ARC Review: Winter’s Orbit

This was a science-fiction romance novel that I didn’t know I needed. Everina Maxwell has created an excellent book with a rich military and political influence – I very much enjoyed the small details included. The romance is cute, the plot is fast-paced and intriguing and the characters are just out of this world.

Star rating: 5 stars

Kiem is the prince with a reputation for partying in causing trouble. He’s all over the news for his outrageous antics, but he uses his people and diplomacy skills to get himself out of trouble. One day, the Emperor, his grandmother, arranges a marriage for him to a representative from the planet Thea, in order to save a treaty. Jainan is the exact opposite of Kiem – he’s academic, socially awkward and quiet. He lost his previous husband and has to marry Kiem to save the treaty that keeps Thea part of the Iskat Empire. Will it be the case of opposites attract?

I really loved the way this book handled sexuality – each culture had their own way of expressing gender which was super cool. It was up to the people to choose what they expressed and nobody challenged it. The romance is also adorable – these two guys are absolute disasters but both of them are so cute in their own way.

The plot is very fast-paced and includes plenty of opportunities for Kiem and Jainan to showcase their unique skills. I loved how the characters supported each other’s differences. The side characters are also great – I particularly enjoyed Bel, who is Kiem’s personal aide. She was very no nonsense and definitely kept Kiem in check!

Overall this is a really heartwarming story, though it does contain some darker elements such as domestic abuse. I really liked the integration of military with politics, it made for a realistic alternative universe. Really happy I got approved for this arc, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite this good!