I'm having a little trouble keeping up with all the amazing releases this year, and it's resulted in a few books I wanted to read slipping through the cracks. One such book is Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye, by Alex White, which came out way back in December, and I somehow missed it. Ardent Violet is the second novel in The Starmetal Symphony, an explosive series about music, mecha, aliens, AI, and more. 

Our story picks up after the end of the world has been rescheduled. Our story villain has been revealed to be an intricate and devilishly smart super AI. It turns out that this has been a man vs. machine story the entire time. But wait, there’s more. It also turns out that this story isn’t new. Apparently, the entire universe has been going through this cycle since the dawn of time. Civilization after civilization discovers artificial intelligence, ends up in a war of flesh vs. metal, and one of them walks away victorious. The winners of each conflict appear to be gathering into universe-wide teams of humanoids and computers. Which side will take the W on Earth, and can the intergalactic team of humanoid winners lend a hand so that our heroes come out on top?

As was true with Alex White’s first trilogy, The Starmetal Symphony really seems to have found its pace with book two. White loves to focus on discovery through the journey, and it can be hard to see where we are going in book one. However, by the time I got midway through Ardent Violet, I was fully locked in and ready to enjoy the rest of the ride. Ardent Violet does a very good job of upping the stakes, clarifying the conflict, mapping out where the plot needs to go, giving the characters room to grow, expanding the cast, and showing off some crazy set pieces that are filled with spectacle and pizzazz. As is true with all of White’s work, they have an evocative way of writing that makes their action clear to picture and exciting to read. I am not usually a book fights guy, but the mechas and their arsenals of unique weaponry are undeniably cool, and all of the altercations in the book were super fun to read.

I have been ruminating about who this book is for, other than myself and White (the ideal audience). Ardent Violet is a weird combo love letter to mecha anime, music, and a bunch of other niche subjects smashed together. I have yet to read a book that feels like it captures the vibes and spirit of anime as well as this series, and I would be lauding it for that single fact alone if it didn’t have a ton of additional great qualities. Despite reading like a special custom order just for me, I think the way White ties it all together is incredibly accessible to a wider audience. The series is big and unapologetically loud, but I ironically worry that it’s flying way under the radar. If you are looking for something weird, with a unique perspective, and a loud narrative, then I really recommend you give The Starmetal Symphony a spin. Not enough people are plumbing its mysteries, and I need people to theory craft with.

Rating: Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye - 9.0/10
-Andrew

This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!

Very much space opera and great for fans of the comic series saga or in general enjoy science fiction fantasy genre

What to say? Besides that this is absolutely bonkers? But in a good way!

It's mechas in space, queer love, deep sense of self and healing yourself from stuff before, a deep appreciation for music, and new alien creatures and societies! It's a lot of fun. But it's definitely not fluffy (though there are some aliens who are teehee). There was some deep exploration of grief, and what is the right thing to do, of survival and friendship.

It was a really fun time, and I highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun and bonkers time. Especially if you enjoy mecha animes, this will be right up your alley.

THIS NOTE IS FOR ORBIT BOOKS, for the love of everything, please give this an audiobook. It deserves one more than anything.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for an e-copy.

Nope.

I didn’t love the first book, so it’s entirely on me for picking up the sequel – I clearly shouldn’t have. This takes itself too seriously for the premise – musicians merging with sentient mechas through music! – and we’re smacked in the face with Very Grim stuff right away here, and…no. No thank you.

This really shouldn’t be taken as a measure of the book’s quality: like I said, it’s on me. If you adored book one, I see no reason you won’t enjoy this one too. No judgement: this series just isn’t for me, clearly! But I look forward to what White writes next; I loved his Salvagers trilogy, and I’m not giving up on him! Just, gently bowing out of this specific series.

I enjoyed this book more than the first! I found the new situations, descriptions, and the expansions of the universe to be so engaging and interesting. I also really loved that the book continued 5 years later and not immediately after the previous books events - this made it feel like a continuation and not like a "pause" in the story.

