Name: Winter's Orbit
ISBN: 9780356515885

Everina Maxwell

Winter's Orbit

A Sunday Times Bestseller! “Sparks fly” (NPR) in Everina Maxwell’s gut-wrenching and romantic space opera debut. Prince Kiem, a famously disappointing minor royal and the Emperor's least favorite grandchild, has been called upon to be useful for once. He's commanded to fulfill an obligation of marriage to the representative of the Empire's newest and most rebellious vassal planet. His future husband, Count Jainan, is a widower and murder suspect. Neither wants to be wed, but with a conspiracy unfolding around them and the fate of the empire at stake they will have to navigate the thorns and barbs of court intrigue, the machinations of war, and the long shadows of Jainan's past, and they'll have to do it together. So begins a legendary love story amid the stars. Like Ancillary Justice meets Red, White and Royal Blue, Winter’s Orbit is perfect for fans of Lois McMaster Bujold. “High-pitched noises escaped me; I shouted, more than once, 'Now kiss!' ... in a world so relentlessly uncertain, there’s a powerfully simple pleasure in the experience of a promise kept.” —The New York Times Book Review

chian

Edit 01/11/23 Rereading in anticipation for the 2nd book finally coming off my library hold 🤣 Still great! Original 9/17/22 Slight non-spoiler spoilers. One of my least favorite tropes is miscommunication, but it's handled so well in this book that I knew I could keep on. Also, love how un-political Kiem considers himself while doing some of the most political things - talking, making friends in multiple circles, and then using those connections to benefit himself/his causes 😂 This seems to be a standalone novel, but I would definitely read a sequel if one ever came out. Edit: just saw there's a standalone sequel 😂 so here I go

Ancillary Justice meets Red, White & Royal Blue in Winter’s Orbit, Everina Maxwell’s gut-wrenching and romantic debut. Summoned before the Emperor, Prince Kiem—the Emperor’s least favorite grandchild—is commanded to renew the empire’s bonds with its newest vassal planet. The prince must marry Count Jainan, the recent widower of another royal prince of the empire. But Jainan suspects his late husband’s death was no accident. And Prince Kiem discovers Jainan is a suspect himself. But broken bonds between the empire and its vassal planets leaves the entire empire vulnerable, so together they must prove that their union is strong while uncovering a possible murder. Their successful marriage will align conflicting worlds. Their failure will be the end of the empire.

Tatiana

I was so graciously sent this book by Tor and NetGallery. Thank you so much for gracing my shelves :)

Winter's Orbit: 4/5

"A wayward, scandal-magnet prince and a staidly serious, duty-bound scholar are drafted into a political marriage and forced to work together in order to prevent an interplanetary war." 

Winter's Orbit has been compared to Red White and Royal Blue, but in space. I kind of have to disagree with this statement solely because this is not just a romance novel. I believe SFF readers who don't mind a little bit of romance would love this book along with hardcore romance readers. As much as this book has an outstanding romance, it is heavily plotted and not what I initially expected. 

Winter's Orbit follows Prince Kiem and Count Jainan who are forced into an arranged marriage after Jianan loses his late husband Taam. Later it is revealed that Taam's death was not an accidental space ship crash, but actually was a murder. Jainan and Kiem must work together to solve Taam's murder, all the while political tensions are on the rise. Somewhere along the way, Kiem and Jainan find themselves actually falling for each other, while healing in each other's arms.

I have to mention, this book is COMPLEX. As much as the romance really shines, the plot is layered, complex, and at some points difficult to follow. There is a lot of talk of political alliances and treaties, on top of a murder mystery. Some pieces of this really were confusing to me and it was tough to keep everything straight. Fortunately, the book wraps up really well and you realize that the author has been purposefully keeping the reader in the dark for some awesome reveals later in the book. 

Now, let's chat about the romance, this is top tier for me. Winter's Orbit originally started out on AO3 and you can kind of tell, but in the best way possible. I personally enjoy the way fanfiction flows and the way that the romance blooms over the entirety of the book. This romance is MEGA slow burn. After what feels like hundreds of misunderstandings (and many choice words on my part screaming at the book) the satisfaction I felt when Jainan and Kiem finally let it all out on the table... was incredible. I wouldn't say Kiem and Jainan are enemies to lovers, but it does have the one-bed trope AND some wonderful verbal consent which always makes me love a book.

There are also definitely some issues I had with the book which include that there is very little to no world-building at all. Towards the middle of the book, I just settled upon suspending my belief and rolling with the punches because much of this galaxy is never explained to the reader. I also want to point out again, that there is so much going on with the plot that sometimes it is hard to keep track of. Furthermore, I felt like some plot points are introduced and then forgotten/never used or talked about again. Lastly, I think this book is REALLY slow. The pacing for me was one of the biggest struggles with this book. I think the author could have cut out about 100 or so pages and still had a great novel.

I lastly want to mention TW for domestic abuse (in a past relationship). This is explored pretty deeply in Winter's Orbit and is quite a major plot point.

Overall I think this was enjoyable and it kept me on my toes. I think the writing style is really an advantage to this book where you experience everything the characters are going through. The character development is like no other, I just love Kiem and Jainan SO MUCH. If you want political intrigue, murder mystery, a cozy mlm romance all in a space setting? This is for you. 

Great book, and I definitely recommend it!

Honestly obsessed with this book. The world building at the start was a bit hard going and I did struggle to keep all the names and places straight for a good long while. Kiem and Jainan were amazing though. I loved them both from the very start. I had my suspicions about Jainan’s relationship with Taam and that it wasn’t as ideal as it may have appeared but it took like 70% of the book for it to be confirmed! I also really struggled to get the motivation for the whole scheme Taam had been caught up in before he died. 

I know this is a firm favourite and I hope to revisit this book again at some point. Definitely has rereadable potential. I wasn’t surprised to learn this originated on AO3 (as original fiction not fanfiction) as it had the vibe of stories I’d read on there and that worked for me. I’m excited to see the author has another book out and will treat myself to it soon. 

Becky

Honestly obsessed with this book. The world building at the start was a bit hard going and I did struggle to keep all the names and places straight for a good long while. Kiem and Jainan were amazing though. I loved them both from the very start. I had my suspicions about Jainan’s relationship with Taam and that it wasn’t as ideal as it may have appeared but it took like 70% of the book for it to be confirmed! I also really struggled to get the motivation for the whole scheme Taam had been caught up in before he died. 

I know this is a firm favourite and I hope to revisit this book again at some point. Definitely has rereadable potential. I wasn’t surprised to learn this originated on AO3 (as original fiction not fanfiction) as it had the vibe of stories I’d read on there and that worked for me. I’m excited to see the author has another book out and will treat myself to it soon. 

cries in kissing-after-almost-dying trope

Julia

Boothby

It opens and initially reads like it's going to be a frothy romp, but there's a lot of complexity in the world building that feels well-integrated into the story. There's also a very strong dramatic center to this story: a beautifully executed unreliable narrator turn in one of the characters. The first person narration for this character captured his state of mind and constantly vigilant anxiety from his past trauma deftly and compassionately. I came away deeply charmed by each of the leads, and impressed by the depiction of the palace politics and conspiracy. It's favorably comparable to A Memory Called Empire, if a little lighter. The wrapping up section at the very end dragged--four chapters long, when it could have been one.

Cloudface

I really loved the main characters and every moment they were interacting with each other. Jainan’s arc was beautifully done. I just wish the setting had been a little more fleshed out. I didn’t fully understand the mechanics of the world in this book, and I think a lot of readers would be put off if they came into this purely for the romance, because the murder mystery and politics take up more of the story. I will say I loved the ending; the author did a great job tying up loose ends.

Aishling

** spoiler alert **
           Overall I really enjoyed this! I really loved the characters, my heart broke for Jainan so much. 

The only things I disliked was the fact that there were actually very few moments between Jainan and Kiem after the initial get-together. There were three moments that I can remember, and even those were extremely short. The political talk confused me quite a bit too but it didn’t take too much from my overall enjoyment.

aamna

(3.5) kiem and jainan were adorable but i felt like the story was wayy too dragged on and could’ve excluded some moments, the last 100 pages had a lot happening in them which was very interesting and had me on edge but towards the very end i was getting bored, i got in a mini slump when i first started the book

Amanda

Enjoyable read with great characters and interesting world building that I would like to revisit.

This was a vastly entertaining sci-fi romance. While a lot of the twists were a bit predictable, the world is interesting. Unfortunately there is really zero spice which I think is a missed opportunity for this book because the tension is 🤌🏻🤌🏻  It’s a lot more like The Cruel Prince series, in that there is miscommunication abound concerning the love interests and their feelings towards the other, politics is featured heavily, and there’s maybe a 0.5 spice factor. The way the vassel planets, skin tone, and Thea in general is handled is a bit light and skates over serious issues of colonization and the skin color in particular seemed a bit gross to me. However I really did enjoy reading it, I just wish there was more spice. It reads like a YA novel trapped in an adult novel’s pages almost. 

Katie Allard

Elisa Bieg

What a great listen!

I did this on audio and let me tell you, it is one of my favorite books that I’ve listened to in recent months. 

It’s isn’t often that I come across a book that absorbs me so completely that I abandon my penchant for multiple reads at once, but this was one of those rare times. 

The book starts out as a sci-fi novel like many others, but quickly morphs into a story that features a beautiful study in human relationships — the good, the bad, the ugly, and the nearly miraculous, those happy accidents when someone forced on you (be it a staff, an acquaintance, or even -gasp!- a 
  spouse
) ends up being one of the best things that ever happened to you. 
The book also explores the way these relationships change us, mark us, make us question ourselves, our assumptions, our lifestyle, or our past behaviors; and it highlights the positives and negatives so wonderfully while weaving it all into a great narrative and a plot filled with mystery and political intrigue. 

And because I said “it starts out as a sci-fi novel like many others” I feel I should mention that the science fiction portion and world building side of things is also handled really well: clear, unveiled gradually as it fit the narrative and explained without info-dumps, which isn’t something we can say of many books in the genre. The world building is interesting and an original take on classic sci-fi, without being cumbersome. 

This book also deserves kudos on the way it embraces diversity and deals so elegantly and organically with some very real issues! When a book inspires you to imagine a better world and a better society, you know it’s a keeper. 

I’m sorry if this sounds like a rant (or rather a ranty rave!) — I have just finished listening and I am still amazed at just how much I connected to these characters and this story! It caught me completely by surprise. 

4 1/2 STARS, and a big thanks to Illumicrate for putting this on my radar!

Avery Baumel

Lia Yuliana

Update 09/11/2021

Find my reviews on :  An Ode to Fiction
Official Release Date : 2nd February 2021
Buy the book :
 Amazon |  Book Depository

5/5 ⭐️

ARC provided by the publisher Orbit Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


  
    “Well, someone has to marry the man,” the Emperor said.
  


An evocative, emotional, and wonderfully layered story about relationships in a space opera setting weaving dire circumstances and nuanced inter-galactic diplomatic sequences.

In November, I’m making it my mission to read as many advance reader copies of books that I was given by publishers from last year to now. Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell is one of those ARCs that I am determined to read this month. It is the second book I picked up and by far it is one that I didn’t expect to hit me as hard as it did. Since I’ve seen mixed ratings and reviews by trusted friends it is a book that I shrouded with doubt and side eye-ing for quite some time. Truthfully, I shed all those thoughts by sheer will and stubbornest because if I keep doubting myself I wouldn’t read it AT ALL. And as you can see from my rating that I clearly really really loved it.

Winter’s Orbit is a queer space opera romance story between a prince and a count of a small planet part of The Iskat Empire by Everina Maxwell. It was originally a series under the title “The Course of Honour” that gained traction in 2017 on Archive of Our Own (Ao3) that ran from 02 February 2017 – 15 May 2017. By August 2019 it is announced that the story is acquired by Tor Books to be published as a book as part of a three book deal. The book is published with the title Winter’s Orbit on February 2021 earning raving reviews from critics such as the New York Times, NPR, etc. There is a long history connected to this story that I didn’t know about before I dived into the story as I was not present at that time and wasn’t much of a reader back then. Honestly, I only found out after I finished the book so for readers that have read the Ao3 version of the story do let me know if there are differences from the original with the published one. Would love to know! Without further a do let’s get on with the review!


  
    “I love him,” Kiem said. He shouldn’t say it. Jainan’s declarations had just been politics, he knew that, but Kiem was unable to stop smiling. “Of course you do,” the Emperor said. “You have never made good choices. Sell this, or the Empire falls.”
  


The story of Winter’s Orbit follows two main perspectives; Kiem, the easy going trouble maker and one of many princes of The Empire of Iskat, and Jainan nav Adessari, a reserved count with an engineering background from Thea. Kiem is arranged to be married to Jainan as planned by the Emperor to continue diplomatic relations and to become the Iskat representative for Thea during the resolution renewals that is set to be done in the coming weeks after their marriage. This abrupt marriage arrangement is thrusted upon Kiem by the Emperor a month after the death of Jainan’s former partner and cousin to Kiem, Prince Taam, during a freak flying accident. Taam and Jainan were the picture perfect example of an ideal pairing that is well known and beloved in the inner circles of the Iskat Empire. Prince Taam, an accomplished decorated military personel and dignified royal, is the absolute opposite of Prince Kiem, the unfavored prince that mostly does charities with a knack for causing media uproars that seems to always getting himself into more controversies than any other royal. Long story short Kiem is the joke of the royal family that is set to marry someone way out of his league and tying himself to responsibilities and diplomatic functions that requires him to behave himself for the sake of the empire.


  
    The Empire didn’t just mean Iskat: the Empire was Thea as well, and five other planets with hundreds of millions of citizens, all drifting away from the rest of the universe like the axial tilt of winter.
  


Maxwell’s world building that sets as the background for this space opera romance series is imaginative and teasingly expansive. I say teasingly meaning that there is a potential for this inter-galactic to be explored further in future books that Maxwell has mentioned in the interview attached to this book. In Winter’s Orbit the story mostly takes place in Iskat and it’s surrounding regions that is blanketed in snowy mountain terrains and windy cold climate. There isn’t a good amount of world exploration in it as the relationship takes the spotlight for Winter’s Orbit. Fair warning for readers who anticipate a good dose of exploration would more likely find it a tad disappointed if you expected this. Another thing I would like to gush about the world building is how gender is incorporated into the society of the world. In Winter’s Orbit gender identity is adopted freely by each individual through the accessories they wear; anyone can identify as either male or female or if they don’t want to identify as either gender they can too. It can be differ planet from planet which makes it even more fascinating though it is such a small part of the world that emphasizes how unapologetically queer this book is.

Maxwell’s writing is intricate, articulate, and yet accessible that makes the world with it’s many complex factors can be easily understood. The pacing is slow yet addictive and engaging that it was hard for me to put down the book. Even with it’s longer than average chapters Maxwell still managed to ensnare me and immerse me into the story that for the time period it took me to read the book it is the only thing I can think about. For readers that likes a fast paced story you’ll have to be patient with this book and dissect each chapter like an onion. Maxwell’s masterful ability to weave the world and politics around the relationships tying it together that is both emotionally evoking and well balanced is impressive. What I am also a fan of is the vibe of being kept in the dark and utter confusion caused by bureaucracy that reminds me of a series I read last year, The Poison Wars series by Sam Hawke. The dread of not knowing who’s behind the many incidents which threatens the peace while on a time crunch in which everyone could be a suspect is the thrill that I have longed for.


  
    The enormity of Galactic politics seemed to be pressing on him like a gravity well, as if the unfathomable distance and terrible strangeness of the other Resolution systems were clustering in low orbit above them.
  


A factor that takes the forefront of the story along side the character relationships is the political machinations. Iskat is an Empire that thrives through it’s alliances with it’s six conquered allies and every few years the treaty is renewed to solidify their alliance. When it comes to alliances it doesn’t come easy especially with six other planets. What I find interesting about the political sphere is it’s multi layered administrative obligations and procedures that is the bulk of the story. These procedures ties close to the treaty proceeding that doesn’t only cover Iskat but other galactic government bodies outside of it as executed by the Resolution represented by the Auditor.

The story thrives through it’s many political scheming, conspiracies, cover ups, and back stabbing. The most entertaining scenes includes these factors that come into play in attempt to disrupt and shake the Empire. It’s fascinating how one incident opens a can of worms that keeps on unraveling into a ball of tangled mess. The process of disentanglement peaked my interest as well because it is placed into our two main protagonist’s hands; though one is more capable yet internally incapacitated while the other is a golden retriever that doesn’t understand the complexities of inter-galactic politics, so it will surely entertain you if you like chaotic confrontations with lots bluffing and manic realizations all the while processing trauma. The political and diplomatic catastrophes contained in the story is a magnificent display of the domino effect that is engaging and amusing to read. There seem to be no end to the turmoil that is thrown at our two main characters and Maxwell does so with a level of calculative precision and well intent notion to further progress the story to a painfully high stakes climax that parallels the turning point of Kiem and Jainan’s relationship.


  
    “Jainan,” he said into his fingers. He pulled his hands down until his dark agonized eyes met Jainan’s. “You’re beautiful.”
  


As I said in the previous paragraph that the relationship is the main focus of the story. Because of this, during my read, I’ve come to realize that the character development of both Kiem and Jainan are tied together as a pair. They are polar opposites that share the same problem of seeing each other as lacking and unworthy of each other (cue d’awww sounds). Both of them are complex and well fleshed out with distinct personalities that are believable and compelling. Kiem and Jainan bounce of each other in the most un-harmoniously awkward fumbly way during the start of their marriage but soon—with time—they slowly synced together and grows stronger. But if I do have to mention development the only evidence can be seen through Jainan. I will not go into details on how he developed but it is the subtle hints in his behavior and words that he says that points to a history of trauma.


  
    Maybe tomorrow Jainan would find out that Kiem didn’t mean any of this as he seemed to, that he hadn’t meant to look at Jainan as if Jainan were the only source of beauty in the world. But tonight Jainan owned Kiem’s gaze and the touch of his hands, and everything else was irrelevant. Tonight he could do nothing wrong.
  

 
The themes of trauma and abuse within Jainan's character arc is done with care and nuance by Maxwell. His behavior and decisions is something readers have to piece together to fully understand him as a character. Kiem on other hand is the support system that gave the space and time for Jainan to open up to him without pushing boundaries or seem intrusive that might worsen Jainan's current state. Dare I say Kiem is the perfect match because of his unconditional and unbiased compassion towards others that helped Jainan to confide in him. 


  
    You couldn’t love someone when you had trawled through their sordid problems like this. They were only an object of pity. He was an object of pity.
  


Though the interaction between Kiem and Jainan missed many marks at first because of this; leading to misunderstandings which undoubtedly at a glance fall into the category of a miscommunication trope. This factor, I recognize, could make or break a story for a few readers aside from it’s slow pacing. In short for future readers I’d like to warn that this book can be well loved or loathed by some readers but I encourage readers to give it a chance because one match can light up an empire (see what I did there? haha). Their relationship is heartfelt, endearing, and soft; something about the vulnerability they share and through their pain staking effort, a relationship blossomed that tugged my feelings enough to make me cry tears of both joy and sadness.


  
    A ripple went through the room—half shock, half amusement, but the only sound Jainan focused on was a low, involuntary noise from Kiem beside him and the way he pulled his wrist out of Jainan’s grip so he could take Jainan’s hand. Jainan clasped it tight, and it buoyed him up like a wave.
  


