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mmkn_99's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.0
There’sa better way to write low confidence, anxious women. Good book, not better than the first. I’m excited to see where the next book goes. Good sexual tension and chemistry, but also I was super irritated with the couple when they were making out mid-rescue attempt and she got self conscious thinking Varo didn’t want her when it was because they were in danger… nearly made me DNF
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Torture
bel017's review
I'm really enjoying Mihalik's books. They are very entertaining, and I am really enjoying the smushing together of sci fi and romance. There isn't enough of it.
I really liked that she didn't push the one-bed trope (there is a second bed! Even though the room is so tiny that it's a bunk!), making the way their relationship evolved super awkward in a good way (it's a forced proximity trope, but I'll take it). I also liked that Mihalik's computer science background bled through the most in this one, good to see her stretching her tech skills in this future tech world.
I didn't like the darker scenes--I'm here to be entertained--but understand, somewhat, why they were narratively necessary.
I really liked that she didn't push the one-bed trope (there is a second bed! Even though the room is so tiny that it's a bunk!), making the way their relationship evolved super awkward in a good way (it's a forced proximity trope, but I'll take it). I also liked that Mihalik's computer science background bled through the most in this one, good to see her stretching her tech skills in this future tech world.
I didn't like the darker scenes--I'm here to be entertained--but understand, somewhat, why they were narratively necessary.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Minor: War
srm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content, Torture, and Gun violence
wellreadandhalfdead's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
Moderate: War
crownoflaurel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Torture
beccaand'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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Torture
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
Minor: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and War
yuna's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
3.5
Torn on this because there are parts I really like, and parts I'm meh on. I like how Mihalik blends action and romance with progressive, kickass women and a fun, lovable supporting cast. I liked Kee/Varro for the most part, though it took a while for Varro to feel like more than Male Love Interest. The fashion show scene was fun and I really liked the descriptions of the clothes and how they interacted. Really hoping we get more Liang in the next book.
I think this is the first of Mihalik's books that I've read where I thought the majority of the dialogue had a natural flow to it instead of randomly going stilted and formal.
Didn't think Kee's 'fall to pieces--now have character growth moment' hit with much impact because they happened and were resolved within a sentence or two each time. Also torn on how her sensitivity was represented. Nothing against someone who cries easily and feels strongly, I just wish her getting teary so often could've been described a bit differently. It was always, 'these damn tears' and tears pricking her eyes. She also reads rejection into everything, which tended to fly in the face of the complexity or nuance (such as it is. She saw rejection in pretty obviously *not* situations kind of a lot) of what was actually going on. Even when she knew that wasn't actually the case.
Another quirk of all of Mihalik's books I've read so far is how she goes too hard (for my taste) into making the main character tell you the reader that the MC is a Good Person. Same with the found/supportive family. I love respectful, supportive relationships! But omg, these tend to read more like what would make a therapist happy or be textbook-like, but the characters' actions/way of demonstrating said relationships doesn't read very organically.
I think this is the first of Mihalik's books that I've read where I thought the majority of the dialogue had a natural flow to it instead of randomly going stilted and formal.
Didn't think Kee's 'fall to pieces--now have character growth moment' hit with much impact because they happened and were resolved within a sentence or two each time. Also torn on how her sensitivity was represented. Nothing against someone who cries easily and feels strongly, I just wish her getting teary so often could've been described a bit differently. It was always, 'these damn tears' and tears pricking her eyes. She also reads rejection into everything, which tended to fly in the face of the complexity or nuance (such as it is. She saw rejection in pretty obviously *not* situations kind of a lot) of what was actually going on. Even when she knew that wasn't actually the case.
Another quirk of all of Mihalik's books I've read so far is how she goes too hard (for my taste) into making the main character tell you the reader that the MC is a Good Person. Same with the found/supportive family. I love respectful, supportive relationships! But omg, these tend to read more like what would make a therapist happy or be textbook-like, but the characters' actions/way of demonstrating said relationships doesn't read very organically.
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Torture
justmccoy's review
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? No
5.0
This is the second book in the Starlight's Shadow series and like the first book in the series, Hunt the Stars, it is an unique blend of immersive, sci-fi action/adventure and slow-burn romance. Such a good book.
The narration is excellent too in the audiobook version: Frankie Corzo is once again, amazing. The world-building is expertly crafted, it takes a gifted writer to put the reader (or in the this case, the listener) in a world unlike our own and seamlessly weave together the narrative with the world-building. One of the hallmarks of this author is her ability to write endearing, strong, capable, female characters who fall in love. Akin to her prior series, "The Consortium Rebellion" each book follows a different pairing of main characters who fall in love, in this case it is the brilliant hacker, Kee and stoic, thoughtful Varro. One of my favorite aspect of this series is the central plot-line: true enemies to lovers, all the central characters are ex-soliders, who were all part of enormous militaries that fought against each other in a devastating war. So the distrust amongst the former enemies runs deep and the slow, uneasy path to friendships amongst the joint Valovian and human crew is organic. In short, this is another wonderful addition to the series. This book has a treasured spot on my bookshelf and it is my favorite book of 2022.
