D3F3CT: A Twin Suns Novella

Twin Suns #1.5

by Olive J. Kelley

When reluctant IPF Lieutenant Sebastian Wilder performs a confidential check-in on a top-secret lab, the last thing he expects to find is a highly illegal cloning facility that manufactures identical girls as products for the filthy rich. When he rescues the sole remaining 'product' on a split-decision, cutting all ties with his employer, he triggers a chain reaction that hurdles him and the girl on the run across the galaxy.

Sebastian taps into an encrypted line to the violent rebel sect threatening the galactic government. The man on the other end seems suspicious— and for good reasons— but as Sebastian relinquishes valuable information his ex-employer would execute him for, the two start an ill-advised relationship across galactic allegiances.

With not only Sebastian's life in danger, but those of his ward and confidant too, every step away from the IPF is of infinite importance. But while Sebastian knows what he’s running from, what is his end goal? What does survival— and above that, freedom— look like for a guilt-ridden defector like him?

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Queer

Unknown Binding

Published February 28, 2024

About the author

Olive J. Kelley (they/them) is a mid-twenties non-binary, autistic lesbian who writes hopepunk, realistic romance for queer and disabled adults. When they're not writing, they can be found playing video games, watching TV, or working as a barista. They have a bachelor's degree in creative writing and currently live in Louisville, Kentucky with their wife, dog, and three cats, 3/4 of which are named after Star Wars characters.

Reviews

[bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

D3F3CT made my reluctant-father-figure loving heart so so happy (but also made me cry). the perfect read while waiting (im)patiently for EPSILON NINE. goddd i love bash and lily and mars with all my heart.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

After reading, and loving, Junker Seven I was more than excited to return to the twin suns universe. Olive. J Kelly has a way of writing sci-fi that has me absolutely hooked and craving for more, and this is coming from someone who typically doesn't read sci-fi. Returning to this universe was very comforting, and I couldn't do anything but love this little addition to the duology.

Found family is one of my all-time favourite tropes, so reading about Bash and Lily was so sweet, and I could easily read a full sized novel about them. Kelly knows how to write characters with depth, and like the novella itself, I loved all of them (well, besides the bad guys, obviously, but they were well written as well). I normally dislike insta love/insta attraction, but Olive. J Kelly made it work. I really enjoyed reading about Bash and Mars, and how quickly Bash came to care for Mars despite them knowing each other for such a short period of time. The story itself was fast-paced, but never to much to the point where it felt rushed. The story only had about 100 pages or so to unfold itself, and it did very nicely. If you've read J7, you cannot miss this, and I'm now even more excited for the sequel, especially with the Castor cameo.

[Ge · Rating 5 out of 5]

set in the same world as Junker Seven, this novella follows sebastian who discovers that a top secret lab is illegally cloning young girls as products, he decides to defec and rescue the remaining girl. theyre then launched into a journey across the galaxy to save themselves from the galactic government, and sebastian is thrown into a new world of rebelling against his old employers. I so enjoyed the little cameos from junker seven characters & loved the new characters

if you love queer sci-fi and haven't read junker seven yet, get on that. then on this. then on rebel rising, the official second in the duology.

a huuuge thank you to the author for an arc of this gorgeous lil book <3

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked but didn’t love Junker Seven but picked up this novella because it was on Kindle Unlimited and wow did I love this. There’s a reluctant father figure/found family situation that I eat up every time and there’s some lovely queer normative world building and despite the plot having stakes it still felt so cozy. This was only about 100 pages but I could not put it down. I can only hope than when Epsilon Nine comes out it works for me just as much.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the novella I didn't knew I needed.

So this story starts of from the perspective of someone we haven't met in this series yet. Even worse it is someone who is part of the government defense force we as readers hate in this universe. I went into this totally blind and it was thus very fun to see him become someone to support (even though the synopsis already tells us so). When he rescues the girl from this facility we see him grow closer and closer to her which blooms into a wonderful father/daughter like bond. I haven't really read a lot of books where this is a focus, but damn was it beautiful now. The care and love was felt and made me totally wholesome.

The plot and the romance subplot feel very intertwined. This in a way that with each interaction between Sebastian and his contact point talked they would grow closer together as potential partners, but then it also pushed forward the escape Sebastian was making together with Lily, the girl he freed. This made it that neither the plot or the romance felt rushed despite it only being a novella with not all too many pages. To be honest, it being a novella was the perfect length for this story and I feel it is crafted masterfully in the way it handled the pacing and furthering the plot.

The romance itself was also extremely sweet and made me have a lot of soft smiles. The sexting was fun and their interactions very hot. But there was also a lot of tenderness between the two men that was just adorable to be a part of. There was some tension between the two too as not everything can go smoothly, but I feel like this added a lot to their growth as partners together and was the right amount of drama.

Concluding I hope with this novella I can convince even more people to try out this series.

I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

[Jordyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an amazing story. The characters are just beautiful and I may have teared up a time or two in the best way. I'm so happy I learned about this author.

[abby (xoxobookishgirl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐
Rep : Gay MC; Deaf, Gay, Trans LI

"Sebastian Wilder was always going to defect. The question was always when."

What I Liked
1) It was fast paced like Junker Seven and immediately got me invested. I was invested throughout and generally had a good time reading this novella and making the connections to Junker Seven.

What I Disliked
1) I wanted much more exploration of the lab that Lily was saved from. That was the part that got me really intrigued about this novella but it is glossed over pretty quickly. I'm hoping that Kelley is just saving it for Eplison Nine and we get a full exploration of that place and how it came to be then.

2) This may be due to my personal preference of having a slow-burn and my asexuality, but I didn't find the romance in here very believable. It escalates very quickly and I think it more shows lust than love. The sex scene felt very out of place because there are so many dark topics packed into this short novella it just didn't feel like the sex scene was needed. However, I appreciate the author wrote trans sex on page and descriptively which I haven't seen in many books so I appreciated that. I am not trans myself so look up the reviews of trans reviewers to see how they feel about the representation.

[DeJReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for an ARC

I loved JUNKER SEVEN and was so excited to pick up any kind of story in this universe and this novella didn't disappoint. From the moment the action kicked off, I was hooked and invested in Bash and Lily, and both horrified and hopeful as read. Very well-paced so even though the underlying tension was always there, I was given plenty of times to still get to know the characters and care about them, and the story had time to breathe. Kelley includes a roster of diverse characters but I was also extremely pleased that Mars is a fat person without falling into the usual negative stereotypes and that he was shown as desirable and sensual. A short read but so worth it. I cannot wait to see what comes next in this series!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What else can I say other than I loved this book. I loved the "The Last of Us" meets "Star Wars" vibes. I loved the dynamic between Bash and Lily. I'd even go as afar as to say Bash was my favorite character (because honestly, who doesn't love someone who starts off on "the dark side" but ends up defecting? And even more so when it's been a longtime coming together plan?). Also, seeing Castor again was great (especially for someone eagerly awaiting the next part of Cas and Juno's story).

Disclaimer
I received an eARC and this was my honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily.

[parker ! · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t typically like novellas even though they’re quick reads, but I did enjoy D3F3CT. It’s set in the same world as Junker Seven, the author’s debut, but follows an ex-IPF officer.
I, of course, was sucked in by the first chapter. Olive’s writing is immersive, descriptive, and the world they’ve created is genuinely unique and fascinating. The story was well written, ( there were a few typos but idrc ) and the characters are once again - easy to relate to and sympathize with. I hope we get more of the Twin Suns world!

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest this book was just recommended to me and I didn't even realize it's like a half-way book in a series. Either way... good book. I might come back and read the series when I get time to.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a trans M/cis M romance in this, which is nice and all, but it's definitely secondary to the family feels of one guy deserting from a fascist regime to save a little girl. Lily is so good.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light 4

[Lisa Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a scifi novella, it was a storyline very similar to The Mandalorian, but instead of saving an alien, Bash saves a preteen girl named Lily.

The main question that keeps you reading is, will these two fugitives be okay and survive?
But then, who is this kid? And why is she so important?
And then, who is M?

The laws of their intergalactic world along with the habits of the different people they meet are sometimes confusing, but overall are easy to follow.

I enjoyed Bash’s journey with Lily.
He was genuine and an honest hero in a world surrounded by villains.

Nonbinary, gay, and trans characters were included, and I was indifferent to the sexual relationship.
Disabled characters are also represented.
Loved the inclusiveness. 🤘🏼

We could take a lesson from Olive J Kelley.

It ended quite abruptly and I still had questions.

Minor but frequent grammar mistakes, not enough to ruin the book.

[Caer · Rating 5 out of 5]

i will always read anything olive kelley writes and it will always be fucking fantastic