 This is a straight out adventure story with cliffhangers， close scrapes moustache twirling villains， heel turns， a rag tag bunch of helpers who later have to rally together， and lots of chases and fights。 And while there is nothing startlingly new or memorable about it， Bluebird is a fun read， the narrative zips along and the action is handled with great assurance。 。。。more
Sammie V
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I laughed， I cried， I screamed。 This book was such a rollercoaster and I absolutely loved every second of it。 If you like wynonna Earp， arcane， or guardians of the galaxy this is the book for youThe characters are all amazing even the bad ones！ I loved the sass and snarkiness of the mc。 It was just an a great book。 Ciel Pierlot’s knocks it out of the park with their debut queer space opera novel。
Daniel Holland
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"Bluebird" by Ciel Pierlot is FUN。 Good banter is a solid way to get me into a story。 And Rig delivers in spades， often at the wrong moment。。。Basic premise， galaxy is divided up into 3 factions who all think their space group is the best。 And then do war crimes on the other two because they can't agree。 Definitely doesn't sound anything like real life。 Enter Rig， an ex-factioned rebel who is just trying to make the place a little nicer。 Unfortunate for her the old bosses want the super weapon sh "Bluebird" by Ciel Pierlot is FUN。 Good banter is a solid way to get me into a story。 And Rig delivers in spades， often at the wrong moment。。。Basic premise， galaxy is divided up into 3 factions who all think their space group is the best。 And then do war crimes on the other two because they can't agree。 Definitely doesn't sound anything like real life。 Enter Rig， an ex-factioned rebel who is just trying to make the place a little nicer。 Unfortunate for her the old bosses want the super weapon she designed and then left with back。。。 And so begins a series of escapes， heists， beatings， libraries， realistic reactions to character actions。Reasons to read:-The characters give me the same energy as the cast of The Mummy。 Especially June。-Grade A banter-Space lesbian gunfighter nanotechnology engineer protagonist-Sweet metal arms for the big punches-Hey， maybe conditioning people to be weapons is a bad thing-Consequences for monologuing are swiftCons:-If you need humanity to not be a dick for a while。。。maybe put a pause on this one。 。。。more
Barondestructo
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Author Ciel Pierlot’s clear forte is world-building as proven by the rich and carefully-crafted three-faction galaxy that provides the backdrop for a sci-fi tale with action， adventure and humor reminiscent of， obviously， Firefly， but I would add maybe Dark Matter as well。 It’s a lot of fun with a lot of banter （one could argue a little much banter） as our protagonist Rig sets out to save her sister with the help of her librarian girlfriend and a mysterious bounty hunter named Ginka。 Not much ch Author Ciel Pierlot’s clear forte is world-building as proven by the rich and carefully-crafted three-faction galaxy that provides the backdrop for a sci-fi tale with action， adventure and humor reminiscent of， obviously， Firefly， but I would add maybe Dark Matter as well。 It’s a lot of fun with a lot of banter （one could argue a little much banter） as our protagonist Rig sets out to save her sister with the help of her librarian girlfriend and a mysterious bounty hunter named Ginka。 Not much character development and the book is too long， but if you enjoy high-flying space opera then this may be the book for you。 。。。more
Whimsy Dearest
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Rig’s a brilliant engineer and a rebel on the run from the faction she abandoned three years ago。 Now her faction wants the weapon’s schematics she stole back and they’re holding her twin sister hostage to get it。With the help of her librarian girlfriend and a mysterious bounty hunter， she crosses the galaxy to try and save her sister—all while trying to keep the schematics out of enemy’s hands … because there will be devastating consequences if anyone gets a hold of it。Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot Rig’s a brilliant engineer and a rebel on the run from the faction she abandoned three years ago。 Now her faction wants the weapon’s schematics she stole back and they’re holding her twin sister hostage to get it。With the help of her librarian girlfriend and a mysterious bounty hunter， she crosses the galaxy to try and save her sister—all while trying to keep the schematics out of enemy’s hands … because there will be devastating consequences if anyone gets a hold of it。Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot is a high-octane space western filled with a colorful cast of loveable characters。 （Think Star Wars but gayer！） The pacing is inconsistent， and I admit， the dialogue is a bit heavy-handled with the jokes at times， but if you enjoy the snarky banter in Firefly， I think you'll have a whole lot of fun with this one as well。Thank you， Angry Robot， for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alicja
