I was a bit unsure going into this one, as I knew it had a strong romance subplot and I am not a lover of romance. However, I am happy to say that this was delightful and the science fiction plot was strong throughout, which I really appreciated. Kiem and Jainan were both really well fleshed out as characters and it helped to have both of their perspectives to give more insight into their behaviours. I also enjoyed a lot of the peripheral characters, with Bel being a particular favourite. The plotting was tight and compelling and the pacing was balanced nicely, giving breathing space for the relationship aspects to flourish but with enough action moments to keep things interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed the reading experience of this one and I would definitely read more books set in this world.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

ARC provided by the publisher Orbit Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Well, someone has to marry the man,” the Emperor said.


An evocative, emotional, and wonderfully layered story about relationships in a space opera setting weaving dire circumstances and nuanced inter-galactic diplomatic sequences.

In November, I’m making it my mission to read as many advance reader copies of books that I was given by publishers from last year to now. Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell is one of those ARCs that I am determined to read this month. It is the second book I picked up and by far it is one that I didn’t expect to hit me as hard as it did. Since I’ve seen mixed ratings and reviews by trusted friends it is a book that I shrouded with doubt and side eye-ing for quite some time. Truthfully, I shed all those thoughts by sheer will and stubbornest because if I keep doubting myself I wouldn’t read it AT ALL. And as you can see from my rating that I clearly really really loved it.

Winter’s Orbit is a queer space opera romance story between a prince and a count of a small planet part of The Iskat Empire by Everina Maxwell. It was originally a series under the title “The Course of Honour” that gained traction in 2017 on Archive of Our Own (Ao3) that ran from 02 February 2017 – 15 May 2017. By August 2019 it is announced that the story is acquired by Tor Books to be published as a book as part of a three book deal. The book is published with the title Winter’s Orbit on February 2021 earning raving reviews from critics such as the New York Times, NPR, etc. There is a long history connected to this story that I didn’t know about before I dived into the story as I was not present at that time and wasn’t much of a reader back then. Honestly, I only found out after I finished the book so for readers that have read the Ao3 version of the story do let me know if there are differences from the original with the published one. Would love to know! Without further a do let’s get on with the review!

“I love him,” Kiem said. He shouldn’t say it. Jainan’s declarations had just been politics, he knew that, but Kiem was unable to stop smiling. “Of course you do,” the Emperor said. “You have never made good choices. Sell this, or the Empire falls.”


The story of Winter’s Orbit follows two main perspectives; Kiem, the easy going trouble maker and one of many princes of The Empire of Iskat, and Jainan nav Adessari, a reserved count with an engineering background from Thea. Kiem is arranged to be married to Jainan as planned by the Emperor to continue diplomatic relations and to become the Iskat representative for Thea during the resolution renewals that is set to be done in the coming weeks after their marriage. This abrupt marriage arrangement is thrusted upon Kiem by the Emperor a month after the death of Jainan’s former partner and cousin to Kiem, Prince Taam, during a freak flying accident. Taam and Jainan were the picture perfect example of an ideal pairing that is well known and beloved in the inner circles of the Iskat Empire. Prince Taam, an accomplished decorated military personel and dignified royal, is the absolute opposite of Prince Kiem, the unfavored prince that mostly does charities with a knack for causing media uproars that seems to always getting himself into more controversies than any other royal. Long story short Kiem is the joke of the royal family that is set to marry someone way out of his league and tying himself to responsibilities and diplomatic functions that requires him to behave himself for the sake of the empire.

The Empire didn’t just mean Iskat: the Empire was Thea as well, and five other planets with hundreds of millions of citizens, all drifting away from the rest of the universe like the axial tilt of winter.


Maxwell’s world building that sets as the background for this space opera romance series is imaginative and teasingly expansive. I say teasingly meaning that there is a potential for this inter-galactic to be explored further in future books that Maxwell has mentioned in the interview attached to this book. In Winter’s Orbit the story mostly takes place in Iskat and it’s surrounding regions that is blanketed in snowy mountain terrains and windy cold climate. There isn’t a good amount of world exploration in it as the relationship takes the spotlight for Winter’s Orbit. Fair warning for readers who anticipate a good dose of exploration would more likely find it a tad disappointed if you expected this. Another thing I would like to gush about the world building is how gender is incorporated into the society of the world. In Winter’s Orbit gender identity is adopted freely by each individual through the accessories they wear; anyone can identify as either male or female or if they don’t want to identify as either gender they can too. It can be differ planet from planet which makes it even more fascinating though it is such a small part of the world that emphasizes how unapologetically queer this book is.

