It was just a handful of months ago that I had the opportunity to read and review the first book in this new, amazing series by Megan O’Keefe, The Blighted Stars, so I was beyond excited in discovering that Book 2, The Fractured Dark, was going to follow closely on the heels of its predecessor.

A brief recap of the first book: humanity has reached toward the stars and spread on colony worlds and space stations, ruled by a conglomerate of five families, Mercator being the most powerful thanks to the mining of relkatite, a substance used both in power sources and in the physical enhancement pathways humans have become dependent on. The intensive mining, however, seems to directly connect to the expansion of the shroud, a fungal infestation that kills all life on those planets and the Conservationist movement is attempting to put a stop to such intensive mining, but with little success. Naira Sharp, formerly the bodyguard of family ruler Aecelus Mercator, and now a fervent Conservationist, finds herself on one such blighted world together with Tarquin, Aecelus’ son, and the two of them discover that a far worse danger looms over humanity and forge an alliance to face the threat.

As The Fractured Dark opens, Naira, Tarquin and their allies have been living on Earth (the first world to fall victim to the shroud) planning their next moves against the encroaching danger represented by canus, the agent employed in relkatite mining whose spread seems to continue unopposed. The relationship between them is somewhat strained, since Naira’s last reprinting (the transfer of consciousness into a new body) erased the last few weeks of her memories and she does not remember their budding romance, although she has constant flashes of… something she cannot put her finger on. But more pressing matters require the group’s attention and they embark on dangerous missions that will test their mettle and their determination to put a stop to canus’ encroaching advance - no matter the cost.

This second book in the series raises the already high stakes inherited from book 1, while expanding our knowledge of this universe and building on the characterization: where the first installment mostly kept the readers on the newly discovered world named Cradle Six, here we move from planetary settings to space stations to ships, following the different narrative threads at the core of this story and adding a few strokes of political intrigue to the mix. Where this varying focus helps readers to better understand the background in which the series is set, it also affects the pacing that here feels less smooth than the tightly managed sequences in The Blighted Stars. Still, the looming danger represented by the canus infection, and its repercussions on the future of humanity, acted as the foundation for this segment of the story just as the mystery at its root was for the first installment, so that the keen sense of impending doom that colors the characters’ actions serves the story well in keeping the narrative flow moving forward, though at a somewhat less hair-raising pace than before.

As far as characters are concerned, we learn more about Naira’s past and the events that shaped her into the person she presently is, and here we indeed see her as that person: where before her consciousness was inhabiting someone else’s “print”, therefore forcing her to adapt her interactions with other people to the individual she pretended to be, here she is herself - body and mind - and while some of her vulnerabilities are still present, she is totally free to fully show her true nature, that of a strong woman gifted with a steely determination tempered by a deep capacity for affection. And of course that means Tarquin - whose journey from a sheltered, bookish scion of the universe’s most powerful family to a warrior ready to do whatever is necessary to safeguard humanity’s future is not an easy one: he might not be as callous as the rest of his family, but he still needs to question many of the privileges he unthinkingly enjoyed until now, and this road is littered with pitfalls and false steps.

I appreciated the slow-burn romance between Naira and Tarquin in The Blighted Stars and I was curious to se how the setback from Naira’s loss of the memories from the events on Cradle Six would affect the relationship: it was fascinating to see, here, how they managed to connect again and re-build what they had lost, overcoming the obstacles that the events set on their path, but at some point it seemed as if every potential problem in their pairing (he a high-ranking member of the establishment, she a wanted terrorist, not to mention their different social extractions) was swept under the rug, with little of no raising of eyebrows once their attachment was made public. It might be just me, but it rang contrived to my ears, and those sections of the story slightly spoiled my enjoyment of it.

And since I just mentioned one of my main “troubles” with The Fractured Dark, I need to list the other one: Fletcher Demarco. This character was briefly introduced in the first book: he’s the Mercators’ finalizer, a sort of highly skilled torturer/assassin who in the past was Naira’s lover. Here he’s further fleshed out and turns out to be a prominent player in the chain of events, and as such he represents one of the forces of evil in the overall story, but unfortunately he’s depicted more like a ludicrously gloating, mustache-twirling villain rather than a nasty opponent to be reckoned with, which in my opinion defeats the purpose of his presence.

These are however minor annoyances in the course of a very enjoyable, compelling read that more than once kept me on the edge of the seat thanks to the high-stakes battle waged against the parasitic canus, to the personal and moral dilemmas facing the characters and the thrilling uncertainty offered by the many elements in motion in this story. At the end of The Fractured Dark one battle might be won, but the war is far from over, and my hope is that the final installment in this trilogy will arrive as swiftly as this one, because waiting for the resolution will not be so easy….

Naira Sharp and Tarquin are with the Conservators, planning further missions to disrupt MERIT family control over resources and their finances, when they get word that Acaelus has grabbed every last bit of spare relkatite and taken off to parts unknown. Naturally, the MERIT family heads are deeply dismayed, and the Conservators change priorities, with Naira and Tarquin deciding to find Acaelus, who claims to have all his family with him. Which can’t be true since Tarquin isn’t which begs the question, just what the heck is Acaelus up to, besides continuing to control precious relkatite, and control over the other MERIT families and bonded staff, and production of all sorts of technology, including part of the “resurrection” process.

So, Naila and Tarquin’s priorities change, even while they’re continuing their fight against MERIT and canus. So, not much on their plates, right? Author Megan O'Keefe ratchets up the tension further by adding in the extremely dangerous and unwanted presence of Acaelus' best finalizer Fletcher Demarco, who insists on forcingTarquin back home, for his own reasons, to stabilize his family’s many interests. Naila is of course furious with Fletcher, but she and he go way back, as O’Keefe shows us the complicated and unhealthy relationship that bonds these two people.

So Tarquin must learn to head his family in Acaelus’ absence, and Tarquin begins to better understand what it means to have so many dependent on him. It’s not like supervising a dig is it, Rock Boy?

O’Keefe’s first installment in this series was terrific: action-packed with great characters and complicated relationships and agreements holding this world of dying planets, extreme wealth and privilege together, and a set competent people all in conflict. This story spends a little more time on its main characters, as they’re thrown into more unfamiliar situations that give them opportunities to grow, and their romance also is given time to develop. They’re cute together, even while dangers mount considerably with the changes to Tarquin’s status.

That’s not to say that this story is action light. There are so many terrible things happening, with the MERIT family heads continuing to show how awful they are, while the constant worry and threat over canus’ influence and spread are never far from one’s thoughts as Naira and Tarquin attempt to find ways of protecting as many people as they can. It’s great also learning more about various E-Xs either mentioned or briefly met in book one; I still find it hard to fully understand their devotion to duty, but their resilience, humour and relationships made them a fascinating part of this book.

Did I enjoy this book thoroughly? Absolutely! O’Keefe’s world and characters are deeply compelling, and I love the underlying sense of creeping horror that continues in this plot full of secrets, betrayals, violence, interesting power dynamics, diminishing resources, and growing love and respect between two very different people. I cannot wait for book three.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I continue to enjoy the canus plot of the story, but the romance in the beginning, especially, was not my vibe. And also I really went back and forth with enjoying the parts Fletch was in. The ending brought my opinion of the story back up and I definitely want to read the third book!

What a follow up to the first book! The plot of the first book felt somewhat self contained but this one really took that and blew it wide open in the world. The plot was twisty and kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked that we had an additional perspective in this one and the additional lens into what was happening that perspective offered. I really enjoy Tarquin and Naira's dynamic and loved exploring that more in this one. I can't wait for the next installment in this series!

First I want to thank NetGalley and Orbit for allowing me access to a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Megan E. O’Keefe is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern Science Fiction writers. This is the second book in the Devoured Worlds series that started with The Blighted Stars. If you haven’t read that then definitely go start there. The Fractured Dark picks up the story of Tarquin and Naira after the events of the previous book leaves Naira with no memory of her time on Sixth Cradle and Tarquin is forced to use his family connections to do the unthinkable. I won’t get into a lot more detail as I don’t want to spoil book one. Suffice to say that O’Keefe did not disappoint with the follow-up to the amazing first novel of this series.

The best way I can sum up the general plot of the story is that Tarquin comes from one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the known universe. Naira is an ex bodyguard who has made it her mission to bring down Tarquin’s father for his corruption and involvement in a terrible disease that has ravaged multiple “cradle planets” making these once fertile planets inhospitable to almost every form of life. Tarquin has joined his father on a voyage to the Sixth such Cradle planet but discovers that the plague has beat them there.

Beyond having amazing plot and character development that is absolutely amazing there are also a ton of elements to love here. As a fan of space hopping I love the world building that has gone into this new development in mankind’s evolution. Relk is this miracle mineral that allows for people to print new bodies when needed while also keeping a person’s consciousness intact. It also makes up the engines that allow mankind to jump further into the stars. O’keefe does an awesome job of diving into the political and economical impacts of this new age.

A great deal of science fiction or speculative fiction comes down to changing one or two elements about modern life or technology and extrapolating. This is what makes great science fiction allow us to turn the lens on ourselves. O’Keefe has kept with that greatest of traditions and I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

Megan E. O' Keefe continues her tale of The Devoured Worlds. This is a future where new bodies can be printed, and a relkatite provides the technology for that and FTL ships. However, All of humanity’s colonies and Earth have been killed by a shroud, forcing people to survive on stations. Surviving The Blighted Stars (paper ) bodyguard Naira Sharp discovers that Canus, a fungus growing on the relkatite, is forcing humanity to find more of the material. The shroud was created to stop Canus. Tarquin Mercator, heir to the greatest ruling family, starts working with her. Then his father absconds with most of the store of relkatite, creating shortage of food and printed bodies in The Fractured Dark (paper from Orbit). Somehow the two of them have to work together to save humanity and stop Canus. Fun. A final book will finish the tale.

Talk about launching from where the last one left off! This installment continues to weave the mystery/problem introduced in the first novel, but with an interesting change of setting. I also enjoyed how the characters continued to develop. Strong sequel!

The Fractured Dark is the second book in the Devoured Worlds trilogy. While The Blighted Stars primarily took place on Sixth Cradle, the setting here is mostly on MERIT stations. Without giving away spoilers, Naira continues to search for ways to destroy the spread of canus and save all of humanity, and the planets. She has to deal with competing factions and objectives that force her to make decisions which impact those closest to her.

The Fractured Dark allows us to get to know Naira and Tarquin on a deeper level, while also adding more depth to Kav, who I really like. A few new characters are introduced, some add to the plotline, some take away.

I felt the pacing a little more uneven compared to The Blighted Stars. I was never bored, but the romance between Naira and Tarquin was more prominent, and at times that interrupted the pacing for longer spurts than I personally prefer. I will note that is a personal preference, and those who are really invested in their love and success will probably have more appreciation for this.

The ending seemed a little more rushed and wrapped up rather too nicely. Some questions I have that I hope are answered in the final installment include:
Canden- I don’t feel like I have really gotten to know her or her background.
The other MERIT family system- How they gained their power and prominence.
Kav and Kuma. I want to know more about both of them. I hope they have bigger roles in the next book.

I love, love, love space operas, and O’Keefe has not let me down. The Protectorate trilogy is one of my favorite series, and it has set the bar really high for her to deliver another space trilogy to fall in love with, but I think she is on par to do so. I can’t wait for the next.

I will rate this a 4.5 out of 5, rounded up.


Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book! Megan keep them coming and I will keep reading!

The Blighted Stars is currently my favorite book of the year, so I was so excited to be able to read this one a bit early. In true Megan fashion, this plot twists and turns on itself in wild ways, leaving me always turning the page.

These have also become some of my favorite characters as I love the grump/sunshine dynamic so much. I really love that the female character is the grump here.

Megan's creativity shines so well in this novel as we navigate the political and scientific spheres. Resources becoming scarce and a greedy politico who proves he's only out for himself and his family make this book incredibly engaging from start to finish.

It's safe to say that Megan has become my favorite author of the sci-fi genre.

I love this book! O'Keefe has kept the intrigue and character-building going through book two. This isn't always the case with books in a series. I cannot wait to see what O'Keefe will bring next!

This series continues to be one of my absolute favorites! After finishing The Blighted Stars, I was desperate to get my hands on The Fractured Dark, but I was also a little apprehensive. I loved the first book, and I was worried the second might not be as compelling, especially since I expected that many of the elements that I loved about TBS wouldn't be in TFD. ObviouslyI was wrong.

The characters are even more compelling in The Fractured Dark. The relationship between Tarquin and Naira is more layered, as is the relationships between the leads and the side characters. There were moments in this book that broke my heart, but there is also a hopeful quality to it, so even if bad things are happening, I still have hope that it will have a (somewhat) happy ending.

One of the things I love the most about this series is the world. The idea that human consciousness can be printed into a body is fascinating, and it opened the door for a very inclusive world that I love. I can't wait to see what happens in the final book.

Highly recommended to any lovers of science fiction!

I burned through this second book in the series so fast I didn't realize how long it was until checking my StoryGraph stats afterwards.. it's long! I went into this already in love with the characters and very invested in them and their cause, heartbroken over part of the ending of book 1, and eager to see what happens.
And it delivered!
Having the relationship between the two MCs "reset" the way it did actually allowed for some of the playful banter that was so fun through book one to start over and happen again; I thought I might find this tedious, and there were moments when I was like OMG STOP WITH THE ANGST but overall it was mostly just engaging and kept me reading.
The plot was wild! There was political intrigue, backstabbing, espionage... the majority of the book things were quite tense, and it felt propulsive. I had to keep reading, even if I was stressed about some part. However there were also these moments of levity and of joy that really helped.
I did NOT expect the ending, really the last 25% had one major reveal after another, and I was hooked. A few parts felt a bit like I had to suspend disbelief more than usual, but I just made the choice to be onboard.
I didnt' love this book as much as the first, but I also recognize how hard middle books in a trilogy are; this book bridged the gap while not having really any long sections that were boring or dragged on too long (for me, at least).
I am very much looking forward to the last book, and impressed that they're coming out back to back to back like this! You're going to spoil us SFF trilogy fans :)

The Blighted Stars was one of my favorite books of 2023, so I had a lot of expectations going into The Fractured Dark. I am pleased to say that Megan E O'Keefe did not disappoint. While TBS revolved around Tarquin and Naira on a planet, TFD brings them back onto the stations. O'Keefe delves more into how the printing process of bodies and mapping the human brain works to build her plot and conflict and there were some parts where I was kind of lost, but it was easy to go with the story and not try to figure out the whole thing.

Once again, the story is told through the dual POV chapters of Naira and Tarquin. What was amazing about reading this book was that O'Keefe continues to build their relationship. These two characters are obviously adults and while they still have things to work out (Tarquin still puts his foot in his mouth and Naira can't stop being his bodyguard), they would rather communicate their issues and compromise. It was utterly refreshing to see, especially after a string of contemporary romance novels that relied heavily on miscommunication and third act break-ups.

The plot...oh the plot. The book had so much going on and I'm sure I missed things, even while attempting to slow down and take it all in. There were times I thought I figured out the underlying haha! moment only to turn the page and be utterly wrong. The end was rather bittersweet knowing there is another book coming and it is really going to be hard to wait until next year.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the arc for review purposes.

4.5 stars

The Fractured Dark is a great follow-up to The Blighted Stars. Like the first book, it continues in a dual perspective narrative with the occasional POV of a side character which adds a lot of intrigue to the plot.

The characters in this series are what keeps bringing me back for more (except for Emali, she kind of sucks). They are so interesting and complex and that makes them feel real and developed. I really enjoy the antagonists and they are one of my favourite things from this series. They are so unique and they always keep you guessing on what is going on and what they will do next. The antagonists create a harsh, brutal world that I’m glad that I don’t live in. However, it does make an engaging setting to read about.

I enjoyed how the romance was done in the first book and for most of this book but at times it seemed a little ridiculous and focused on it too much during intense/important moments of the plot. Speaking of which, the plot in this one was pretty non-stop. It goes in all sorts of directions and it always leaves me wondering what will happen next.

I can’t wait to pick up the final book in the series when it comes out.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Orbit in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy this author’s writing so much. She writes great fast-paced sci-fi. This is the second book in The Devoured Worlds trilogy, but it’s a contained story in itself. It picks up a few months after the end of book one. Our main characters are fighting the same overarching threat to humanity while dealing with a complicated relationship and new enemies. It also has a satisfying conclusion, although there is more story to tell.

I like these characters. They have heart. They’re fallible. The story pulls you along, and I enjoyed the ride. There are twists and secrets to be discovered. I recommend it! The Fractured Dark comes out today. Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the eARC.

This was a great continuation to this series! I loved being back with Naira and Tarquin and seeing how their relationship developed after the events of book one. I still love Naira and how much of a badass she is. I also still find Tarquin adorable and while he's not perfect, I appreciated the growth he exhibited throughout this book.

I was not as big a fan of all the side characters, but there were a few that I really enjoyed. Cass and Caldwell were fun additions, and Kuma and Kav brought a fun dynamic to Naira. I hated Fletcher (as was the point) and I wish he wasn't as big of a plot point for so long.

I think the pacing felt better for me in this one compared to the first one, but it did still feel like a really long read. There was a lot going on and it was a very complex plot, so I think part of my struggle was keeping all the terminology straight as I read. I did enjoy how it built off of the first book and I'm super intrigued with where the next one is going to take us.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

I'm not sure what Megan E. O'Keefe put in this series but I need more of it immediately. There's just something about Naira and Tarquin, both individually and together, that makes me feel every single human emotion possible and probably some that aren't possible. It's just. The way they constantly doubt themselves and the world around them but never truly doubt each other or what they want from the other. They really do challenge each other in the best ways to be better people. They're so cheesy and in love I just want them to be happy.

I really can't describe enough how delightful I find the plot and the idea of canus. It's so slow and insidious and sneaky, and it's terrifying. I think I just really like psychological horror and the idea of characters not even being able to trust themselves and their own thoughts, and this book really delivers on that. Canus is clearly capable of acting deliberately and obviously but as the book goes on, it becomes more and more clear that it can be subtle and patient. Every single time there was a lull in the action, where it seemed like everything might be going well for once, I was constantly on the edge waiting for the other shoe to drop. That's due to Megan E. O'Keefe's truly amazing writing and ability to keep me hooked when I would otherwise be impatient with the slow pacing. I understood why the pacing was necessary given what the characters were fighting, and it made me so eager to get to the payoff.

I really had only one major gripe with this book, and that was the ending. I hesitate to even call it a complaint because I have a theory and I won't know if I'm right until book 3 comes out (SOON please I am begging please give to me now). But the ending just felt very rushed, especially knowing there was another book in the series. However, like I said, I'm going to reserve judgment on that at least until the next book to see if my theory is right or not.

The Fractured Dark is really just a solid sequel that delivered on everything I loved from the first book, expanded on the world, and kept me guessing the whole way through!

I said book one, The Blighted Stars, was perfect for fans of J.S. Dewes' The Last Watch and The Expanse series, and I 100% stand by those comparisons. If you love sci-fi that has complex terminology and likeable, realistic characters, then this series is for you.

The Fractured Dark picks up some months after the events of the first installment, but it wasn't a significant or unnecessary time jump. It makes complete sense why the two main characters would be racing around space for months on end trying to fix all the things going topsy-turvy. And I just love how Naira and Tarquin are trying to figure out what the heck to do after everything changed for them back on Sixth Cradle. It's heartbreaking for Tarquin, and so confusing for Naira. I will say, though, that the author didn't lean into that element as much as I'd hoped for. I wanted some angst there. It was brutal what happened to them, and things resolved fairly quickly, in my opinion.

Like in book one, our protagonists are trying to stop the spread of a nasty infection. This parasite thing basically infects everyone and lives in their bodies all the time, making decisions for them. Icky. Now, I do think that while the worldbuilding is still solid, based on what was structured from the first book, some things were less fleshed out in this one. Maybe I just couldn't remember the details between books, but I didn't feel like I knew as much about the various stations and rules of the stations and canus as I did with the limited location of Sixth Cradle.

As for the plot of The Fractured Dark, I really enjoyed the first 40%, then the main characters were separated for a while and I just kind of slogged through the next 20-30%. I adore Tarquin and Naira's dynamic together, him the nerdy, reluctant heir and her the badass bodyguard, so any time they weren't together hurt my romance-obsessed heart. After that though, things picked up and some weird revelations were made. But, unfortunately, things got very weird, very confusing, and everything was happening so fast in the last bit that I was a tad lost. I'm still intrigued to see where book three goes, but the actual plot of the story may have lost me a bit. I'm pretty much reading for the ship at this point.

All in all, this was a decent second book in the series, but I'm hoping book three really gets stuff back on track. I need more Naira and Tarquin time, more Naira badassery, and more awkward Tarquin, please. They're just adorable. And for all you sci-fi lovers who don't like the smooshy elements as much, I still think this would be a great series for you, there isn't anything overly romantic that would inhibit your enjoyment.

3 stars

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

A fantastic follow up to the first, I found that I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. And it sets up for a third novel fantastically because of everything left unresolved by the end of the book.

This is the perfect follow-up to The Blighted Stars. We get to know more about how invasive canus can be and now it has learned to be subtle. The relationship between Naira and Tarquin continues to develop and I love how Naira still finds Tarquin interesting even without all of her memories from the sixth cradle.

This is definitely one of my favourite series so far this year and I can't wait for the next book.