The Red Scholar’s Wake was my first book from Aliette de Bodard but will absolutely not be my last! The Red Scholar’s Wake follows Xich Si and Rich Fish, a scavenger and pirate respectively. Rich Fish is a sentient spaceship that finds Xich Si after the death of her first wife. Since Xich Si has the technical skills to uncover the truth of her wife’s death, Rice Fish and Xich Si are wed. A marriage in name only, nothing more. But as the stakes rise and betrayal becomes evident, the two are thrust together and forced to examine what they truly mean to each other. 

The Red Scholar’s Wake is a stunning space opera filled with LGBTQ+ rep, pirate politics, and Vietnamese-esque science fiction. The relationship between Rice Fish and Xich Si is soft and pining, filled with yearning. I loved watching this evolve and deepen as their adventure unravels. I also enjoyed the side characters such as ships like Crow’s Words and the inclusion of Xich Si’s young daughter Khanh. Aliette de Bodard weaves in themes of grief, love, and what it means to truly create a safe haven. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! I would recommend this for fans of Everina Maxwell, Tamsyn Muir, and Xiran Jay Zhao. Thank you so much to Aliette de Bodard, JABerwocky Literary Agency, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.