Unfortunately, without reading the tied-in series, this story cannot stand by itself and left me feeling overall disinterested in the story. I don’t know the characters well enough so I can’t feel involved in their struggles or emotional upheavals, all of which is delivered in a rather flat manner. Similarly, the ‘dark themes’ warned about in the authors note is entirely restricted to the sexual slavery of women which is an uninspired grab for shock value.
Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the arc.
There is more to this world than what was covered in Inheritance of Earth. This sidequel was a fascinating look into the events that happened after the bombing on Trebia. Castle was a smart, powerful leader who came up with plans to save her crew.