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I recieved an e-book ARC of this book on NetGalley from the Publisher Tor in exchange for an honest review: Thank you Tor and NetGalley for this copy of the book.

This is the fourth book in Mary Robinette's "Lady Astronaut" series. This book continues to both highlight many of the strengths and weaknesses of the series overall.

I did really enjoy the Habitat storyline in the first half of the book. The discussion of all that was needed to make the base more permanent was really fascinating. The dangers of Mars are well realized here and I really understood the hard work that was ahead for our characters.

I also was intrigued that the mystery about the First Expedition and what happened that Elma (and the reader) doesn't know about. I had ideas behind the mystery, but I thought that Kowal's answers for it were in line with the series and really fascinating.

I also enjoyed reading the dynamic between Elm and Nathaniel. Although I don't appreciate having to read the more...ahem...physical nature of their relationship, their banter is sweet and fun to read, and they make for fascinating characters on the screen.

I did enjoy the humor in the book, particularly when the characters are problem solving and freudien slips abound. I was laughing out loud at many of these moments.

While not a major part of the book, I enjoyed the glimpses into the political difficulties of continuing Mars missions, and reading how the crew made decisions to maximize public support was fun to read.

I also really enjoyed a lot of the other characters, such as Leonard, Nicole, and what little we see of Wilburt. I actually would love to see more Wilburt in subsequent books.

One more positive is that the book moves at a very fast pace. I was never bored or felt like the book was moving too slow at all. That's an excellent aspect that books 2 and 3 in this series didn't have.

Now I do have some critiques.

First of all: the book has a major issue that had me scratching my head. If the IAC did not want or expect children to be born on Mars during the Second Expedition...why on Earth (or maybe why on Mars) did they decide to make the crew almost entirely married couples. This seems to be asking for pregnancies to happen, especially when the oldest couple is like 48 and still...ahem...active. There is a small reason for a specific couple that is explained, but not for the rest. Seems like a really unwise move.

Also: the book has a plot device that requires the separation of the sexes so that the women are all in orbit and the men are on the planet. Kowal gives explanations for this, but it really read like a contrivance just to cause the social issues in the book and also cause a problem with a certain character back on earth. This isn't a minor issue, as its a major plot point in the book too!

My final criticism in the book comes from a worldview perspective. The book has a very pro-abortion/anti-natalism perspective that doesn't really fit in optimistic space stories like this. A major portion of the book, particularly the second half of the book, is dedicated to a plotpoint about a lady astronette getting pregnant, and trying to determine whether to have an abortion or to keep the baby. This plot point might have worked if handled differently. Unfortunately, not only does the character make the obviously wrong choice in the book, but the argument is heavily weighed in one direction, and there is no solid counter argument or major consequence for the characters' actions. Science Fiction books have this wonderful opportunity to promote Natalism in a way that won't be heavy handed, and unfortunately, this book missed the mark. (

Overall, I enjoyed the novel, but I was really frustrated with it at the same time. It reads super fast, and had a lot that I loved. Unfortunately, it loses some points for some plot issues, contrivences, and just very blatant messaging. 7 out of 10.