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A review by bookswithbets
Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye by Alex White

adventurous dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you to Alex White and Orbit Books (through Netgalley) for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

It's not often I find a sequel better than the first book. Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye knocked the first book into the depths of space. This book absolutely rocked. 

I’m not sure if it was because I listened to the first book on audio and maybe lost some context, but reading this ARC had everything fall into place, and I was hooked. The world building was fantastic, and the character development was top notch. Heck, the relationships between the characters, and the relationships between the characters and their alien mechs, AND THEN the relationships between everyone and a whole smorgasbord of alien species was so rich that I had a lot of feelings about a lot of things that happened. 

Scent of Rot (the names, OH MY GOSH THE NAMES) ended up becoming a favorite character of mine purely because of how much mental pain and drain It caused Gus. Following relatively normal humans navigate interspecies conferences was an absolute breath of fresh air. Ardent and Gus felt so real. They're selfish, brave, empathetic, and so utterly human that you feel for every misstep and accomplishment they make. Kudos to White for writing incredible, believable characters. 

I’m keeping my eyes on this series, and if you need a Space Opera that's full of actual musicians in space in your life, then please look no further! 

Available December 3, 2024.