I have been waiting for the further adventures of Pleiti and Mossa for over a year, and this book was everything I wanted, and more; from the first page, I was once again entirely immersed in the lives and world of my favorite investigator and academic.

In case this is your introduction to the series: the stories are set in Giant (Jupiter), where Humanity fled to a few hundred years ago, after polluting Earth past the point it could sustain life. Given the planetary conditions, technology is very much Victorian steampunk-flavored: trains running from settlement to settlement through the night, fog-blanketed cities, telegrams, letters, and people physically running errands and carrying messages here and there.

And while the trappings of the world may sound somewhat unfamiliar, the institutions of higher learning? Ah, those are timeless indeed--because, wherever you take Humanity, you take all of humanity with you.

This is another series where I can feel myself letting go of the world as soon as I start reading--and in fact, once I started the book, didn't look up until I was done--and then struggled for days to write a coherent review.

The bulk of the novel is narrated in first person, past tense, by Pleiti, as she navigates both the uncertainty of her relationship with Mossa, and an unfamiliar environment as she seeks to help a friend; however, here once again there's a brief prologue in third person, past tense, from Mossa's rather cryptic point of view.

This book picks up fairly soon after the events in The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, which in turn took place not long after The Mimicking of Known Successes; while the main story in each installment is self-contained, Pleiti is still struggling to come to terms with all she learned--about her world, academia, and herself--at the end of that first adventure. It does not help her to realize that, despite everything they have been through together, her relationship with Mossa isn't necessarily as firmly established as she would like it to be.

The worldbuilding in this series is exquisite; the author has clearly spent a lot of time pondering the logistics of building a global society on a gas planet and a couple of its moons, but the beauty of the writing is that any exposition is seamlessly woven into Pleiti's thought processes as she interacts with other characters, and ponders the intersections of history, sociology, and even psychology, both in regards with the case at hand, her own research, and as she muses on the questions raised by Mossa's sudden--and to her, inexplicable--detachment.

Then there are the politics of academia, with all their petty resentments, archaic protocols and unwritten rules--not to mention institutional rivalry--as well as the inherent tensions and unholy alliances of research and capitalism. (There is a Jonas Salk shout out: "What did you think I was going to do, sell it? ... I'm not going to deprive anyone of that")

Then, there's the language.

I love how Dr Older uses language in this world. Every so often, words in Spanish, French, Dutch, or any of a number of languages spanning Earth, are dropped into the English narrative, in a way that makes them part of the common parlance of Giant, just as the food and fog are. Interestingly, while they're declined or conjugated according to the rules of English grammar, these terms retain their cultural implications, which makes for a much richer worldbuilding that is seems at first glance.

And the food, oh goodness me! And look, I generally don't care for food in novels (I eat to survive, mostly), but when dishes from my childhood pop up this way, I end up hungry for some tlayudas del comal, and curious about all the other delicacies on offer.

But what truly makes these stories resonate is the relationship between Mossa and Pleiti; there's so much pining, the cutting pain of misunderstanding someone despite having known them for so long, and loving them so deeply.

Not only is Pleity uneasy about taking the lead in investigating the seemingly disconnected--and malicious--shenanigans directed at her friend Villette, but Mossa's absence cuts deep, and causes her a lot of anguish.

"Or perhaps it was nothing, and that was enough, because it didn't always require something happening to fall out of love." (Pleiti, chapter 2; emphasis on the page)

The solution to the case, in fact, hinges almost exclusively on people's feelings about each other: love, envy, resentment, ownership, fear; the clues are for the most part quite subtle, and I'm not sure I would call this a fair play mystery myself (although that may be entirely a 'me' problem--I did mention I inhaled this book, right? so I may have missed something).

I enjoyed the drama of the climax, and the hopefulness of its aftermath--and I am ecstatic to say that Dr Older is writing the next book in the series right now.

The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses gets a 9.00 out of 10

This is the third in a sci-fi mystery/Sapphic romance series, set on Giant, the Jovian planet now occupied by the descendants of the ruined planet of Earth. I had not read the two previous books, but for the most part it did not present a problem.