Maxwell’s writing is intricate, articulate, and yet accessible that makes the world with it’s many complex factors can be easily understood. The pacing is slow yet addictive and engaging that it was hard for me to put down the book. Even with it’s longer than average chapters Maxwell still managed to ensnare me and immerse me into the story that for the time period it took me to read the book it is the only thing I can think about. For readers that likes a fast paced story you’ll have to be patient with this book and dissect each chapter like an onion. Maxwell’s masterful ability to weave the world and politics around the relationships tying it together that is both emotionally evoking and well balanced is impressive. What I am also a fan of is the vibe of being kept in the dark and utter confusion caused by bureaucracy that reminds me of a series I read last year, The Poison Wars series by Sam Hawke. The dread of not knowing who’s behind the many incidents which threatens the peace while on a time crunch in which everyone could be a suspect is the thrill that I have longed for.

The enormity of Galactic politics seemed to be pressing on him like a gravity well, as if the unfathomable distance and terrible strangeness of the other Resolution systems were clustering in low orbit above them.


A factor that takes the forefront of the story along side the character relationships is the political machinations. Iskat is an Empire that thrives through it’s alliances with it’s six conquered allies and every few years the treaty is renewed to solidify their alliance. When it comes to alliances it doesn’t come easy especially with six other planets. What I find interesting about the political sphere is it’s multi layered administrative obligations and procedures that is the bulk of the story. These procedures ties close to the treaty proceeding that doesn’t only cover Iskat but other galactic government bodies outside of it as executed by the Resolution represented by the Auditor.

The story thrives through it’s many political scheming, conspiracies, cover ups, and back stabbing. The most entertaining scenes includes these factors that come into play in attempt to disrupt and shake the Empire. It’s fascinating how one incident opens a can of worms that keeps on unraveling into a ball of tangled mess. The process of disentanglement peaked my interest as well because it is placed into our two main protagonist’s hands; though one is more capable yet internally incapacitated while the other is a golden retriever that doesn’t understand the complexities of inter-galactic politics, so it will surely entertain you if you like chaotic confrontations with lots bluffing and manic realizations all the while processing trauma. The political and diplomatic catastrophes contained in the story is a magnificent display of the domino effect that is engaging and amusing to read. There seem to be no end to the turmoil that is thrown at our two main characters and Maxwell does so with a level of calculative precision and well intent notion to further progress the story to a painfully high stakes climax that parallels the turning point of Kiem and Jainan’s relationship.

“Jainan,” he said into his fingers. He pulled his hands down until his dark agonized eyes met Jainan’s. “You’re beautiful.”


As I said in the previous paragraph that the relationship is the main focus of the story. Because of this, during my read, I’ve come to realize that the character development of both Kiem and Jainan are tied together as a pair. They are polar opposites that share the same problem of seeing each other as lacking and unworthy of each other (cue d’awww sounds). Both of them are complex and well fleshed out with distinct personalities that are believable and compelling. Kiem and Jainan bounce of each other in the most un-harmoniously awkward fumbly way during the start of their marriage but soon—with time—they slowly synced together and grows stronger. But if I do have to mention development the only evidence can be seen through Jainan. I will not go into details on how he developed but it is the subtle hints in his behavior and words that he says that points to a history of trauma.

Maybe tomorrow Jainan would find out that Kiem didn’t mean any of this as he seemed to, that he hadn’t meant to look at Jainan as if Jainan were the only source of beauty in the world. But tonight Jainan owned Kiem’s gaze and the touch of his hands, and everything else was irrelevant. Tonight he could do nothing wrong.


The themes of trauma and abuse within Jainan's character arc is done with care and nuance by Maxwell. His behavior and decisions is something readers have to piece together to fully understand him as a character. Kiem on other hand is the support system that gave the space and time for Jainan to open up to him without pushing boundaries or seem intrusive that might worsen Jainan's current state. Dare I say Kiem is the perfect match because of his unconditional and unbiased compassion towards others that helped Jainan to confide in him.

You couldn’t love someone when you had trawled through their sordid problems like this. They were only an object of pity. He was an object of pity.


Though the interaction between Kiem and Jainan missed many marks at first because of this; leading to misunderstandings which undoubtedly at a glance fall into the category of a miscommunication trope. This factor, I recognize, could make or break a story for a few readers aside from it’s slow pacing. In short for future readers I’d like to warn that this book can be well loved or loathed by some readers but I encourage readers to give it a chance because one match can light up an empire (see what I did there? haha). Their relationship is heartfelt, endearing, and soft; something about the vulnerability they share and through their pain staking effort, a relationship blossomed that tugged my feelings enough to make me cry tears of both joy and sadness.

A ripple went through the room—half shock, half amusement, but the only sound Jainan focused on was a low, involuntary noise from Kiem beside him and the way he pulled his wrist out of Jainan’s grip so he could take Jainan’s hand. Jainan clasped it tight, and it buoyed him up like a wave.


Final thoughts, Winter’s Orbit is the queer space opera filled with twists, slow yet gripping pacing, and political intrigue which focuses on relationship development between two characters set in a diplomatic galactic landscape. At it’s core Winter’s Orbit is a story about healing and love; how patience and care is shown at it’s purest form through acts and words of reassurance that needs to be repeatedly conveyed. Though in Kiem’s case he needs practice to not be distracted by Jainan luscious locks so he wouldn’t fumble his words. It is a sci-fi stand alone that shows a refreshing take in the arranged marriage trope by emphasizing on relationship growth and processing trauma all the while engaging in endless space political debacles. If you like a slow build up, inter galactic planetary politics, relationship focused, and intricate stories that is complex, layered and full of depth that is unapologetically queer this is the story for you.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

That this was a political fantasy with a soft, gay romance was all I knew, and all I needed to know, before beginning the story so it is also all the synopsis I am going to provide in my review, as well.

What begun as a highly-detailed, bureaucratic story, with an intense murder mystery focus, soon became a novel that was perhaps a little too slow-burn and concerned with minute details for me to ever feel truly gripped by it. I had a great love for both central characters and a desire to learn just what occurred to deliver them to their current predicaments, but I lost some of the intrigue as their stories progressed.

This was certainly not a novel devoid of charm though. I enjoyed my time here and would be eager for a sequel concerning the same characters. There were some pivotal reveals that were kept from the reader until this book's close, when I felt they would have been better deployed earlier in the novel, but it did not detract from my love for those who featured in it.

It's a nice feeling to go into a book thinking it will be Good For You and have that be borne out in the read. This is a beautiful iddy mashup of stupid arranged marriage shenanigans and mutual pining and politicking set in a space empire ft. a sunshine one x reserved one dynamic and a brief Only One Tent situation. Obviously I loved it. The character work in particular felt very strong & I loved seeing the development of Kiem and Jainan as individuals and as a pair. I am but a simple reader: they constantly saw the best in each other and the worst in themselves and this made me emotional. They pined very earnestly for each other and this also made me emotional. There is a scene near the end where Kiem says nice things to Jainan, who believes it is a hallucination, and this made me Very Emotional with capital letters. I don't know what the name of that trope is but it is a bulletproof way into my id.

Which is not to say this book was without imperfections. In the interest of full disclosure, I read this first when it was an original work on AO3 and this definitely impacted my reading experience here. The attempts to expand the world fell flat for me; the remnants felt like weird MacGuffins and while I recognise it's standard in tradpub to have some kind of urgently ticking clock to push the plot forward, the constant reminders of the extremely tight timeline only took me out of the story. At the end a new and extremely complex sounding treaty is drawn up in the space of an afternoon to meet this deadline!! Surely it is ok to let things be static for a few weeks. Also I have genuinely no idea what the hell was going on with intergalactic politics in this book or what, if anything, I was supposed to take out of it - as far as I can tell, the situation is, there are a few superpowers (in the political sense) who have infinite and unlimited stuff to play around with, and it's important that Kiem and Jainan's planets have a treaty in order to appease the superpower that ?owns? their planetary system so that their superpower won't withdraw and leave them vulnerable to attack and takeover by a new and worse superpower. This felt awkward to me, to say the least. Happily it is not really the point of the book and so could be brushed aside easily enough, ymmv etc. etc.

As the star rating should make pretty clear, I did so enjoy this regardless of its imperfections. The broad strokes of the world might have felt awkward, but its minutiae - the actual details of the spaceships or the gravity changes in certain atmospheres or the gel-based landing docks (?!!!) - was consistently delightful. I thought the writing was smooth, the characters appealing, and the romance engaging. Ultimately this is what made the book for me and I'm very happy to have read it in its new form. Thank you to NetGalley & Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5

Alas! I finish this, after putting it off for few weeks, i did it!

