Winter’s Orbit

Plot.

While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat’s rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam’s cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control.

But when it comes to light that Prince Taam’s death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war… all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.

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Review.

The first review of the year on the blog! Happy New Year even if late, however after a month spent only reading webcomic, here I am! Back to talk about books and personally we are starting very well. Indeed, Winter’s Orbit was not only one of the most anticipated books for this 2021 (in the coming days as last year I compiled a list of the most anticipated books for this year), but it turned out to be much more pleasant than my expectations.

Granted that I’m not used to this kind of sci-fi, Everina Maxwell’s debut novel was enjoyable and absolutely well-handled. I have loved it from the first lines to the last! This novel mixes various themes: political ones, romance, yellow, but above all it focuses on the theme of domestic violence. Of course, not everything was perfect: although the political part is perfectly intertwined with the plot and the romance, this book lacks a real setting that is only sketched out and not explained in detail; so if you are a reader who values worlbuilding and prefer romance as a simple nuance, you may not particularly like this book.

But Winter’s Orbit has many positive points on its side:

• is one of the few sci-fi with a homosexual couple as the protagonist;
• we talk about an issue that all too often is not treated: as domestic violence and what it means to the victims and how it affects their lives and their relationships.
• The characterization of the characters is not perfect, but even if perhaps it is not love, there is certainly sympathy for them;
• The representation and acceptance of various sexualities, although it is only a barely mentioned point it is understood that people based on a certain element of clothing can decide whether to be considered women, men or non-binary personalities;
• Nice writing and flawless plot unfolding, considering it’s a debut

In short, if it wasn’t a debut I probably would have given this book 3.5 but I want to believe in this author and give it a 4.5.

This is definitely one of my best books this year and one of my all-time favorites. I can’t wait to read more of this author and see her grow even more.