Final thoughts, Winter’s Orbit is the queer space opera filled with twists, slow yet gripping pacing, and political intrigue which focuses on relationship development between two characters set in a diplomatic galactic landscape. At it’s core Winter’s Orbit is a story about healing and love; how patience and care is shown at it’s purest form through acts and words of reassurance that needs to be repeatedly conveyed. Though in Kiem’s case he needs practice to not be distracted by Jainan luscious locks so he wouldn’t fumble his words. It is a sci-fi stand alone that shows a refreshing take in the arranged marriage trope by emphasizing on relationship growth and processing trauma all the while engaging in endless space political debacles. If you like a slow build up, inter galactic planetary politics, relationship focused, and intricate stories that is complex, layered and full of depth that is unapologetically queer this is the story for you.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication

Livia

oh my GOD i have to say this first. kiem and jainan were the epitome of "if they just had the guts to talk then 90% of their misunderstandings will be resolved" but thank god it doesn't last the whole book. they're adorable gays who keep pining for each other like losers and finally get their shit together and actually admit that they're in love. also love the mystery thrown in there, although it is slightly off-putting to alternate between solely focusing on politics, then the world, then mystery and conspiracy, then romance, then repeat. it was fun, i admit, and i'd definitely make everyone read it for gays in space dealing with a conspiracy and personal problems.

Bird 

Emma

Love story, political intrigue, and a murder mystery. Kiem and Jainan are my favorite and they're slow-burning relationship is beautiful. I hate Taam. fuxk that guy. I loved how everything played out, though, and how it all came together by the end.

tw: spousal abuse (physical, emotional, financial, mental) all in the past. mostly of page until the end.

Brianna

2.5 stars

The most important thing to know about this book is that it’s origins reside on AO3. I did not know going into it and only found out about halfway through the book when I skipped forward to author acknowledgements/note/what have you to get a better feel for Maxwell. This knowledge explains so much about the book and why it did not work for me even though I do, quite frankly, frequent AO3.

Winter’s Orbit is a fine enough concept on it’s own. Husbands because arranged marriage, politics, the whole space opera angle. It just did not cumulate into what it could have. Instead of the space opera promised we have a product of it’s fanfic adjacent origin that has been forced into the vague shape of a traditionally viable novel with just enough boxes ticked for newer generations.

The plot is predictable, unsurprising, and hinged on a mystery that couldn’t be any less compelling in the way it plays out. Common tropes from over on AO3 abound in basically what is a hurt/comfort stan’s dream filled with infuriating miscommunication — the main device used to drive a wedge between the new couple — and surprisingly little romance.

The characters themselves fall into specific fanfic ship archetypes but with no previous emotional attachment and knowledge brought in from the reader to actually work. I liked Kiem well enough despite this but I never understood him. Jainan is given worse treatment; a big part of the plot is the mystery in his past and we aren’t given a whole lot more beyond that. Yet he is given a POV in the book. I always felt frustrated, lost, and unsure what to think with him.

Ultimately, I’m just super disappointed. I’ve read 200k+ word works on AO3 that have changed my life and remain with me to this day. There are things explored over there that I would love to see in traditional books too. But, in my opinion, fanfiction and stories born from the same corner should not crossover into traditionally published media. It just doesn’t work. At least, not done like this.

Cat H

2 stars for the 50% I read. 
This book is a romance with light sci-fi setting. The synopsis is way more interesting than the actual execution. It's slow and boring (imo) and there is no plot to help drag you a long.. This book could have been cut in half and still be too long for the amount of nothing that happens.
However, I can see that there is an audience for it. If you like slow-burn (and I do mean sllloooowwww), pining, marriage of connivence type romance than you will enjoy this. Even if you hate sci-fi, trust me there isn't much there. It is mostly meetings, awkward dinner parties, and private interludes that suffer from the miscommunication trope. 
 
