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Cogs of Destiny: Starshackled
The heroes of Neon Nova have fallen.
The Circle is gone. The city is broken. The Karnax have descended from the sky, slaughtering anything that runs, screams, or refuses to kneel. Blueberry wakes alone in the ruins, hunted through the wreckage of the city she helped save, with no sign of Wish, Osmond, or Zara.
Far beyond Neon Nova, Wish and Osmond are trapped inside Ziermoth, an ancient dwarven stronghold turned open-air prison, where the prisoners are starved, watched, tested, and broken beneath the shadow of Zephyros Prime.
Technomancy was only the beginning. Beyond the lies of Celestia, the propaganda of the Chan’De Chorum, and the polished myths of the Great Book lies a hidden truth: the Kindled. Fire-born killers. Living shadows. Flesh-shapers. Mind-benders. Monsters. Survivors. Weapons the world was never meant to understand.
As Wish struggles with a power even Celestia cannot explain, Osmond searches for a way out of a prison designed to think ahead, and Blueberry descends into the darkest corners of captivity to find the woman she loves, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear:
All roads lead to war. To survive, they must escape their prisons. To win, they must discover what they truly are.
And to fulfill the prophecy … Some of them will have to die.
The Circle is gone. The city is broken. The Karnax have descended from the sky, slaughtering anything that runs, screams, or refuses to kneel. Blueberry wakes alone in the ruins, hunted through the wreckage of the city she helped save, with no sign of Wish, Osmond, or Zara.
Far beyond Neon Nova, Wish and Osmond are trapped inside Ziermoth, an ancient dwarven stronghold turned open-air prison, where the prisoners are starved, watched, tested, and broken beneath the shadow of Zephyros Prime.
Technomancy was only the beginning. Beyond the lies of Celestia, the propaganda of the Chan’De Chorum, and the polished myths of the Great Book lies a hidden truth: the Kindled. Fire-born killers. Living shadows. Flesh-shapers. Mind-benders. Monsters. Survivors. Weapons the world was never meant to understand.
As Wish struggles with a power even Celestia cannot explain, Osmond searches for a way out of a prison designed to think ahead, and Blueberry descends into the darkest corners of captivity to find the woman she loves, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear:
All roads lead to war. To survive, they must escape their prisons. To win, they must discover what they truly are.
And to fulfill the prophecy … Some of them will have to die.
749 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2026
About the author
Adrian Badi
4 books3 followersIT professional by day and fantasy writer by night, I take any and all opportunities to escape reality into worlds where dragons roam the skies and dwarves swarm the underground. With a fairly expansive experience in playing Dungeons and Dragons, my writing reflects the creative and immersive style of the famous role playing game. Whether I am weaving intrigues and plots or changing my son’s diapers, I strive to give my readers a journey to a place they’ve never been before — a world where anything is possible and the realism of failure and shenanigans lurks around every corner.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 2, 2026
ARC review.
Starshackled is an emotional an action-heavy sequel that expands the world of Cogs of Destiny in a huge way while still keeping the characters at the heart of the story.
Adrian Badi excels at world building, that was clear in Starborn and reinforced in Starshackled in how it expands out from Neon Nova. I am truly in awe of the imagination it takes to create a story so massive, layered and chaotic while keeping it grounded and understandable.
The dark moments in this hit hard but the humour (especially through Osmond) gave moments of joy.
What I loved most was the character development. They are being tested, broken down, separated, hunted, and forced to survive. It is so hard to pick a favourite, they all bring their own breed of emotional weight and everytime I think I have decide I am reminded of the others amazingness.
Eventually I settled on Wish……..and Osmond…….and Blueberry…….and Zara.
Furthermore the developing relationships are beautiful. You become so invested in the love, loyalty and tension that the end hits hard with no small amount of devastation.
Finally this sets everything up for the next book in a way that leaves you begging for it.
This is a well deserved 5 star. I was immersed in the world, I laughed, I cried, I swore at the author.
Starshackled is an emotional an action-heavy sequel that expands the world of Cogs of Destiny in a huge way while still keeping the characters at the heart of the story.
Adrian Badi excels at world building, that was clear in Starborn and reinforced in Starshackled in how it expands out from Neon Nova. I am truly in awe of the imagination it takes to create a story so massive, layered and chaotic while keeping it grounded and understandable.
The dark moments in this hit hard but the humour (especially through Osmond) gave moments of joy.
What I loved most was the character development. They are being tested, broken down, separated, hunted, and forced to survive. It is so hard to pick a favourite, they all bring their own breed of emotional weight and everytime I think I have decide I am reminded of the others amazingness.
Eventually I settled on Wish……..and Osmond…….and Blueberry…….and Zara.
Furthermore the developing relationships are beautiful. You become so invested in the love, loyalty and tension that the end hits hard with no small amount of devastation.
Finally this sets everything up for the next book in a way that leaves you begging for it.
This is a well deserved 5 star. I was immersed in the world, I laughed, I cried, I swore at the author.
June 29, 2026
The second book in a series can be difficult. The first has all the excitement of new people and a new world, and the second has to work with what the reader already knows and somehow find more excitement. Cogs of Destiny: Starshackled did not have this problem. The world expanded and the characters grew, and it all flowed seamlessly from the first book, but took us to even greater heights than I could ever have imagined.
Adrian Badi managed to completely open up the world, but in a way that wasn’t overwhelming for the reader, and through it all, the characters we’ve grown to love keep us grounded in the real emotion of the story. While the plot drives us forward with mystery upon mystery, intricately woven, the relationships between the characters keep us on the edge of our seat as we learn about their pasts, their powers, and whether they will survive.
I loved how this book answered some of the questions I had from Starborn while also managing to open up even bigger ones. Every answer led to another mystery, and I was completely hooked the whole way through. Of course, now I need book three, like yesterday, so if the author could just whip that up, that would be great.
This series continues to blow me away. The blend of science fiction and fantasy is unique and never feels like it’s trying to be two different genres. Instead, Adrian Badi creates a world where both just make sense, and the result is something that feels really fresh.
I can’t recommend this series enough - grab a copy, you won’t be disappointed!!
Adrian Badi managed to completely open up the world, but in a way that wasn’t overwhelming for the reader, and through it all, the characters we’ve grown to love keep us grounded in the real emotion of the story. While the plot drives us forward with mystery upon mystery, intricately woven, the relationships between the characters keep us on the edge of our seat as we learn about their pasts, their powers, and whether they will survive.
I loved how this book answered some of the questions I had from Starborn while also managing to open up even bigger ones. Every answer led to another mystery, and I was completely hooked the whole way through. Of course, now I need book three, like yesterday, so if the author could just whip that up, that would be great.
This series continues to blow me away. The blend of science fiction and fantasy is unique and never feels like it’s trying to be two different genres. Instead, Adrian Badi creates a world where both just make sense, and the result is something that feels really fresh.
I can’t recommend this series enough - grab a copy, you won’t be disappointed!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews