Overall, I enjoyed this one. I felt like sometimes the writing was rather clunky and the pacing was a little off. After about halfway through, the action started to pick up and the plot moved along nicely. I liked the setting, but I feel like we didn't see enough of it. The two characters were on a whole different planet and there was little to no description of the world around the characters. It didn't feel alien enough to me. I loved the characters and how they each. had their own unique voice and the development that they went through. This also did not suffer from a case of insta-love. The relationship developed naturally and id not feel forced. I will definitely be reading the sequel to this. My final rating would be 3.5 stars.

I really liked the idea/premise for this, but I struggle with science fiction. The world-building seemed really challenging to me. I think this would be fantastic for more seasoned sci-fi fans!

I was a bit unsure going into this one, as I knew it had a strong romance subplot and I am not a lover of romance. However, I am happy to say that this was delightful and the science fiction plot was strong throughout, which I really appreciated. Kiem and Jainan were both really well fleshed out as characters and it helped to have both of their perspectives to give more insight into their behaviours. I also enjoyed a lot of the peripheral characters, with Bel being a particular favourite. The plotting was tight and compelling and the pacing was balanced nicely, giving breathing space for the relationship aspects to flourish but with enough action moments to keep things interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed the reading experience of this one and I would definitely read more books set in this world.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book had a good plot, and I love the fact that people’s genders have absolutely nothing to do with what they look like, characters can tell each others genders by the stuff they wear that’s basically the equivalent of a pronoun pin. But I also felt like there aaa too much filler, too much stuff that happened that was too convenient, and also not one, but two surprise villains (my least favorite trope ever because it makes for really shallow characterization)

(i received this e-arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

this is how i envision a queer and diverse alternate universe of star wars.

Winter’s Orbit succeeds at what it’s trying to do precisely because it centres a queer couple. The central premise of Jainan and Kiem’s relationship standing for and representing that between Thea and Iskat relies on our ability to approach it as a relationship that has space to be truly egalitarian, and that is founded on mutual respect. That is not something that can be done easily through the way that heterosexual relationships are typically framed in Western romance storytelling. Kiem and Jainan’s partnership and the way it is founded on mutual respect, compassion, and kindness is responsible for moving Iskat and Thea towards a fairer and more mutually beneficial relationship. We could all learn from that in how we approach the big issues facing the world today.

Caroline Mersey

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I really really liked this one.

I’m usually not a huge fan of science fiction, but this one was fantastic.

I highly recommend for fans of sci fi!

I want to premise this review by saying just how much I adore LGBT romance novels and one of my favorite authors is Mary Calmes. I just finished this book and couldn’t get a handle on the storyline. The romance is pure and the book was a fast read because it was so enoyable but the story was all over the place. I won’t spoil it but I do want to say I recommend this novel for any Mary Calmes fans.

Why did it take me so long to read this book?! 😭

Seriously, I’ve already been having a great reading month, and this book has officially taken over as my favorite!

After finishing it last night, I already wanted to immediately pick it back up again.

It’s a sci-fi, romance, and mystery all in one. And none of the story gets pushed to the wayside for the others.
I absolutely loved the characters (both our main characters and side characters) and the world building (I absolutely love a sci-fi with normalized queerness)!

5⭐️! I can’t wait to see what this author will do next!

Winter's Orbit is an excellent sci-fi romance story, which is something that can be very hard to find for sci-fi readers who want more romantic build up between characters. With that being said, it is a very slow burn with a lot of pining (just kiss already!!!). In addition to the romance and sci-fi this books leans heavy onto interplanetary politics, which is always an interesting piece of the world building in sci-fi books that you don't get to see enough of. Overall I enjoyed this book and while it is not my usual genre, it has me wanting to read more science fiction novels in the future. Thank you NetGalley and Tor for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love love loved this book! I'm a sucker for characters who are recovering from trauma and abuse, add that to a scifi space opera? YES PLEASE!

I actually didn't finish it, because I found it kind of boring. I would recommend to someone if I thought it was inline with their interests, as it is not a bad book per say, just wasn't to my tastes exactly.
I felt it started slow, and though I gave it a go try, I put it down and never picked it up again. I think it should have moved faster in its pacing.

I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the world building at the start, I love all the depth to the world, the system, the politics, and the arrangement. The pace and romance to this is a slow, slow burn. I enjoyed Kiem and Jainan and their arranged marriage trope. I wish the miscommunication had been slightly less so. Still, I enjoyed this so much and I want more queer sci-fi like this!

I’m always partial to a political intrigue plot. Plus a gay romance?? Sign me up. Such a fun, sweet book.

Wonderfully readable and entertaining space opera with a strong m/m romance at the centre. The arranged marriage trope was fun in this context, and provided a scaffold for the two characters’ emotional arcs to weave together. Recommended!

3.5 stars! there were parts if this that i loved and parts that didn’t hold my interest quite as much. i thought the characters were all developed in beautiful ways, and i really loved Jainan especially. the audiobook was a super fun experience. my only complaint was the pacing—at times i felt my thoughts drifting, and it was hard to pull myself back and focus. i also typically dislike the miscommunication trope but i found that it worked for these characters and i could understand why it needed to be included! overall, a tender and epic sci-fi queer tale that i think any sff reader would enjoy.

Good book with interesting characters and setting. I liked the complicated politics and the slow build-up to trust and love. Would recommend.

Yes.
Every time I had to put this down bc of school or work I was sad, but now I've finished it and ahhhhh

Fascinating scifi set in a complicated interplanetary Empire -- but the real draw of this novel is the arranged marriage between two political representatives that becomes so much more. I really enjoyed the characters, and while the plot is occasionally confusing, the action and political aspects are very engaging. A great read!