TW: sexual assault, domestic violence

Francis Buggey

4.5 stars. parts were a little confusing and slow at times but i absolutely loved this book

'A chilling account of a dark past wrapped in the warm blanket of a promising future . . . A pleasure to read' Ann Leckie 'A stunning new space opera debut' K. B. Wagers The Iskat Empire rules its vassal planets through a system of treaties - so when Prince Taam, key figure in a political alliance, is killed, a replacement must be found. His widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with the disreputable aristocrat Kiem, in a bid to keep rising hostilities between two worlds under control. But Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and when Jainan himself is a suspect, he and Kiem must navigate the perils of the Iskat court, solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war . . . 'Has everything you could ask: impossible choices, divided loyalties, dry wit . . . charming slow-burn romance, and an adventure in space politics' A. K. Larkwood 'Dazzling . . . Its characters stayed with me long after I raced through the last chapters' Aliette de Boddard Everina Maxwell's debut is a space opera with high-stakes multi-world politics and irresistibly engaging characters, perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Find her on Twitter at @av_stories

Flavia Louise

This was a bit of a weird mix but I did like it.

Floofyflower

It was a fresh, great read after finishing Jane Eyre. It got me out of my reading slump. I feel like Everina Maxwell did a great job with pacing and character development. 

R. N. H.

As a big fan of science fiction and gay romance, this theoretically should've checked every box, but unfortunately this novel failed to satisfy in either category. I've read a lot of fan fiction—good fan fiction—and this reads more like mediocre fan fiction with the serial numbers filed off than a story of substance. There's nothing to sink your teeth into. 

To elaborate: the worldbuilding is colorless window dressing, with political entities like "The Empire" and "the Resolution," but no description that makes it stand out from any other generic science fiction. There were certainly moments where I thought, "Okay, this is an interesting concept," but it didn't go anywhere. 

Likewise, the plot, while nicely choreographed, was too tidy for my tastes. I easily identified the "bad guy" from the moment of his introduction, removing any tension from the story. I am, admittedly, very trope savvy, and being able to predict plot beats intended to be "twists" immediately turns me off from a work. There's a fine line between clever foreshadowing and spelling everything out to your reader. 

Speaking of tropes, the romance was the most disappointing element of the novel. The arranged marriage angle, while tired, still has potential in the right hands, but it's sidelined for "misunderstandings" that keep the protagonists from hooking up (to the point of frustration, again). If you're looking for anything complex, anything steamy, you won't find it here. The steam level is a big fat zero. As a side note, it was nice to see domestic violence brought up in a LGBT+ context, but as expected, it was a facile depiction.

Yes, the writing is functional and the pacing moves at a good clip. It's a beach read. I've read far better on AO3, however. For free.

As they say in fan fiction circles: YMMV.

Lauren Sullivan

Content warnings: (view spoiler)[domestic abuse (verbal, emotional, and physical – all on page via flashbacks), medical torture (interrogation), PTSD, grief, death of a spouse (off-page, before the book happens), scifi violence and injury (hide spoiler)]

I have desperately wanted to read this book since I saw the cover and read the blurb. Arranged marriage? Political machinations? Murder? Yes, yes and yes. And wow, did this book live up to it! This is near my perfect mix of scifi and romance. The romantic relationship is center stage, but there’s also twisty political machinations and a murder mystery, all of which serve to give the couple more insight into each other. It’s tropey as heck – arranged marriage, “oh no, we have to share a bed,” sunshine/stoic dynamic, and plenty of miscommunications. Both characters are well-meaning absolute disasters who are trying their best to fumble their way through a relationship while, you know, trying to avert catastrophe.

“You are good at appearing confident in pictures. This should not strain your capabilities.”

Iskat rules an empire of seven vassal planets, and each of their treaties is sealed with a marriage between someone from the Iskat royal house and a representative of the planet. They’re small potatoes to the rest of the universe, though, and it’s time to renew the Resolution, which controls their trade link to the rest of universe – and protects them from being invaded as well. When Iskat’s representative to Thea dies suddenly, the only solution to keep appearances up and convince the Resolution representatives that they’re one big happy empire is a hasty marriage. Enter Kiem, the Iskat playboy prince, and Jainan, the Thean widower. While they both try to muddle through and make the best of it, it’s clear that something’s wrong, both in their marriage and with the treaty in general. Can these two very different men work together to unravel a conspiracy, without sacrificing their own new relationship?

“I think,” Jainan said slowly, “that it’s very possible to spend all your energy doing the right thing but still miss something obvious. I think that doesn’t make your effort meaningless.”

I’m going to restate this here outside the usual content warning because it is a major part of the book – there was past domestic abuse for one of the characters and his healing process is integral to the book’s plot. While I have a different kind of trauma, I empathized deeply with the character’s thought processes, and I didn’t find the descriptions to be egregious or sensationalized. However, if this is a pain point for you, I would definitely proceed with caution.

“Really,” Jainan said aloud, his thoughts unguarded, “I think you just verbalize everything.”
“Sorry,” Kiem said, raising his head. “Stopping! Stopping. Promise.”

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite from the two main characters. Kiem is the sunshiney, carefree one, with a general joie de vivre that lead people to view him as a brainless party boy, and his penchant for ending up in the scandal pages doesn’t help. He doesn’t view himself as very intelligent, and he fails to see his strengths – namely, all that talking to people and hobnobbing is political negotiation, but he doesn’t realize that. Jainan’s last husband, Taam, was The Perfect Prince ™: handsome, a distinguished military officer, and well-regarded by pretty much everyone. In other words, everything Kiem isn’t, and he’s horrified that poor Jainan is going to end up shackled to him after having what looked like the perfect relationship with Taam. Jainan is the stoic and self-possessed one, for good reason. He’s not very comfortable with people, and he’s sure he’s only going to be a burden to the bubbly and personable Kiem. They’re truly exact opposites, but adorably similar in that they’ve spent their lives longing for the qualities the other person displays, so they’re uniquely suited to appreciating each other. Neither want to push the other to go farther in this scam marriage than they’re comfortable with, though they’re both struggling with their uncomfortable – and surely unrequited – attraction to the other person.

“He grinned at Jainan, and for a moment Jainan was almost taken in by Kiem’s unfounded optimism. It made everything that had happened—the Auditor, Taam’s accident—seem like solvable problems, like Kiem thought he could make the world swing onto an easier path by sheer force of expecting that it would. Jainan knew this was absurd. And yet here Kiem was.”

Between the attraction and their misguided attempts to attempt to do what they think the other person wants (without, you know, actually asking them), their relationship takes a while to build. But that’s a good thing! They’re perfect strangers when they’re meet, and the wonderful part of their relationship is watching the trust build between them – that Kiem really does mean every single thing that comes out of his mouth, that Jainan isn’t indifferent but wary. The buildup is perfect, and it makes their eventual HEA ridiculously emotionally satisfying.

The side characters were great as well. Bel, Kiem’s personal secretary and friend, was hilarious, and I loved her backstory and how it played into the plot. I also loved Gairad, one of Jainan’s young relatives whose initial prejudice against him slowly turns into friendship. The world building, while not a centerpiece of the book, was still interesting and I loved the creepy Resolution representatives. This book is also very gay with zero stigma attached. The Iskat custom is to use a piece of jewelry – flint for female, wood for male, and glass or nothing for nonbinary – to denote gender, while Theans use neckscarves for the same purpose. Kiem is bi and marriages between whatever configuration of genders is viewed as valid and normal. The only quibble I had was that the English masculine titles were used for everyone regardless of gender (the Emperor is female, there’s at least one female Prince). I would’ve preferred a gender neutral title, but there’s not much choice for that in English, and the rest of the book was pretty free of made-up words or jargon.

Overall, if you can’t tell, I absolutely adored this book. While I feel like it wraps up everything perfectly, I would happily read another book with Kiem and Jainan or a spin-off with Bel. But whatever the author chooses to write next, I will definitely be picking it up!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Winter's Orbit

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