The story begins when Valdegeld University Scholar Pleiti is approached by Petanj, a friend from her undergraduate days, to help her and her cousin Villette. Villette, a scholar at the rival college of Stortellen, is up for a donship because of her groundbreaking research on a small device to help breathe in their inhospitable environment without having to wear an atmoscarf. Someone has been anonymously slandering Villette, accusing her of plagiarism, and possibly posing a physical threat to her. Pleiti now has a reputation as an investigator because of her work with Mossa, an official Investigator who let Pleiti, her lover, help her in the past. Petanj hoped Pleiti would come to Stortellen with her and help find out what was going on.

Pleiti agreed, in part because for some reason Mossa was not communicating with her. So she made the two-day trip to Stortellen - “about as far away as it was possible to get on the network of geo-synchronized rings and platforms that formed humanity’s habitat on Giant.”

Soon after Pleiti arrived, the threats to Villette intensified. Pleiti sent missives to Mossa about the case hoping she would come help; Villette and possibly even Pleiti were in mortal danger.

This is a standard mystery on one level, but the scifi world-building makes it marvelously fun.

First there is the amusing fact of the sci-fi twist to a “closed-door” mystery. (This is one in which the possibility of suspects is limited by physical circumstances.). In this case, it almost has to be someone on the Stortellen platform rather than, say, from other outposts in and around Giant.

Second, the typical rivalries among academics is given the sci-fi treatment with an underlying plot strand about the division in academics between “Classicists” (who study old Earth in the hope of one day returning there) and “Modernists” who focus on life on Giant. There is an interesting antagonism between the two approaches, with Classicists considering Modernists lightweight - “studying what was right there in front of us . . . could hardly be the same as teasing out numbers and relationships from sources writing about an obsolete world…. while Modernists reviled Classicists for wanting to cosplay Earth.

Third, one must give plaudits to Older’s integration into the story of the evolution of language and culture that would have certainly taken place on a new world comprised of an amalgam of people. She never defines new words, but their meanings are clear. As an example: “Villette got off to the lab early, of course, sarariman that she is.” Then there is Pleiti asking “Dafuq?” in a context making clear this would mean, to us, “What the fuck?” Sometimes rather than neologisms, Older throws in words from other languages: “Villette gestured around at the walls and the floor, apparently too verklempt to speak.” And sometimes the words are the same, but the meaning has evolved. For example, because humans destroyed the planet of Earth, calling someone a “human” is to insult that person.

And the story is even amusing about her choice of all the things that stay the same: the sports contests between universities, the pressures on scholars to publish, the social gatherings that highlight fashion and food, and most of all: the awkwardness of relationships, especially being afraid to say how you really feel.

Mystery aficionados may notice similarities (a homage perhaps?) to the novel “Gaudy Night” by Dorothy Sayers (1935). Like that novel, in this book we have a college setting, “poison-pen” messages accompanied by graffiti, vandalism, and personal threats, and a mystery writer (Harriet Vane, whose character in some ways echoes that of Pleiti) calling in an investigator (Lord Peter Wimsey) for help with whom she has a complicated personal relationship.

Evaluation: While the story wasn’t earth-shaking (so to speak) it was very clever and entertaining, and I look forward to reading any new books in the series.

- Hooray, a new Mossa and Pleiti story! If you aren’t reading this series, you are missing out. Cozy mysteries set at universities on Jupiter solved by a sapphic pair, what’s not to love?
- Mossa and Pleiti are separate for much of this book, leaving Pleiti to try to do the sleuthing herself. That, along with a trip to a different platform, made this installment feel like a major expansion of the world.
- I can’t discuss plot too much without giving things away, so I’ll just say please pick up this series so we can get many more of them!

Mossa and Pleiti series has been a very enjoyable one till now, so I was quite interested in this third installment as well, and turns out this is the best of the three.

The author does a stunning job both plot and character wise in this book. We get a sinister plot trying to discredit and maybe even harm a Modernist scholar, both physically and through her research; and Pleiti taking up the investigation herself in the absence of Mossa. On the other hand, we get a much more detailed look at their dynamic - their feelings for each other, but how they are eclipsed at times by their own insecurities, but still feeling it hard to be away from each other. There were some great conversations between them in the second half of the book, and I always appreciate good communication between a couple, even if doesn’t solve everything instantly. The plot starts off slow, with Pleiti unsure of her sleuthing skills, but her unique scholarly methods of deductions lead to some very explosive and unexpected revelations. It was also very nice to see her get reacquainted with some old college friends, with the possibility that we might meet them again if there are more books in the series(which I sincerely hope there are).

The prose is also so beautiful and hit me particularly at times, with some curious turn of phrase or just the emotion that the author is able to evoke. There is also more world building in this book - we get to see the dynamics in another big university, the rivalries between Unis as well as between the scholars (and how human and earthly it all feels even in a very futuristic setting); and we also get to observe the petty prejudices and discriminations that exist even in this society which supposedly started afresh, after humans had to leave earth. This part of the book made it feel all the more realistic and grounded, despite being set on a gas giant.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The audiobook is also narrated very well and kept me hooked. I have to say that the Holmes and Watson vibes haven’t always been too obvious in this series before, but this book is clearly an ode to The Hound of Baskervilles and considering that it’s one of my all time favorites, I’m not surprised I fell in love with this one too.

While many aspects of the world and some of the more scientific concepts go over my head, there is something about Mossa and Pleiti investigating that I just love coming back to. The mysteries are always great, with just enough thrilling moments to keep the story hopping. So much action, world-building, and character growth is packed into the story that you feel like it's a full-length book.

You don't have to read the other books to enjoy this one, but I think you get more background on Mossa and Pleiti's growing relationship if you do.

This world building continues to impress, I love the imagining of humanity on a distant gas giant and how humanity would see ourselves and change if we had to abandon Earth. Mossa and Pleiti both had some good growth and I like em.

Rating: 4⭐️/5

I will start this review by saying that I did not read the first two books. I received an ARC for this one from NetGalley.

While I might have missed out on some of the complexities of Pleiti and Mossa, I do think that this was a great thriller and mystery with some complex relationship interworkings.

I really enjoyed this novel and will be going back to read the first two!

I'm a huge fan of Malka Older's Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti novella series. Set in a post apocalyptic colony on Jupiter after Earth is no longer inhabitable the series is a cozy space opera mystery sapphic romance series which despite their short length still pose interesting ideas about love, the resilience of humanity, and the push pull between honoring the past and looking towards our future endeavors.

Pleiti, a professor, and Mossa, a detective, in the two previous books had renewed their romantic relationship from back in their college days, but now Mossa has been growing distant and seems uninterested in helping the sister of another of their old school friends who has been accused of plagiarism so Pleiti must solve the mystery on her own. But when the case turns out to have a more dangerous aspect than at first it seemed Pleiti wonders if she might be in over her head. Though part of me didn't want to see Mossa and Pleiti's romance in question, I think for the characters this felt like a realistic hurdle that they would need to face. I like how this novel shakes up both characters out of their comfort zones and allows them to grow individually.

Another excellent installment in this series! I liked how this book focused on Pleiti a little more as she got to investigate, though as always Mossa was throughout the narrative. I really appreciated the more academic tone of this one.

Every time I pick up a Malka Older book, I am struck anew by how beautifully she writes. As much as I enjoy the melding of mystery, romance, and science fiction in her Mossa and Pleiti series, the way she uses words is such a joy to read.

The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses is the third in the series, and you must read the first two books in order to understand this one. The Rector’s actions in The Mimicking of Known Successes continues to reverberate. Mossa and Pleiti hit a challenge in their relationship at the beginning of the book, which illuminates another aspect of ungovernable impulses, that ties back to why their college relationship failed.

I love the way that Older draws on The Hound of the Baskervilles plot to explore mental illness. Mossa is deep in a Jovian melancholy and doesn’t want to hear about the case that Pleiti’s friend, Pentaj, has brought to her. So Pleiti goes on her own to the far off university campus. Pleiti doubts her investigative abilities, but she’s willing to try to help a Pentaj’s cousin who is the victim of a smear campaign and possibly under threat of physical harm. I live with chronic depression, as do many of the people I love, and the experience that Mossa and Pleiti go through was so relatable to me.

As with the other books in the series, academic rivalries and politics are the medium that allows Older to explore how humans cope with their own alienation. Older is building such an interesting world. The language, food, and the odd obsessions we gather around make the Jovian settlement feel lived in, both precariously new and shockingly hidebound. I can’t wait to read more of it.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Tor Books and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

When I read the first book of this series, it gave Sapphic sci fi Sherlock and Holmes vibes. Now, in book 3, that is entirely confirmed. What I liked about this book, however, is that Pleiti did most of the investigating. Not to say she didn't in previous books, but her intelligence is particularly highlighted in this installment. I also like how she was challenged multiple times on her disdain for Modernism as a Classical scholar because she's surrounded by Modern scholars during this mystery.

Another thing I really loved was the conversations about Mossa's depression. Her condition was entirely relatable on every turn.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I found Older's narrative in this slim volume, weighed down by the narrator's heavy academic voice. At the same time, it would be impossible to say the story wasn't interesting. Older's navigation of pressing events, including depressive episodes, jealousy, and the academic divide between past and present, is compelling, respectful, and insightful. Additionally, the sapphic co-leads make an adorable pairing, and Older's way of weaving queer existence into the narrative as something fundamentally ordinary is necessary in the moment we live in.

Malka Older makes a rousing return to her acclaimed SF mystery/romance series, The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, with The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses, coming out June 10. The novella that started the series, The Mimicking of Known Successes, was amazingly great (I reviewed it here), and I quite enjoyed the sequel, The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles. The latest book is the longest so far, but at 256 pages it feels just right. The mystery seems to have lower stakes than in previous books, but it also highlights previously unexplored aspects of the Giant (Jovian) society and returns to some elements of previous books that hadn’t exactly been resolved after all. The romance between Pleiti and Mossa undergoes some severe friction, but in the end … well, read it and see!

I don’t advise jumping into the latest book if you’re new to Mossa and Pleiti; start with the first novella, since the relationship and the worldbuilding are complex and continue to develop throughout the series. However, it’s not necessary to reread the earlier works to pick up the series again at this point (especially if you’ve already reread in the intervals like me), since Older includes plenty of reminder-references and context clues to prior situations. (I think if you skipped the second book for whatever reason, you can still read the third without too much difficulty.)

The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses opens with a prologue of Mossa lurking outside Pleiti’s quarters, oddly reluctant to enter. The action starts in Chapter 1 with Petanj, an old Valdegeld University schoolmate, asking Pleiti for help; Petanj’s cousin Villette, a rising scholar-star at rival Stortellen U. who’s scheduled to be honored soon with a donship that’s relatively early in her career, has been receiving nasty anonymous notes and a false accusation of plagiarism. Petanj thinks that Pleiti, as a fellow scholar, will be less official, less intimidating, and more familiar with academic environments than Investigator Mossi, but hopefully familiar enough with the investigative process (given Pleiti’s somewhat notorious participation in prior investigations) to help resolve this problem and growing scandal.

Pleiti asks Mossi to investigate with her anyway, or at least consult with her, but Mossa, sunken into a deep apathy or worse, refuses to even listen to the case, and sends Pleiti away. For much of the book, Pleiti doesn’t see Mossa, and frequently asks herself What Would Mossa Do as she embarks on the investigation, wondering whether she should have stayed with Mossa instead to help lift her spirits, since she doesn’t seem to be making much progress as she chats with various associates of Villette (pretending to be a mere curious visitor who’d come for the donship ceremony). Libel escalates to sabotage and worse, but the university leadership is more inclined to blame Villette as a trouble-inciter than to find the culprit(s?).

In many ways, this book reminds me of the wonderful academic mystery/romance Gaudy Night (1935), by Dorothy Sayers. In that, Harriet Vane, a mystery novelist, is asked to investigate various “poison pen” notes at her alma mater, a women’s college at Oxford; she begins to feel out of her depth when the attacks move from libelous taunts to violence, and writes about the case to her unsuccessful suitor, the famous detective Lord Peter Wimsey.

The Potency of Ungovernable Obstacles doesn’t address women’s roles in society the way Gaudy Night does, since the Jovians of the future appear to have moved beyond that (although I note that the highest leaders of both universities here are men). And Potency doesn’t address clashes between town and gown mindsets the way Gaudy Night does (although Imposition touched on that lightly), but it does talk quite a lot about the different, and sometimes opposite, mindsets of the Classicists (studying Classic pre-Giant works in order to try to reconstruct a sustainable biosphere for ruined Earth) and the Modernists (focusing on life here and now on the orbiting rail-ring platforms around Giant/Jupiter).

Distant from Valdegeld, the Stortellans have heard little more than vague rumors about the stirring events from the climax of The Mimicking of Known Successes, and some of them wonder whether the conspiracy there may have been much wider-reaching than the news said — which sets Pleiti to wondering whether she and Mossa really had gotten all the culprits; certainly the major perpetrator there had a lot of sympathizers. As Pleiti confesses late in Potency, she has much less faith now in leaders and institutions than she used to have.

Eventually, Pleiti finds her own way to analyze the case and come to a conclusion; eventually, she gets some more help, and the mystery is solved, although not without some collateral damage along the way. Obviously I don’t want to spoil the perpetrator or the motives here, so I can’t talk about the resolution much. However, on a side note, I did feel pleasantly vindicated when I was vindicated in my guess about a romantic subplot.

For the major romantic plot, both Mossa and Pleiti both struggle a lot with their feelings of inadequacy, and their tendencies to hurt each other with inadvertencies, occasional emotional obtuseness, and even efforts to shield each other from harm. Somehow, Malka Older manages to write this in a way that mostly has me sympathetically groaning “Oh, Mossa” or “Oh, Pleiti” instead of snarling, “Oh, come ON!” Mostly. But they do, eventually, communicate better. (And the book isn’t all grim and moody! There’s a lot of snide humor, and comfort food, and some exciting action!)

Speaking of communication, I’ll mention the word choices here. Language on the platform is an evolving thing, which is natural for a society of Earth refugees thrown together and mixing and building a new way of life together around another world. In this future, numerous words have crossed over from other languages into English (or whatever language the future story has been translated from into our 21st-century usages, ha!), and various words have evolved via dropping prefixes or suffixes, or adding new ones, or recombinations. That slows down the reading a little bit, but the meaning is always gleanable from context, and it does add to the sense of living in a different culture.

I really enjoyed this book. For anyone who may have thought the second book dipped slightly from the first book’s greatness, I encourage you to come back to the series; you’ll welcome how this expands and builds upon what came before. I’m also very interested to see what comes next after this: Mossa and Pleiti have talked about making some big changes, and although there aren’t any annoying dangling threads, I’m eager to see how things turn out going forward, for them and for their world(s).

I'm so torn with this series. The world and the characters are excellent and the story is pretty solid. The mystery is fine. But the writing just does not work for me. I think its the excessive use of obscure English plus adding in random words from multiple other languages, it feels so disjointed and doesn't flow well. Not sure why it frustrates me so much but there it is.

This book (and series) will still be great for those who love cozy sci fi mysteries, especially of the intellectual flavor. I'll probably keep reading because I'm committed to Mossa and Pleiti at this point, but will inevitably continue to be frustrated by the writing.

Thank you to Tor.com and Netgalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed every book I have read by Dr. Older, and this one was no exception. Witty, emotional, and gripping, I found myself once again engrossed in the world of Mossa and Pleiti on Giant. This boook was cozy and heartwarming as always, but it definitely took a journey to get there. The book centers on the relationship between Mossa and Pleiti. The previous books touched upon each woman's anxieties about their deepening relationship, and this one followed that up with a deep exploration of emotions and what it means to commit to another person. I hope that everyone gets the pleasure of reading a love as gentle and genuine as that between Mossa and Pleiti.
The mystery of this book was well written, and I enjoyed the suspense of the "whodunit?" The extension of the worldbuilding off our familiar world of "valdegeld" to a new platform was a fun exploration into a speculative future that Dr. Older has clearly spent a significant amount of time developing.
Lastly, the linguist in me adored the way that language was crafted in this book. In imagining a future where humanity has homogenized out of necessity for survival, Older played on the very realistic human tendency of linguistic dispersion and seamlessly melded words from English, Spanish, Italian, French, and various other languages to create a unique dialogue style that was as much a part of the story as the events itself.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I have really been enjoying the Mossa & Pleiti series with two women normally in an academic setting mystery. Mossa is an investigator who is good at her work, but very uncertain in social circumstance. I'd almost say she is autistic but Pleiti also has the hesitation about things in their relationship. Pleiti is an academic studying how things might be reintroduced on Earth to revive an ecosystem there. The setting is another planet.

The mystery in The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses is about an academic at a different location than Pleiti but one of her past school mates. The academic, Villette, has some interesting research and has just been offered a donship. Someone dislikes her and / or wants to harm her. Villette's sister, Petanj, lives and works where Pleiti does but not the same department. She wants Pleiti to come with her to try to figure out her sister's stalkers and maybe even bring Mossa.

The relationship is a key piece of the story. The women care about each other but seem afraid to express too much or commit. Pleiti asks Mossa to go with her but Mossa is in a state of melancholy which is probably why they haven't seen each other in the past month, as well as they don't live in the same place.

I enjoy the layers of story with the mystery and the relationship. The emotions seem very honest. I do wish they would just settle into their relationship a bit better instead of all the constant insecurity. Neither seems confident or completely supported which is sad because they do trust each other and care.

People seem to have work which is individually directed and on their own schedule as they go off and investigate as they want. I did find the wording contained many odd words, sometimes in different languages, which I don't remember from the previous books. I had to look up several, which even looking up one word in a book is unusual for me. I enjoy these characters with clever minds who always come together to support each other and solve the case in the end.

I have really enjoyed this series and the world building and growing relationship between the main characters.
I hope this series continues..

#NetGalley

It’s been rainy and unseasonably cold here, so this was the perfect time to return to Giant (better known as Jupiter) and the latest investigation of Mossa & Pleiti. Cozy as always, heartwarming as always, but it was a journey to get there.

The story opens with Mossa’s perspective, debating going to see Pleiti and ultimately deciding not to. Cut to Pleiti; she’s fretting over their relationship, and concerned at the growing distance she perceives between them. Her ruminations are interrupted when an old friend from their university days - Petanj - knocks on her door. Another mutual friend - Villette, Petanj’s cousin - is also in academia, at a university on the far side of Giant, and up for a donship despite her youth. Yet someone is running a smear campaign, accusing Villette of that ultimate academic sin, plagiarism. Villette has heard of Pleiti’s work with Mossa and asks her to come and see who is working against Villette. Pleiti agrees, but makes no promises for Mossa. Which is just as well; Mossa is sunk into a deep depression, and tells Pleiti to leave her alone. So Pleiti goes off to do the investigation on her own.

Malka Older’s academic background shows through clearly. Pleiti finds herself at a distant university with an enormous chip on its collective shoulder about not being Pleiti’s older, prestigious university. She also finds herself, a Classicist, interacting mostly with Modernist scholars, so there’s academic contempt and snobbery and chips on shoulders there as well. But she does her best to find the source of the smear campaign, all the while missing Mossa and feeling like Mossa should be there.

On this, Pleiti and I are of one mind.

Mossa does show up eventually, of course, and emotions between them are fraught. But immediately the book felt more balanced. I’m quite certain this was a deliberate choice on the author’s part; the series needs the dynamic between the two of them.

The actual mystery of this cozy mystery was probably the least satisfying of the three Mossa & Pleiti books published thus far; it felt like mostly noise in the background while Mossa & Pleiti worked things out. The reveal was fine, but didn’t really have much emotional weight for me. Luckily the interpersonal stuff did, which makes this an easy 4 stars.

Comes out on 10 June. Have a cup of coffee/tea/cocoa on standby.

although i wish i had the kind of familiarity with the original sherlock holmes text enough to appreciate the homage this novella makes, i think even without my prior (and highly encouraged) reacquaintance with them, i'm still able to enjoy this series. this has been true for the first two of this series, and is still true for this third installment. i did enjoy the incredible worldbuilding here, alongside the character and relationship development between the two adorable sapphics. that said im even more inclined now to revisit the classic sherlock novel/s if only to give myself a lil pat in the back when i recognize which specific parts this series paid homage to.

maybe i got teary-eyed towards the end of this one, especially upon reading mossa and pleiti's dialogue. i don't often quote ARCs for the fact that some minor details of certain scenes may still change, but for the hope that this scene will be calcified in my brain, i'll quote this exchange:
<spoiler>
"[...] Mossa, truly, if you would listen--when I said I wished I could offer you that trust, what I meant was not that I wished I could trust you, because I do--but that I wish you could trust me enough so that ...so that when you do feel
melancholy, you don't mind my seeing it."
She looked at me at last. "You don't want to see it."
"I don't enjoy seeing you sad, no, but I do want to see you, always." [...]
"But ... it's awful"
"I know, love." [...]
"But why?"
"Mossa. I don't know what impulse pushes you into melancholy. but I promise you, it is no stronger than that which pulls me to you."
A whisper of a smile. "It sounds like an affliction."
"Perhaps, [...] A deep-abiding fever, but a welcome one."
"Pleiti [...] I cannot promise you that I will not again find it impossibly difficult to-to-"
I waited, but she seemed unable
to find a conclusion to the sentence
or perhaps she had found it but
could not admit to it.
"Mossa, you don't have to promise that."
"I wish I could."
"I know."</spoiler>

It's beautiful to find a love like this depicted here. The kind of love that understands deeply, despite not being afflicted by the same woes. The kind of love that wants to see all parts of the other, not just the "easy" ones. The kind of love that says "you don't have to hide; i see all of u and i love you." Oh Mossa and Pleiti.........<3

thank you netgalley and tor books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Academics turn dangerous when Pleiti is asked to investigate some strange attacks against a former peer who's up for a prestigious award.

This is the third installment The Investigations of Mossa and Pleti and it was just as tantalizing and cozy as the previous 2.

Themes:
🪐: Love against all odds
🪐: Women jn STEM

Representation:
💗: Sapphic Lesbian Pairing
💗: Light conversational Spanish
💗: Cuban author/ FMC
💗: Depression Rep

Tropes:
🚀: Love against all odds
🚀: Women in Stem
🚀: Gaspunk Setting

Spice: Closed Door
Triggers: Attempted Murder (non/graphic) see author's website/socials for full list.

Brief Synopsis:
When a former peer starts getting attacked for her controversial research that could create competition for a very well-known and much needed survival item on the planet Giant, Pleiti is contacted by the peers cousin to come in and investigate. Pleiti is unable to rely on Mossa and has to go at it alone, even though it's not her area of expertise. With her own relationship between her and Mossa in turmoil, Pleiti has to start fending off attacks as they start to turn deadly and target Pleiti herself. The can she solve the investigation in time??

General Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this third installment of this series. The cozy mystery was still giving all the vibes that needed to and the setting was still giving gaspunk. It was very interesting to see a different station on the planet, and how it was different from the others we had previously seen. This was the first novel to focus more solely on only one of our dynamic duo. I felt like it worked pretty well. I was more engaged in this mystery than I was in a book two. It felt like it flowed more organically and held my attention better. We continued the storyline between Mossa and Pleiti and their relationship over from the second book into this book and it looks like we're gonna continue it over into a possibly a fourth book? Here's to hoping. I am definitely interested in more novellas in this series.

Disclaimer: I read this as an e-book via Netgalley and TorDotCom. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.