4.5⭐️

Loved: Sapphic Bachelor in space, instantly hooked me! It has that reality TV feel, but with wider themes of imperialism, family loyalty, and duty to country and self that I wasn’t expecting. It was definitely more romance focused in the first half of the book, but politically speaking there is so much the author left open for exploration further in the series. It gave me Hunger Games vibes in the best way.

The writing itself left me immediately invested, she does an amazing job of fleshing out the side characters in a concise but believable way. When picturing scenes, all of the characters had a face and none got lost to the “large cast of characters” haze, and that is something I’ve rarely seen done well.

The main romance was believable, a little bit of insta love but the conflicts and interactions between them made a trope I don’t always like a non-issue. Their relationship doesn’t feel forced or irrelevant , it had a lot of tension and yearning that made me look at the (rapidity dwindling) pages left with horror.

I Wish…: The second book was out. How dare you leave me on that cliffhanger. More time with Nix would have solidified Temmi’s attachment to him, but I didn’t notice while reading.

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, and I came in with high hopes. Anxiously awaiting the sequel, and will be following this author for more books!

Thank you to the author Sierra Branham and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions expressed are my own 🖤

3.5⭐️

Loved: The depth the author gave to everyone. Just as I thought I was on someone’s side, they messed up. EVERYONE in here is toxic and messy, absolutely everyone and it’s not always obvious. They all vacillate from relatable to toxic often. This kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I couldn’t look away from the train wreck. I do think this toxicity did lend the characters a sense of realism, though at the end that was challenged. I didn’t have any problems following the time jumps and it added a sense of mystery for me

There was an instance of SA (not graphic) and how that affected a relationship and led to hyper sexual behaviors and I thought that was an interesting behavior to highlight, as it isn’t talked about often outside of survivor circles.

I Wish…: There had been a different ending. Without spoilers, it felt anticlimactic. We’d just been brought through 10 years of all of these dramatic events and lingering resentments, building the tension and picking our sides… and the ending just felt like a footnote. Was disappointed.

Overall, I had a great time reading this, but really struggled with the way it ended. Characters were deeply flawed and I wanted to just shout at them all to kiss already, they could have made a great throuple.

Thank you to the author Kim Narby, Bindery Books, and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review!