Sci-Fi Romance Review: Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

bought on Audible

Synopsis from Goodreads

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.

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6/10

I am not dissing fan fiction here, folks, because C.S. Pacat's books came from fan fiction, and they are extremely plot-tight and with superb character development but knowing that Winter's Orbit started as fanfic explains a lot of my confusion.

I was so bored with relationship back and forths and a constant barrage of misunderstandings. Come on! How many times do they have to misinterpret each other?!!

Also, this sci-fi romance is heavy on romance and light on sci-fi elements which is a shame, because the glimpses of the universe and the world-building were really intriguing. I loved brief mentions of Thean clan structure and customs, wanted to know more and really enjoyed strange Iscat flora and fauna.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters and their interactions with the protagonists more than the dialogues between the main heroes themselves. Bell, Kiem's PA, was awesome and fleshed out well, and The Auditor was very intriguing.

Overall, with all the hype I was expecting more substance. This was much ado about very little, and Jainan's accent on audio was extremely annoying, by the way. Expect lots of tiptoeing around and a little bit of action to the end. 

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Я не критикую фанфикшн здесь, ребята, так как те же книги Си.Эс.Пакат начались как фанфикшн, и они просто чудесные, с шикарным развитием характеров и крепким построении мира. Но, зная, что истоки Зимней Орбиты - в фанфике, мне теперь многое понятно.

Кием и Джайнан елозили свои отношения и недопонимания до тошноты. Туда-сюда, туда-сюда, да так, что у меня просто отключался мозг и слушала я части книги на автопилоте.

Также это научно фантастический роман с большим акцентом не романтике и маленькими кусочками фантастики. Жаль конечно, так как проблески мира, что я увидела, были мне интересны: от клановой структуры Теана до чудовищной фауны Иската.

Мне также больше понравились диалоги второстепенных героев с главными героями, чем общение между протагонистами. Белл, персональный ассистент принца Киема, была чудесна, а фигура Аудитора была очень загадочной.

В общем-то, со всем ажиотажем об этой книге, я ожидала большего. А так, много шума из ничего. Ожидайте, что оба принца буду ходить на цыпочках всю книгу, а под конец нам дадут немного экшна.