About

Winter's Orbit is a standalone novel written by Everina Maxwell.

Winter's Orbit book cover

Blurb

While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control.

But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war... all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.

Review

Before starting, I knew this book had romance and mystery. The mystery part was more interesting for me compared to the romance part.

The setting was a fringe empire of a sprawling universe. Plenty of advanced tech, some mysterious enough to be considered as fantastical. The worldbuilding wasn't detailed enough for me to fully appreciate it though.

I loved Kiem's easy going personality and his ability to get things moving. Jainan was too stiff for most of the book. Their relationship was awkward for the most part as well, which was sort of expected given the events, but it made for a slow read for me. The pacing did pick up a few times and I liked the ending. My predictions regarding the mystery were way off, but these days I tend to not put too much effort and just let the author lead me towards the reveal.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟☆

What others are saying

From Chai's review on goodreads:

Winter’s Orbit represents everything in the genre for which I have an unaffected fondness: an extraordinarily believable and imaginative world with varied forces forming a tremulous web of fraught coexistence, complicated political machinations, the racy, adventurous feel of a mystery left unsolved, deftly rendered characters that drive straight to your heart, and an ineffably tender romance that wraps around you like a thick wool robe—all woven through a superbly assured prose to create the kind of masterful storytelling that wells up to pull the reader into a unique and unforgettable experience.

From C.G. Drews's review on goodreads:

An all-round excellent book, with an intricately detailed world and characters who'll make and break your heart.

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