The narration is excellent too in the audiobook version: Frankie Corzo is once again, amazing. The world-building is expertly crafted, it takes a gifted writer to put the reader (or in the this case, the listener) in a world unlike our own and seamlessly weave together the narrative with the world-building. One of the hallmarks of this author is her ability to write endearing, strong, capable, female characters who fall in love. Akin to her prior series, "The Consortium Rebellion" each book follows a different pairing of main characters who fall in love, in this case it is the brilliant hacker, Kee and stoic, thoughtful Varro. One of my favorite aspect of this series is the central plot-line: true enemies to lovers, all the central characters are ex-soliders, who were all part of enormous militaries that fought against each other in a devastating war. So the distrust amongst the former enemies runs deep and the slow, uneasy path to friendships amongst the joint Valovian and human crew is organic. In short, this is another wonderful addition to the series. This book has a treasured spot on my bookshelf and it is my favorite book of 2022.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Cursing
jessie_h's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
One of my favorite books of the year so far has been Hunt the Stars so you can say that I was more than a tad bit excited to get my hands on its sequel, Eclipse the Moon. And when I found it was going to be Kee's book I was even more exited! I may have squealed when I finally let myself read the synopsis and discovered who the likely love interest was going to be.
I was a little nervous going into this one based on a few of the ratings I saw on some of the early reviews but I loved this book so much! It was the grumpy/sunshine trope mixed with Jessie Mihalik's signature action-packed scenes and twisty mystery. This book picks up right where the first one left off with the Starlight's Shadow heading to Bastion station as the crew tries to dig up all the information they can to stop the powers that be from starting another war.
Y'all know how much I adore the found family trope and this book had it in spades. The tight-knit human crew and the Valoffs are becoming more and more of a family and it was everything! The standoffish Valovians from the first book have been settled in and taken their positions as part of the crew to heart. I loved seeing the crew interact with each other and to see how happy Tavi and Torran are. What really shined in this book was the romance though!
I wanted Kee and Varro to be paired with each other from the very start of their tumultuous relationship and Eli and Varro's subsequent sparring match. Kee is the heart of this small found family and is part of the glue that binds them together. She is sunshine incarnate and a genius hacker and gets to be a badass in a different way than Tavi. I too would rather eat cookies than train. She is convinced that Varro doesn't have feelings for her beyond being friends so she decides that she needs a vacation on the space station to get over him and do some sleuthing with a better connection.
Things on the station don't go as planned and Varro reveals himself at the first hint of Kee being in trouble and things just escalate from there in both the romance and the action. I'm not a big fan of the miscommunication trope but I enjoyed how Mihalik used it in this story. It made the romance even sweeter. I loved Varro and his grumpiness! Getting to know more about the different psychic abilities the Valoffs have was fascinating! And I loved getting to know more about his ability! One thing I do wish is that we got a bit more of both Kee and Varro's backstories beyond the vague hints we got in this book.
I adored so many things about this book! The action! The romance! The crew! The mystery and its twists! The tech! The fashion! This book grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat until I ran out of pages to read. Was this book perfect? No. Some of the miscommunication got a bit repetitive in my opinion but my enjoyment of the story as a whole made up for it.
I cannot wait for the next book! One, I need to know what happens next because HOLY COW! And two, THE NEXT BOOK IS LEXI'S ROMANCE! My body is ready! I have no idea how many books will be in this series but I am hoping this is going to more than a trilogy because I want to see some other crew mates ( *cough* Eli *cough*) get their happily ever afters as well! I'm totally on board with the polyamorous vibe that is going on. One thing is for sure, Jessie Mihalik is turning into my go to for sci-fi romance and has cemented her place on my auto-buy list.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley and this review was originally posted to the Goldilox and the Three Weres blog.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley and this review was originally posted to the Goldilox and the Three Weres blog.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Kidnapping
Minor: Slavery and War
tessa_b's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
A key theme of this book is communication. For me the 'failure to communicate' trope can get old very fast especially if (as happens all too often) it has no logical foundation (other than the need to engineer plot tension). However, this book shows how to do it right. The misunderstandings between Kee and Varro are firmly grounded in their social & cultural backgrounds so never feel forced. All this makes for a lovely juicy 'learning to trust & communicate' plot that works in parallel with the main action plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: War and Panic attacks/disorders
Both main characters and most of the key supporting characters are military veterans, all have some degree of PTSD or similar from their former military/wartime service.