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andyparr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
noirverse's review against another edition
4.0
Final rating is somewhere between 3.5 to 4 stars rounded up. I loved the romance, but the mystery plot was somewhat lost on me as I took a long break before finishing the book and I think some details became blurred because of that.
There was a sort of movie quality to the reading experience, where the events played out in a way that I could see easily being translated onto the screen. What makes this book special to me is that it has a main gay pairing but placed alongside a murder mystery plot. Winter's Orbit was equally heavy, if not more so, on the mystery plot, but I found that only enhanced and enriched the world the characters lived in and made it gain depth that it might have not had if the story was more centered on the romance.
There was a sort of movie quality to the reading experience, where the events played out in a way that I could see easily being translated onto the screen. What makes this book special to me is that it has a main gay pairing but placed alongside a murder mystery plot. Winter's Orbit was equally heavy, if not more so, on the mystery plot, but I found that only enhanced and enriched the world the characters lived in and made it gain depth that it might have not had if the story was more centered on the romance.
francisdee's review against another edition
4.0
I finished this book at like 2 AM last night because I needed to know how it ended lol
This is a queer royal arranged marriage + political intrigue story that for some reason reminded me a lot of a WangXian fanfic I read last year (The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane). The fanfic summary is: "It's a really unfortunate thing, developing a crush on your husband." And basically that's it, that's the book. Some good tags could be: pining for your own husband, mutual pining, misunderstandings, the mortifying ordeal of being known, BAMF!Jainan, damsel in distress!Kiem..
Oh, and I say this not as a criticism but as a bonus, it reminded me a lot of Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. Could it be because both Gethen and Iskat are called Winter? Because our two main characters keep misunderstanding each other? Because they develop a very strong connection while in a tent stranded on the ice? Because of political intrigue? All of the above? Who knows. But if you are reading this and you haven't already you should read both this and TLHoD.
I found this book very sweet, and sad, and well written. The world building was very interesting, and I can't wait to read more in this universe! I especially loved how /alien/ the alien was. Many sci fi books (in my opinion quite naively) describe aliens as just weird humans. In this.. they are not.
I didn't see the ultimate bad guy coming, so that was a nice (?) surprise! And I loved all the characters. I found them all interesting, and kept wanting to know more about them!
If I have to summarise my feelings for the book I'd say that Jainan must be protected at all costs and Taam deserves to die 10 times more.
Hot scale: there is a sex scene but it is fade to black. Still very sweet!
PoV: third person, switching between the two main characters.
TW for past abuse, psychological torture, murder, attempted murder, and just general humans behaving badly lol
This is a queer royal arranged marriage + political intrigue story that for some reason reminded me a lot of a WangXian fanfic I read last year (The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane). The fanfic summary is: "It's a really unfortunate thing, developing a crush on your husband." And basically that's it, that's the book. Some good tags could be: pining for your own husband, mutual pining, misunderstandings, the mortifying ordeal of being known, BAMF!Jainan, damsel in distress!Kiem..
Oh, and I say this not as a criticism but as a bonus, it reminded me a lot of Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. Could it be because both Gethen and Iskat are called Winter? Because our two main characters keep misunderstanding each other? Because they develop a very strong connection while in a tent stranded on the ice? Because of political intrigue? All of the above? Who knows. But if you are reading this and you haven't already you should read both this and TLHoD.
I found this book very sweet, and sad, and well written. The world building was very interesting, and I can't wait to read more in this universe! I especially loved how /alien/ the alien was. Many sci fi books (in my opinion quite naively) describe aliens as just weird humans. In this.. they are not.
I didn't see the ultimate bad guy coming, so that was a nice (?) surprise! And I loved all the characters. I found them all interesting, and kept wanting to know more about them!
If I have to summarise my feelings for the book I'd say that Jainan must be protected at all costs and Taam deserves to die 10 times more.
Hot scale: there is a sex scene but it is fade to black. Still very sweet!
PoV: third person, switching between the two main characters.
TW for past abuse, psychological torture, murder, attempted murder, and just general humans behaving badly lol
jenhurst's review against another edition
2.0
The characters and romance are great. But the plot was just there and felt irrelevant. This would’ve been a lot better as just a romance with a scifi backdrop. The actual plot didn’t add much
dinahwinnick's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
mels_reading_rook's review against another edition
5.0
TW: domestic abuse and sexual assault (very brief)
I absolutely loved this book! The main couple was absolutely adorable and I was rooting for them from the start. The universe felt rich with lore and history, and I was very happy to discover there is another book in this universe coming out this year. The romance and writing was beautiful. The characters were well fleshed out, easy to get attached to, and yet deeply flawed. The author handled sensitive topics very well, and it was incorporated into the narrative seamlessly.
Afterthought: The more I think about it, the more I realize that while the sexual assault was very brief and didn't stick out from the narrative, it also wasn't necessary. It was an extra event that didn't need to happen because the point that was trying to be made was already made very well. It doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the story, but I do recognize its presence as unneeded.
I absolutely loved this book! The main couple was absolutely adorable and I was rooting for them from the start. The universe felt rich with lore and history, and I was very happy to discover there is another book in this universe coming out this year. The romance and writing was beautiful. The characters were well fleshed out, easy to get attached to, and yet deeply flawed. The author handled sensitive topics very well, and it was incorporated into the narrative seamlessly.
Spoiler
Seeing justice for Jainan and watching him moving forward from the shambles his previous marriage left him in was incredibly satisfying.Afterthought: The more I think about it, the more I realize that while the sexual assault was very brief and didn't stick out from the narrative, it also wasn't necessary. It was an extra event that didn't need to happen because the point that was trying to be made was already made very well.
Spoiler
By the point in time we see it, Taam had already been well established as a controlling and manipulative person.honnari_hannya's review against another edition
5.0
TW: Domestic abuse, spousal rape. More detailed content warnings to be found on the author's website linked here, but this does happens to one of the main characters and not between the main relationship.
An absolutely delightful ride on the feels train. Don't look to this book for extremely detailed worldbuilding, complicated political systems, etc. This book is aware that it is on the Feels Express and it is riding first class. This hits in a way that good fanfic does, and I know there are a lot of people looking for exactly that dynamic in the main couple. Well, here they are: Kiem and Jainan.
These two are absolute babies, and I love them. I enjoyed their dynamic, even when (and especially) things weren't going smoothly because it shows the luggage someone can bring when they exit a bad situation into something totally unknown. It's really hard to trust, and I think Jainan throughout the book captures that emotion really well—where even if you've seen no evidence that it will be the same, you have every reason to believe that it will be. The way he and Kiem stagger toward friendship and into love in uneven lurches of trust and distrust and fear and hope. Truly worthy of a chef's kiss.
I also mentioned that this book did not have a lot of heavy worldbuilding, but let it not be said that it was poorly plotted. What Maxwell doesn't give us in information about the larger universe, the author makes up for in giving us a really clear insight into the characters' emotional landscapes. I really admire the smooth way Maxwell tied the personal into the political, heightening the emotional stakes to a degree that had me turning pages well after I told myself I was done. Again, like the way a good fic does. I was fully invested in both of the characters, their relationship, and watching it all resolve into a supremely satisfying ending that made all three of my emotions ache with how happy I was for both of them. Some people may think it's too neat, but not everything has to be all doom and gloom and open-ended. Sometimes you want that happily ever after, and Maxwell certainly gives it to us.
An absolutely delightful ride on the feels train. Don't look to this book for extremely detailed worldbuilding, complicated political systems, etc. This book is aware that it is on the Feels Express and it is riding first class. This hits in a way that good fanfic does, and I know there are a lot of people looking for exactly that dynamic in the main couple. Well, here they are: Kiem and Jainan.
These two are absolute babies, and I love them. I enjoyed their dynamic, even when (and especially) things weren't going smoothly because it shows the luggage someone can bring when they exit a bad situation into something totally unknown. It's really hard to trust, and I think Jainan throughout the book captures that emotion really well—where even if you've seen no evidence that it will be the same, you have every reason to believe that it will be. The way he and Kiem stagger toward friendship and into love in uneven lurches of trust and distrust and fear and hope. Truly worthy of a chef's kiss.
I also mentioned that this book did not have a lot of heavy worldbuilding, but let it not be said that it was poorly plotted. What Maxwell doesn't give us in information about the larger universe, the author makes up for in giving us a really clear insight into the characters' emotional landscapes. I really admire the smooth way Maxwell tied the personal into the political, heightening the emotional stakes to a degree that had me turning pages well after I told myself I was done. Again, like the way a good fic does. I was fully invested in both of the characters, their relationship, and watching it all resolve into a supremely satisfying ending that made all three of my emotions ache with how happy I was for both of them. Some people may think it's too neat, but not everything has to be all doom and gloom and open-ended. Sometimes you want that happily ever after, and Maxwell certainly gives it to us.
mizpurplest's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
cathyreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
aralawrence's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
3.75