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evidoe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
This is one book I really enjoyed but would not indiscriminately recommend. I think its a book that will really appeal to certain readers and may fall flat with others. I enjoyed the slow-burn romance with light sci-fi world building but I think fans looking for pure romance might find the romance a bit slow and may be frustrated with the closed-door nature of the intimacy in the book, while fans looking for a pure sci-fi may find the plotting of the sci-fi world a bit light. I enjoyed the mix. I think there was enough of each for me.
One of the main things that stood out for me was the aching slow burn of the romance, The plotting did rely a bit on miscommunication/misunderstanding, but I think it worked in the novel, The reasons for the misunderstanding were deeply woven into some of the core plot details and character's emotional arcs (Jainan's previous experience of an arranged marriage, and Keim's self-narrative as a disappointing royal).
I really enjoyed the world-building details around gender. Specifically how gender was indicated, not by one's physical body type but presented by what kind of jewellery they wore. non-binary genders were also an accepted and normalized part of this world. I think some of the romance choices, such as the closed-door nature of the intimacy between characters was also done as a choice to preserve this system. We are never given details about the characters that would allow us to place them neatly into our own understanding of cis-normative gender.
The murder mystery was lightly plotted, and easy to figure out, but was more of a backdrop for the character's emotional journey. There are so many aspects of this universe I would love to explore further. I hope the author goes into a little more depth for some of the planets we were introduced to in further books.
I think it helped that I am familiar with its AO3-influenced style plotting and mesh of genre, with romance being the main theme. the focus is on the characters, and there are a few popular tropes in there like the classic "only one bed" and "huddle for warmth" , so was not disappointed or bothered that the plot took us on a scenic meander rather than being tightly packed and fast-paced. Especially because I found the characters endearing. I also liked how the subject of the psychological impact of domestic violence was handled.
One of the main things that stood out for me was the aching slow burn of the romance, The plotting did rely a bit on miscommunication/misunderstanding, but I think it worked in the novel, The reasons for the misunderstanding were deeply woven into some of the core plot details and character's emotional arcs (Jainan's previous experience of an arranged marriage, and Keim's self-narrative as a disappointing royal).
I really enjoyed the world-building details around gender. Specifically how gender was indicated, not by one's physical body type but presented by what kind of jewellery they wore. non-binary genders were also an accepted and normalized part of this world. I think some of the romance choices, such as the closed-door nature of the intimacy between characters was also done as a choice to preserve this system. We are never given details about the characters that would allow us to place them neatly into our own understanding of cis-normative gender.
The murder mystery was lightly plotted, and easy to figure out, but was more of a backdrop for the character's emotional journey. There are so many aspects of this universe I would love to explore further. I hope the author goes into a little more depth for some of the planets we were introduced to in further books.
I think it helped that I am familiar with its AO3-influenced style plotting and mesh of genre, with romance being the main theme. the focus is on the characters, and there are a few popular tropes in there like the classic "only one bed" and "huddle for warmth" , so was not disappointed or bothered that the plot took us on a scenic meander rather than being tightly packed and fast-paced. Especially because I found the characters endearing. I also liked how the subject of the psychological impact of domestic violence was handled.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Domestic abuse
Minor: Colonisation, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, and Murder
indigoflorges's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Not a fan of the miscommunication trope but glad to see that there is nuance and reason for it. Excellent story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Murder
daffodilcherry's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
I really found myself drawn into this world and wanting more! I was obsessed with the main characters and connected with them easily: I just wanted the best for them. I loved the overall plot but also the romantic subplot and overall diplomatic/court intrigue. It was hard to put this book down and not find every opportunity to just read it all at once.
Wheelhouse items: slowburn romance, mlm relationship, worldbuilding, galactic empires, arranged marriages (that develop into real love), emotional healing, murder mystery, space diplomacy, court intrigue, complimentary characters.
