Love this story

I’ve been a follower of TK’s for years, when she was under the name TropicThunder on Watty and an OG on Lit. So I was more than happy to get the book on amazon kindle. I’m so proud that this book is in completion, in my hands! But alas, for the review.

This is a great first book. I know indie authors from Wattpad get a bad rep, but if this book had been sold in regular bookshelves, I would’ve picked it up just as easily. A military sci-fi romance between a woman and oppressor’s fallen son? With an interracial main cast??🥰 Sign me up! It had me hooked from the beginning, and aside from some very glaring publishing errors (chapter numbering off, and some typos), I couldn’t put it down. The writing is obviously from a more newer author,however, so please be patient! The story is where it’s at.

First off, to review this book without mentioning the parallels between the Prudowians and today’s descendants of European colonizers —as well as the history of colonization of African people and resources and Sapphire people, would be a huge disservice to the ingenuity of the author! Though the story is futuristic, Sapphire is a land that reminds me of my native homeland Cameroon, and its people the same. So many rich resources, so much culture, and happiness in the few glances of Sapphire that we get to see, whose downfall was their peacefulness being taken for weakness. 

Alexis is a great protagonist who is proud of her ancestry despite the trauma she carries from the act of a Prudowian militarist. Through the novel, we see how she tries to evolve from the trauma, and this makes her character arc incredibly admirable.

Her and Lieutenant Ambrose feel like real people, with real problems and stories. I hate romance books where two characters with no personality or character depth are drawn to each other, but this book is the opposite. They’re both star crossed lovers scorned by their pasts, and when they meet, their chemistry is a slow build. Never rushed or fake. By the end of the book you really do sit through a rollercoaster of emotions with these two, and their growth is beautiful. And on top of that the military drama makes it all the more worth it.

Although the original version seemed more romance-heavy, this version actually has more action and drama and builds itself up for a sequel quite well.

I really do hope there’s a sequel in the works. If Tabitha reads this, just know that yes, there are more of us like me reading and rereading your work, waiting for your next work to support! Whether it be one year or ten! Keep writing 💖