The Simmering Seas - This book started in a way that felt very familiar and fit some well-worn space opera tropes. A couple of rich girls slumming it in disguise to try to ferret out clues about a mystery left behind by one of the girl's brothers. The noticeable stranger in the bar. The inevitable trouble. But from there it veered off into entirely unpredictable territory spinning a story I never would have guessed the original pieces were building towards.
This is a slower burn story that jumps around both in time and from POV. It is a complex, nuanced narrative that really needs to be digested to be fully appreciated. There were parts that threw me for a bit when they were introduced that were absolutely brilliant once it became clear how they fit the larger narrative. By the end, things were moving at breakneck speed. The focus I think was more on the world building and the premise behind the series, but there were a few characters who were carefully developed though the book too. The reveals and growth were well done.
The Splinter Alliance - This was totally not what I was expected after the way book 1 ended - but was an absolute fitting continuation. A jump forward into another aspect of multiverse spanning conflict that constantly keeps you guessing. Dangerous and action packed puzzle that just keeps building. Kennedy has chosen a very unique POV to write this book from that adds to the slight disorientation and anticipation of what is coming. I was expecting a big reveal and twist at the end - but nothing like what actually happened. Well worth the ride and a second read through too because there is just so much in the details that only starts to become clear later on.
The Midnight Shower - This series continues to surprise and delight - and horrify. Once again Kennedy dove deep into the story at a point completely separated from what I was expecting based on the huge reveal and cliff hanger from the end of book 2. Ya-Li Taron? We left him at the end of book 1 and really only saw what Kara Syung knew of him. He kind of felt like collateral damage dragged into the whole mess. But he was one of the very few survivors, and perhaps, there was a deep er reason for that. Turns out this is exactly the right place for the next part of the story.
From the end of book 2 you ware probably wondering the same as I did - but what happened to Rylen Jee? Oh my. We get more of his story too, but it is a strange and difficult one. It was truly masterful the way his story and Ya-Li Taron's story come together, all the while slowly revealing more about the Splinter and the 9 universes.