A note about the content warnings: one of the main characters' previous relationship was physically, emotionally and sexually abusive. This is alluded to in the first half of the book and then made explicit in the second half through a few flashbacks. The sexual abuse is more in the vein of him not being into his ex-partner but pushing himself anyway. There is also a sci-fi bit where the bad guys attempt to effectively brainwash-gaslight him via memories (but they are unsuccessful). But the point of the overall story is about this character healing from their abuse and finding friendship and love that they deserve.
There is a scene where the characters fight against a bear.
Wheelhouse items: slowburn romance, mlm relationship, worldbuilding, galactic empires, arranged marriages (that develop into real love), emotional healing, murder mystery, space diplomacy, court intrigue, complimentary characters.
A note about the content warnings:
There is a scene where the characters fight against a bear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual assault
Minor: Murder
hayleys_comment'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
4.0
One word: cute!
Winter’s Orbit is a fun, character-focused space opera that does a wonderful job of balancing romance with interplanetary politics.
As someone who doesn’t read much sci-fi (or romance, for that matter), I enjoyed this book immensely. Maxwell writes with a great amount of emotional awareness. Her characters are lovable (and, boy, do I love them) and react realistically to the world(s) around them. The setting is interesting, but not complicated, and I would love to see it expanded.
It’s one of those novels that could easily become somebody’s comfort book.
Winter’s Orbit is a fun, character-focused space opera that does a wonderful job of balancing romance with interplanetary politics.
As someone who doesn’t read much sci-fi (or romance, for that matter), I enjoyed this book immensely. Maxwell writes with a great amount of emotional awareness. Her characters are lovable (and, boy, do I love them) and react realistically to the world(s) around them. The setting is interesting, but not complicated, and I would love to see it expanded.
It’s one of those novels that could easily become somebody’s comfort book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Murder, Sexual harassment, Torture, and War
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
In this sci-fi novel we’ve got political intrigue, a suspicious death, a hastily arranged political marriage, a queer romance and looming intergalactic conflict all wrapped up into one amazing story. I was afraid I wouldn’t finish it before the end of the year, but I went through it very quickly.
I loved the two main characters so much and I just wanted to keep reading to know they’d be okay. The world building is immersive; I’m always impressed when authors are able to draw the reader into a completely new world without a lot of exposition, just by references and natural scene dressing. We only see a little bit of this universe in the first book so I’m eager to learn more in the next one!
I loved the two main characters so much and I just wanted to keep reading to know they’d be okay. The world building is immersive; I’m always impressed when authors are able to draw the reader into a completely new world without a lot of exposition, just by references and natural scene dressing. We only see a little bit of this universe in the first book so I’m eager to learn more in the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
kirkspockreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, Mental illness, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Cursing, Sexual violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Grief
ollie_again's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence, Torture, and Physical abuse
Minor: Murder and War
kathigh86's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was my first sci-fi book in many months, it was like a cool refresher for my reading palate. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this book. The romance, the mystery, the politics, the world building. I appreciated the fact that everything builds as the book goes on, that there isn’t 80 pages of pure description of the world. There were two main reasons for my 4 star rating over a 5 star. The pacing of this book is SLOW (at least for me), so it was a lot harder for me to get into it and finish it. The stakes of the plot were high, however I didn’t necessarily feel like the stakes were high. Even for this review I find it difficult to tell you how I felt while I was reading. Regardless, I liked this book and look forward to reading the second one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Car accident, and Grief
Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Blood, War, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
tinyjude'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
4.75
Setting, characters, world-building and the intrinsics between them were very interesting and well-developed. Despite what it may look like, it was easy to follow and engaging. I think it was well paced both in terms of political intrigue and personal relationships among the characters. I also appreciated Kiem and Jainan's relationship so much as they were mature, understanding and brilliant together. Also props for the representation of domestic abuse, gaslighting and trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Car accident, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, and Sexual assault
theatrealpaca's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Blood, Colonisation, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, War, Death, and Murder