"The Exiled Fleet" by J.S. Dewes is a thrilling and action-packed sci-fi novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The book follows the crew of the Capricious as they race against time to prevent a deadly threat from destroying the galaxy. Dewes' writing is both fast-paced and immersive, with a remarkable sense of character and world-building. The action scenes are expertly crafted, with a sense of urgency and tension that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. What sets "The Exiled Fleet" apart is its unforgettable cast of characters, each with their unique strengths and weaknesses. Highly recommended for fans of space opera and anyone looking for an exciting and entertaining read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Did not finish. I like science fiction but the story has to be be relatively simple. I could not tell if the sory line was a continuation of previous books but the author never explained the situations brought up in this one. Too confusing for my taste.

So this is the second book in a series and yes you need to read book one first. ABSOLUTELY. You won't regret it. The pace, twists and turns have a harmony and breathless energy that is art. You fall in love with the deeply flawed main characters because they are fighting a battle both inside and out. Have re read it twice already, enjoying finding add detail each time. Not going to compare this series with another as it truly makes it’s own path.

This is a good book. I really enjoyed it and how it moved along at a great pace. The characters are well developed and the story is packed with action and adventure. The authors do a great job delivering a story with a solid plot and interesting subplots. Will look forward to the next book in the series to continue to follow the characters. Left the reader with somewhat of a cliffhanger, so hope it won't be too long for the next one!!

Stars: 5 out of 5

I thought the first book was excellent (and you can read my review if you are interested), because it introduced us to an unusual world full of flawed but engaging characters who were faced with an impossible situation. It was literally life or death. The book was fast-paced and very readable. I'm happy to say that the second book lives up the expectations set up by the first. Rake and the Sentinels have stopped the progression of the Divide and saved the galaxy, but the fact remains that the Legion abandoned them at the edge of nowhere. Their reserves are dwindling, morale is low, and Cav is once again faced with an impossible task - invent a warp drive from scratch to move the giant derelict ship towards the only existing warp gate and into the galaxy proper. If he can't succeed, all the remaining Sentinels (that's four thousand people) starve to death. No pressure.

I thought the stakes were high in the first book. Well, they are even higher here. Especially for Rake and Cav. Because it doesn't matter that you managed to save as many Sentinels as you could from the collapsing Divide. If you can't get them back into the inhabited part of the universe and find a base of operations.

As I had mentioned in the first book, the author has a talent for creating very relatable characters. And I'm not just talking about the main protagonists, but also about most of the supporting characters. Some of them are only introduced for a couple pages, and I'm already in love with them. Like all the Corsairs and grumpy Gideon.

In this book, most of your characters will have to face the consequences of their past actions and inactions. Rake will call on a life debt she'd never planned to have. Cav will discover an earth shattering truth about his past. and Jackin... let's just say that we learn a lot more about who he was, and how he ended up with the Sentinels.

All of them will have to deal with the past and also find a new purpose and a way to move on. Because no matter how monumental a task escaping the Divide was, what awaits them is even bigger. Because the universe is about to get a lot smaller, and a lot of races will fight over the available real estate. Humanity has to present a united front or be wiped out. And right now, humanity is anything but united. Rake and Cav have their job cut out for them. But at least now they have a lot more allies and resources. 

I can't wait to see where this story will go from here. I really hope a certain character is still alive, and that our heroes will mount a successful rescue in the next book.

PS: I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Exiled Fleet by JS Dewes is a wonderful sequel and adds many layers to the universe and to the characters. Filled with political intrigue and complex characters. Enjoyed!

J S Dewes is really, really good. The Exiled Fleet was as good as and built on The Last Watch. If you are looking for great world building, characters to care about and a writing style that feels familiar , you can't go wrong with these books. Good Space Opera is hard to find. Especially good space opera that isn't trying to make commentaries on our own times but just telling a great high stakes story.
Read this now..

The Exiled Fleet is the second installment in author J.S. Dewes' The Divide Series. This series focuses on two main characters, and dozens of secondary characters. Sentinel Cavalon Mercer and Excubitor Adequin Rake are the main characters, while Jackin North, Mesa, Puck, and Owen Larios are important secondary characters. Adequin and her people survived a catastrophe in the previous installment that left her lover dead. Hundreds of Sentinels are dead, and Adequin puts the blame on her shoulders.

If you've read the first book, which I dare hope you have, Adequin made a choice that got her banished to the Divide. Now the Divide is moving in and expanding and anything in the way is being destroyed, including Sentinels who don't know they've been abandoned by higher ups. What's interesting is that while she was only gone for 5 weeks, in reality, she was gone 6 months. As hard as she tries, Rake can't rescue everyone and she does make mistakes. Hundreds of Sentinels have died but more would have died if she had done nothing. In essence, Rake has created a rebellion against those in charge which include Cavalon's grandfather.

