12 Follower
I was ecstatic to receive an eARC of one of my most anticipated releases. Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher! I adored Winter’s Orbit and have reread it multiple times this year alone, so it was obvious that I was going to read more from the author. I am really happy about the opportunity to read this book early. The story is about Tennal and Surit, two very different neurologically enhanced people who find themselves conspiring against the military. Tennal is an unwilling conscript with a criminal past who can read minds and refuses to follow the orders sync himself for life to a powerful architect, a person who can control minds. Surit, the architect in question, is desperate to prove himself in the military after his mother died in disgrace but he also refuses to carry out the illegal orders to sync Tennal against his will. Unfortunately, both of them are caught in a web of military conspiracies that proves impossible to escape unless they work together. The author’s newest space adventure left me delighted with all its secrets and power struggles and two protagonists who are forced to trust each other. The humor of the writing style helps lighten the high stakes and works wonderful, while the suspense is consistently rising in the background. When I got to the second half of the book, I constantly had to remind myself to take breaks for eating and sleeping. I immediately took a liking to both protagonists. Tennal is an agent of chaos whose life has spiraled so far out of control that he doesn’t show fear of consequences anymore. He is driven by this fear, though, and keeps searching for an escape from his old and current life. Surit seems to be his opposite with his perfect grades and military track record and unbendable moral compass. Following the rules is his trademark, while Tennal prefers to break them. Both of them quickly create an intriguing dynamic with each other that was so fun to see unfold! Their character developments are fantastic. The plot focuses on the military and its past and present dubious decisions. There are more than two sides, though, and every player has their own motives. It got to a point where it was confusing to keep track of everything and how it’s connected, but that is most likely on purpose, considering how the characters themselves struggle to find the right way over the metaphorical chess board. It also increased my involvement with the story and none of the political maneuvers were left unexplained, so I was able to keep up. At the beginning, I feared that I would constantly compare this book with Winter’s Orbit. This fear was quickly set aside, however, because Ocean’s Echo is entirely its own story. There are similar aspects, for example two protagonists who are bound to each other against their will and suddenly find themselves in the midst of a great conspiracy they can only untangle if they trust one other, or a similar slightly self-depreciating humor. Meaning that anyone who liked the first book of the author is probably also going to like this one. The way Ocean’s Echo focuses less on the romance and more on the overarching plot actually makes it feel a bit more balanced than Winter’s Orbit. But that was it with my comparisons! They are both great books I enjoyed immensely and while reading, I stopped thinking of Winter’s Orbit altogether. In conclusion, I found a new favorite book in this one. The worldbuilding with its intricate society built on its military past, the action-laden gripping plot, two characters I couldn’t not love and a generally open attitude towards queerness - those are all the reasons I loved this story. I had to read it within two days because I literally could not bring myself to stop reading. I highly recommend it!
17. Dez. 2023
I was ecstatic to receive an eARC of one of my most anticipated releases. Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher! I adored Winter’s Orbit and have reread it multiple times this year alone, so it was obvious that I was going to read more from the author. I am really happy about the opportunity to read this book early. The story is about Tennal and Surit, two very different neurologically enhanced people who find themselves conspiring against the military. Tennal is an unwilling conscript with a criminal past who can read minds and refuses to follow the orders sync himself for life to a powerful architect, a person who can control minds. Surit, the architect in question, is desperate to prove himself in the military after his mother died in disgrace but he also refuses to carry out the illegal orders to sync Tennal against his will. Unfortunately, both of them are caught in a web of military conspiracies that proves impossible to escape unless they work together. The author’s newest space adventure left me delighted with all its secrets and power struggles and two protagonists who are forced to trust each other. The humor of the writing style helps lighten the high stakes and works wonderful, while the suspense is consistently rising in the background. When I got to the second half of the book, I constantly had to remind myself to take breaks for eating and sleeping. I immediately took a liking to both protagonists. Tennal is an agent of chaos whose life has spiraled so far out of control that he doesn’t show fear of consequences anymore. He is driven by this fear, though, and keeps searching for an escape from his old and current life. Surit seems to be his opposite with his perfect grades and military track record and unbendable moral compass. Following the rules is his trademark, while Tennal prefers to break them. Both of them quickly create an intriguing dynamic with each other that was so fun to see unfold! Their character developments are fantastic. The plot focuses on the military and its past and present dubious decisions. There are more than two sides, though, and every player has their own motives. It got to a point where it was confusing to keep track of everything and how it’s connected, but that is most likely on purpose, considering how the characters themselves struggle to find the right way over the metaphorical chess board. It also increased my involvement with the story and none of the political maneuvers were left unexplained, so I was able to keep up. At the beginning, I feared that I would constantly compare this book with Winter’s Orbit. This fear was quickly set aside, however, because Ocean’s Echo is entirely its own story. There are similar aspects, for example two protagonists who are bound to each other against their will and suddenly find themselves in the midst of a great conspiracy they can only untangle if they trust one other, or a similar slightly self-depreciating humor. Meaning that anyone who liked the first book of the author is probably also going to like this one. The way Ocean’s Echo focuses less on the romance and more on the overarching plot actually makes it feel a bit more balanced than Winter’s Orbit. But that was it with my comparisons! They are both great books I enjoyed immensely and while reading, I stopped thinking of Winter’s Orbit altogether. In conclusion, I found a new favorite book in this one. The worldbuilding with its intricate society built on its military past, the action-laden gripping plot, two characters I couldn’t not love and a generally open attitude towards queerness - those are all the reasons I loved this story. I had to read it within two days because I literally could not bring myself to stop reading. I highly recommend it!
17. Dez. 2023
