Excellent writing, but the story and characters failed to capture my heart. I found a lot of it rather cold. The representation, however, was excellent and really well handled. Promising, but ultimately not for me.

This book is the perfect way to unwind after a long day of work, and maybe one of the best breaks you can give yourself from life if you like amazingly written interpersonal relationships, and, as a character puts it, a protagonist who loves to cause "obstructive fuckery".

Everina Maxwell can add me to her legion of fans because I will definitely want her next book. Detailed review to come!

4.5*

This was such a joy to read! It demonstrated one of my favourite relationship dynamics- the chaos one entrancing and bewildering the ordered one, whilst being themselves won over by the determination and goodness of the ordered one. And it did this so so well! Tennal is such a chaos gremlin, with his charm and superb wit winning me over in mere pages. Surit in contrast was an absolute delight, a completely good-hearted and moral in the best way, willing to give it all up when he knows something is wrong.

The world building remained as excellent as in Winter's Orbit, but I liked how different these worlds were. If you haven't read Winter's Orbit then there's nothing missing that would greatly impact on your understanding, while if you have it, the tech and the use of the Remnants will be familiar.

As I am very much not a Hard SciFi gal, there were times when I felt a little distant from the more Space Theory bits, preferring the interpersonal dynamics, but these elements were few, and it was very much a Me thing!

This is a close door romance like Winter's Orbit, but even more so; I think there's one kiss between the characters and no implied content, but with a very high romantic feel throughout. I only really mention it as there were a couple of mentions from Tennal about what it is like for him to sleep with people, and I would have been interested to know if (or rather how) that would have been different with Surit.

This was an absolute ride of a read, that I struggled to put down. The cover is also lush and I've had to order a paperback version. I absolutely cannot wait to read more in this series!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC*

Disclaimer: I received an e-Arc from Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Plot
The book follows Tennal, a reader and the nephew of the Legislator who forces him to take up a military position, and Surit, an architect who a Lieutenant in the army and is trying to get redemption for his mother who died a traitor.

The Legislator attempts to make the two men 'sync' which would give Surit complete control over Tennal. Surit doesn't want to take control of Tennal without his permission, so the pair 'fake' their pairing.

The book is set on the edge of space, when they are trying to find an old military station - the same one that Surit's mother blew up.

Thoughts
This book is set in the same world as Winter's Orbit, which I read and adored last year. While Winter's Orbit is set on the other side of the galaxy and follows Royalty and the politics involved in that, Ocean's Echo follows the Military and politics involved in that.

I absolutely loved Winter's Orbit and so had high hopes going into this book, however, I just found this book so confusing, and had no idea what was happening at times. While I did enjoy the relationship between Tennal and Surit, I don't think it was as well-developed or thought out as the relationship between the two leads in Winter's Orbit.

The whole 'architect', 'reader' and 'sync' thing was so confusing!! Basically 'readers' can read thoughts, and 'architects' can manipulate thoughts and have control over others (I think??). When the pair 'sync' the architect gets full control of the reader.

I know some people complained about Winter's Orbit being confusing, in which case I wouldn't recommend this book as it was way more confusing, but I enjoyed the characters and plot enough that it was a four star from me. I might re-read this at a later date and see if my rating changes if I understand where the book is going...

Representation
- male/male romance
- Non-Binary side characters
- Set in an inclusive gender and sexuality society

I had no idea that a gay space romance set in some alternate universe was what I wanted in my life, but luckily, I'm willing to learn.

Ocean's Echo throws us into a world dominated by a civil war. There are architects and readers who were created for military purposes – readers can read people's minds, whereas architects can influence others. If two people like that sync, they create a powerful bond of brutal force. Enter Tennal and Surit!

Tennal, a reader, would probably describe himself as a fuck-up: destructive and chaotic. Surit, an architect, on the other hand is duty-bound and contained. It's a combination of characters that leads to very entertaining and buzzy interactions. While Tennal with his self-pity had to grow on me first, I was eventually wrapped up in the dynamic the two had – particularly as they come to realise that they can only trust each other and you start to feel that their care for each other is unforced and genuine.

From what I'm gathering, a lot of people reading this are already familiar with the author's previous novel, which is set in the same universe (albeit a different story). What drew me towards Ocean's Echo was a lovely cover, some buzz and the knowledge that this was a stand-alone science fiction novel. I can therefore confirm that this does indeed stand its ground and requires no previous knowledge. I ultimately stayed for the fun, the love and popcorn kind of entertainment.

This is more space opera than it is heavy on the science fiction. The look and sound of this might be misleading, but while there is a vivid setting, this is the kind of sci-fi that Star Wars is. Spaceships and futuristic political intrigue serve as a backdrop, but don't expect this to be an actual vision of the future or actually back anything up with science. It's no deal breaker for me, but it definitely serves another literary need than, let's say The Three-Body Problem.

It therefore feels a bit in-between things. This is no full blown romance novel, as there's too much unrelated plot for that (after all, there's evil to fight!) and as explained above it's not really serving the hard speculative fiction tropes either, which makes this hard to place. For me personally, it were the characters that carried this. It's a great escapism read that doesn't require too much from you and is still willing to serve you a good time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in advance of its release!

This was a beautiful, touching novel that merges classical sci-fi elements with an intense emotional narrative between the main characters. I had high hopes for this book as I adored Maxwell's debut and I wasn't disappointed.

The writing is gorgeous and lyrical and sets the novel's tone perfectly. It also clearly shows the difference in narratives and perspectives between Tennal and Surit. The romantic element is not the center of the story but it is very clearly woven in throughout and adds to the overall adventure and intrigue of the primary plot. There was so much going on in this story but at no point did the prose become clunky or info-dumpy, it was all laid out clearly and easy to take in.

This was a fanatically constructed story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The prose was absolutely gorgeous, the characters well made and constructed. The plot was interesting and made me stay up all night to finish it.

Actual rating 4.5 stars.
 
Aw, do you know that feeling? Wanting to read an author’s second novel badly because you loved the first one so much? Being afraid to start and then finding out the second one is even better? It happened to me while reading Ocean’s Echo.
 
First of all, don’t read this book because you want to read a romance with a lot of yearning and longing. Even though it’s clear from the start that Tennal and Surit will become a couple, the romance is not central in the story. Far from it even. Ocean’s Echo is a highly political story with a burgeoning civil war at its core.  The first architects and readers were made in a military lab twenty years ago. Readers can read other people’s minds while architects can write (influence) other people’s minds. The main plot is about how those capacities can be misused.
 
Tennal is a reader, selfish and chaotic, destructive and putting his own needs first. Until his aunt orders him to go into the military and sync with Surit, an architect. Surit, a duty-bound soldier, follows the regulations but is even more focused on justice and doesn’t want to be illegally synced with an unconsenting civilian.

I loved those two guys and their interactions, and from the moment Tennal and Surit knew they could only trust each other, I felt the care for another throughout the story. So many times, content smiles tugged at the corners of my lips, and I had to slow down myself at times to understand everything that was happening. Everina Maxwell's writing is sublime, and even though I’m not a huge sci-fi reader, I could see all those ships and planets and even the chaotic space so lively.  I highly recommend this fantastic story! The only reason I didn’t rate Ocean’s Echo a full five stars is because I wanted a tiny, tiny bit more romance.

I loved this book!

I loved it no less than I loved Winter's Orbit, which I loved very much -- I had first read in its ao3 version in one memorable night when I made the mistake of cracking it open at 10pm and didn't put down until I finished, and then reread with much gusto as a tradpub, and enjoyed the same amount. I was looking forward to Everina Maxwell's second novel without having an idea of what it's going to be like, and fervently hoping that it will have the same warm magic that makes me sing accolades to friends about her first book. I am delighted to report she did it: with the same warmth, humor and romantical touch she wrote a book that stands on its own in comparison to the space princes without retracing its steps.

Another standalone, Ocean's Echo is a military scifi and romance crossover featuring new characters and planets in a corner of the same universe as the first book. If you have seen Everina Maxwell tweet about it along the lines of "it's not exactly Captain Carrot and Moist von Lipwig in space, but it's also not NOT that" -- well, I can only agree with that, grinning and tipping my head in respect for an idea that took over my brain from the first page. I'd also add that it's very much Carrot and Moist on Barrayar -- if you are into that kind of thing, well, you're in for a treat. The introduction scenes of both leads are chef's kiss: you have to be made of stone not to crack up at Surit speaking military corporatese at his superiors to obfuscate his stubborn kind-heartedness, and if you like chaotic world-class bullshitter Slytherin forward momentum, then Tennel has plenty of that.

The book has plenty of twists and actions, but what it does especially well is establishes the boundaries in-universe so well that when they are crossed, we are horrified alongside the characters -- and when the narrative examines the ethical implications of decisions, they don't feel impersonal or theoretical at all. A single chapter of this book tackles the concept of consent with more respect and nuance than whole books pitched on their choice of consent as their subject (coughdocilecough) -- and it doesn't drop and shelve it with the last act, either (coughlynburnscough).

Another thing that delighted me thoughtout the book was that the writing style kept getting better: on the sentence/timing level, definitely, but also I think on a structural level. I can't wait what other things Everina Maxwell has in store for us, and in the meantime -- I predict many warm rereads for both of her books to date.

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of #OceansEcho.

Where Winter's Orbit was a glorious exercise in pitch-perfect command of romance tropes, this book shifted away from the primary-romance genre (although there is, of course, kissing), and instead presented more straightforward space-opera political military thriller. But what made it striking was that it still structured itself around romance tropes. Chaos-muppet meets order-muppet, and shenanigans ensue. Fake-dating is reimagined in a way that fits the space-opera political military thriller vibe, but with undeniably recognizable roots. Pacing is good, too. The plot develops and thickens and expands in very satisfying ways, moving along at a good clip that introduces lively new developments at just the right moment, while still leaving time for introspection and Feelings as needed. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Another brilliant Science Fiction story with a side order of romance from Evarina Maxwell. Ocean’s Echo is set in the same universe as Winter’s Orbit but on a completely different planet system with a totally different civilisation. Here, the Military organisations are everywhere and they have the power to conscript people that might be useful to them. Some of the population have had their brains modified and that has resulted in Architects who can impose their will on others and Readers who can read people’s thoughts. The second is illegal and readers are generally conscripted into the military where they help pilot spacecraft through the dangers of space.
Tennal is a reader who is becoming out of control and using his talents in a way that borders on illegal so he is conscripted into the military where he is expected to bond with Surit, a young lieutenant who is also a high functioning architect. The two men become involved in the wider politics of the group of planets including finding remnants of a lost civilisation which have very strange powers and becoming involved in a military coup.
I loved both the characters of Tennal and Surit and they complemented each other perfectly while being complete opposites. I also enjoyed the minor characters of Basavi and Istara who had their own mini romance woven into the plot as well as some great one line put downs for Tennal. The plot of the story and the politics were great but this is very much a character driven novel which I love.
This took a bit longer for me to settle into than Winter’s Orbit but once I was partway through the story, I was hooked. The author’s style is very easy to read even when the ideas are ones that I struggle to get my head around and I loved the world building. I am always in awe of Science Fiction writers who manage to come up with weird and wonderful concepts such as neuro-modifications and then weave stories around them. I loved the idea of the Architects and Readers and the resolution was completely satisfying.
I can’t wait to read whatever Everina Maxwell comes up with next.
Thank you to Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Con lo que me gustó Winter’s Orbit ha sido una tremenda decepción leer Ocean’s Echo y ver que no lograba conectar con la novela en ningún momento. Vale que la única relación con la otra novela es estar situada en el mismo universo, pero la autora es la misma, algún parecido tendría que haber…


Unos experimentos llevados a cabo hace una generación dotaron a algunos humanos del universo de Ocean’s Echo de capacidades telepáticas. Los arquitectos son capaces de forzar a otras personas a realizar lo que ellos deseen y los vilipendiados lectores son capaces de leer los pensamientos. La combinación de ambos resulta de gran utilidad para la navegación espacial y es por ello que los más escasos lectores con suficiente poder son obligados a alistarse. No es de extrañar pues que la novela comience con las andanzas de un lector que vive a la fuga para no sufrir esta conscripción, a pesar de pertenecer a una de las familias más poderosas del mundo.

El otro protagonista es un arquitecto militar, de moral inquebrantable pero de problemática ascendencia que coarta sus posibilidades de ascenso. Las maquinaciones de las altas esferas, disfrazadas de casualidad, los pondrán en contacto y se verán obligados a fingir ser lo que no son para continuar con su vida.

La trama, como os habréis dado cuenta, parece un poco (o un mucho) de película alemana de sesión de tarde. Y es así si no fuera por el escenario galáctico y los poderes mentales, pero en el fondo es lo mismo. Everina Maxwell sabe cómo forzar las situaciones y cómo llevar a sus personajes de una situación a otra para que vayan descubriendo la verdadera personalidad del otro y que todo acabe como tenga que acabar, pero a mí no han conseguido convencerme. Me parece muy impostada la relación, muy alambicada la intriga y muy cansina la historia. No tenía ganas de seguir leyendo lo que les pasaba a estos dos, señal clara de que el libro no me estaba convenciendo.

Es más que probable que a otros lectores esos muros que a mí se me antojaban insalvables les resulten meros desniveles en el camino, que se centren en la historia de amor y les resulte atractiva, o que consideren que el mundo en que se desarrolla la narración merece la pena, pero a mí me ha resultado imposible.

LOVED this one - what a fun, fantastic story! Fabulous characters and a really gripping plot - I loved Winter's Orbit so I had high expectations and this book absolutely met them!