A review by thatbookisonfiyah
The Two Lies of Faven Sythe by Megan E. O'Keefe

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a short (around 315 pages) novel by the author of the Scorched Continent series, the Protectorate trilogy and the Devoured Worlds trilogy. O’Keefe is a very good writer who creates intriguing worlds with interesting characters. This book is no exception. 

This story is set many years in the human future and based around a space pirate, Bitter Amandine, who becomes accidentally intertwined with a potential love interest who just happens to be a part human/part alien cryst-born Navigator, Faven Sythe. The Navigators use their alien abilities to plot star paths that allow humans to travel across the galaxy. Faven’s mother dies and her Navigator mentor, Ulana, is reported dead on the same day, but Faven refuses to believe that Ulana is dead and leaves the safety of the Navigator compound, the base of the Choir of Stars, to go in search of Ulana. This is how she meets Amandine, who has an interesting backstory herself that slowly unravels throughout the novel. 

There are a few surprises along the way but some are unexpected. I am not a fan of Romance in SFF stories, especially of the spicy variety, but O’Keefe does a wonderful job with the budding romance subplot between Faven and Bitter with no open door action scenes. I was appreciative of this. It also appears from the last chapter that the author has more action/adventure stories planned for this world and her character Faven Sythe. 

Very enjoyable story and highly recommended!!