Winter's Orbit

October 26, 2020
The intricate royal protocol of The Crown intertwines with the adventure of Louis McMasters Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga series in Maxwell’s gorgeously plotted LGBTQ space opera debut. After Prince Taam of icy planet Iskan V dies, his wayward, charismatic cousin Prince Kiem is drafted into a political marriage to Taam’s flinchingly self-effacing widower, Thean Count Jainan. Through their marriage, Kiem and Jainan hope to salvage Iskan’s imperial treaty with Thea and satisfy a visiting galactic superpower that Iskan is stable enough to continue accessing the faster-than-light link network—and through it the wider universe. But when Taam’s death proves suspicious and secrets about his past come to light, Jainan and Kiem must navigate both their budding mutual attraction and the political minefield surrounding the treaties binding worlds. Maxwell’s plot elegantly combines clan politics, galactic power struggles, and marriage dynamics, though the delicate handling of abuse and trauma—enabled by Kiem’s un-self-conscious sweetness in his relationship with the skittish Jainan—gives way to heavy-handed melodrama in the story’s climax. Despite the soapy conclusion, this exciting adventure is sure to win Maxwell many fans.

December 1, 2020
Palace intrigue is always tough to manage, especially when you want no part of it. When fun-loving Kiem is summoned to the Emperor's office, the last thing he expects is an arranged marriage to the strait-laced Jainan. Not to mention a conspiracy that threatens the Empire. Oh, and the suspicious death of Jainan's previous partner. Looks like the honeymoon will have to wait. Maxwell's debut combines romance and thrills in a unique package. The narrative swaps between Kiem and Jainan, each with their own strong personalities, and quickly grows in urgency. Romantic tension volleys back and forth between the two leads, proving just as compelling as the political machinations. Winter's Orbit is soft on science fiction but heavy on world building. Other characters wear jewelry to show their gender, keep their identity in a wristband, and exist within a hierarchy that suggests a much larger universe beyond the scope of this novel. Suggest this to fans of Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor (2014) or N. K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (2010).

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Starred review from January 1, 2021

The Iskat Empire has continued its control through treaties and political marriages on each of its vassal planets. When Imperial Prince Taam is killed in a horrible accident, the Emperor knows she must quickly re-establish the connections, especially before the Auditor arrives to reapprove the treaties and ensure peace for years to come. The Emperor decides to marry Taam's widower, Jainan, to her playboy grandson, Kiem, much to Kiem's chagrin. Politics were never his focus, and now to be married to a man he does not even know? Kiem's arrival on Thea reveals some hidden truths, including the fact that Taam's death may not have been an accident, and Jainan is the primary suspect. As the light shines brighter on their marriage and their pasts, Kiem and Jainan must find a way to discover the answers before their relationship crumbles--along with the entire Iskat Empire. While the story contains themes of emotional and physical abuse in relationships, it brings a galaxy of gender and sexual choice, balancing the dark with light. VERDICT Maxwell's delightful debut will please science fiction and romance readers alike, telling a slow burn of a relationship fraught with high stakes and action.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

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