This book is a heady mix of science fiction themes I really enjoy including stored consciousness (a la Altered Carbon), multiple bodies/one person (a la the Locked Tomb), evil corporate overlords/space royals extracting resources and hurting people (a la Dune) all with a gorgeous rebellion and climate emphasis (a la The Fifth Season). There’s even a kind of zombie plague thing (a la Severance or Zone One, kind of) and sentient technology developing annoying feelings (a la Murderbot). It’s like Megan O’Keefe took notes on all of the things I love in a book and threw them in a blender!

The plot is intricate. The worlds are detailed and there is crossing and double crossing galore. Although the blurb touts a romance it is maybe the slowest burn romance of all time and definitely not at all the focus of the plot of this installment. The two main characters have delicious tension but it feels a lot more like the vibes between Harrow and Gideon than a capital-R Romance novel where the relationship takes main stage, especially because the FMC has a role much like Gideon’s - she is tasked with protecting the MMC’s family (he’s basically a space prince) - and they do NOT “get along” for about half the book. 

I did get heavier will they/won’t they vibes in the preview chapter for book two so I am intrigued, but quite honestly? I didn’t miss the romance at all. There was so much going on here that I was fully entertained without a main couple doing their thing (I know, I know, but I do read non-romance from time to time!!). 

Recommended! This is the first book of a series I can’t wait to read more of! If you like any of the books mentioned above, you will love this. Gory and exciting with lots of intrigue and interplanetary politics.