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A review by incipientdreamer
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
4.0
4 stars
I picked up this book on a whim after a friend suggested it to me when I was in the mood for some scifi. I started it at around 11 at night and stayed up till 6am reading it. I had a class at 10 am the next morning and my disposition was akin to the walking dead, but my brain was chanting "Keim and Jainan! Keim and Jainan!"
Winter's Orbit is Maxwell's debut novel, though it does not read like one. A space opera involving an arranged marriage where the couple is forced to work together to solve a mystery. While the worldbuilding was just okay, I still had a lot of questions, I did like how Maxwell detailed the different cultures and clans of the colonized planets. The magical mind control things were confusing, I still don't know what was up with that, but it also might be because I was so invested in the romance, I cared very little for the plot. That doesn't mean the plot wasn't good. I did stay up till 6 am for a reason, but the plot twists weren't that shocking and I pretty much guessed them early on.
The romance was the best part of the book. It was a slow burn and wasn't even the main focus of the book (the court intrigue was the main focus) but it still ended up being just perfect. Keim and Jainan, the two protagonists had such amazing chemistry from the very start. That also might be because their characters were both so different yet interesting. They were fleshed out human beings with flaws and shortcomings. Jainan owned my heart. They did have A LOT of communication issues, which was something that annoyed me a bit (hence the 4 stars).
I would compare Winter's Orbit to [b:A Memory Called Empire|37794149|A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1)|Arkady Martine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526486698l/37794149._SY75_.jpg|59457173], Memory has slightly more court/political stuff which was why i didn't like it as much. But if you liked it, do give Maxwell's debut a try. I'm pretty sure you will like it.
Winter's Orbit had the perfect blend of romance and intrigue, the writing was easy and flowed effortlessly. I will definitely be picking up the sequel set in the same world but with different characters, coming out this November.
Initial Thoughts
so so good. A perfect balance of intrigue and romance. RTC
I picked up this book on a whim after a friend suggested it to me when I was in the mood for some scifi. I started it at around 11 at night and stayed up till 6am reading it. I had a class at 10 am the next morning and my disposition was akin to the walking dead, but my brain was chanting "Keim and Jainan! Keim and Jainan!"
Winter's Orbit is Maxwell's debut novel, though it does not read like one. A space opera involving an arranged marriage where the couple is forced to work together to solve a mystery. While the worldbuilding was just okay, I still had a lot of questions, I did like how Maxwell detailed the different cultures and clans of the colonized planets. The magical mind control things were confusing, I still don't know what was up with that, but it also might be because I was so invested in the romance, I cared very little for the plot. That doesn't mean the plot wasn't good. I did stay up till 6 am for a reason, but the plot twists weren't that shocking and I pretty much guessed them early on.
The romance was the best part of the book. It was a slow burn and wasn't even the main focus of the book (the court intrigue was the main focus) but it still ended up being just perfect. Keim and Jainan, the two protagonists had such amazing chemistry from the very start. That also might be because their characters were both so different yet interesting. They were fleshed out human beings with flaws and shortcomings. Jainan owned my heart. They did have A LOT of communication issues, which was something that annoyed me a bit (hence the 4 stars).
I would compare Winter's Orbit to [b:A Memory Called Empire|37794149|A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1)|Arkady Martine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526486698l/37794149._SY75_.jpg|59457173], Memory has slightly more court/political stuff which was why i didn't like it as much. But if you liked it, do give Maxwell's debut a try. I'm pretty sure you will like it.
Winter's Orbit had the perfect blend of romance and intrigue, the writing was easy and flowed effortlessly. I will definitely be picking up the sequel set in the same world but with different characters, coming out this November.
Initial Thoughts
so so good. A perfect balance of intrigue and romance. RTC