When Tennal – a rich socialite, inveterate flirt, and walking disaster – is caught using his telepathic powers for illegal activities, the military decides to bind his mind to someone whose coercive powers are strong enough to control him.
official synopsis
Enter Lieutenant Surit, the child of a disgraced general. Out of a desperate need to restore a pension to his other parent, Lieutenant Surit agrees to be bound to Tennal and keep him conscripted in the army, a task that seems impossible even for someone with Surit’s ability to control minds.
Tennal just wants to escape, but Surit isn’t all that he seems. And their bond may just be the key to their freedom.
REVIEW
I always planned to read WINTER’S ORBIT by Everina Maxwell, given how well it has been received by the book community. Somehow, it kept getting bumped off my TBR due to ARCs, or just because I picked up something else when I looked to reading a backlist book. When I saw the announcement for this book, I asked for an ARC immediately to ensure that I do not miss out on it.
This is a standalone book set in the same universe as WINTER’S ORBIT. I did not have to pay extra attention to understand any aspect of the story, and I love how accessible it is, for readers who haven’t read the previous book, and I did not find any references in the story that I felt could be better appreciated by a reader who picks up this book with no idea that it is even set in the same universe as another, and I cannot emphasise this enough.
It takes place in a world where, as a result of some scientific experimentation, some people have the ability to read minds, and some others have the ability to control them, or write to them. Those who can read minds, aka readers, are considered security threats and can be kept in line by syncing them with those who can write. I have seen some buzz in the community that gives me the feeling that people expect this to be a romance with some science fiction elements peppered in, but I would strongly advise against that expectation. It has as much of a strong romantic arc as it focuses on the military, sci-fi and political aspects, and all of this is done wonderfully.
This book contains the perspectives of two protagonists, Tennal Halkana and Surit Yeni. Tennal, who is a politician’s disaster of a nephew, is conscripted into the military and is paired to be synced with Surit, who accepts the proposal in his desperation for a promotion and all it entails. When Surit finds out that Tenant did not voluntarily consent to this, he is unwilling to go through with the sync, and they decide to fake it until Tennal gets an opportunity to escape.
This is a book written with simple, but stellar prose. There was a particular part of book that described chaotic space that just gave me goosebumps and left me in awe. The author ensures that the reader is given a good sense of how expansive the world is, while the story happens in a very contained setting. There are multiple characters who come into play, and there is a lot of history that is discovered by the protagonists, and all of this is explored gently in a manner that does not overwhelm the reader.
Now, Tennal and Surit’s partnership is my favourite part of the book. Tennal prides himself on what he calls “obstructive fuckery” and Surit is a stickler for rules and regulations. It was just pure fun to see them interact and work through their differences as they were forced to be around each other, and slowly want to be around each other and influence each other’s behaviour, in one of the best slow-burns I have read. It was honestly very hard to shake off the feeling that they were fictional characters, and I know I will not be able to shake off the feeling that they’re real people for a while just because of how well-realised they are on the pages.
The central theme of the book is control and the lengths people go to, and narratives they construct to obtain it and hold on to it. This world clearly contains people who are power hungry and look to go to great lengths to gain more, and this is all nicely tied in with the ideas of reading and writing, and the politics that go on as the story unfolds. There are a few revelations that seem very natural and some others that explain the truth behind what Tennal and Surit know about their respective families, and in extension, the world they live in.
I loved reading this book and I found it hard to stop smiling by the end of it. The conclusion is satisfactory, but I can also see how it can set up for another book in the same universe if needed, and that’s definitely a prospect that excites me. Everina Maxwell has become one of my auto-buy authors, and I know I will put everything aside if I receive a review copy of any of her books in the future. I recommend this to every reader of speculative fiction as it is one thrilling inter-galactic ride they will not want to miss out on.
RATING
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. Quotes, if any, are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
LINKS
Add OCEAN’S ECHO on Goodreads here | Author’s website
Find more of my reviews here, as well as on the Fantasy Book Critic blog
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