Even though his secret heritage has been exposed, Cavalon has become a key piece in the puzzle. He's a brilliant astromechanical engineer who is trying to build an actual star as a power source on the ship, and if he’s successful, they’ll have enough power to make a jump to the Kharon Gate for much needed supplies. Unfortunately, the jump drive uses a rare material which Rake and her team are forced into traveling hundreds of light years in order to find.

While Cavalon and team works on the Typhos’ jump drive online, everyone else onboard contends with diminished rations and the temporal anomalies caused by their proximity to the Divide. With 4,000 rescued Sentinels onboard, rations are being cut back every day. After Adequin Rake returns from restarting the last of the mysterious Viator generators, she realizes that unless she does something, she is likely to be tossed out into the Divide.

The need for supplies soon forces Adequin and her team to venture back into populated space on “a hundred-million light-year errand.” Along the way, a deeper exploration of the motives of the hostile alien Viators adds complexity that nobody could see coming. Thankfully, Adequin's actions 5 years ago has earned her a bit of respect from those she is supposed to be at war with.

We also get a bit more background on not only Adequin, but Jackin North which leads to yet another revelation and an entire new group called Corsairs who are basically smugglers. To top it off, after encountering his diabolical Grandfather, Cavalon uncovers a disturbing secret about his own childhood. In my opinion, one of the best things the publisher did was release books # 1 and # 2 within months of each other. I love that because for an elderly reader like me, it makes it easier to remember key events and key characters without having to resort to digging up old notes.

There is a whole lot to this story. New characters push their way to the front, old characters find themselves in trouble, twists, and turns, and surprises are at every turn, but the story doesn't get bogged down with unnecessary over the top science fiction lingo that often leaves a reader flabbergasted.

This series has such a cool concept (though this one has much less action than the first one) but it's so melodramatic. Instead of breaking the book into acts you can just divide it up by hinging whenever either a) one of the main cast pulls some self-sacrificing martyr nonsense or b) a villain character goes on a long-winded tirade.

The fact that "I'm gonna sacrifice myself for the common good" "no I'm gonna sacrifice MYSELF for the common good but mostly to keep you from having to do it" happened not once but twice in the second half of the book... Y'all that's just too much.

I will say that there being actual queer characters (even if there were only two) and characters with BIPOC features (even if they weren't described with identity-first language, rather in terms of physical descriptors) was a marked improvement from the first book. But picking up right where we left off from the first book (ie AFTER action but with no active new action to spur us on) does the pacing a major disservice.

Will I still read book 3? (I was really hoping this was a duology, honestly) Probably? Maybe? On audio?

This follows The Last Watch as the second in J. S. Dewes military SF series, The Divide. It's set on the edge of the universe, where the dregs of the military kept watch as Sentinels.

They learned that the universe was collapsing, and that they were the only ones who could stop it. War hero Adequin Rake was sent to the Divide after she refused to kill the last living alien Viator breeder. Cavalon Mercer, once heir to the Empire, was exiled after he nuked his grandfather Augustus's cloning facility.

After many adventures, captures and escapes, this episode takes them back to Cav's home territory, where he discovers a shocking secret about his own origins, and about the Emperor's plans.

I cannot say enough how excited I was to read The Exiled Fleet and then how much I loved it. I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, The Last Watch, so I was definitely excited to read this and immediately put in my eARC request. Honestly, The Exiled Fleet is probably my favorite of the two.

The Last Watch centered on trying to escape and prevent the collapse of the edge of the universe, This novel continues their story and focuses on their attempt to build their own fleet and gain allies to rebel against the ruling family/corporation, which controls the military and essentially all of humanity. However, their plans to rebel are put on hold while they attempt to gather supplies and figure out a way to get back to the core (human inhabited space).

This novel had equal parts action and character development but the character development was what made me really enjoy it. Cavalon carries a lot of responsibility this time around and he takes it seriously, doing his best not to let his crew down. Though an amazing leader, Rake struggles with leading this new fleet with thousands of people into war. I adore the relationship they have with each other. Cavalon has a high amount of respect for Rake and though they still treat each other as a commander and soldier should, they've also cultivated a friendship. They balance each other in everything they do and it was kind of heartwarming. I'm not sure if this will turn into a romance in the future but I honestly think their relationship would be just as beautiful if it stayed a platonic friendship.

There were a few moments that actually made me cry, which is a rare thing for me. They were all different scenes that just made me feel hopeful or sad for the characters. I even messaged the author after one scene asking why she has to write so well and make me cry!

I also just want to mention that, like the first book, the science aspects of this novel were easy enough to understand, though it felt like a little more science was included this time around. Cavalon was able to use his college degree a little more this time and had numerous conversations about things he was working on, all of which were important to the overall plot.

To summarize, I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend it. It's a great story overall with good action, great characters, and the science is easy to understand so it'd be a great book for any scifi lover or even someone who is newer to scifi.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Tor Books for this eARC. And, of course, thank you to author J.S. Dewes!

The Exiled Fleet is the second book in The Divide sci-fi series by J. S. Dewes. It starts six months after The Last Watch ended for Cavalon, and five weeks after it for Adequin Rake, thanks to time distortions created by faster than light travel and the void at the edge of the universe where the Sentinels have been posted.

At the end of the first book, the crew of discarded soldiers stopped the shrinking of the universe by activating the devices created by the alien race that humans have tried to wipe out of existence. Not that anyone knows they’ve saved the universe, because they have been deliberately abandoned to their fates at the Divide, the edge of the void.

Rake has been busy saving what was left of the Sentinels and activating the rest of the devices. It’s been only five weeks for her, and she’s still reeling from everything and mourning the death of her lover. Returning to the ancient ship that is the only thing that survived the void is difficult for her, and being greeted as a heroic leader by people who have had months to recover is a bit too much for her.

Meanwhile, Cavalon, the disowned prince of the ruling family of the universe, has been busy building a genius engine that will allow them to make warp jumps with the engineless star ship. But the first jump burns all their fuel, stranding four thousand Sentinels to starve to death unless they can find more. Rake instantly seizes the chance to head on to another adventure. Anything to escape the people she’s made herself responsible of.

The quest isn’t easy. Cavalon’s grandfather has destroyed all but one factory that makes the fuel to control the FTL travel. The small crew must venture deep into the core of the galaxy, a perilous journey that’ll take them straight to the heart of the empire, the palace of the emperor Cavalon has made his best to escape all his life. There he learns some truths about himself that nearly make him destroy himself again. And Rake has to make yet another sacrifice to save the people she’s responsible for.

This book was slower to start than the first. Events were constantly in motion, yet it felt like nothing happened. Once the quest got underway, the pace picked up and kept me in its grips. The character dynamics, especially the friendship between Rake and Cavalon, were as odd as they were in the first book. Partly that’s because apart from those two, I didn’t remember any of the characters. There were no introductions or reminders about who they were to the story and other characters, so I never quite understood what the characters went through (looking at you, Jackin). But we learned a lot about Rake’s and Cavalon’s pasts, which gave depth to them.

In a way, this felt like a smaller book too. The first book took mostly place in a large star ship with constant buzz and random characters creating havoc. Most of this one took place in a small cruiser with a compact cast, and even though they travelled long distances to achieve the impossible, the focus was always within the group.

I liked how the universe expanded though, with new peoples and places added to it. The alien technology was a good way to achieve the impossible tasks the crew had to accomplish without quite feeling like deus ex machina solutions (apart from the ending). However, the addition of the mystical element that brings the universe and the fates of the people where they need to be, felt a bit too much.

I like where the crew ended at. It offered a conclusion while setting the adventures of the next book. I’m looking forward to reading that.

The nitty-gritty: More action, more danger, more twists and higher stakes, The Exiled Fleet is an enormously fun sequel. Space opera fans will not want to miss this series!

I love when publishers choose to release a sequel only months after the publication of the first book, and now Tor has done that with J.S. Dewes’ debut series The Divide. I just reviewed The Last Watch a mere four months ago, and here we are again, back with Rake and Cavalon and Jack and the rest of the crew. And you should note that this series needs to be read in order, so do not attempt to read The Exiled Fleet first, because I guarantee you’ll be lost. Also, my normal warning about sequel reviews: there may be minor spoilers for the first book.

The story picks up right after the end of The Last Watch. The crew of the Typhos has made a couple of important decisions. First, they’ve sent a small crew to the outer reaches of the Divide to rescue as many ships and people as possible, before the collapse of the Divide can destroy them. Led by Excubitor Adequin Rake, they are also hoping to salvage food and supplies, as they are running dangerously low. Back on the Typhos, Cavalon Mercer is trying to build an actual star on the ship, and if he’s successful, they’ll have enough power to make a jump to the Kharon Gate for much needed supplies.

But when something goes wrong with the jump, the crew must face the fact that in order to fix the problem, they’re going to have to go home—back to the Core, a place they haven’t been in years. Because they are no more than criminals—sent to the Divide as punishment for various reasons—going back could be a suicide mission. With the ruthless Guardians on their tail, the crew will need to forge an alliance with an unlikely source if they have any hope of succeeding in their quest.

This is another case of loving the sequel, but still loving the first book in the series just a little more. Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint those reasons, but in this case I think The Exiled Fleet was just a touch too “crowded” with new characters, action scenes, detailed worldbuilding elements and even plot twists. It was a lot to take in, to be honest. I felt lost at times as Dewes brings lots of new information to her story, sometimes one surprise right after another. Before I could absorb what had happened, there was yet another shocker just a few pages later. But despite this, Dewes never loses her grip on the story and manages to successfully keep things more or less under control. Never once did I want to put the book down, because the story was just so intense, and I had to find out what was going to happen to these characters I’ve grown to love.

And speaking of characters, I was happy to see even more character development in this book, and I love the way the author puts just as much time into the subtleties of her relationships as she does into her stunning action sequences. At times I felt like this book was a little too long, but I think it’s because she does take a breather now and then to delve into the characters’ backstories. She also isn’t afraid to let her characters indulge in intimate conversations, which may seem counterintuitive for an action-packed story, but these sections ultimately let the reader bond with and root for those characters. I especially enjoyed the shocking things we learn about Cavalon, but we also get new information about Jackin as well, and most of these new revelations raised even more questions and deepened the mysteries surrounding their pasts.

I like the way Rake’s character continues to develop. She’s taken on a huge responsibility—Captain of the Typhus—but she’s not sure she’s ready, or that she’s the best person for the job. Luckily Jackin and the others are there to support her, although I did love that there is a lot of “tough love” between them at times. Rake tends to risk her life in order to make sure the others are safe, and Cavalon and Jackin in particular aren’t too thrilled when she does that.

But you’re here for the action, aren’t you? Dewes does not disappoint in that regard. The Exiled Fleet is even more action-packed than the first book, and that’s saying something. She isn’t afraid to put her characters in danger, and she’s raised the stakes to an unbelievable pitch. There are some very intense scenes in this book, and I felt like I was right there with the characters, in the middle of all the action.

Just when you think the author can’t possibly top her last pulse-pounding action sequence, she raises the bar yet again and gives her readers an unforgettable finale. Get ready for exciting chase scenes through space, explosions, dangerous heists, brushes with death and much much more. I mentioned in my review of The Last Watch that this series could potentially have many, many sequels. Dewes’ world is complex and fascinating, populated with characters who punch through your chest and squeeze your heart, and by the end of The Exiled Fleet, we have more answers than we did before, but not nearly all the answers. The author leaves things on a satisfying note, but the bad guys are still out there. Surely there will be more books at some point, although I haven’t heard anything concrete. Fingers crossed that Dewes is already plotting the course of the next installment!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

TL;DR

J. S. Dewes’s The Exiled Fleet is an excellent follow up to The Last Watch. It builds on everything I loved about the first book and delivers more insight into the Divide’s universe. This is a series to watch. Highly recommended.

Review: The Exiled Fleet by J S Dewes

Human societies existing in space will depend mainly on two general areas for survival: engineering and logistics. Engineering will build the structures and vehicles that contain life, but logistics will constrain engineering solutions. Much like in war, survival depends on supply lines. Unlike in war, ships or stations in space cannot forage or pillage to eat. Each non-planetside structure will require trade in some form or fashion. If a society runs out of supplies while out in the desert between planets, they will slowly starve or suffocate. Certain science fictional stories hand-wave away supply concerns. Think Star Trek’s replicators. In J. S. Dewes’s The Exiled Fleet, replenishing supplies is the critical mission. The survivors of the previous book are running out of food. It’s up to Excubitor Adequin Rake and ex-prince/current-genius Cavalon Mercer to figure out how to get the survivors from the literal edge of the universe back to human space in order to resupply. This sequel to The Last Watch picks up soon after the first book, and it maintains the same excitement, sense of urgency, and fun. The Exiled Fleet confirms that the Divide is a series worthy of attention.

Spoilers Alert for The Last Watch! Do not continue the review unless you’ve read the previous book in the series.

Cavalon Mercer has a huge problem. He needs to build a star inside a 200 year old ship to power the jump drives that will take the survivors of the Divide’s collapse back to human civilization before they all starve to death. Adequin Rake is cruising the Divide, restarting Viator dark matter stations to push the Divide back, saving any other Sentinels that she can find. Supplies are running low. Stomachs are growling. The political force responsible for abandoning the Divide still looms in the background, but the more immediate threat is lack of supplies, a.k.a. the logistic problem. To survive, the Sentinels must travel from the Divide back to human space. Cavalon and Mesa work around the clock to figure out how to adapt Viator technology to Sentinel systems, a.k.a. the engineering problem. With all the others that Rake saved from the collapsing Divide, factions are beginning to form. They need a leader, and Rake is caught up in grief over the death of her lover, over the loss of her troops, and over the abandonment by the chain of command. Can she figure out leadership amidst the processing of her grief? Can Cavalon figure out his place in the Sentinels while building the mechanism that could save them all? As these questions are answered, things change quickly. Rake and Cavalon jump back into human space in order to procure fuel for the ship. It doesn’t go well.

The Exiled Fleet splits its time between Cavalon and Rake’s point of view. Readers learn more about each character, who are processing the changes brought about in the previous book. Cavalon is a genius who has found purpose for the first time in his life, and he’s beginning to think that he’s not the screw up his grandfather believed him to be. Rake keeps getting thrust into bigger and bigger leadership roles even though she wants nothing more than to rest and to dwell in her grief. The book maintains the same pace as The Last Watch, and the plot starts narrowly focused and expands its scope as the novel progresses. So much ground is covered in this novel. Rake and Cavalon endure even deeper changes and challenges in this book. The plot was unexpected and all the better for it. Along the way, readers learn more about the Viators, about human civilization, and, specifically, more about the Mercer family. The Exiled Fleet opens up the universe of the Divide and sets the stage for a shift in storytelling gears.

Logistics

As the opening suggests, I admire that Dewes thought through the logistics issues the Sentinels would have. It adds depth to the world building while increasing the tension of the plot. Society itself depends on logistics despite the fact that we take it for granted. When a person can run down the street to pick up whatever food they want, they don’t give much thought about how that product got to the store. If the food is missing, then we wonder why we can’t get something. The military understands logistics is the backbone of a strong force. If a country can’t get bullets, food, or fuel to the front lines of the fight, then that front line will run out of eventually and be overrun. Or they can fall back until the supply lines can reconnect. Granted, logistics isn’t quite as attractive as world threatening weapons, diseases, or alien invasions. But, as J.S. Dewes demonstrates, it can add to the tension of a story. Starvation is an underlying threat to the reader that spurs our heroes to act, but for the crew and characters, starvation is the main threat. And it’s a big one.

Part of the logistics problems is that the Sentinels are stationed on centuries old ships. Machines break and need to be repaired. Repairs need parts. Sometimes those parts can be made aboard the ship and sometimes they can’t. If the material stock that those parts are made from is depleted, then, again, there’s a supply problem. And ships age. Machines age. We all know this, but it rarely registers in Sci Fi. As miles get put on the car, the wear and tear of use ages the car. Eventually, most people buy a new car instead of repair, replace, or modify the aging vehicle to keep it going. The same thing happens with aircraft, and eventually the same thing will happen with spacecraft. Dewes understands this and uses it to her advantage to create a world that feels lived in. Narratively, it creates sympathy for the characters that they’re a plucky group doing all they can to keep the ole ship a runnin’. But it also mirrors the military experience to a degree. A portion of the military are mechanics and engineers dedicated to ensuring that their vehicles are operational and safe for use. The Sentinels at the Divide live on and maintain vehicles that have been in service longer than they or their parents have lived. Much like old cars, old spaceships need a lot of care. Dewes uses this backdrop to propel the tension in her story, and it’s well done.

New Characters

There are new characters, survivors from other Sentinel ships stationed along the Divide. Two really stood out. One, Owen, knew Cavalon prior to both of them being stationed with the Sentinels. In fact, Owen helped Cavalon in his bombing of his grandfather’s cloning facilities. Owen’s family is another exiled member of a royal family. The other, Emery, is being trained by Rake as a pilot. Though neither have a POV scene, they both receive quite a bit of page time. Both are likable and excellent additions to the cast. Emery is my favorite new character, and I bet many fans of the Divide series will say the same. Both provide a balance to Rake and Cavalon’s depression, grief, and PTSD. While I enjoy that Dewes allows her main characters to explore and experience these emotions. After the events of The Last Watch, how could they not be hurting? But a book filled with that alone would be a much different book. So, Owen and Emery give the reader a break without undercutting Rake and Cavalon’s emotions.

Politics

We get a lot more insight into the political elements of Dewes’s universe. We’re still missing the big picture, but readers learn about political changes since the Sentinels were abandoned. Things that I want to discuss in more detail will be spoilers for The Exiled Fleet; so, I will just say that the expanded view into the system’s politics made me happy. While I wouldn’t consider this a political book, the political parts of it are sound.

Critiques

Most of my critiques are nit-picking. The major critique I have with the book is also a spoiler for this book. A key plot point wasn’t set up and felt like an author imposed solution to the problem. It’s possible that I missed the set up to this plot point. If I did, then I apologize. But this critique had a minimal impact on my enjoyment of the book. While it did knock the rating down, it didn’t knock it down much. I enjoyed this book, and I think a lot of people will as well.

Conclusion

J.S. Dewes The Exiled Fleet surpassed all my expectations, and, based on The Last Watch, I had high expectations for this book. There are some wonderful and unexpected reveals in the book. Some of the theories formed in The Last Watch were confirmed here. Dewes balances world-building with character development. Rake leans into her grief; Cavalon continues to discover a place for himself in the universe. Where the The Last Watch was an environmental disaster novel, The Exiled Fleet is a survival novel. And I look forward to seeing what Dewes does with the next installment of the Divide. Action? Mystery? Spy thriller? Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to it.

I loved The Divide and was so excited to start The Exiled Fleet. Turns out, I loved it even more. This series absolutely slays. It's equal parts emotional and funny and exciting, and does such a perfect job of balancing out the action and character development. The entire concept of the world is exciting, because it asks the questions we all wonder, like "is there an end to the universe?", or "are we alone?", and answers with exciting and believable concepts.

As in the first installment, the characters stole my heart. Adequin is going through some stuff that would be spoilers for the first book, but she also has to step up and be the leader her people need. It's not easy, trying to survive at the edge of nowhere, especially when it seems no one else in the universe particularly wants you to survive. She goes through a lot in this book, including a great deal of personal growth and development. In large part, this is due to her friendship with Cavalon, who has really taken to his new position as one of the best minds of the crew. He still has so much self-doubt, and frankly, trauma from his upbringing, but he is trying.

There are so many bananas revelations and twists throughout the book that I never, ever wanted to put it down. My mind was blown over and over, and the characters were as awesome as before- perhaps even more, since they have undergone such growth and development. There are still plenty of lighter moments to help balance out some of the darker, rougher stuff, and it's a perfect blend.

Bottom Line: Frankly, I love every single thing about this series, and need a third book stat.

It’s one thing to declare a rebellion, and quite another thing to lead one. That’s the hard truth Adequin Rake has come to realize as she struggles to pull together the remnants of the Sentinel fleet that was abandoned at the edge of space by the System Collective. Before her fledgling mutiny can make a difference, however, they have to get back home to the Core. With dwindling food supplies and not enough power to jump the entire fleet home, Rake, Cavalon, and a hand-picked crew are going to have to head to the Core alone to pull off some daring missions to collect what they need to get the Sentinels to safety. And for Cavalon, that means he may have to face some dark parts of his past he’d thought he’d never have to see again.

THE EXILED FLEET is an absolutely superb follow-up to THE LAST WATCH, a sequel that manages to be different while still capturing the kinetic energy of the first book. While THE LAST WATCH had the energy of a space disaster movie, THE EXILED FLEET settles more comfortably in the lane of more grounded space drama like early BATTLESTAR GALACTICA or THE EXPANSE. It begins with way less galaxy-saving and way more day-to-day minutiae, which doesn’t make it any less compelling to read. The Sentinels are in survival mode, trying to figure out how to make old, outdated technology work to keep them all alive. Meanwhile Rake has to somehow form a coalition of several different ships to fight under her banner, all while struggling with not wanting the responsibility in the first place.

Never fear, THE EXILED FLEET still has plenty of tense nail-biting action, as inevitably plans go very very wrong. I had moments of gasping, refusing to put the book down, tearing up, and more throughout the read, and almost made the decision to stay up however late it took me to finish the last 100+ pages. Thank God I made myself wait until the next day because THAT was a finale.

There were also some wonderful character moments for Rake and Cavalon this go around. As mentioned above, Rake is struggling with the weight of being responsible for not just her ship, but an entire fleet, and the potential pain that will come with losing more crew if and when things go wrong. Cavalon, meanwhile, is facing a return to the Core, entering space ruled by his sadistic grandfather, who emotionally and physically abused Cavalon for years. While Rake wrestles with the burden of command, Cavalon wrestles with the burden of a legacy he doesn’t want, and the two end up turning to each other again and again as they come to terms with their problems. (And can I just say, I LOVE that so far this is a wholly platonic relationship? No idea if it will stay that way in the future, but I’m enjoying it for now!)

It’s rare enough that I give a book five stars in any given year, but two books in the same series released only months apart is unheard of. And yet here we are, with THE EXILED FLEET absolutely taking me on another thrill ride. I can’t even talk about some of my favorite parts because MASSIVE spoilers, but Dewes has proven once again to be a master of pacing and tension and knifing you in the heart. I am so glad I took a chance on this space adventure series, because it’s on track to be one of my favorites of all time.

It’s one thing to declare a rebellion, and quite another thing to lead one. That’s the hard truth Adequin Rake has come to realize as she struggles to pull together the remnants of the Sentinel fleet that was abandoned at the edge of space by the System Collective. Before her fledgling mutiny can make a difference, however, they have to get back home to the Core. With dwindling food supplies and not enough power to jump the entire fleet home, Rake, Cavalon, and a hand-picked crew are going to have to head to the Core alone to pull off some daring missions to collect what they need to get the Sentinels to safety. And for Cavalon, that means he may have to face some dark parts of his past he’d thought he’d never have to see again.

THE EXILED FLEET is an absolutely superb follow-up to THE LAST WATCH, a sequel that manages to be different while still capturing the kinetic energy of the first book. While THE LAST WATCH had the energy of a space disaster movie, THE EXILED FLEET settles more comfortably in the lane of more grounded space drama like early BATTLESTAR GALACTICA or THE EXPANSE. It begins with way less galaxy-saving and way more day-to-day minutiae, which doesn’t make it any less compelling to read. The Sentinels are in survival mode, trying to figure out how to make old, outdated technology work to keep them all alive. Meanwhile Rake has to somehow form a coalition of several different ships to fight under her banner, all while struggling with not wanting the responsibility in the first place.

Never fear, THE EXILED FLEET still has plenty of tense nail-biting action, as inevitably plans go very very wrong. I had moments of gasping, refusing to put the book down, tearing up, and more throughout the read, and almost made the decision to stay up however late it took me to finish the last 100+ pages. Thank God I made myself wait until the next day because THAT was a finale.

There were also some wonderful character moments for Rake and Cavalon this go around. As mentioned above, Rake is struggling with the weight of being responsible for not just her ship, but an entire fleet, and the potential pain that will come with losing more crew if and when things go wrong. Cavalon, meanwhile, is facing a return to the Core, entering space ruled by his sadistic grandfather, who emotionally and physically abused Cavalon for years. While Rake wrestles with the burden of command, Cavalon wrestles with the burden of a legacy he doesn’t want, and the two end up turning to each other again and again as they come to terms with their problems. (And can I just say, I LOVE that so far this is a wholly platonic relationship? No idea if it will stay that way in the future, but I’m enjoying it for now!)

It’s rare enough that I give a book five stars in any given year, but two books in the same series released only months apart is unheard of. And yet here we are, with THE EXILED FLEET absolutely taking me on another thrill ride. I can’t even talk about some of my favorite parts because MASSIVE spoilers, but Dewes has proven once again to be a master of pacing and tension and knifing you in the heart. I am so glad I took a chance on this space adventure series, because it’s on track to be one of my favorites of all time.

After having read The Last Watch earlier in the year, I thought I would be able to read The Exiled Fleet, knowing just what to expect in terms of enjoyment. I shrugged aside any issues I had with the first (of which… there were a few), and I settled in just to have some fun.

Only. I didn’t.

In the interests of this being spoiler-free, I won’t mention anything of the plot. But. Suffice to say it was… somehow less interesting than the first one? And I didn’t find the first all that special. Even though, in that case, it went by at breakneck pace, keeping you on the edge of your seat with what was happening, and why. Here, it was a lot slower, and dragged a lot too.

I think that was, in part, an effect of the decision to have the first half or so of the book focusing more on the characters’ reactions to the events of book one. Which wouldn’t have been a problem, if it had felt like there was some forward progression in terms of plot. Instead, all of that came in the second half, by which point I’d already found myself quite bored.

Maybe I could have foreseen this: I did, actually, skim a fair bit of book one, in hindsight, and, ultimately, ended up doing the same here. It’s not that the story wasn’t exciting once it got going—it was more that the pacing just didn’t work for me. In all honesty, there didn’t seem to be enough plot to extend the story to two, fairly chunky, books.

The real reason I kept going to the end was, of course, Cavalon. His were the chapters that I enjoyed most, and his was the plotline I was most interested in. The reveals towards the end, I didn’t see coming (although, conversely, I don’t think they were quite telegraphed enough? Or maybe they were and I just missed it from skimming), and the kind of thing that might convince me to read a putative book three.

But for the fact that I’m not sure I can really say I enjoyed book two.

We're back with Adequin Rake, Cavalon Mercer, and the Sentinel crew in this witty and epic sci-fi series that I just can't get enough of! Seriously, book three better be on its way, or I will have some words with Tor. I must have the next installment!

Okay, I'm going to stop (jokingly) threatening publishing companies and instead focus on my review. The Exiled Fleet picks up close to where The Last Watch left off. Some time has passed, though more time has passed for Cav than for Rake. That darned Divide messing with time again. I will straight up say that Cav is still a giant mess in this book, and for some very strange reason, I really enjoy that. He has so much going on in that brain of his, that sometimes he just forgets how to take care of himself. He's a disaster cinnamon roll, and I love him.

As for Adequin Rake, surprisingly, she was a bit of a mess in this book as well. Which totally makes sense given the events of book one. Lots of PTSD and trauma to sort through, as well as survivor's guilt for both Rake and Cav. However, Rake still had her badass moments, and Cav had his scientific HA-HA moments for his major brain blasts.

The plot for this installment started off a little slow at first, but it picks up fairly early on, and even when the book is slow, you can tell a new, faster development is coming in the next few pages. There's some major revelations going on in The Exiled Fleet, and things go topsy-turvy. (Poor Cav....)

While I did very much enjoy myself with this sequel, I will say that there were a couple of events that I found myself a little iffy about. One was a small time jump in the middle of the book that really confused me. I actually thought it was a dream sequence or a hallucination at first. Then, later, a very convenient "save the day" moment happened that kind of took me out of the story a bit. However, these were pretty minor interruptions to my overall reading experience.

So, was book two better than book one? Yes and no. Yes because major plot points happen, and no because it wasn't as funny as book two, in my opinion. Definitely still fun, but that opening line for The Last Watch still kills me every time I think about it. Now for the important question: do I still want to be a member of Adequin Rake's crew? Also yes and no. Yes because they're awesome. No because bad things happen to them. Often. That being said, I'm still 100% recommending this series for fans of Game of Thrones and The Expanse, as well as Star Trek and even YA sci-fi fans. It's just a good time all around.

4/5 stars

*Note: I received a NetGalley ARC of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

The Exiled Fleet left me so tense? There was so much at stake and so many things going on at the same time that it was difficult for me to not worry about everyone and everything lol Dewe’s writing continued to be excellent, though there was a bit of a tone shift to something more somber and desperate than in the first novel. But I guess that was to be expected?

I really loved how much the world-building continued to expand here. We learned quiiiite a few things about this world, its history, and its people. Some I was not expecting at all! But others made sense with what was presented to us in The Last Watch. It was super fun, personally, to see those pieces coming together.

Cavalon and Rake were going through a really tough time here which was understandable after everything that happened. My one (1) issue with it was Rake’s self-sacrificial bs and how many times it came into play throughout the story. I really really didn’t appreciate how that was used multiple times to create angst and a sense of danger. I think Dewes could have found a better way to write conflict into the story that didn’t rely so heavily on that.

Special mention to one twist regarding Cavalon that I loved! with all of my heart! and I seriously cannot wait to see how it’s going to affect the story moving forward and what he’s going to do with that information.

Overall, The Exiled Fleet was a solid and entertaining read. I didn’t enjoy it as much as The Last Watch, but I did like that it gave us so many important things to consider about this universe going forward.

I read The Last Watch in October of 2020 and posted the review in March. I'm glad to have been able to continue this adventure with the second book, but now I'm waiting for book 3.

My main complaint is that I wish there had been a little reminder of some of the events in the first book. The Exiled Fleet begins in medias res, and as I've read over a hundred of books since last October, it took me a chapter or so to reorient myself. A minor complaint.

Character development continues, an important element in a series that relies on a sense of loyalty and camaraderie. Each of the characters has both strengths and concomitant flaws that keep them human--not perfect, infallible cardboard cutouts. In addition to Rake, Cavalon, and Jackin, secondary characters from the first book take on new responsibilities, and some interesting new characters are added.

The Sentinels survived the collapsing of the Divide and have rescued as many other endangered Sentinels as possible, but their situation is still dire. As they struggle for materials, food, and mechanical and technical solutions, we learn more about the characters and their backgrounds while also gaining a better understanding of their world(s) and the machinations of Augustus Mercer, his eugenic programs, and long range plans.

Plenty of action. Read in July; review scheduled for

NetGalley/MacMillan-Tor/Forge
Science fiction. Aug. 17, 2021. Print length: 432 pages.