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jessie_h's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Murder, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment, and Chronic illness
Minor: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
chloeinbooksland's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
It was enjoyable but confused most of the time. I really liked the narrator though (which was new to me)!
larag_199x's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
triplebriiii's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this! I live the dynamic this author gravitates towards - possessive and "terminally independent leave me alone" archetypes lol. Very much enjoyed this couple.
The plot was good too, I thought I had an idea about what was going on but certainly did not. I enjoyed the twist and how the story moved forward.
I really enjoy this universe as well, and am glad that that author keeps returning to it. Could read a million more of these tbh.
The plot was good too, I thought I had an idea about what was going on but certainly did not. I enjoyed the twist and how the story moved forward.
I really enjoy this universe as well, and am glad that that author keeps returning to it. Could read a million more of these tbh.
3ll3's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
janeefritz's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars. Will I remember details from this book in a few months time? Probably not. Did I enjoy this from start to finish? Absolutely. The romance was gripping and the detective work was interesting. I have no major complaints.
kevinscorner's review
4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Bright Celestial Sea. This standalone gay sci-fi romance hit nearly all the right notes for me. Pryor is an intergalactic detective assigned to investigate a missing foreign prince in the World Ship Olympus (a gigantic planet-like spaceship). But his search doesn’t go according to plan from the get-go when the Olympus’ Emperor Wystan involves himself in every aspect of the investigation.
The book started off a bit rough because there wasn’t much set-up and the story just starts going immediately with our two main protagonists meeting that left me confused a bit because their interaction had so many layers already that I did not yet understand. But somewhere around a quarter in when I finally got what was going on, I was completely engrossed. I liked how the book balanced the mystery and the romance, giving the mystery the necessary attention so it doesn’t come off as just there to facilitating the romance. Although I could see the twist in the ending coming around halfway through, it did not deter me from enjoying the journey getting there. I thought it left just the right amount of clues to help the readers figure out the mystery for themselves.
I liked both Pryor and Wystan. Pryor is a man with a secret past that has left him with some trauma that has made him stubborn, aloof and intensely dedicated to his job. Wystan is a man with an agenda who knows what he wants and aggressively goes after it. They butt heads on their initial interaction, but as we learn each of their history, it becomes clear why sparks were flying as well. I enjoyed the will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic between them and the aggressiveness of the pursuit. The explicit spicy scenes were indeed sexy and well done (despite some what I thought to be iffy anatomy and realism). The romance worked for me and I won over.
A Bright Celestial Sea is a sexy sci-fi romance that also delivers an engrossing mystery.
*I received and eARC from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
The book started off a bit rough because there wasn’t much set-up and the story just starts going immediately with our two main protagonists meeting that left me confused a bit because their interaction had so many layers already that I did not yet understand. But somewhere around a quarter in when I finally got what was going on, I was completely engrossed. I liked how the book balanced the mystery and the romance, giving the mystery the necessary attention so it doesn’t come off as just there to facilitating the romance. Although I could see the twist in the ending coming around halfway through, it did not deter me from enjoying the journey getting there. I thought it left just the right amount of clues to help the readers figure out the mystery for themselves.
I liked both Pryor and Wystan. Pryor is a man with a secret past that has left him with some trauma that has made him stubborn, aloof and intensely dedicated to his job. Wystan is a man with an agenda who knows what he wants and aggressively goes after it. They butt heads on their initial interaction, but as we learn each of their history, it becomes clear why sparks were flying as well. I enjoyed the will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic between them and the aggressiveness of the pursuit. The explicit spicy scenes were indeed sexy and well done (despite some what I thought to be iffy anatomy and realism). The romance worked for me and I won over.
A Bright Celestial Sea is a sexy sci-fi romance that also delivers an engrossing mystery.
*I received and eARC from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
little_frog's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
emilikert's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0