Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Reviewed by Ambrea

Prince Kiem is notorious among the sundry princes of the Iskat Empire.  He’s made a name for himself as a feckless ne’er-do-well, appearing in the tabloids regularly for his crazy antics and charming personality, and he’s accustomed to his role as a minor—that is, inconsequential—noble.  When the Emperor demands he fulfill a marriage contract to solidify a political alliance with the planet of Thea, no one is more surprised than Kiem.  Faced with the displeasure of the emperor, Kiem has no choice but to marry the recently widowed Count Jainan and help bring the vassal planet back under the Iskat Empire’s control.

Count Jainan, unlike Prince Kiem, lives and breathes propriety.  After spending years caught in midst of palace intrigues, Jainan is more aware than most of the landmines lying in wait within the political landscape of the Iskat Empire.  To protect his home planet, Jainan will do anything—even if it means marrying a man he’s never met.  However, Kiem is nothing like he expects and their union quickly becomes something more meaningful.

But something dangerous looms on the horizon:  the Resolution—the galactic ruling powers that keep the Iskat Empire out of the crosshairs of larger, more aggressive planets—has arrived to renew their treaty.  If Jainan and Kiem can’t convince the Resolution to approve their union, the entire empire could be at stake.

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell is a delightful blend of science fiction and romance that I have enjoyed immensely both times I’ve read it.  The first time I picked up Maxwell’s novel, I devoured it; the second time I picked up Winter’s Orbit, I managed a somewhat more sedate pace, but, even so, I found myself unable to put it down.  Now, I even own a copy, because I whole-heartedly adore this novel.

I love the blending of science fiction, political intrigue, suspense, and romance.  I love the slowly blossoming relationship between Kiem and Jainan.  I love the depictions of futuristic technology and alien hardware and far-flung galactic cultures.  It reminds me of Becky Chamber’s Wayfarer series—it’s an adventure story, but, at the same time, it has an element of softness to it, an undertone of exploration and discovery.

There’s also a focus on the characters, on their development and relationships, not merely the adventure into which they’ve been thrust.  Kiem and Janian are fully fleshed out, fully realized, and I couldn’t help becoming invested in their shared story.  They have their secrets and flaws, their doubts and fears, of course, but they’re somehow wonderful in spite of them—or, perhaps, because of them.  They’re lovely characters, honestly, and I just couldn’t help rooting for them from the first page.

Honestly, I love this book.

Each time I pick it up, it just hits the spot for me, like a cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day or dinner at my favorite restaurant.  It’s sweet without being terribly fluffy; it’s full of adventure and intrigue without feeling overwhelmingly suspenseful; it has a fascinating, futuristic world full of complex political structures and incredible technology, and yet it’s easy to become lost within—or, perhaps, enchanted by—this complicated and imminently captivating universe.

For me, it was a joy to read and I can’t wait to read it again.