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amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
I received an e-arc of Where Peace is Lost by Valerie Valdes via Netgalley and a physical copy of the finished book via Harper Voyager. Thank you to both for my early access. The opinions below are my own, and I have already bought a copy of this book.
Who are you when everything you live for is gone? How do you move on when your life has ended? How do you trust people when you know everyone is hiding something?
This book wrestles with these questions. This novel is tonally different than Valerie Valdes's earlier work, but the themes of found family, the development of the world and the characters, and the building of the relationships are similar. I loved it, and I hope to goodness there is more in the series.
Kel Garda is living life on a remote planet with minimal natural resources. It's a slow planet whose people dedicate themselves to living with nature and not exploiting it. Kel has a secret, and it is one that if it gets out will endanger the entire planet and its way of life.
One day, Kel gets word that a war machine has recently been reactivated. She knows she can stop it, but she doesn't know if she can stop without revealing her secret. As she decides what to do, she is wrapped up in a mission to escort to off-worlders and her friend to de-activate the war machine. They have to travel across the swamps. They face bandits and other complications, and as they do, three of the four party members reveal more then they intend to.
This story starts quiet. It's the quiet of grief, loss, and trauma, and it's the quiet of a wilderness world where humans co-exist with nature. It ends in a comfortable quiet of home. There is an homage to Firefly here, and I am here for it.
Who are you when everything you live for is gone? How do you move on when your life has ended? How do you trust people when you know everyone is hiding something?
This book wrestles with these questions. This novel is tonally different than Valerie Valdes's earlier work, but the themes of found family, the development of the world and the characters, and the building of the relationships are similar. I loved it, and I hope to goodness there is more in the series.
Kel Garda is living life on a remote planet with minimal natural resources. It's a slow planet whose people dedicate themselves to living with nature and not exploiting it. Kel has a secret, and it is one that if it gets out will endanger the entire planet and its way of life.
One day, Kel gets word that a war machine has recently been reactivated. She knows she can stop it, but she doesn't know if she can stop without revealing her secret. As she decides what to do, she is wrapped up in a mission to escort to off-worlders and her friend to de-activate the war machine. They have to travel across the swamps. They face bandits and other complications, and as they do, three of the four party members reveal more then they intend to.
This story starts quiet. It's the quiet of grief, loss, and trauma, and it's the quiet of a wilderness world where humans co-exist with nature. It ends in a comfortable quiet of home. There is an homage to Firefly here, and I am here for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Xenophobia, Mental illness, War, and Violence
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