Who doesn't like a good Spinal Tap reference? Bad people. Bad people who probably don't like mechs either so you should shun them. Thankfully "Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye" by Alex White does escalate things and has mechs. Therefore good.

So they saved Earth. For now, also the rest of the human race, other species, just organic life in general isn't super safe. Thankfully a coalition of species, a warp gate, and some back up arrives right over Earth to lend a hand. I'm sure there won't be any friction with the cyber crabs and stoat people. Oh and our diplomatic arm is being lead by our Conduits, who are stretching their muscles a bit as the only line of defense we have. I'm sure the government won't try and push people too much or expect things to go certain ways. Because rock and roll is all about strictness right?

Reasons to read:
-Let me shout it to the cheap seats Starmetal Symphony is the name of the series
-Big robots that do nutty things
-Now with alien species
-Consideration for germs and diseases that can be spread during a first contact, love to see biosecurity
-OH it does go to 11

Cons:
-Yea I can see the Earth centric leanings being the new "otherism" if we get to space (fingers crossed folks read an internalize that this is a bad idea and authors have been preaching this for decades because we are all worried about it still)

It's not often I find a sequel better than the first book. Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye knocked the first book into the depths of space. This book absolutely rocked.

I’m not sure if it was because I listened to the first book on audio and maybe lost some context, but reading this ARC had everything fall into place, and I was hooked. The world building was fantastic, and the character development was top notch. Heck, the relationships between the characters, and the relationships between the characters and their alien mechs, AND THEN the relationships between everyone and a whole smorgasbord of alien species was so rich that I had a lot of feelings about a lot of things that happened.

Scent of Rot (the names, OH MY GOSH THE NAMES) ended up becoming a favorite character of mine purely because of how much mental pain and drain It caused Gus. Following relatively normal humans navigate interspecies conferences was an absolute breath of fresh air. Ardent and Gus felt so real. They're selfish, brave, empathetic, and so utterly human that you feel for every misstep and accomplishment they make. Kudos to White for writing incredible, believable characters.

I’m keeping my eyes on this series, and if you need a Space Opera that's full of actual musicians in space in your life, then please look no further!

I really enjoyed White’s first Sci-Fi series the Salvagers, which was a bout Space Pirate magicians and had a very Firefly vibe to it. The Arden Violet series is about a glam rock star and their boyfriend who end up using music to pilot giant fighting robots. It took a bit more for me to find my bearings with this series, I don’t really have a ton of history with the Kaiju genre this is inspired by, but I got pretty locked in about 1/3rd of the way into this second book. David Bowie piloting a killer robot is a nice hook and by the end, I was anticipating the third book in the trilogy.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit books for an advance copy of this second book in a science fiction series that deals with AI, big robots, love, morality, mortality, and again big giant robots doing what big giant robots do best.

I missed the rise of huge robots as they invaded the imaginations and hearts of many a fan. I did have the Shogun Warrior toys as a child. These were big, maybe two feet tall dolls that fired fists and I think I missile in its chest. These were the days before choking hazards were a thing. I caught some Voltron, watched a bit of Robotech, played BattleTech the role playing game, but missed the Power Rangers, and never had the all-spark of why I should care. After reading these books by Alex White, my heart is full of songs of praise for giant robots, and I can't wait for the more. Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye is the second book in the Star Metal series, where everything is turned up to eleven, the music that binds the robots and their riders, the threats they all face, and the secrets they unearth.

People always claim their life was saved by rock n roll, but in the future all of humanity can swear to this. On the day that Earth was sure to be destroyed August Kitko decided to die with a song on his lips. This song saved turned the tide, allowing a group of huge robots to stop attacking humans, and work to protect what was left. After the events of the last book, more allies join what is left of humanity as aliens of all shapes, sizes and reasons have arrived, to bring Earth into their sphere of influence. So the war becomes a war of diplomacy as humans try to prove their worth, and walk delicately among rival groups with their own agendas. At the same time, Kitko discovers a few things that might change the war, either by ending it, or turning all of these new allies against what remains of the human race.

This is a big story with a lot going on. There is a love story between Gus Kitko and Ardent Violet, the world's biggest music star. Rogue AI, aliens with their own reasons for fighting, and enemies coming out of the wood work. White is a really gifted writer, able to balance but the normal, the odd, and the crazy very well. Also I love the use of music in the story. The music of the Vanguard robots, the music that binds the people who are fighting, and the songs they sing in rememberance of those who don't come back. There is a lot of sadness in this book, and reading the afterword one gets a very good reason why. In addition White is very good at conveying action, giant robots ripping ships, planet sized cruisers and even stars apart. All with an ending that ups the dangers even more, making one wait eagerly for the next book.

As a fan of space operas who grew tired with the same old stories, writers like White are making me love science fiction again. Big stories, big science, big robots. And love. To read about a future where no one cares who loves who, even when everything is looking dark, is a great thing. Love that is not just romance, but acceptance. And friendship. A really great series, one that I can't wait to read next one of.

A fast-paced, unpredictable, and stellar follow-up to August Kitko and the Mechas from Space. Humanity still hasn't won the fight against Infinite, but this time, they're not alone. Aliens have entered the picture, creatively designed and fascinatingly intricate. The variety and contrast between the species is really well done. Just like August Kitko, this book walks the very punk line between hope and despair in a way that had me hanging onto every word. Really, my only problem was the cliffhanger ending combined with the unknown finale release. The Starmetal Trilogy has so far been big, loud, weird, and wonderful, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye is the second book in The Starmetal Symphony space opera trilogy. I loved the first book, and this series is definitely one of the most unique space operas I've ever read. The battles between giant mechas and a group of ragtag musicians are incredibly entertaining and very chaotic. I thoroughly enjoy this series and highly recommend it. I can't wait to read the final book. Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ever since I read August Kitko and the Mechas from Space, I have been patiently waiting for its sequel and I was not disappointed!

Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye is full of twists and turns and also plenty of more emotional moments. It’s another quirky wild ride and once the story got started, I could not put it down!

It was a spectacular sequel and The Starmetal Symphony is quickly becoming one of my favorite space opera series! I can’t wait for the next book!

(Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for providing this EArc)

Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye is a wild ride! Reality bending music, hive-minded cybernetic space crabs, and robots that throw down in every sense. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, it’s heart-tugging sci-fi chaos. An endearing fever dream I won’t forget!

Thank you <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1228977-orbit">Orbit Books</a> and <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a> for the ARC.

Sometimes, you just need a book in your life that's about giant robots that also uses music as a connection point. We get aliens introduced this time around, and I have to admit it's real fun to watch the inadvertant stumblings of cross cultural communication with crab people. We also get a fake out a la pure anime drama as to the big bad, and I will freely admit that I love it for that. Hell of a sequel, and I'm in for the third book.

Alex White writes exciting and emotionally engaging books. Ardent Violent and the Infinite Eye is that rare book, a gripping middle volume. Lead characters Ardent and Gus share a tender relationship, fraught with pain and peril, as their lives and missions grow ever more complicated and costly. As the book races towards several dramatic conclusions, battles are fought, lives overturned, friendships formed and lost, and all in a very relatable way, as a pair of artists are thrust into acts of greatness they would have never imagined themselves capable of. I'm not sure what the next book will hold but I'm excited to read it. Given the scale of events in this volume, I expect book three to have universal consequences.

I was eager to dive into Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye due to its intriguing premise—mecha, a human alliance, and an alien coalition all sounded like elements I would typically enjoy. However, despite multiple attempts to start the first chapter, I found myself unable to get immersed in the story. The writing style just didn’t resonate with me personally, feeling more tailored to a younger YA audience. While I can see this appealing to readers who enjoy fast-paced, accessible sci-fi with relatable characters, I wasn’t able to connect enough to continue reading.