Scan barcode
gensyndulla_02's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death
forthesanityof1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've been meaning to read this for a while now. Overall, it was okay. I think the romance got way overshadowed by the elaborate plot. It kind of overtook each character in a way and made it hard for me to care about or connect with the characters. The prose was okay but I found the worldbuilding to be lacking in depth. It was hard to find meaning in it with the plot, which tells me I needed a bit more from it to help grasp the stakes the characters were working with. I didn't care about the treaty or the two main planets. The plot itself wasn't that interesting to me; the summary made it sound a lot more intriguing than it ended up being. I appreciated the dedication to Jainan's character in particular with his internal world reflecting the physical and emotional abuse he suffered from Taam , I thought it was accurate (coming from a therapist). The romance itself had some nice moments, but again, the issues I saw made it challenging for me to properly appreciate it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, and Toxic relationship
iriwindel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
serenity17's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
supercoolfrog's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault and Colonisation
photosinthedust's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
ailsaod's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this a month ago and I just started rereading it which is not something I have done before so quickly! This book is great but I feel like it sits in uncertain territory that could easily give people false expectations. The romance is quite toned down and the political machinations aspect becomes more of an investigation but this only made me enjoy it more! I usually hate the romances in books - or at best tolerate them (you may ask why I picked up a book being marketed as a Sci-fi Romance and I don't really know to be honest) but Kiem and Jainan's characters were really well written. Initially I didn't like Kiem as if you only pay attention to his dialogue he sounds like a bit of a brat but this impression of him didn't survive past the first few chapters as he genuinely wants to help Jainan.
There is some world building that I found very interesting - and presumably the author is going to flesh some of it out further as some of it was quite tantalising! I found the engineered 'wildlife' of Iskat (a terraformed planet) an amusing detail.
The arranged marriage trope was handled well in my opinion as well as a rogue appearance of 'there was only one tent' but the romance takes a back seat to Kiem and Jainan trying to figure each other out as well as solve the book's mystery.
This book does deal with some darker themes of domestic abuse as well as a brief instance of sexual assault but it does so mostly in an oblique manner that doesn't sensationalise and only suggests at what happened.
This book was one of my favourites of this year and while it probably isn't the most ground-breaking story out there it does what it does very well and I am very hyped for Maxwell's next book!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Colonisation, and Domestic abuse
Warnings are for a past pairing. Book deals with aftermath of abuse but often not explicitly.btrz7's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
blackrabbitrun's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book may be troperiffic, but it is highly emotionally satisfying and I will be coming back for rereads
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault and Colonisation
angerbean_'s review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have a loose rule about dropping books if they don't catch me within the first 100 pages. Winter's Orbit /almost/ missed that mark due to the slow start. However, I will say that the payoff was absolutely worth it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault