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NightPiercer #2
Separated Starlight
The weight of stars may not bind us, but the weight of our lies will.
Relationships aren’t supposed to be this complicated. That’s why Creche exists, and romance is in cryostorage.
Lachesis has always played by the rules, but the officer’s deck is where the rules get made. That also means it’s where they get bent, broken, and rewritten. That which is not forbidden is allowed, and that which is forbidden is negotiable...
Relationships aren’t supposed to be this complicated. That’s why Creche exists, and romance is in cryostorage.
Lachesis has always played by the rules, but the officer’s deck is where the rules get made. That also means it’s where they get bent, broken, and rewritten. That which is not forbidden is allowed, and that which is forbidden is negotiable...
395 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 9, 2020
17 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Merry Ravenell
23 books344 followersMerry is a dark sci-fi and fantasy author that currently lives in rural Alabama. She enjoys tormenting her main characters and doing excessive research to make sure unrealistic things are as realistic as possible.
When she's not writing, she enjoys coffee, vodka, painfully bad movies of all varieties, documentaries, coloring books, and knitting.
When she's not writing, she enjoys coffee, vodka, painfully bad movies of all varieties, documentaries, coloring books, and knitting.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 22, 2022
A fun and fast-moving adventure in set in space, on ark ships. Space opera, I suppose. Although some of the characters are werewolves (I know!), there's not a lot of werewolf stuff in this book. It's really just a big old adventure in space, and I enjoyed the ride. Some of the action scenes reminded me of some of the Star Trek movies, actually.
I would recommend reading Book 1 before tackling this book, as it's all part of one big storyline, and Book 1 establishes the world and the characters. Now I'm looking forward to the next instalment after this cliffhanger! Supposed to come out later this year (2022). :)
I would recommend reading Book 1 before tackling this book, as it's all part of one big storyline, and Book 1 establishes the world and the characters. Now I'm looking forward to the next instalment after this cliffhanger! Supposed to come out later this year (2022). :)
May 13, 2020
Geez. Merry really likes disaster and torturing her characters. What will happen next?
May 30, 2020
Super solid 4.5 stars, rounded up because this was an excellent read and I was so compelled to absolutely devour it that I literally stayed up all night in order to finish reading it. Worth noting: this is absolutely not a stand alone, so make sure you've read the first book, and if it's been a while, you might want to go back and refresh your memory. It's only been about four months for me, and there were a couple of times I felt like I was forgetting something important from the first book. I'll definitely be planning to reread both before picking up the next book when it comes out in October.
I'm going to assume you've read the first book and know more or less what to expect with this. Let me just say: 95% of the time, this book is more than everything you're hoping for, but 5% of the time it's somehow just ever-so-slightly less. That's not a bad thing, though; the just-the-smallest-bit-not-fully-satisfied feeling I got once or twice during this read was short-lived, and if anything, it only made me want to read the next book even more. There's clearly still so much left to uncover, and you can bet I'll be on the edge of my seat for the next five months waiting to find out what happens.
When it comes to the plot: this builds on where Nightpiercer left off, and throws in some excellent twists and turns you won't expect but will still feel authentic and not like it's trying to be a crazy soap opera. I absolutely adore the world Ravenell has built, and the way she weaves so many plot lines and characters together is masterful. There was a brief moment when I was reading this where I thought the entire book might be centered around one "stage" of a challenge Lachlan had to face, but I needn't have ever worried. This book does not feel at all like a "bridge" or "filler" piece, the way that so many second books in trilogies or series often do; it bites off way more than you expect it to, and it manages to chew it all. We see dramatic progress on multiple storylines, and yet there's still clearly so much more to come. It's excellent.
On the characters... I said this last semester, but it applies once again, so I'm going to double down:
For those who want safety warnings:
The ending a cliffhanger .
I'm going to assume you've read the first book and know more or less what to expect with this. Let me just say: 95% of the time, this book is more than everything you're hoping for, but 5% of the time it's somehow just ever-so-slightly less. That's not a bad thing, though; the just-the-smallest-bit-not-fully-satisfied feeling I got once or twice during this read was short-lived, and if anything, it only made me want to read the next book even more. There's clearly still so much left to uncover, and you can bet I'll be on the edge of my seat for the next five months waiting to find out what happens.
When it comes to the plot: this builds on where Nightpiercer left off, and throws in some excellent twists and turns you won't expect but will still feel authentic and not like it's trying to be a crazy soap opera. I absolutely adore the world Ravenell has built, and the way she weaves so many plot lines and characters together is masterful. There was a brief moment when I was reading this where I thought the entire book might be centered around one "stage" of a challenge Lachlan had to face, but I needn't have ever worried. This book does not feel at all like a "bridge" or "filler" piece, the way that so many second books in trilogies or series often do; it bites off way more than you expect it to, and it manages to chew it all. We see dramatic progress on multiple storylines, and yet there's still clearly so much more to come. It's excellent.
On the characters... I said this last semester, but it applies once again, so I'm going to double down:
They're real. They're multidimensional and flawed, but not in any way that feels forced. They're the orchestrators of some of their own pain, but at the same time, you know exactly why they make the mistakes they make, why they react to things the way they do. It's beautiful and raw and I love each and every one of them so, so much. I want to cradle our main characters to my chest, but I also want to let them stumble around, fall, scrape their knees, and get back up. ...I haven't been this attached to a male and female lead in a long while.Everything I said about them in the last book still rings true. Lachlan and Reiner are beautiful and messy and real, and I love every glimpse we get of them. Do they communicate perfectly? Oh hell no. Are there some misunderstandings that could've been cleared up with a bit of actually sitting the fuck down and talking? Most definitely. But you could tell they tried, and you could see what was holding them back when they maybe didn't do exactly what you hoped they'd do next. (And, just as importantly: this is not a case of incredibly stupid misunderstandings used as plot points like you might see in other books.) This felt genuine and real in a way so many books and characters never do. My heart broke for each of our leads at different points in the story, and I loved getting to see more of the supporting characters develop, too.
For those who want safety warnings:
The ending a cliffhanger .
May 17, 2020
Wow!
This book! It’s not a matter of did I like it, it’s that I loved every single second of it. The second book in the Nightpiercer series did not disappoint, in fact it raised the bar a-whole-nother level. This series has quickly become my favorite from this author and I cannot wait for Book 3. How much do I have to pay for an early preview?
Sex: oh yes! And so much more than the first book, but within the realms of not overdoing it. In fact, health issues aside, why weren’t they banging more than it insinuated - in my head, there was more, but I was happy with what was on the pages, because while it fit in the story, it also enhanced the romance side of the story. In fact the sex was a tool to show the reader the way in which the relationship developed.
Plot: If you haven’t read book 1, you need too. If you are like me and read book 1 the day it came out, I recommend rereading Book 1 to get back in the world and remind yourself what the hell is going on, because it all starts going on in book 2 and you won’t have time to stop and ask directions. In book 2, we pick back up on Lachesis and Rainer, our estranged Omega bred werewolves who are amongst some of the last survivors of Earths implosion. After being traded (sold) to Nightpiercer for her womb, Lachesis has already gone through a lot of humiliation, and at the end of book 1, she’d lost her will to fight. In book 2, carrying the scars and shame of book 1, Lachesis starts fighting again, and Captain Tsu has a lot to do with it (can I just say, I’m a little in love with the man). Picking up from the end of book 1, we see Lachesis trying to make her home among her new pack, but being shunned by every man and his dog. I don’t want to spoil anything, but you are going to cheer her on, you will swoon for Rainer, you will yell BOO! At nearly every other member of Nightpiercer (okay, that moment is particularly reserved for that moment the result are revealed for the aptitude test - I imagined myself jumping up on the stage and yelling “shame on you, Nightpiercer. Shame on all of you except the five the clapped.) Yes, that is how caught up you are going to get in this story.
World: Earth is gone. What is left of earth is packaged in a few tin cans floating around in space back near Jupiter. The research the author has done in creating this world is amazing. The scene is visible in your minds eye as you read, and the world building sucks you in to feel every bit a part of the Nightpiercer ship.
Recommend: Hell, yes! But make sure you read book 1 first.
In a nutshell, this book has everything; Sci-Fi, fantasy, romance, political intrigue, suspense, power dynamics, shifters, and enough science and space to get your geek on without overloading your brain.
This book! It’s not a matter of did I like it, it’s that I loved every single second of it. The second book in the Nightpiercer series did not disappoint, in fact it raised the bar a-whole-nother level. This series has quickly become my favorite from this author and I cannot wait for Book 3. How much do I have to pay for an early preview?
Sex: oh yes! And so much more than the first book, but within the realms of not overdoing it. In fact, health issues aside, why weren’t they banging more than it insinuated - in my head, there was more, but I was happy with what was on the pages, because while it fit in the story, it also enhanced the romance side of the story. In fact the sex was a tool to show the reader the way in which the relationship developed.
Plot: If you haven’t read book 1, you need too. If you are like me and read book 1 the day it came out, I recommend rereading Book 1 to get back in the world and remind yourself what the hell is going on, because it all starts going on in book 2 and you won’t have time to stop and ask directions. In book 2, we pick back up on Lachesis and Rainer, our estranged Omega bred werewolves who are amongst some of the last survivors of Earths implosion. After being traded (sold) to Nightpiercer for her womb, Lachesis has already gone through a lot of humiliation, and at the end of book 1, she’d lost her will to fight. In book 2, carrying the scars and shame of book 1, Lachesis starts fighting again, and Captain Tsu has a lot to do with it (can I just say, I’m a little in love with the man). Picking up from the end of book 1, we see Lachesis trying to make her home among her new pack, but being shunned by every man and his dog. I don’t want to spoil anything, but you are going to cheer her on, you will swoon for Rainer, you will yell BOO! At nearly every other member of Nightpiercer (okay, that moment is particularly reserved for that moment the result are revealed for the aptitude test - I imagined myself jumping up on the stage and yelling “shame on you, Nightpiercer. Shame on all of you except the five the clapped.) Yes, that is how caught up you are going to get in this story.
World: Earth is gone. What is left of earth is packaged in a few tin cans floating around in space back near Jupiter. The research the author has done in creating this world is amazing. The scene is visible in your minds eye as you read, and the world building sucks you in to feel every bit a part of the Nightpiercer ship.
Recommend: Hell, yes! But make sure you read book 1 first.
In a nutshell, this book has everything; Sci-Fi, fantasy, romance, political intrigue, suspense, power dynamics, shifters, and enough science and space to get your geek on without overloading your brain.
June 19, 2020
Separated Starlight is even better than NightPiercer; not many sequels can claim that! Right from the get go, this book is much faster-paced than the first. The plot is intense and action-packed.
Oh, and the characters! This is where Ravenell shines. Like I said in my review of NightPiercer:
That is doubly true in this book! With all the context from the first book in place, the character growth that occurs is spectacular. Lachesis really comes into her own in this book; she has some seriously badass moments (trust me, you will be cheering her on). By no means has she overcome her flaws (she's still plagued by self-doubt and a lack of self-worth), but she has become stronger despite them.
Separated Starlight was such a pleasure to read. This series has me hooked. I'm counting down the days to book 3: Between Dark Places.
Oh, and the characters! This is where Ravenell shines. Like I said in my review of NightPiercer:
Both the main characters, Lachesis and Rainer, are deeply flawed and so well-fleshed out. Ravenell does such a great job of pulling the reader into the protagonists' lived experiences and emotions so that you're in it with them.
That is doubly true in this book! With all the context from the first book in place, the character growth that occurs is spectacular. Lachesis really comes into her own in this book; she has some seriously badass moments (trust me, you will be cheering her on). By no means has she overcome her flaws (she's still plagued by self-doubt and a lack of self-worth), but she has become stronger despite them.
Separated Starlight was such a pleasure to read. This series has me hooked. I'm counting down the days to book 3: Between Dark Places.
July 26, 2020
All my friends are reading about the 1918 influenza outbreak, the rise of dictators, or other serious subjects, and here I am, sad that the next book in a series of "werewolves in space" novels is not out yet. Hey, I watch the news. I contact my elected representatives when I feel like they should hear from me. Don't I deserve a little fun in my reading? This book is fun. It definitely kept me from thinking about pandemics, government overreach, or even why I can't make a decent sourdough starter. That's good enough for me.
I was more than halfway through this book when I was annoyed by the way things were turning out, and I wondered how many more times was the author going to get mileage out of having the heroine treated badly in exactly the same way she has been numerous times before... but then! But then, things did not play out in the way I expected. I do like it when an author leads me along a familiar garden path, but then I look up and find myself in an undiscovered country.
I was more than halfway through this book when I was annoyed by the way things were turning out, and I wondered how many more times was the author going to get mileage out of having the heroine treated badly in exactly the same way she has been numerous times before... but then! But then, things did not play out in the way I expected. I do like it when an author leads me along a familiar garden path, but then I look up and find myself in an undiscovered country.
June 4, 2021
Such great imagination
Love the books so far, but where is Book 3??!! It said it was supposed to be released October of 2020??? It's action packed w great imagination, angsty love hate relationship which I love. Great storyline. The only thing I didn't like so much is that Lake thinks so low of herself, I wish that character had self esteem. And her love interest could be more alpha ish.
Love the books so far, but where is Book 3??!! It said it was supposed to be released October of 2020??? It's action packed w great imagination, angsty love hate relationship which I love. Great storyline. The only thing I didn't like so much is that Lake thinks so low of herself, I wish that character had self esteem. And her love interest could be more alpha ish.
June 9, 2020
Fantastic sequel! Really took the original concept and ran so well with it. Expanded the universe with the mystery of the lost ships and it was great to see the romance evolve. This sequel definitely does not disappoint and I was especially lucky as it had already been published by the time I read the first book! Now just to sweat the third book!
May 19, 2020
Merry!!!
As always, Merry has delivered the goods. With an idea this outlandish, she still has a way of making everything seem so believable. I’m always a sucker for a good cliff hanger, too, so I can’t wait for #3!
As always, Merry has delivered the goods. With an idea this outlandish, she still has a way of making everything seem so believable. I’m always a sucker for a good cliff hanger, too, so I can’t wait for #3!
June 26, 2020
Brilliant!
Absolutely brilliant! I was screaming, swearing, laughing and cheering at various bits of this book. It is such an epic sequel! I cant believe I must wait so long for book 3! An absolute must read!
Absolutely brilliant! I was screaming, swearing, laughing and cheering at various bits of this book. It is such an epic sequel! I cant believe I must wait so long for book 3! An absolute must read!
August 13, 2020
Merry does it again
I am not a sci fi reader normally, but I thought I'd give these books a chance since I like her other titles. Wow, I am glad I did. These have just the right mix of action, relationship drama,band world building. Can't wait till October!
I am not a sci fi reader normally, but I thought I'd give these books a chance since I like her other titles. Wow, I am glad I did. These have just the right mix of action, relationship drama,band world building. Can't wait till October!
October 28, 2020
Will this be the end?
Book two hit all the right nerve endings and as I believe everyone is, I am waiting with baited breath for the third in the series to grace us with its presence.
Book two hit all the right nerve endings and as I believe everyone is, I am waiting with baited breath for the third in the series to grace us with its presence.
June 19, 2021
Depressing with little to no character/story development. Also a mild cliffhanger at the end. The story idea for the series is good but the abuse/neglect the main character gets ruined the story for me. The next book isn’t out and while I’d like to see how it ends I doubt I’ll get the next book.
December 28, 2021
Should be 3 stars but... Probably just me - but too much angst, too Much emotional shit between Lake and Rainer that got me pulling out my hair. Didn't see where the book was heading and it surprised me. All in all not a bad book.
April 6, 2021
Excellent
I am ready for the third book, what more can I say. Just that this nerdy space opera has me by the leash. I am dying for them to make it back to Earth.
I am ready for the third book, what more can I say. Just that this nerdy space opera has me by the leash. I am dying for them to make it back to Earth.
March 14, 2023
I am infatuated!!!!
So gooodddddd ughhhhhhh, I can’t even 😩
Also why the hell did it require 13 more words to post my review!? 😡
So gooodddddd ughhhhhhh, I can’t even 😩
Also why the hell did it require 13 more words to post my review!? 😡
October 27, 2023
4.5 stars
December 15, 2023
These books are wickedly clever and nuanced. KU gems, I promise.
June 12, 2024
OMG the work, research, and detail that went into this!
November 19, 2022
I have serious book hangover.
From the moment Merry started Nightpiercer (aka. Werewolves in Space), I was hooked. The first book left me begging for book two, and I was grateful Merry didn’t make us wait too long for it. But, as I expected she would, Book 2 Separated Starlight left me checking my calendar and calculating how long I need to wait for book 3.
Everything about this book had me hooked from page 1. I couldn’t put it down until I finished it, which just happened to coincide with the sunrise. Well-written Sci-Fi Fantasy with a great helping of shifter romance and so much science and space research that my brain engages on all levels of reading to learn, and reading for pleasure.
Highly recommend this series.
From the moment Merry started Nightpiercer (aka. Werewolves in Space), I was hooked. The first book left me begging for book two, and I was grateful Merry didn’t make us wait too long for it. But, as I expected she would, Book 2 Separated Starlight left me checking my calendar and calculating how long I need to wait for book 3.
Everything about this book had me hooked from page 1. I couldn’t put it down until I finished it, which just happened to coincide with the sunrise. Well-written Sci-Fi Fantasy with a great helping of shifter romance and so much science and space research that my brain engages on all levels of reading to learn, and reading for pleasure.
Highly recommend this series.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews