I enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel. It's an interesting take on the end of world. The novel is an easy read and worth your time.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I was so excited to start 2121: Exodus – Lupus Stella by Scott D Rodriguez. After spotting it on NetGalley, I ended up visiting the author’s website and found a section that expanded on the world of 2121: Exodus. That extra layer of detail really pulled me in and made me feel connected to the story before I’d even turned the first page.

One of the things I enjoyed most was the writing style. The short, punchy sentences create a strong sense of pace while still allowing for depth and immersion. A small moment like Theo making a cup of coffee was described so vividly—it really shows you don’t need long paragraphs to draw a reader in.

The style suits the genre perfectly and keeps everything feeling immediate and engaging.
I also found the choice to omit traditional speech marks for dialogue really interesting. It’s not something I’ve come across before, but it worked surprisingly well and added to the book’s unique voice.

The character work stood out too. The author clearly understands people—there’s a relatability to the interactions and emotions that makes everything feel grounded. I especially enjoyed the subtle, ominous hints throughout, particularly the moments Theo “files” away for later. They added a quiet tension that kept me intrigued.

Another highlight was the presence of strong female characters, which felt refreshing within a military sci-fi setting.

My one main criticism would be the blurb. I felt it revealed far too much—arguably covering around the first 60% of the story. Because of that, some of the emotional moments didn’t land as strongly as they could have, simply because I already knew they were coming. A more restrained blurb—hinting at the war and its impact on Theo without giving away major developments—would allow the story to unfold more powerfully.

That said, once the story moved beyond that initial portion, it really picked up. The final stretch was gripping, exciting, and exactly what I was hoping for.
Overall, this was an engaging and promising start, and I’m definitely excited to see where the story goes next in book two.