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The Course of Honour
When Jainan arrived on Iskat to represent his home planet in a diplomatic marriage to Imperial Prince Taam, he was naïve enough to hope the match would work. Taam knew better. Five years later, his confidence shattered, Jainan is released when Taam dies in an accident, only to be faced with another marriage to help salvage his treaty. Jainan understands how the real world works now; but Prince Kiem - the cheerful, scandal-prone darling of the Iskat celebrity magazines - keeps breaking all the rules he's learned.
Published as Winter’s Orbit
Published as Winter’s Orbit
353 pages, ebook
First published May 15, 2017
2 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 31, 2017
If you loved Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga or Katherine Addison's Goblin Emperor or PG Wodehouse, you really, REALLY have to read this book. It is the most utterly delightful space opera courtly intrigue, with a strong and ADORABLE romantic plotline based around an arranged political marriage between space princes. It is so charming and funny and the banter is SO great and the world is so immersive. It's a comfort-read even on first read, and even if you aren't generally a romance reader, if you enjoy courtly intrigue and/or space opera at all, you should REALLY give it a try.
Better yet, it's free to download or read online, and I really STRONGLY recommend that you do. (Do it faster than I did, too! Aliette de Bodard recommended this book months ago, but it took me until yesterday to finally try it, and now I feel really silly about that.) It's so much fun!!! And the central characters are sooooo lovable. And and and - !
OK, I will shut up now. But my final summary: I devoured the whole book in one delicious rush, but I can already tell that I'll be re-reading it for comfort many times in the future.
Better yet, it's free to download or read online, and I really STRONGLY recommend that you do. (Do it faster than I did, too! Aliette de Bodard recommended this book months ago, but it took me until yesterday to finally try it, and now I feel really silly about that.) It's so much fun!!! And the central characters are sooooo lovable. And and and - !
OK, I will shut up now. But my final summary: I devoured the whole book in one delicious rush, but I can already tell that I'll be re-reading it for comfort many times in the future.
August 18, 2019
[Reread completed, August 17, 2019 - Still loved it. Such a sweet romance. The plot felt less choppy this time around, but I'll keep my rating the same. And I'm still baffled by the commenter who thinks my review might somehow spoil this book for readers. There are whole huge and important storylines I never even bring up.]
[The Course of Honour is original m/m sci-fi romance posted on Archive of Our Own. Warning: one of the main characters was in an abusive relationship prior to the beginning of the book - mostly emotionally abusive, but a little physical.]
The Course of Honour stars Prince Kiem of the planet Iskat and Count Jainan of the planet Thea. Five years ago, the Theans sent Jainan to marry Iskat’s Prince Taam in order to secure an alliance. A month before the start of the book, Taam was killed in a flybug (personal aircraft) accident. Kiem learns to his horror that, according to the terms of the treaty, Jainan must remarry and he’s been chosen to be Jainan’s next partner. Jainan’s certainly attractive, but Kiem has never even spoken to him before. Plus, Kiem figures he’s probably still grieving. Not that he and Jainan have any say in the matter - the marriage is scheduled to happen tomorrow.
Right from the start, their marriage is complicated by assumptions and secrets. Jainan and Taam’s marriage wasn’t nearly as solid as they’d led everyone to believe, and Jainan is sure he’s in for more of the same from Kiem. Kiem, meanwhile, just wants to make things as easy as possible for Jainan.
I found out about this via a recommendation that said something to the effect of “it’s m/m sci-fi romance, good, and free.” Considering how many unread e-books I have, I probably shouldn’t have clicked through, but I’m glad I did. I sped through the whole thing in a couple days and would have downloaded more of the author’s works if any had been available.
Part of me feels like I shouldn’t have enjoyed this as much as I did. As I was reading, it felt like there was some kind of background checklist going. If Character A says this, then of course Character B will eventually respond like so. If Characters A and B are in X situation, then of course Y will happen. For example, the instant Kiem and Jainan were stranded in the snowy wilderness, I knew that one of them would end up having to keep the other warm with his body heat and that it would probably lead to sex. (I was right, but I was pleasantly surprised that the sex wasn’t explicit and didn't lead to a sudden sharp increase in sex scenes.)
The world-building was extremely light, even in terms of Iskat vs. Thean culture. And some details and events were a little difficult to believe and probably would have irked me more if I’d stopped and thought more about them. For instance, it took Kiem far longer than I thought it should have to figure out that Taam had been abusing Jainan. I would have thought that a prince, even one as good-natured as Kiem, would have learned at some point not to take everything everyone said and did at face value.
Jainan, too, took longer than I expected to realize that Kiem was nothing like Taam, although I gave him more leeway. His big argument with Kiem felt a bit forced, though, like it only blew up that badly because the story needed him and Kiem to be separated for a bit. And the entire “let’s save Jainan” part felt like it’d fall apart if I examined it too closely. Even a prince with a mother who was a general should have had to do more than smile and show off a video clip of someone’s kid to get that far into a building like that without trouble.
Considering all of that, why did I love this book? The best answer I’ve got is the characters. Kiem was almost aggressively cheerful and charismatic. He remembered everyone, liked almost everyone, and could be shoved into a roomful of strangers and end up making at least half a dozen friends by the time he'd made his way out again. I was worried, at first, that he’d be a useless drunken rogue, but he turned out to not be like that at all. He spent a lot of his time networking and drumming up support for various charities, but he tended to have so much fun that it didn’t always look like he was working.
Jainan was the opposite, completely locked down and tightly controlled. While his and Kiem’s tendency to misread each other was frustrating, it was also a lot of fun - I was really looking forward to seeing them finally get onto something like the same wavelength. In the meantime, it was nice seeing Jainan gradually come out of his shell a bit and rediscover the things he’d enjoyed doing before Taam had boxed him in.
Oh, and I should probably bring up Bel, Kiem’s aide. First, I was happy that this wasn’t one of those m/m romances devoid of female characters with speaking roles. Second, Bel was just a lot of fun. Kiem and Bel made me think of P.G. Wodehouse’s Wooster and Jeeves, a little, although Kiem wasn’t nearly as silly as Bertie Wooster. I’d love to read a story about Bel’s early days as Kiem’s aide. I only had a couple issues with Bel in this book, which mainly had to do with how easily she kept getting pushed to the sidelines so that Kiem and Jainan could get bogged down by their problems without her. I imagine that her general competence and sharp eyes were a problem for the author.
All in all, I enjoyed this immensely. It had its problems, but the characters and sweet romance made up for them.
Additional Comments:
There were a handful of typos, as well as a couple distracting author’s notes that probably should have been removed before the work was marked “completed.” The one that bugged me the most was at the beginning of Chapter 25. It said something about Chapter 26 being late. For a few horrifying moments I thought I’d downloaded a work that hadn’t been finished yet, and I was going to have to wait to get more of the story.
Rating Note:
Part of me feels like I should score this lower because of the various issues I mentioned, but...nah. I can't guarantee I'd rate it the same if I reread it a year from now, and I doubt I'd have rated it this high if I had paid for it, but this is the rating I think fits it best right now.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
[The Course of Honour is original m/m sci-fi romance posted on Archive of Our Own. Warning: one of the main characters was in an abusive relationship prior to the beginning of the book - mostly emotionally abusive, but a little physical.]
The Course of Honour stars Prince Kiem of the planet Iskat and Count Jainan of the planet Thea. Five years ago, the Theans sent Jainan to marry Iskat’s Prince Taam in order to secure an alliance. A month before the start of the book, Taam was killed in a flybug (personal aircraft) accident. Kiem learns to his horror that, according to the terms of the treaty, Jainan must remarry and he’s been chosen to be Jainan’s next partner. Jainan’s certainly attractive, but Kiem has never even spoken to him before. Plus, Kiem figures he’s probably still grieving. Not that he and Jainan have any say in the matter - the marriage is scheduled to happen tomorrow.
Right from the start, their marriage is complicated by assumptions and secrets. Jainan and Taam’s marriage wasn’t nearly as solid as they’d led everyone to believe, and Jainan is sure he’s in for more of the same from Kiem. Kiem, meanwhile, just wants to make things as easy as possible for Jainan.
I found out about this via a recommendation that said something to the effect of “it’s m/m sci-fi romance, good, and free.” Considering how many unread e-books I have, I probably shouldn’t have clicked through, but I’m glad I did. I sped through the whole thing in a couple days and would have downloaded more of the author’s works if any had been available.
Part of me feels like I shouldn’t have enjoyed this as much as I did. As I was reading, it felt like there was some kind of background checklist going. If Character A says this, then of course Character B will eventually respond like so. If Characters A and B are in X situation, then of course Y will happen. For example, the instant Kiem and Jainan were stranded in the snowy wilderness, I knew that one of them would end up having to keep the other warm with his body heat and that it would probably lead to sex. (I was right, but I was pleasantly surprised that the sex wasn’t explicit and didn't lead to a sudden sharp increase in sex scenes.)
The world-building was extremely light, even in terms of Iskat vs. Thean culture. And some details and events were a little difficult to believe and probably would have irked me more if I’d stopped and thought more about them. For instance, it took Kiem far longer than I thought it should have to figure out that Taam had been abusing Jainan. I would have thought that a prince, even one as good-natured as Kiem, would have learned at some point not to take everything everyone said and did at face value.
Jainan, too, took longer than I expected to realize that Kiem was nothing like Taam, although I gave him more leeway. His big argument with Kiem felt a bit forced, though, like it only blew up that badly because the story needed him and Kiem to be separated for a bit. And the entire “let’s save Jainan” part felt like it’d fall apart if I examined it too closely. Even a prince with a mother who was a general should have had to do more than smile and show off a video clip of someone’s kid to get that far into a building like that without trouble.
Considering all of that, why did I love this book? The best answer I’ve got is the characters. Kiem was almost aggressively cheerful and charismatic. He remembered everyone, liked almost everyone, and could be shoved into a roomful of strangers and end up making at least half a dozen friends by the time he'd made his way out again. I was worried, at first, that he’d be a useless drunken rogue, but he turned out to not be like that at all. He spent a lot of his time networking and drumming up support for various charities, but he tended to have so much fun that it didn’t always look like he was working.
Jainan was the opposite, completely locked down and tightly controlled. While his and Kiem’s tendency to misread each other was frustrating, it was also a lot of fun - I was really looking forward to seeing them finally get onto something like the same wavelength. In the meantime, it was nice seeing Jainan gradually come out of his shell a bit and rediscover the things he’d enjoyed doing before Taam had boxed him in.
Oh, and I should probably bring up Bel, Kiem’s aide. First, I was happy that this wasn’t one of those m/m romances devoid of female characters with speaking roles. Second, Bel was just a lot of fun. Kiem and Bel made me think of P.G. Wodehouse’s Wooster and Jeeves, a little, although Kiem wasn’t nearly as silly as Bertie Wooster. I’d love to read a story about Bel’s early days as Kiem’s aide. I only had a couple issues with Bel in this book, which mainly had to do with how easily she kept getting pushed to the sidelines so that Kiem and Jainan could get bogged down by their problems without her. I imagine that her general competence and sharp eyes were a problem for the author.
All in all, I enjoyed this immensely. It had its problems, but the characters and sweet romance made up for them.
Additional Comments:
There were a handful of typos, as well as a couple distracting author’s notes that probably should have been removed before the work was marked “completed.” The one that bugged me the most was at the beginning of Chapter 25. It said something about Chapter 26 being late. For a few horrifying moments I thought I’d downloaded a work that hadn’t been finished yet, and I was going to have to wait to get more of the story.
Rating Note:
Part of me feels like I should score this lower because of the various issues I mentioned, but...nah. I can't guarantee I'd rate it the same if I reread it a year from now, and I doubt I'd have rated it this high if I had paid for it, but this is the rating I think fits it best right now.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
January 1, 2018
2.5
It does end good, but I found the first 50/60% difficult to like. I think the plot is a bit thin, and I didn't like one of the MC. We don't have a background to let us understand him, a hint of past abuse isn't enough, sorry. And much is the character himself I fear.
But the book comes with a very high recommendation from a fantasy author, plus it's free. You can risk it :)
It does end good, but I found the first 50/60% difficult to like. I think the plot is a bit thin, and I didn't like one of the MC. We don't have a background to let us understand him, a hint of past abuse isn't enough, sorry. And much is the character himself I fear.
But the book comes with a very high recommendation from a fantasy author, plus it's free. You can risk it :)
March 10, 2018
This is a trope-tastic m/m romance novel set in space, and it made me SO VERY HAPPY. I literally want to bounce around with GLEE, it's so fun. If you enjoy slow burn, epic romance with a nice dramatic plot that all comes perfectly together in a giant raspberry swirl of satisfaction, then you want to read this.
For real, this is gonna put a smile on my face for WEEKS. Kiem and Jainan = JOY.
(For those who need to know: This story does discuss an abusive relationship. It is very definitely treated as one, the main actual relationship of the story is the OPPOSITE of that, and the details provided about the abuse are not unnecessarily graphic, but the abusive relationship is central enough to the story that if that's something that you just want to avoid full stop, this may not be the romance for you.)
For real, this is gonna put a smile on my face for WEEKS. Kiem and Jainan = JOY.
(For those who need to know: This story does discuss an abusive relationship. It is very definitely treated as one, the main actual relationship of the story is the OPPOSITE of that, and the details provided about the abuse are not unnecessarily graphic, but the abusive relationship is central enough to the story that if that's something that you just want to avoid full stop, this may not be the romance for you.)
January 2, 2018
"I'll just start reading this," I said to myself, and several hours later I appear to have finished the book. What a fun read--space princes, arranged marriage, super-competent ladies....this book hit a lot of my sweet spots. I also love a book where characters don't understand each other and come to understanding over the course of the story, and the romance here was heavy on that. This was a lovely book, and exactly what I was in the mood to read--warm, and sweet, and funny. Also, I would 100% read a book about the Further Adventures of Bel.
August 3, 2017
3.5*
I sure liked the beginning.
I sure liked the beginning.
April 11, 2019
i am literally SO furious this was free bc i would have LOVED to pay for this. i love a good space opera and this was PERFECT. political intrigue! miscommunication based on past experiences and cultures!! people trying to show love/receive love and not knowing how!!!!!!1
February 25, 2018
When I want romance, this kind of thing is exactly what I crave. Slow burn is great, arranged marriages are a guilty pleasure trope that I really enjoy, and I fell in love with these characters really fast. When a character has me laughing out loud within a few pages of the start of the book, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'm going to love them, and Kiem definitely did that. Reading this story is basically all I did yesterday, to be honest, and I can't say I was even tempted to abandon it for anything else.
Some words of warning: there is a trigger warning for domestic abuse. Also, this is very light on the science fiction aspect of things, so if you're looking for more than the flavor of scifi, this may not be for you. For me, it was a perfect backdrop to a sweet love story, but your mileage may vary.
Some words of warning: there is a trigger warning for domestic abuse. Also, this is very light on the science fiction aspect of things, so if you're looking for more than the flavor of scifi, this may not be for you. For me, it was a perfect backdrop to a sweet love story, but your mileage may vary.
January 19, 2018
This one made me think of the second book in the ancillary justice series - not in terms of the plot, but in terms of the tone and the kind of general sense of the world it does create in your head. And it does a few very clever things about traits/behaviors/experiences that are usually associated with women. Oh yes, it's still a cheesy romance, with a few plotholes, the obligatory being stuck in the snow together (also fighting a bear!), etc. But hey, it never pretends to be something else and is amazingly comforting reading popcorn.
January 14, 2021
When I first read the synopsis of Winter's Orbit, a book that's being published next month, I was like "wait that sounds too familiar, where have I heard that before?". And then I found out that that book was originally a story on AO3, now being traditionally published. I hadn't read the story, but every time I come across something I want to read on AO3 I always download it in case it gets deleted later, and when I realized I had this downloaded too I decided I had to read it before the book comes out.
This is a "slow-burn arranged marriage" "space princes" story, following Kiem who has to marry his deceased cousin's partner Jainan because of a political treaty. Together they work through past trauma and deal with the fallout from the cousin's death, and of course they fall in love along the way.
I hope some changes have been made to the story in Winter's Orbit, not because there is anything that really needs changing, I just think it would be an interesting look into the process of going from a kind of "self-published fannish work" to a traditionally published book to see what would have to change. Hopefully I can get around to reading the book when it comes out and not wait a year to pick it up like I usually do with new releases.
This is a "slow-burn arranged marriage" "space princes" story, following Kiem who has to marry his deceased cousin's partner Jainan because of a political treaty. Together they work through past trauma and deal with the fallout from the cousin's death, and of course they fall in love along the way.
I hope some changes have been made to the story in Winter's Orbit, not because there is anything that really needs changing, I just think it would be an interesting look into the process of going from a kind of "self-published fannish work" to a traditionally published book to see what would have to change. Hopefully I can get around to reading the book when it comes out and not wait a year to pick it up like I usually do with new releases.
August 11, 2017
A very cool space opera origific. If you like the arranged marriage trope mixed with court intrigue this one is for you. Especially recommended for K/S arranged marriage!AU fans, the mood reminded me of some of the best fics we had in the fandom.
January 1, 2018
One of my first reads from Archive Of Our Own. Lovely mm space opera recommended by Snowspelled-author Stephanie Burgis on Twitter. Slow burn, no graphic sex, little bit of angst, danger, and intrigue.
December 17, 2019
I don't even remember how I found this book, but omg did I love it. Do you know that feeling when you actually hurt (like there is literally pain in your chest) because of what the characters are going through? (I love that feeling as long as there is a HEA, and of course there is here). There was plenty of that while reading this. It's a fantastic story set in a sci-fi world (ok, that is probably not a thing but I hope you know what I mean) about an arranged marriage that pulled me right it, with two amazing characters and some equally great side characters.
This was a lot better than some of the bought stuff I've tried to read lately, and I highly recommend it!
Merged review:
I actually read this the first time a while back, but recently I learned that it had been picked up by Tor and is scheduled to be released in 2021 as “Winter’s Orbit”. I’m still struggling with “The Goldfinch” and needed something comfortable, and this fit the bill.
It’s a space opera with a lovely romance - seriously, this is Sophie catnip. An arranged marriage where both people actually like the other from the beginning but think the other is only with them because of duty. There are plenty of misunderstandings, but they’re all completely understandable from each character’s POV, and don’t feel forced or over the top. It’s lovely, especially because as an added bonus one is kind of an introverted smart one and the other is the extrovert and keeps telling himself he’s dumb even though he’s not. Man, I love that kind of thing so much. So much. Ugh.
The non-romance plot works fine as it is, although apparently the author is refining it a bit for the book. I will say that as it is in the version I have it has a fanfiction feel to it - that is not meant to be a criticism, just that in a “properly published” book I would expect a bit more depth to the plot to be satisfied.
But, really, I love this. Kiem, Jainan and Bel are wonderful characters and this was exactly what I needed. I’m also really glad that the sex is fade-to-black rather than on-page because I’m really not in the mood at the moment. (Especially not when re-reading something.)
This was a lot better than some of the bought stuff I've tried to read lately, and I highly recommend it!
Merged review:
I actually read this the first time a while back, but recently I learned that it had been picked up by Tor and is scheduled to be released in 2021 as “Winter’s Orbit”. I’m still struggling with “The Goldfinch” and needed something comfortable, and this fit the bill.
It’s a space opera with a lovely romance - seriously, this is Sophie catnip. An arranged marriage where both people actually like the other from the beginning but think the other is only with them because of duty. There are plenty of misunderstandings, but they’re all completely understandable from each character’s POV, and don’t feel forced or over the top. It’s lovely, especially because as an added bonus one is kind of an introverted smart one and the other is the extrovert and keeps telling himself he’s dumb even though he’s not. Man, I love that kind of thing so much. So much. Ugh.
The non-romance plot works fine as it is, although apparently the author is refining it a bit for the book. I will say that as it is in the version I have it has a fanfiction feel to it - that is not meant to be a criticism, just that in a “properly published” book I would expect a bit more depth to the plot to be satisfied.
But, really, I love this. Kiem, Jainan and Bel are wonderful characters and this was exactly what I needed. I’m also really glad that the sex is fade-to-black rather than on-page because I’m really not in the mood at the moment. (Especially not when re-reading something.)
May 3, 2019
This came well-recommended. The actual writing was fine, and the protagonists well-drawn. But most everyone else was 2-dimensional, and the plot wrapped up very conveniently.
It sort of felt like an AU of -A Civil Campaign- with the serial numbers filed off.
It sort of felt like an AU of -A Civil Campaign- with the serial numbers filed off.
May 17, 2017
It did hold my interest till the end, but I don't have very strong feelings about it. The main characters just aren't interesting or complex enough for my taste and the villains were caricatures.
May 26, 2017
Technically a reread as I read the installments as they were published: holds up even better.
June 21, 2018
Someone put their completely original work of gay space opera goodness up on Ye Olde AO3, and lo, it was *good*.
January 3, 2018
Sci-fi, political intrigue, m/m arranged marriage. This story swept me up and kept me invested in both main characters and the intrigue that winds throughout their political marriage. I would love a sequel potentially focusing on Bel and allowing us to revisit Kiem and Jainan at the same time.
Themes of domestic abuse (emotional moreso than physical) are covered in a characters backstory with sensitivity and empathy. Avoliot does an excellent job of letting the readers imagination fill in the potential trauma rather than dragging us through the details in excessive or nauseating detail which is something many authors are prone to do, and I for one am glad they do not.
I found the emotional arcs to be well developed and I'm not sure who I love more, Jainan, Kiem or Bel. Some of the details in the intrigue surrounding their relationships required more than one pass through for it to make sense but that may have been more to my continuing to read very late in order to glom the book in one sitting.
Another pass by a copy editor/proofreader to catch some of the errors (a few missing prepositions and auxiliary verbs, and a few minor issues with tense in some passages) would make this a perfect read.
As it stands The Course of Honour has made Avoliot an author I am eager to see more from.
Themes of domestic abuse (emotional moreso than physical) are covered in a characters backstory with sensitivity and empathy. Avoliot does an excellent job of letting the readers imagination fill in the potential trauma rather than dragging us through the details in excessive or nauseating detail which is something many authors are prone to do, and I for one am glad they do not.
I found the emotional arcs to be well developed and I'm not sure who I love more, Jainan, Kiem or Bel. Some of the details in the intrigue surrounding their relationships required more than one pass through for it to make sense but that may have been more to my continuing to read very late in order to glom the book in one sitting.
Another pass by a copy editor/proofreader to catch some of the errors (a few missing prepositions and auxiliary verbs, and a few minor issues with tense in some passages) would make this a perfect read.
As it stands The Course of Honour has made Avoliot an author I am eager to see more from.
June 2, 2017
My gosh, can I just gush about this for a million years?
I don't normally put things from AO3 on goodreads but with this being original and a full novel I thought I'd get away with it.
I love this book. It's an arranged marriage in space! I won't go into too much plot detail becasue you should go read it yourself but it's awesome. The plot is convincing. It uses a lot of fandom tropes that I love. The characters are awesome.
The best thing is the writing. Avoliot is a good writer and knows their craft. They've crafted a story that really drew me in and kept reading. I read the entire thing in a day, starting early in the afternoon and finishing just before midnight. She crafted some beautiful characters and I love how she let Jainan be damaged without making him weak or broken. He simply needed time and space to heal and find himself again.
Loved this very much.
I don't normally put things from AO3 on goodreads but with this being original and a full novel I thought I'd get away with it.
I love this book. It's an arranged marriage in space! I won't go into too much plot detail becasue you should go read it yourself but it's awesome. The plot is convincing. It uses a lot of fandom tropes that I love. The characters are awesome.
The best thing is the writing. Avoliot is a good writer and knows their craft. They've crafted a story that really drew me in and kept reading. I read the entire thing in a day, starting early in the afternoon and finishing just before midnight. She crafted some beautiful characters and I love how she let Jainan be damaged without making him weak or broken. He simply needed time and space to heal and find himself again.
Loved this very much.
February 13, 2018
The people from Earth who settled this planet figured the reason everything had gone wrong on Earth could be blamed in technology so it's banned. This world froze technology around the time of our Renaissance and that is one of the themes.
The other is all the political intrigue around court life and the religion that the founders of this world had created to keep people from developing any technology.
Really enjoyed it.
The other is all the political intrigue around court life and the religion that the founders of this world had created to keep people from developing any technology.
Really enjoyed it.
August 3, 2017
This was a sweet read. I really enjoyed it! Kiem and Jainan were adorable.
March 25, 2018
This was an interesting one, took me a while to get into, but I did enjoy it once I got going and they started communicating!!!
March 23, 2020
3.5 stars.
March 24, 2020
3.5 stars.
Read
June 21, 2020So happy this is getting published. And that we may be having more stories by the author.
July 25, 2020
Re-read this only to find out it's being published next year! I've already pre-ordered.
January 24, 2019
This was a very fast read for me, I just couldn't put it down (thankfully I was also on vacation at the time).
As other people have pointed out, there are a lot of tropes in this. You have arranged marriage in space, a sweet-but-dense and a tormented-but-hard-working main characters, villains and lots of misunderstandings that lead to love confessions. I loved the world building and all the small details. The writing is compelling and while I couldn't say that this was a very deep read, I can't find a single bad thing to say about it.
As other people have pointed out, there are a lot of tropes in this. You have arranged marriage in space, a sweet-but-dense and a tormented-but-hard-working main characters, villains and lots of misunderstandings that lead to love confessions. I loved the world building and all the small details. The writing is compelling and while I couldn't say that this was a very deep read, I can't find a single bad thing to say about it.
February 4, 2021
I read the book in one breath. It took me one day and one night to finish it, even thought I was ill at the time. It had all my favorite romantic tropes: arranged marriage and “painful misunderstanding”. I really like it when the characters find it hard to understand each other, due to error in communication. In addition, I adored both main characters: funny and kind Kiem and silent and hurting Jainan. Their romance was so sweet, and by no means insta-love. Both of then needed to open up to each other, to properly fall in love. Of course, it was also quite frustrating. So many times, I wanted to yell – Just talk to each other.
I really liked how trauma was portrayed in the story – painfully realistic. It showed how someone succumbs to someone’s manipulative nature and completely loses oneself and ability to defend themselves. I enjoyed following Jainan on his slow path to recovery and taking control over his life. And it was sweet how fiercely Kiem fought for Jainan’s right to choose for himself.
The world building wasn’t overly developed, but it was well-founded enough for Romance, that it didn’t felt artificial. It gave solid background to the story.
The action part was pure fun and Bel Siara deserves honorable mentioning. Her character was much fun, and I wish the author would write a novella of her own. In overall, the book had an excellent representation of strong female characters and was pleasantly inclusive.
I really liked how trauma was portrayed in the story – painfully realistic. It showed how someone succumbs to someone’s manipulative nature and completely loses oneself and ability to defend themselves. I enjoyed following Jainan on his slow path to recovery and taking control over his life. And it was sweet how fiercely Kiem fought for Jainan’s right to choose for himself.
The world building wasn’t overly developed, but it was well-founded enough for Romance, that it didn’t felt artificial. It gave solid background to the story.
The action part was pure fun and Bel Siara deserves honorable mentioning. Her character was much fun, and I wish the author would write a novella of her own. In overall, the book had an excellent representation of strong female characters and was pleasantly inclusive.
February 21, 2018
I can no longer remember where I got the recommendation for this story (Twitter, maybe?), but I am very, very grateful to whoever it was, because this is excellent and really just my kind of story. (I stayed up late to finish it when I was supposed to be studying, which I am a little less grateful about, but it was worth it.) I adored both Kiem and Jainan, and the secondary characters are fabulous also (hi, Bel!). The romantic tension is excellent, although I thought a bit too quickly resolved at the end. The story is well-plotted and well-paced, and honestly more intense than I realized it was going to be. The sci-fi element is mostly background, but I appreciated the inclusion of some interesting little details like the skiing. The writing is excellent, especially for a free story, and the overall mood is just the right balance of humor and more serious elements.
January 9, 2020
Oh, HELL YES. I absolutely cannot wait for the version of this published by Tor to come out. This book is a really well done space-future gay romance with political intrigue, healing trauma, and lovable characters. What the hell would there have been for me NOT to love?
The author is particularly talented at writing believable/realistic dialogue (sometimes a fault of sci-fi AND romance, I feel!) and at building a world filled with characters that I want to come back to. If you like Captive Prince or, for those of you who read fanfic, either Kirk/Spock or Drarry things, this is DEFINITELY for you.
Merged review:
I would’ve written this review right when I finished but I didn’t realize this work was on Goodreads.
10/10, SO GOOD, ALREADY PLANNING TO REREAD. I love Jainan and Kiem very much and we stan Bel forever. Thank you, no questions at this time.
The author is particularly talented at writing believable/realistic dialogue (sometimes a fault of sci-fi AND romance, I feel!) and at building a world filled with characters that I want to come back to. If you like Captive Prince or, for those of you who read fanfic, either Kirk/Spock or Drarry things, this is DEFINITELY for you.
Merged review:
I would’ve written this review right when I finished but I didn’t realize this work was on Goodreads.
10/10, SO GOOD, ALREADY PLANNING TO REREAD. I love Jainan and Kiem very much and we stan Bel forever. Thank you, no questions at this time.
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