I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


These Burning stars is the first book in a sci-fi trilogy set in the Kindom the ruling power of the solar system. Where a secret about a genocide could blow the Kindom’s balance apart.

This is one of those sci-fi novels that at the start feeds a lot of information to the reader, which means that the first 10% of the novel can be difficult to get into, however once you get past this you have a novel that works as a good read.

This is just as well as no matter what the genre is, what makes the story is the plot line, characters and the writing style.

Firstly with the plot line we have wat is basically a conspiracy thriller with a piece of information which as come to lite which can blow the foundation of the Kindom, as it involves the genocide of a race in this starr system.

However rather than be a simple 2000’s novel this goes the way of a crime novel as one of the Characters six tries to use this information for their advantage.

We now move on to the second part of the novel which is the characters, which due to the books length of over 400 pages allowed Bethany Jacobs to give each of the main characters a well thought out description and back story,

Especially in the main characters Six and Esek who are the main rivals of the novel, there were times in the novel that it was difficult as a reader to tell who was who, but this was more of the way that characters were able to change gender and the way the story was written rather than any difficulty with the writing.

The writing style while at times did get slightly confusing for me, this was more to do with the nature of the Sc-fi genre rather than any failings of Bethany Jacobs writing, however after a few pages I was able to follow the story and plot line with less difficulty.

All this makes These Burning Stars (The Kindom Trilogy #1) by Bethany Jacobs well with reading especially if you are into the genre.

Excellent debut Sci Fi
A really good read; exciting plot and action, terrific characters and excellent world building on a galactic scale. The main characters, Esek, a dominating and driven woman cleric, Chono, her devoted ex-pupil and subordinate and Jun, brilliant hacker and thief, chase each other across worlds and powerful family dynamics in search of a dangerous piece of information which might tip the balance of power across the whole social and economic structure of the Empire.
In the background and getting ever closer, is the mysterious Six, another ex-pupil of Esek’s, whose enigmatic taunts drive many of Esek’s actions and choices and who is remembered by Chonos with mixed and strong emotions.
This is so much more than space opera, although there are elements of the genre in it. The author takes familiar tropes such as body mods and hacking and makes them interesting and fresh. The character development is complex and drives much of the plot while the characters themselves are beautifully drawn and brought to life. The supporting characters are also solid and interesting as are the various background worlds and political/social structures.
The ending is brilliant and breathtaking and brings this volume of the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. I will be waiting eagerly for the next novel in the trilogy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this ARC.

Clever, compelling and consuming, These Burning Stars kept me gripped and delightfully managed to surprise me - something I find happens rarely these days.

I was really engaged with all the main characters and with a bit of double checking the contents page kept up with timeline jumps. I really enjoyed the world and even though some of the main characters are very unlikable I really enjoyed their arcs and the characters were all the more real for it.
I adored the intrigue and political squabbling and machinations and one upmanship between Six and Esek and I became more and more invested as the story unfurled taking me somewhere I never expected. I cannot wait for book two!

Massive thanks to @orbitbooks_uk for the eARC and if you're looking for an amazing space opera, this is the book for you!

Here's one that should work. A great set-up, with a rogue-like heroine and her partner aligned against a seemingly psychotic cleric and her priest-like devotee working for The Kingdom, who is determined to find them. There’s a MacGuffin with a memory chip containing information that could bring down one of the Kindom’s major dynastic families, and a Dune-like overdependency upon a vital resource, but the focus of the book is really about revenge and the obsessive relationship these main characters have between them.

There’s a lot of thought gone into this aspect of the book. Reminiscent of the work of Kate Elliott (unsurprisingly quoted on the cover) or perhaps Ann Leckie, These Burning Stars manages to create intrigue and tension, has solid characterisation, epic settings and a brisk pace.  There’s a lot of balls being juggled at once, but Jacobs almost manages it. Unfortunately, the book fails in its final stages with an unconvincing use of identity theft as a plot device and an all-too convenient deux ex machina moment before an ending which seems to do little else but set up the plot for the next novel. Up to that point, very good indeed.

"These Burning Stars" by Bethany Jacobs is an impressive debut that shines with a rich tapestry of elements, earning a well-deserved 4 stars. This intricate tale introduces readers to a vivid, violent, and visceral world that's brought to life through Jacobs' exceptional world-building.

The story follows Jun Ironway, a multifaceted character who is part hacker, part con artist, and an occasional thief. Her pursuit of evidence linking the Nightfoot family to a planet-wide genocide offers a gripping narrative filled with intrigue and danger. The sevite-fueled interplanetary travel and the politics surrounding it add depth to the plot, making for a riveting read.

Jacobs skillfully introduces new technologies and concepts that enhance the world without overwhelming readers. The cat-and-mouse game between Jun and her pursuers, the formidable clerics Chono and Esek, keeps the tension high throughout the story.

The multi-perspective narrative might have been challenging in less capable hands, but Jacobs manages it well, maintaining a good pacing that keeps the reader engaged. The story is filled with multiple twists and reveals that add layers to the plot, leaving readers eager for the next installment.

"These Burning Stars" is a promising beginning to what is sure to be an exciting series, offering a politically charged, character-driven narrative that keeps you hooked from start to finish. I eagerly await the next installment.

This was a fabulous action and adventure story that had me hooked. It is a science fiction set in a different star system to our own. There are different families, nations and ethnicities, I found that I thought of these more as tribes or large clans as this was how they struck me.

The story flits back and forth between characters and timelines. Esek Nightfoot is dangerous, she is one of the main families who tried to wipe out another race. Chono is someone who should also be feared, but she has a serenity to her and is devout in her prayers, unlike her tutor Esek. These two are chalk and cheese, yet, they do have respect for each other.

Jun is a tech whizz, she is able to see into systems, write programs, overwrite programs and a whole lot more. She is a con artist and she is very good and is soon on Esek's radar when it is discovered she has a piece of tech that could bring the whole governing system down.

I should mention that this has a political slant to it from the aspect of the ruling families and with any governing body there is going to be mistrust and someone trying to get one over another. These rulers are known as the Kindom.

With Jun in possession of a piece of tech, there is a definite cat-and-mouse game across the worlds and various other people are dragged into it. Some will help and others will kill to their hands on it, then we have those that are around for a reason but you don't quite know where they stand.

This is a book that is action-packed from start to finish, there are different names, technologies, races of people, and abilities and it all slots together so well and makes for seamless reading. Even when the author changes characters or timelines it still maintains a fast pace.

There is a hierarchy in the families and nations in this book, with those in power being the more wealthy, while the others gradually get poorer and poorer. This gives another reason for tension with the expectation of an uprising. Rumours do their work but you are never quite sure who is involved or what their aim is, that is until later in the book.

There is some wonderful technology that has been introduced and I really enjoyed this, it wasn't too techy and I was able to keep a handle on what the author was describing. It meant that the flow was great and I wasn't stumbling around trying to understand things.

Overall this is a fabulous start to a trilogy, it has introduced the main topics, characters, and history. There are things that are waiting to be answered and fought over. You will get to discover who the mysterious Six is in this book and it is a fabulous journey to discover who this is and why they are such an enigma.

This is one for fans of science fiction and science fantasy, it is full of action and adventure, flows along at a brisk pace and it is one I would definitely recommend.

I love science fiction and when I read the blurb for this book I was hooked and wanted to read more. This novel can be confusing at the beginning as it sets up the story to come. It is clear from the beginning that the author isn't going to hold back as Esek visits the school to see the children who could be the next hands of the Kindom. Here the teacher sets number Six (as they don't have identities until they graduate) against the others and the battle is brutal and shows that this is the norm for this world. The back and forth from the present to the past can be confusing at times and can feel like it detracts from the story. I also felt that the way in which the story was told in the beginning made it so I wasn't sure who I should be rooting for. I was disconnected from the characters and wasn't sure what was going on. This is something that starts to become clear about 25% into the book so it is worth sticking it out as once things start to escalate it is a very good story of revenge, secrets, and honor. Although science fiction the story can appear fantasy-like as you are introduced to the worlds of the treble and the way in which the political system and religion govern these worlds. The characters in this world can be cruel and Bethany does a good job of showing the ruthlessness of the ruling class. This can be a good thing as often the consequences can be less immediate but that is not eh case in this book. Esek is a determined woman who doesn't hesitate to do what she feels needs to be done in her quest for power. It's all relative and some people will hate her character and some people will love her. She's complicated and took me a bit to get used to her. The mentor-mentee relationship with her and Chono is interesting and great to read.

It wasn't my favorite book of this year but once I got into the story it was a high-action adventure right up to the ending. It is a great debut from Bethany and worth a read.

I did not realise that this was a space opera when I requested it as that is not usually my thing.. This changed that idea though, I really enjoyed the strong storyline and complex characters. A new genre for me to explore and enjoy.

The Kindom. Ruling power of The Treble, the three star system. A power based on the religion of the Six Gods.
The religious order with its Clerics and Novitiates and stranglehold on the galaxy has a touch of the Inquisition about it.
Together with the First Families the Kindom controls sevite, a mined material for use in interplanetary travel.

Highest ranked among the families are the Nightfoots and their matriarch Alisiana. With a monopoly on sevite are they saviours of the Jeveni race or perpetrators in genocide?

There are four main characters (all female or maybe gender fluid). Esek Nightfoot, diabolical & powerful, cruel & a renegade. Cleric Chono, stoic, inflappable, former trainee of Esek but embedded in the doctrines & Godtexts of the order. Jun, a young hacker, con artist and thief in possession of an artifact which could expose a deadly secret.
And Six. Deadly, mysterious six. A life destroyed on a whim by Esek with a challenge which sets off a deadly cat and mouse game of the highest stakes.

Space opera with incredible world building, an intriguing plot, strong characters, queer and disabled representation that seamlessly melds into the multi layered story.

The chapters jump around in time with multiple POVs which is initially confusing but turns out to be essential for the reveals and twists.

Bethany Jacobs has the sheer audacity to create this as her debut novel
Utterly stunning.
It's a brilliant standalone novel but even better that it's the first in a trilogy.

Quite possibly your next favourite sci-fi read.

Who is the Sixth God?

I think this book was wonderfully written, good representation, good plot and worldbuilding but it was too dense for me - the sci-fi aspect was so heavy for me it made the reading difficult. it made it hard to get immersed as I had to really concentrate to keep a hold of the threads of the story.
would reccomend to those who love plot heavy sci fi though!

There is nothing. Enjoy more than a space opera, particularly when it pits warring families across multiple planets, political intrigue, machinations and of course morally grey characters.

Bethany Jacobs had worn an intricate and wholly encompassing map of worlds and planets that pits family, politics and enterprise on a stage of religious dominance and hypocrisy that is truly engrossing. The story is told from three distinctly morally grey perspectives-

- [ ] Esek Nightfoot, is both a deadly cleric of the Kindom and heir to the Nightfoot family fortune.
- [ ] Chono, a true believer and para ticket of the Kindom faith and also a cleric
- [ ] Jun, an immensely talented caster aka hacker

I could tell you so much more about these characters but, I’m loathe to share more, spoilers.

What I can say is the for each character the past plays a distinct role in shaping their piece in this puzzle. All are complex, curious and truly intriguing and for me are the perfect cut-throat, vicious players in this epic space opera.

The story and plot are whirlwind like, the pace never slackens and information flows to build a complex puzzle of intrigue, politics, deception and games within games. All set within a world structured according to a multi-deity religious system that shapes the back and foreground of this character based book.

Whilst it took me a little to get my head around the characters and pace, I was very quickly engrossed and eagerly await book two of The Kindom Trilogy by Bethany Jacobs.

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group, Orbit U.K.
and Netgalley fir the arc of These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Esek is a cleric to the Kindom that rules the three star systems, and heir to the Nightfoot family who control the sevite supply - the fuel that powers all interplanetary travel. On a visit to her former school she encounters an extraordinary student, only known as Six, who she sets a challenge that will come to haunt her later.

21 years later, hacker Jun Ironway obtains an object that could endanger the power that both the Kindom and the Nightoots hold. Esek and Chono (another cleric) are tasked by the Kindom to hunt the object down - but they appear not not be the only ones chasing the object, and Six seems to haunt them from the shadows.

Overall I thought this was a fab story. The storyline is original, the writing is good and the characters are interesting. The plot is intricate and kept me engaged and the pacing is good. There's also an interesting gender system and the book's very inclusive.

Some of the characters are decidedly unlikeable but this didn't bother me - personally I'd have loved to know more about why some of them were like this. I hope we get a little more depth and backstory for some of them yet. There are, it has to be said, a lot of names for people, places and concepts to remember in this book. The first couple of chapters are really heavy on it and it made it a little bit more difficult for me to get into. There's a 'cast' list at the start of the book which was good, but this did on occassion take me out of the story a little.

I'm really hoping we get a little more depth/description to the places where the book is set. It seems like the world(s) is/are really rich and one of the things I love about scifi is being able to imagine what the planets/ships look like.

The story really picks up in the last 100 or so pages and I absolutely loved this part of the book - there's twists and turns, fights and fabulous tension and I got through this bit in no time at all.

The book's part of a trilogy but also stands on its own pretty well.

I'd give this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the extra fabulous last quarter of the book!

Wow!Wow! This is without a doubt one of my top favourites of 2023. Absorbing, funny and intricate plot with lots of twists and turns. Space pirated, family feuds, cracking female leads….. It was so entertaining, I can’t wait for book 2. 6 out of 5 stars ! Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

"These Burning Stars" is the first installment of "The Kindom Trilogy," an adult sci-fi trilogy written by Bethany Jacobs and currently in progress.

It has been a while since I read a sci-fi novel and I really felt the need to catch up. I started this book intrigued by the premises and I was not disappointed at all! Compelling, dynamic, energetic and bursting, it had me hooked from the start. It is an exciting, funny, brutal, cynical and irreverent story, full of fighting, political intrigues, power plays, secrets, lies, betrayals, hatred, revenge, suffering and death. It is a raw, ruthless and disillusioning story, but it is also a story of courage, determination, resilience, hope, friendship and love. It is a powerful space opera, an incredible sci-fi, featuring extremely elaborate and well-curated world building, incisive and vivid prose, and highly multifaceted and in-depth characters. A title that sucked me into the vortex of the narrative, making it almost impossible to tear myself away from the pages! I can't wait to read the sequel!

All in all, this is a book that I really enjoyed and that I recommend to lovers of the genre!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored the first chapter and really loved how gender was described in this futuristic setting. I got a bit lost with the plot following this but thought it a solid and well delivered story and one I hope to reread and love more again.

## Ratings
Cover: ⭐⭐⭐
Initial Draw: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finish Line Feeling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐



## Review

#### Cover

The cover of These Burning Stars is nice and simple if not a little generic. It doesn't really give you any insight into the story or evoke any particular emotion.

#### Initial Draw

I love sci-fi so any new sci-fi that pops up I am willing to give a go. The main plot reads as:

Jun Ironway, hacker, con artist, and only occasional thief, has got her hands on a piece of contraband that could set her up for life: evidence that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. The Nightfoots control the precious sevite that fuels interplanetary travel through three star systems. And someone is sure to pay handsomely for anything that could break their hold.

Which sounds intriguing in itself. I work in cyber security so anything in the hacker culture vein gets extra points for me when it comes to picking it off the shelf.
#### Characters

The characters overall I didn't find particularly exciting. Not great but not bad either. I'm a sucker for a strong character driven story but this delivered less in character development and more in political intrigue and cat and mouse.

Esek and Chono were the two supposed "good guys" but it was clear that Esek was being portrayed as unhinged from the start so it really didn't provide much in the way of shock factor the more she did anything and everything in her persuit of justice.

The hacker Jun, Six and associated cast were much more engaging. I'm not sure if the intention was for the reader to engage with them more from the start but that was certainly what kept me interested.

#### Pacing

Pacing was fast and flowing but the jumping around between characters and time periods did break the flow a bit. In general it could do with a more engaging overarching story as a large chunk of the book was just between the hands and six going tit for tat over finding or evading each other.

I did enjoy the pace and constant action though as without it the story could easily have lost me.

#### Finish line feeling

Overall I found this book enjoyable but I don't think it will turn out to be overly memorable. It's an amazing effort for a debut novel and I am really keen to read the remaining books in the trilogy.

My hope is that the world that Bethany has created gets fleshed out more in future series as it seems to have a lot of potential to be explored and expanded upon with other stories. Similar to something like the Scythe book series.

What a fantastic debut novel! I absolutely loved The Burning Stars and cannot wait for the next volume in the Kingdom series.
This is space opera at its best, spanning planets and including warring powerful families, a religion with 6 gods whose leaders’ corruption is ignored on the grounds of maintaining stability and some fascinating characters.
The story is told through three main viewpoints. Este is a cleric of the kindom and heir to the power and riches of the Nightfoot family, Chono is also a cleric but unusually has true faith in her religion and Jun, a talented caster or hacker. It is also told through multiple time points and initially I found this swapping of time periods confusing. However, the pieces all slotted into place quite quickly and then the insights into how the events of the present were influenced by the past were brilliantly conceived.
The three main characters were completely different but all of them were complex and brilliantly written. I especially loved the relationship between Este and Chono. Once Este’s pupil, Chono is tied to Este in ways that she doesn’t really understand and neither do we until the very end. Jun is a street rat, saved by a stranger when her family was destroyed in an act of genocide who is possibly the most talented caster in this universe and one of the Kindom’s most wanted people. Behind all of them is the shadowy figure known as Six pulling the strings.
The story is fast paced and we are never slowed down by info dumping which can be a problem with this type of novel. The world building is fairly minimal but I never felt as though I needed anything extra. I loved the religious background to the Treble star system with its pantheon of gods. Whether they believed or not, the characters were all influenced in some way by the faith system.
This is definitely a character driven story and parts of it pack a real emotional punch that took me a bit by surprise. The violence is brutal and can be shocking but it’s not gratuitous. The whole thing comes together with an explosive final few chapters that tie everything up beautifully as well as setting up the next novel in the best possibly way.
This is a great Science Fiction debut by Bethany Jacobs and I am really grateful to Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

It took a little while to get into this book, and to be honest I wasn't so sure in the early parts that I would think it was that great.
However. As I carried on reading, I soon got really caught up in the story, so much that it became very hard to put down. My views on the story changed completely, I'm glad to report, and I guess that shows that sometimes you have to just stick with a book, even if you are not entirely grabbed in the first few pages.
I would be very happy now to read anything else by this author, as I am impressed with this book.

The Burning Stars from Bethany Jacobs is the start of a new trilogy full of excitement, intrigue, subterfuge and lots of death. Like with a lot of epic sci-fi series that leans hard into new worlds and technology, there can be some initial confusion as you make sense of everything new.

To fully immerse yourself in the story, it's important to understand the technology, factions, and historical context. However, the effort is worth it because the characters and ideas are so captivating that you'll forget it's the author's first book and will find yourself excited about what's to come.

In the first volume, we explore the Treble star systems, which were colonized in the distant past from an unknown origin. In this particular region, there are competing families and differing religious beliefs. The three neighbouring star systems are linked via jump gates that once relied on jevite, a mineral obtained from the moon Jeve. However, that moon is no more after being destroyed a century ago alongside the majority of its Jeveni inhabitants by the infamous Lucos Alayne. Nowadays, the jump gates are fueled by sevite, which is produced and managed by the Nightfoot clan. This grants them significant power in the Kindom.

After a pirate attack on a Jeveni ship, the nightgates were taken down. This incident has caused concern about a possible rebellion. To address the issue, Esek Nightfoot and kin cleric Chrono have been assigned the task of finding a memory coin. This coin is one of the few items stolen from Verdant that have been found. Esek and Chrono arrive too late to prevent a deal between the pirates possessing the coin and Sunstep, a criminal with expertise in illegal technologies. The memory coin is believed to have belonged to Lucos Alayne, who was responsible for the genocide on Jeve. What secrets might the coin reveal?

Throughout all this, Esek is putting a lot of effort into dealing with Six, a formidable cloaksaan warrior in training with the Hand whom Esek has rashly provoked and is now having to deal with the consequence. It's quite a distraction and is one of the real highlights of the book. Six wants to work with Esek. Esek tells Six to do something impressive, something that'll make her remembered in years to come when Esek has forgotten who Six even is and that will prevent Esek from killing her for daring to approach her at a later date. The opening chapter hints that there's a dark brutality in Six and you get to see it in impressive terms.

There's a few time jumps between chapters, going forwards and backwards which at first made some things a bit confusing but stick with it because at one point a single chapter brings it all together in a proper "holy shit" way. That turned this from a good book to this is actually incredible and I want more!

It becomes an impressive debut book that has a lot of depth and richness to it. It's also brutal, with action scenes to thrill and high stakes throughout. There's a lot of history for the galaxy this is set in and there's so much more to be explored. I don't know where this is going to go, but I love that. The next instalment won't be the same thanks to one particular chapter spinning this novel on its head, but I'm here for the ride and I'm ready for more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC.

This book left me absolutely staggered. One of the best books I've read in the last few years, hands down. Perfect for fans of Yoon Ha Lee, Ann Leckie, Arkady Martine and Shelley Parker-Chan.

The characters are so strongly written: they are nuanced and multifaceted, as are the relationships between them. Every single chapter fully drew me in and deepened my emotional investment in the characters each time.

The plot is a wild ride—an astounding feat of story construction, presented with such skill and polish that it comes across as effortless.

The worldbuilding feels deep, layered, nuanced, authentic and lived-in... without ever being overwhelming to read about. Also: it's set in a queernorm and non-cisnormative society where (nearly) everyone can choose their own gender, which is something I love to see.

I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy!