First read 02/2025

It wasn't as good as Winter's Orbit, but it had the potential to be much, much better. It pulled me in very quickly; Tennal was such a strong presence on the page, and although I didn't necessarily like him, he was very well established. The section when he thinks he's going to be forcibly synced and panicking? Tremendous. Unfortunately, Surit felt pretty empty in comparison.

The plot is much more ambitious than the last book, relying on animosity between vastly powerful factions that aren't ever fleshed out enough to be truly compelling, so the political intrigue is never as good as it could be. The side characters were very forgettable, and Maxwell isn't a particularly good action writer, but I can't shake the suspicion that if she'd managed to nail everything she was trying to do it, would have been an absolutely outstanding book. Up until she brought in the factional power-plays and broadened the scope, it was going very well. I've never particularly liked stories about people with psychic powers, but this was on track to be my all-time favourite.

Unfortunately, Maxwell is a romance writer, or at least drawing very heavily on the modern romance genre. This means that both leads are very good-looking. I can't help but think that if their attractiveness hadn't been taken for granted, she might have put a bit more effort into how their relationship unfurls. Attractiveness ought to be earned. In a similar vein, whenever Surit or Tennal is thinking about the other and thinks 'Hey, I love him,' that immediately ends their ruminations, as though getting the word "love" onto the page is the be-all-and-end-all of interpersonal relationships. I hate to say it, but perhaps the book would have been better if they'd become friends with each other, instead of romantic partners? Without being able to fall back on cute boys in love, Maxwell might have felt a bit more pressure to do something really compelling with their relationship.