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Big thanks to the publisher for my gifted copy。I really enjoyed 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥。 I felt a little slumpy when it comes to reading lately， and I think that this book definitely helped。𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥 is full of fast-paced action and interesting character， a queer space opera。 It’s at moments funny and snarky （as its main character， Rig） and yet equally emotional。 This adventure in space definitely offers a rollercoaster of emotions。 I did enjoy the main story in Bluebird， but mostly I liked the atmosphere a Big thanks to the publisher for my gifted copy。I really enjoyed 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥。 I felt a little slumpy when it comes to reading lately， and I think that this book definitely helped。𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥 is full of fast-paced action and interesting character， a queer space opera。 It’s at moments funny and snarky （as its main character， Rig） and yet equally emotional。 This adventure in space definitely offers a rollercoaster of emotions。 I did enjoy the main story in Bluebird， but mostly I liked the atmosphere and the focus on family， friendship and companionship。 While Rig’s love story is there， is rather in the background， even if June is an interesting character on her own as well。 I would definitely recommend this book to both fans of space operas and those only dipping their toes in sci-fi。 。。。more
Anne-Christine Strugnell
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This sassy debut novel is confident and fast-paced as it follows Rig， a "gunslinging lesbian in space，" and her life as a brash outlaw keeping one step ahead of the authorities。。。 until they capture her twin sister to snare Rig herself。 The story has lots of action and just enough world-building to give everything context while keeping the pages turning。 But it's not all battles and suspense: although this is a space romp， still， Pierlot's characters are realistic in their motivations and their This sassy debut novel is confident and fast-paced as it follows Rig， a "gunslinging lesbian in space，" and her life as a brash outlaw keeping one step ahead of the authorities。。。 until they capture her twin sister to snare Rig herself。 The story has lots of action and just enough world-building to give everything context while keeping the pages turning。 But it's not all battles and suspense: although this is a space romp， still， Pierlot's characters are realistic in their motivations and their vulnerabilities， and we end up caring about them and their unpredictable and nuanced lives。 An excellent read。 。。。more
Leanne
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4。5 stars。 I've loved these characters and this adventure every step of the way。 I love that Rig named her guns what she did and I love the friendships and relationships。 Such a beautiful book and glad I picked up the ARC and the audiobook。 4。5 stars。 I've loved these characters and this adventure every step of the way。 I love that Rig named her guns what she did and I love the friendships and relationships。 Such a beautiful book and glad I picked up the ARC and the audiobook。 。。。more
Bory
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I really， really wanted to love this book。 I mean， all I need to to hear is "lesbians in space”， and I’m there faster than you can say "go"。 I re-arranged my whole hundreds of books long TBR pile for this。 Unfortunately， Bluebird is， at best， merely fine。In addition to being Ciel’s debut novel， I understand that the book was written while the she was still in college， and， boy， it shows in both the lackluster depth of the writing and the immaturity of the main character。 I’m not usually one to h I really， really wanted to love this book。 I mean， all I need to to hear is "lesbians in space”， and I’m there faster than you can say "go"。 I re-arranged my whole hundreds of books long TBR pile for this。 Unfortunately， Bluebird is， at best， merely fine。In addition to being Ciel’s debut novel， I understand that the book was written while the she was still in college， and， boy， it shows in both the lackluster depth of the writing and the immaturity of the main character。 I’m not usually one to harp on prose because， honestly， I don’t care。 But， really… “The only booby trap she’s interested in is June’s”。 Get it， booby trap – boobs？ I’m laughing on the inside。 Rig has weaponized sass， has named her guns Panache and Pizzazz， and I kept rolling my eyes so hard I got a muscle cramp。 In many ways， the story overall and Rig in particular reminded me of mid 2000s urban fantasy。 There is no demonstrable understanding of the amount of time it takes to accomplish things， which leads to some glaring plot holes。 Rig goes from being a nanomite weapon developed， in other words – a nerd， to a badass， gun totting， bike riding， starship captain in the span of three years… how？ Janus goes from being an exiled Ossuary agent， who was essentially mutilated on his way out， to a high-ranking Pyrite Intelligence officer in the span of two and a half years… how？ Make it ten years， maybe I buy it， even with minimal background information。 Or， alternatively， provide more of backstory as to what happened in those three years – of how the character got from point A to point Z。 The world building is shaky， at best。 One of the， potentially， coolest aspect of any science fiction is its aliens。 Here， though， the aliens are described so briefly and in so little detail， and their alien attributes play such a non-existing role， that they could have just as easily been a subjugated class of humans， and it wouldn’t have changed the story at all。 Hassha， a species that is mentioned once in passing， can see in the dark and handle hot things。 Zazra are touch empaths， not that is matters。 Trants have four arms。 Okay？ And the Kashrini are blue… Star Trek from 1960s， hampered by a shoestring budget and potato-level special effects， did better by its aliens than this。 The lesbians in space aspect of the book， its selling point as far as I’m concerned， is severely lacking。 The relationship between Rig and June feels very flat and underdeveloped。 Partly because it comes as an established， pre-packaged fact。 Partly because it’s suck a miniscule part of the story。 The relationship that we do see develop is between X-74 and Seven and all I can say is… it’s okay。 Cliché， but okay。At my core， I’m a characters above all else type of reader。 I can forgive a lot of flaws in world building and plot， if I like the characters。 And while I mostly find Rig a little annoying and somewhat naïve for someone whose work has killed thousands， she is sufficiently likable otherwise。 I like her determination to be better， and do better by both helping her people escape slavery and saving their cultural heritage。 I also liked Ginka。 She’s though， loyal， and conflicted enough that it makes for some great character moments。 June， what little we saw of her， is great。 The confrontation between her and Janus was badass， and I wish she’d played a more prominent role in the story。 Despite the wall of text， I really don’t want to harp too much on a first time author。 But you can’t grow without criticism， and I sincerely hope Ciel keeps writing and improves on her craft。 There is potential here， and anyone writing lgbtq+ science fiction has locked my interest for as long as they keep at it。 。。。more
Alicia
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Thanks to @netgalley and @angryrobotbooks for allowing me an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 Bluebird released on February 8， 2022！This female-lead sci-fi adventure is an absolute joy。 I knew from the first few chapters that I was going to love it。 Think badass female gunslinging space outlaws， rebellious librarians， and elite assassins。 Though this world is so different from ours， it is grounded in many of the same issues that we face here on Earth， and the pr Thanks to @netgalley and @angryrobotbooks for allowing me an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 Bluebird released on February 8， 2022！This female-lead sci-fi adventure is an absolute joy。 I knew from the first few chapters that I was going to love it。 Think badass female gunslinging space outlaws， rebellious librarians， and elite assassins。 Though this world is so different from ours， it is grounded in many of the same issues that we face here on Earth， and the protagonist， Rig finds herself constantly dealing with the fall out of choosing to break from the fold。 It also touches on the many different ways that love （not just romantic） can bond us together， even when things are complicated。 It keeps you on the edge of your seat as Rig and Ginka jump from system to system， and I highly recommend。 You might especially enjoy this if you are a fan of Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir or Outlawed by Anna North。 。。。more
Kaffeeklatsch and Books
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3。5 stars for an enjoyable space-opera debut。Altogether Bluebird is a solid debut and I'd be interested to check out more from this author in the future。Things I enjoyed:- the cover is beautiful and the font choices are great - well done designers！- 3 warring factions with their own ideologies and agendas- different alien races and their individual skills- FF romance mentioned throughout but it wasn't the main point of the storyThings I didn't like:- not the most original plot line and worldbuil 3。5 stars for an enjoyable space-opera debut。Altogether Bluebird is a solid debut and I'd be interested to check out more from this author in the future。Things I enjoyed:- the cover is beautiful and the font choices are great - well done designers！- 3 warring factions with their own ideologies and agendas- different alien races and their individual skills- FF romance mentioned throughout but it wasn't the main point of the storyThings I didn't like:- not the most original plot line and worldbuilding- some of the banter （and there's a lot of it） isn't that great or funny （in my humble opinion）- it was very slow in the middle and had some pacing issues and it "read long"- there were too many coincidences as driving factor of the story （they conveniently overheard someone say x， they conveniently found this wrecked ship that has the tech they need etc。）。 It felt too convenient。I would recommend this to anyone interested in a lighter space-opera where the romance is more on the side line。 It's also not heavily scientific and perfect for anyone who would like to dip their toes into a new genre。Thanks Netgalley and Angry Robot for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ella
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ALL THE STARS。 BEAUTIFUL。 COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN。 was i supposed to be in bed a while ago？ maybe。 do i care？ HECK NO。 WORTH IT。
Korey Broderick
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Bluebird is a fun， femme， action-filled space opera with thriller vibes and gunslinger appeal。“Arson is easier to commit than people make it out to be。”Author Ciel Pierlot had me from the first line of Bluebird。 And the self-described disaster bisexual’s debut really delivered on that fiery promise。 Queer sci-fi can sometimes be challenging to find， and good queer sci-fi can be even harder。 But Pierlot’s effortless take on the space opera genre， from the well-crafted setting to the thoroughly en Bluebird is a fun， femme， action-filled space opera with thriller vibes and gunslinger appeal。“Arson is easier to commit than people make it out to be。”Author Ciel Pierlot had me from the first line of Bluebird。 And the self-described disaster bisexual’s debut really delivered on that fiery promise。 Queer sci-fi can sometimes be challenging to find， and good queer sci-fi can be even harder。 But Pierlot’s effortless take on the space opera genre， from the well-crafted setting to the thoroughly enjoyable characters， gave me hope that it’s out there。I enjoyed Pierlot’s sassy， easy-going style and appreciated the story’s steady and engaging pace。 There’s plenty of action to keep readers turning pages。 But the loveable characters and their relationships were what held me to the satisfying conclusion。 Rig was a delight， embodying some of my favorite hero tropes in a lovely， femme package。 I appreciated the Pierlot including themes of found family， the dangers of colonialism， and the importance of relationships and forgiveness。 A story like this could’ve easily felt one-note。This story contains mentions of violence， medical procedures， and religious and systemic oppression。 。。。more
Reid Edwards
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Ciel Pierlot's Bluebird is a fun， touching and evocative space adventure with enough depth to tempt anyone interested in more than just an easy SF novel without sacrificing the action and tech that makes those books fun。 Pierlot's characters feel incredibly real， with traceable histories and decisions driving their current actions。 Her use of flashbacks rather than exposition weave together storylines without subjecting the reader to another "why are the characters explaining their history to ea Ciel Pierlot's Bluebird is a fun， touching and evocative space adventure with enough depth to tempt anyone interested in more than just an easy SF novel without sacrificing the action and tech that makes those books fun。 Pierlot's characters feel incredibly real， with traceable histories and decisions driving their current actions。 Her use of flashbacks rather than exposition weave together storylines without subjecting the reader to another "why are the characters explaining their history to each other" scene。 The worldbuilding is top notch - I love when an author takes the time to flesh out a universe beyond what they explore in the novel， and I'm excited to see what else Pierlot puts out in the future。 A fantastic job for a debut novel！ 。。。more
USOM
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（Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） Before picking up Bluebird I was craving some SF and this book 100% delivered。 I love lesbian gunslingers， but Rig is also caring， just a tad bit reckless， and complex。 She's making up for pursuing knowledge a bit too close to the sun and is in the works of making amends。 When her sister is kidnapped， she ends up in an unlikely alliance with Ginka， a mysterious hitchhiker。 I insta （Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） Before picking up Bluebird I was craving some SF and this book 100% delivered。 I love lesbian gunslingers， but Rig is also caring， just a tad bit reckless， and complex。 She's making up for pursuing knowledge a bit too close to the sun and is in the works of making amends。 When her sister is kidnapped， she ends up in an unlikely alliance with Ginka， a mysterious hitchhiker。 I instantly loved Rig。 Her flashes of arrogance and fear gave me serious Starbuck vibes。 Not only did I love Rig， but I quickly fell in love with basically every other character （except some baddies）。 If you love a super sassy heroine， then Rig is definitely your type。 But at the same time， watching Ginka's character unfold - which is spoiler territory I'm sorry！ - was an unexpected joy。 And what a dynamic duo they make！ In Bluebird， Pierlot explores questions of choice。 Of decisions and loyalty that are （un）deserved and require every piece of ourselves。full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind。com/revi。。。 。。。more
Lata
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3。5 stars。Rig， the Kashrini main character of this fast-moving book， is a gunslinger， a rebel， and a lover of a fantastic librarian。 Rig is a former weapons designer for the Pyrite faction; the factions rule most of the galaxy， and have carved most of it into three zones。 The factions each believe in their superiority to the other factions， believing that each has special wisdom and righteousness， and piece of a star carried by their individual god， and have been warring against the other factio 3。5 stars。Rig， the Kashrini main character of this fast-moving book， is a gunslinger， a rebel， and a lover of a fantastic librarian。 Rig is a former weapons designer for the Pyrite faction; the factions rule most of the galaxy， and have carved most of it into three zones。 The factions each believe in their superiority to the other factions， believing that each has special wisdom and righteousness， and piece of a star carried by their individual god， and have been warring against the other factions for thousands of years， with countless lives lost， and aliens， such as the Kashrini， pulled into the conflict， then indentured by the factions， all to fuel the continuing wars。The factions are ruled by humans， and some of the indentured aliens under their thumbs have banded together in a group called the Nightbirds， in an effort to harry and bring down the factions。 The factions want to eliminate the Nightbirds， and one of Rig's last weapons created for Pyrite would have done that。 And has far larger， more terrible effects as well， hence Rig's rebellion and flight。She's been in hiding for three years at the story's open， and has been successfully evading notice， until she takes on a passenger， an incredibly lethal Zazra， and then one thing after another begins going horribly， with Rig forced to work for Pyrite to recover her lost， last weapon in exchange for her sister's life。 Rig and Ginka， the Zazra， are forced to travel all over the galaxy in an effort to find some means to defeating the faction， as well as rescue her sister。 While the pair are running around the galaxy， we're also shown another storyline of two incredibly dangerous assassins training。 The identities are slowly revealed， in a satisfying manner。Rig must ask herself a LOT of questions during hers and Ginka's efforts about 1） Rig's former work for Pyrite， 2） her work to deal with her tremendous guilt for creating so many weapons of mass destruction， 3） her damaged relationship with her sister and 4） the bigotry instilled into the various aliens working for the factions。While there is a lot of action in this story， it's the character moments I liked between Rig and Ginka， and Rig's kindness， compassion for others， and for her feelings of personal responsibility， and how she attempts to repay her actions。 And I LOVED Rig's love， June， who， though not setting foot outside her library， was vital to Rig's efforts， and was just so darned amazing all on her own。I did， however， get a little tired of Rig's constant sassy attitude and remarks。 I realize it's sort of her superpower （in addition to being a crack shot） but I would have appreciated this aspect of her character toned down a little。Other than that， I enjoyed this book。Thank you to Netgalley and to Angry Robot Books for this ARC in exchange for my review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bluebird
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bluebird&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bluebird&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0