From the first chapter im shocked/surprise already, I got intrigued and flip pages, im enjoying it. But then after some chapters pass by, im lost already, i dont know where the story will lead me, romance, yup im seeing it. Then plot of what previous happen, the incident- im getting the glimpse of it... but from the middle it gets me uninterested. Dont get me wrong the story and the characters are great, Im just a little lost and confuse. So i put it down for few days. Then after decided to read it again and the interested in reading the book keeps me going. The phasing is quite slow for me, the start and the almost ending, and the ending is phase i want for the middle, because it’s a little bit slow ride from the middle. But it jumps and pull me back to hook me again.

Overall i enjoy the reading. Characters, great! From Kiem, Jainan, Bel and even to Gairad, they are awesome! Story and plot wise, its a good one, phasing might be slow, but with determination of what lies ahead its worth a read!

The focus is very much on the romance with intergalactic politics playing a secondary role. It’s sweet and fun with grittier aspects and good pacing. I enjoyed it but as is often the case, I remain indifferent to the romance. I am a difficult person to get to ship characters however, and I did enjoy reading the two MCs interactions. I would definitely like to see more books of this type out there.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the review e-copy!

This was a journey for me to read! In a good way! I really enjoyed it but I would be lying if I didn't say it took me a while to get through and that is in no way a negative reflection on the book. Winter’s Orbit is ultimately a science-fiction YA novel but actually it is so much more. Maxwell has woven such a detailed plot, I found myself blown away when I first picked this book up - there is very much a political backstory within Winter’s Orbit. And with that backstory comes a whole heap of backstabbing, mystery, loyalties and connections. I’m not quite sure how Maxwell kept this book to it’s 432 pages as there is so much to take in. Every character has thorough thoughts, feelings and agendas - nothing is skipped out on.

So, when i first picked up this book back in february, I had just come out of a reading frenzy of fantasy which meant when I started to read Winter’s Orbit i just couldn’t get my head in the right place at all so I wasn’t following the story. I paused my read and took on some lighter bits before returning to Winter’s Orbit in early April. I was ready and eager and honestly, I sped through the final 300 pages at light speed. I did not want to put this book down!

I loved the relationships between the characters - Jainan and Kiem very much have my heart and I want to see more of them. Maxwell’s fluid use of genders and sexality in this book is frankly, refreshing and needed. I will be shoving Winter’s Orbit under several people’s noses I can assure you. The way we saw a vulnerability to Jainan (and Kiem) broke my heart so much, their awkward interactions in the beginning were so real for me I couldn’t help but become invested.

The setting for this book is notably, in another set of worlds where space travel is a usual and common thing which really gave Maxwell free reign in her use of character design, world building and storytelling. There are so many elements to touch upon. I feel like I need to re-read it already to get my head around my words. I did feel like I needed a road map at the beginning! I would love to have more books in this universe, so that I can see all of the wonderful nations included in the narrative. I really do think this book has everything, even a royal family.

I’ve rated this at 4.5 and would easily push that to a 5 on a re-read I think!

When I first saw the synopsis for this book it was immediately on my reading list. In my head I was expecting a Red, White and Royal Blue in space…and there are elements of this in the beautiful will or won’t they relationship between the books protagonists Jainan and Kiem. However, a science fiction love story is selling the book short as it is so much more. The world building here is razor sharp, the people, the culture and environments are rich and believable, but more impressively the politics and bureaucracy holding this world together take this book to another level.

I’m not going to lie, the pacing is sometimes slow, but I urge you to stick with it as the pay off is worth the wait. In the latter half of the book there is enough action, drama, romance and some humour to satisfy any science fiction fan. It is also another outstanding addition to the growing list of incredible LGBT fiction.

Political machinations, a murder mystery and the threat of interplanetary war. A must read…Four out of five

I feel a little disappointed. I saw quite a few reviews firmly stating this is a romance with a sci-fi setting, however I agree with another girl when she says actually have to strongly disagree. This is very much a sci-fi story with a very small side of romance. which personally works for me. I find too much romance in sci-fi makes it go a little too boring. The romance is used more as a minor in the overall story rather than the actual plot.

I do like to say I can stop a good book, especially as a debut novel. The book was well-written, the pacing is consistent, which means it's easy to keep reading and the plot feels well thought-out for a standalone. However I do have to say I did get super bored about the military, mining and the diplomacy it was extremely snooze areas for me.

Overall this book is quiet good for a reader who enjoys sci-fi without having too much romance but enough to keep it interesting.

Thank you for netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to ready this book as an arc.

Wonderful sci-fi story with a little bit of romance involved too, this was a cute enjoyable read and I am so thankful I got to experience its splendour. This is definitely a book full of plot and story and it was sensitive to subjects that others have used and not treated fairly in the past. This was done tastefully.

Winter's Orbit is completely delightful. A fun space romp that never dropped the pace, the world building was deftly done, and all my favourite fanfic tropes were used to the upmost. I appreciated the thoughtful and moving depiction of intimate partner violence.

I think I would've enjoyed this book more if there had been a heavier focus on the romance - and while Jainan and Kiem do get some sweet moments together - it wasn't enough for me. I think this is a case of going into a book with the wrong expectations since I was expecting a romance with light sci fi elements, but it turned out to be the opposite. This book is more plot-driven that I thought it would be and there is heavy worldbuilding but unfortunately, I just couldn't get a grasp on it. I felt that the world and all the politics were very confusing, not fleshed out enough, and I simply wasn't invested in them. Additionally, the pacing is painfully slow and the relationship has one of my most hated tropes of all time: miscommunication.

I wish I could've enjoyed the book more but despite all my complaints, I still think it's worth a shot if you're looking for a queer space opera featuring politically arranged marriage trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A quarter into it the book it felt like this: potential m/m romance in an SF setting, marriage of convenience, potentially a murder mystery and court intrigue, hints of space opera.

As the mystery unfolded at a snail’s pace, the author didn‘t offer many details. Elaborate explanations were given to other characters in the off, without engaging the reader very much. Which made that part of the narrative pretty superficial.

The romance was mostly nonexistent in the first half of the book. Kiem and Jainan didn‘t have any meaningful conversations. I know this is pretty typical in many romances — bad communication, misunderstandings, etc. But there wasn’t a lot of internal dialogue either and little to no character development. Not very satisfying.

I can understand why people abandon this book in the first half of it. It felt a bit as if the author wasn‘t sure where she was going with it. Is it a mystery? Is it a court intrigue? A romance? Definitely not space opera in the typical sense. I decided to just go with the flow and wait out the glacial pace of it all. The writing was good, the story just took its sweet time.

Then something happened in the middle and the story became interesting. Suspense, romance, scenery, space station, the lot. I was enjoying myself. There was even something truly inventive towards the end. Good stuff. I was much happier with the character development in the second part of the book as well.

Besides Kiem and Jainan I liked Bel and Rakal the most. The humour was good throughout the book. I liked the rest so much, that I would even pick up a sequel.

So, if you don‘t expect elaborate SF, but like your brain candy with some suspense, this might be for you. Just be patient with the beginning.

I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Winter’s Orbit was one of my most anticipated reads for 2021, there was something about the premise that hooked me in even though typically I am not drawn to romance heavy books. And I’m so thankful it did, because this book was spectacular and I by the end I was in love with the world and the characters.
It takes a little while for the plot to really kick in, but that is because Maxwell takes the time to introduce us to the main characters Kiem and Jainan and to explore them and their developing relationship, as too individuals brought together by an arranged marriage. And not just a simple arrangement, but one that is complicated at every level – from their personalities, to their past, to the wider implications to the world around them, and it does beautifully. We get to see them grow closer, working out just how they are supposed to work together, how they can work, and learning to love one another, and you can’t help but be drawn into their story, or to cheer them on from the very beginning and I loved that the book took it’s time with that. Not only because it deepened the characters and the relationship, but it made it all the more rewarding and believable watching as they reached each stage especially due to some of the issues they had to overcome (and did I enjoy the stages, and the tropes that were used – absolutely!!)
When the plot does really take off from around the middle point, Maxwell does an excellent job of creating a narrative with various threads, creating a fascinating world and situation with enough layers and intrigue to keep you hooked, without losing sight of the fact that at its core this is a story about those characters and their romance. It’s a delicate balancing act, that is done right and has created a memorable story, with characters that you can’t help but love.
A fantastic book that was fun to read, and I can’t wait to see what the author will do next.

Rating; 4.5 stars

Winter’s Orbit was more than I expected. I went into reading this with expectations of a fluffy, space rom com essential. I was pleasantly surprised by the detailed world building and secondary murder plot. I liked the character of Prince Kiem and how through his ignorance of the politics of the world and systems we were introduced to it. The contrast between Kiem and Jainan was a joy to read. Their banter was brilliant to read and made the story read that much quicker. All the characters, even the villians were fleshed out, none of them felt flat.
Winters Orbit is set in a queer norm world which I always love and appreciate. Maxwell introduced a interesting way of identifying gender, which I hadn’t read before. The whole system of planets and world in which the story was set was easy to imagine and it didn't feel overburdened by the characters or plot. The secondary plot involving the conspiracy and murder of Prince Taam was engaging and served as a good backdrop for the characters of Jainan and Kiem to develop their relationship against. With the switching points of view, neither character felt pushed aside or drowned out by the other.
Overall this was a wonderful book, definitely one I recommend and will become a comfort read.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :)

This is an interesting political, murder mystery (with a little bit of romance) science-fiction book. It follows Count Jainan and Prince Kiem in a world full of intergalactic conflicts and interesting political alliances. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between two worlds under control.

I really enjoyed the political aspect of the book. Prince Kiam is from the dominating power - Iskat Empire - and Count Jainan is from a little planet that was recently added in the treatise discussions - Thea. The way Theans are seen by the people of the Empire is very interestingly represented. The whole issues/conflicts between ambassadors and diplomats was masterfully crafted. I enjoyed the little political discussions and their implications.

The murder mystery was a little easy to guess in parts (for me personally), but the solution was good and did not leave me unsatisfied. I don't really want to say more about this, but I enjoyed this aspect of the story.

The romance was something I did not expect. I found the pair incredibly cute and I really wanted them to get together by the end. For someone that is not a big fan of romance in general, this is a big win!

I totally recommend this book to anyone! It is a great combination of many genres and it also has some great LGBTQ+ representation. Loved every second of it!

This book has:
- gays in space
- political intrigue and mystery
- arranged marriage → A+ mutual pining
- the "there's only one bed trope" but upgraded to "there's only one tent and we need to stay close for warmth"
- recovery from a past abusive relationship and learning to be yourself again

I highly recommend this book — I couldn't put it down and I'll be thinking about these characters for a long time to come.

Many thanks to Orbit for sending me a review copy!

Thanks to NetGalley & Orbit for my arc.

Sci-fi setting - check
Arranged royal marriage - check
LGBTQIA romance - check

I really enjoyed the world building, descriptions of the difference planetary systems, technology, the politics, the ways to display gender on each planet and the fact that same sex couples were perfectly normal.

The plot was fairly straightforward and I did guess some of the outcomes but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the book.

I really enjoyed the romance but I would've liked to see more of Kiem and Jainan together especially once they had had a breakthrough in their communication.
However, I still loved the characters and the world(s) that Maxwell has created. Maxwell has a talent to create very fleshed out main and side characters and I'm definitely intrigued to see more into this universe.

Winter's Orbit was one of my most highly anticipated books of this year. A science fiction romance featuring some of my favourite romance tropes? Yes please. I ended up absolutely devouring this book and totally fell in love with the world and the characters.

The developing relationship and romance between Kiem and Jainan is absolutely the main aspect and appeal of Winter's Orbit. The first half of the book is a little light on plot because it really focuses on these two characters, establishing them as individuals and as two strangers thrown in to an arranged marriage. I really loved the dynamic established between them, with Kiem as the kindhearted disaster and Jainan as the stiff and formal man with a haunting past. Watching them grow and learn to love each other was so incredibly rewarding and I cheered them on from page one.

The second half of the book kicks the plot into gear, and I really enjoyed following the threads of the mystery that Maxwell laid out. The plot was simple enough to allow the romance and characters to shine, but also layered enough to keep the story interesting. I am always here for political intrigue in my science fiction, and Winter's Orbit was a really fun and compulsive read.

You're going to want to pick up Winter's Orbit if you love the following tropes as much as I do:

-Opposites attract - disaster main character falls for a serious love interest.
-There's only one bed.
-You must get out of those wet clothes, you'll freeze.
-An arranged marriage...but the fate of the empire rests on its success.
-Slow burn romance.

This book feels like a standalone, however I'd absolutely love to read more set in this world. I'm eager to see what Maxwell writes next!

CW: Domestic abuse, PTSD

4.5 out of 5 stars