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A review by evidoe
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
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