Winter's Orbit
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- Create Date：2021-03-31 14:11:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Everina Maxwell
- ISBN：0356515885
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Ancillary Justice meets Red， White & Royal Blue in Everina Maxwell's exciting debut。
While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances， several planets， including Thea， have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule。 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 the two worlds under control。
But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident， and that Jainan himself may be a suspect， the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court， try to solve a murder， and prevent an interplanetary war。。。 all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other。
While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances， several planets， including Thea， have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule。 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 the two worlds under control。
But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident， and that Jainan himself may be a suspect， the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court， try to solve a murder， and prevent an interplanetary war。。。 all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other。
Reviews
archer ;;'
，
Absolutely adored it。 I got quickly attached to the characters as Kiem is charismatic trouble and Jainan has some hidden mischief behind a composed demeanour。 Their love story is incredibly endearing and the miscommunication makes for some painfully pleasurable slow-burn。The side characters are all well written too （my personal favourite being Agent Rakal because they're just trying to do their job， man， please Kiem calm down-） with great relationships held steadily between them and the main pro Absolutely adored it。 I got quickly attached to the characters as Kiem is charismatic trouble and Jainan has some hidden mischief behind a composed demeanour。 Their love story is incredibly endearing and the miscommunication makes for some painfully pleasurable slow-burn。The side characters are all well written too （my personal favourite being Agent Rakal because they're just trying to do their job， man， please Kiem calm down-） with great relationships held steadily between them and the main protagonists。If you're thinking about giving this a go， I highly encourage it。 You will not regret it。 。。。more
searching_for_words_
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4，5 🌟
Angela
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Spoiler Free Video Review: https://youtu。be/KgZ3zd4NEC4I LOVE the two main characters in this story and watching them get to know each other。 Those were my favorite parts。 What stopped this from being a 4。5 or 5 star read were the sci-fi elements。 In general I didn't really care about the plot but it also didn't bother me until the plot became the main focus near the end and I just wanted to get back to the Kiem and Jainan！ I also was just generally confused about a lot of the stakes because t Spoiler Free Video Review: https://youtu。be/KgZ3zd4NEC4I LOVE the two main characters in this story and watching them get to know each other。 Those were my favorite parts。 What stopped this from being a 4。5 or 5 star read were the sci-fi elements。 In general I didn't really care about the plot but it also didn't bother me until the plot became the main focus near the end and I just wanted to get back to the Kiem and Jainan！ I also was just generally confused about a lot of the stakes because the world building wasn't very well explained， but that also makes sense with who we are following in the story。 In generally I for sure recommend this for people who are intimidated by adult sci-fi cause I think its more character focused， in the best ways！ 。。。more
Anne Chafer
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NOTE: Make sure you look at detailed trigger warnings beforehand because I might miss something， but the ones I can think of are domestic violence （physical， verbal + emotional）， attempted rape， coercion， blood （needles maybe？ Can’t remember）This was really good！ I haven’t had the best time reading because of external personal circumstances but I know this is a book I will want to revisit when I’m in a better headspace， because it was a really satisfying story to read。This is， at its core， the l NOTE: Make sure you look at detailed trigger warnings beforehand because I might miss something， but the ones I can think of are domestic violence （physical， verbal + emotional）， attempted rape， coercion， blood （needles maybe？ Can’t remember）This was really good！ I haven’t had the best time reading because of external personal circumstances but I know this is a book I will want to revisit when I’m in a better headspace， because it was a really satisfying story to read。This is， at its core， the love story of Kiem and Jainan， a prince and a count from two different planets who are brought together in a marriage of convenience in order to renew an intergalactic treaty。 Soon they discover hints of a murder conspiracy and things escalate from there。 And it is clear that the focus here are the characters: they feel very real and developed， and they never fall into any archetypes。 The two protagonists are very different people that， when together， make each other better and stronger， and watching their bond grow was very lovely and it made me feel like I had the privilege to witness an intimate connection taking form。I do want to stress a few things I didn’t enjoy so they’re out of the way: the first half dragged a bit， and there were a few info dumps that didn’t feel particularly smooth （I’m being really picky here， I’m aware！）。 The other thing that didn’t fully work for me was that the miscommunication trope between Kiem and Jainan lasted way too long。 I understand its place， and it did make sense that neither character wanted to scare off the other， but by the halfway point it was starting to become annoying， particularly because Kiem was a more outspoken person in everything but this aspect， so I would have expected him to -gently- attempt to discuss things。The second half （and by this I mean from the snow walk onwards） flowed really well， and managed to capture my attention to the point I didn’t want to stop reading at night！ Every little detail we’d seen throughout the book was tied up in a satisfying albeit realistic way。 Not everything ends up sorted after the climax of the book: the characters have to work that bit more to put everything in its place， which felt very realistic and true。 Not everything gets solved after the final battle in real life， and Winter’s Orbit captured that perfectly。I also want to talk about is the worldbuilding。 It is clearly not the focal point of the book， so if you go into this book thinking you’ll find detailed science-y explanations for every mechanic element and event in the fictional history of this universe， you will be disappointed。 It is not what this book is trying to do， and I think it works so well as a soft sci-fi book precisely because it lacks the pretense of elaborate worldbuilding just for the sake of it。 As someone who rarely reads sci-fi， this was a really lovely way of getting some of that good space setting without overwhelming myself with information。 On another note， this is a queernormative world which was so so so cool to see。 People carry specific accessories or signifiers to indicate gender， instead of assuming， and a couple of characters are even corrected when they do so。 There are a few nonbinary secondary characters and obviously all sorts of queer relationships， on-page and mentioned。 It was a refreshing thing to read。The last thing I want to mention is the domestic violence element。 This should not be a spoiler: it is not openly revealed until the last third of the book， but the signs are there from the first page。 As someone who has lived with domestic violence and abuse really close for most of my life， I found the depiction of its effects on the characters very accurate。 It made it very hard to read the book for a good while， to be honest。 I would advise to proceed with a lot of caution if you feel this might trigger any trauma for you。 As soon as I was introduced to the character who has gone through abuse， I saw and knew it。 Every little sign is there， every effect of it。 It is a tough thing to read， but it ends in a very good catharsis for the affected character。 I am glad that this book allowed one of its characters to confront and defeat their abuser， and come out of it stronger。Overall， I think this is a wonderful science-fiction book， especially if you’re not a seasoned reader in the genre （like me）。 It’s such a sensitive portrayal of people and relationships， while also taking the reader on an intriguing political plot。 Would recommend！ 。。。more
färbe mich rot
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Rating: 3。5 starsThis was a very addictive and quick read。 A lot works here: the romance is well-built， the plot is quite intriguing， the writing is serviceable， and finally， the audiobook is good too！ Jainan and Kiem are pretty fun to read about and I wouldn't mind if this was a duology or a trilogy either。 My primary problem is with the ending。 After the climax - the book sort of loses steam but it keeps going on a tad bit too long。 The author seems a tad bit too intent on wrapping up every lo Rating: 3。5 starsThis was a very addictive and quick read。 A lot works here: the romance is well-built， the plot is quite intriguing， the writing is serviceable， and finally， the audiobook is good too！ Jainan and Kiem are pretty fun to read about and I wouldn't mind if this was a duology or a trilogy either。 My primary problem is with the ending。 After the climax - the book sort of loses steam but it keeps going on a tad bit too long。 The author seems a tad bit too intent on wrapping up every loose thread。 Some of them work and an emotionally satisfying， others seem like they are sanitizing an otherwise complex condition。 I think that is all I have to say about this， honestly。 Pick it up over the weekend to get through an easy read。 。。。more
Vee
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[7。90/10] As soon as I found out about Winter's Orbit I knew it was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021 and， yeah， that is a lot of expectation to put on a book from a debut author - perhaps unfairly so？ However， Everina Maxwell came through！ This is the type of book that is going to appeal most to fanfic and ex-fanfic readers because it's playing into all of those deliciously specific trope tags that we go to fanfic for and it's doing it purposefully， with pride。 Yet， I think that's als [7。90/10] As soon as I found out about Winter's Orbit I knew it was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021 and， yeah， that is a lot of expectation to put on a book from a debut author - perhaps unfairly so？ However， Everina Maxwell came through！ This is the type of book that is going to appeal most to fanfic and ex-fanfic readers because it's playing into all of those deliciously specific trope tags that we go to fanfic for and it's doing it purposefully， with pride。 Yet， I think that's also a bit of a downside of the book because there was a general feeling of a lack of originality at times。 There were certain sections of the book where I felt so strongly that I was reading fanfic that I was thrown out of the story itself because I was thinking about the non-existent "real" story that this book was riffing on。 Like， were the Auditors and The（t）ans supposed to be referencing Scientology？ Other than that I did really enjoy this book。 I thought the relationship was very sweet and the overall mystery was intriguing。 I also really appreciated that one of the plot twists gave Maxwell a platform to explore （view spoiler）[ male mental health and domestic violence against men。 （hide spoiler）] I love reading these type of sff books where the society has evolved to the point where race and sexual and gender fluidity are not a topic for debate， it's almost kind of utopian but also the fact that it is not a topic for debate is enough of an acknowledgement to the reader to understand what side of the debate this author falls on。 I'll definitely be checking out future books from this author， I'm sad to see that we won't be falling the same main characters in the next book but I do also enjoy it when we can get a complete story in one book。 。。。more
triskellionquinn
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Sci-fi and political intrigue books and I have a pretty rocky relationship， I either hate them or I get bored with them。 But I couldn't pass up giving Winter's Orbit a shot， and I'm glad that I did because of how much I loved it。 It's definitely a slower paced book， but that actually worked for me this time around， though I will admit that I started losing track of which military/royal was which with the exception of a few。 I kept getting the military and Internal Affairs people mixed up， but it Sci-fi and political intrigue books and I have a pretty rocky relationship， I either hate them or I get bored with them。 But I couldn't pass up giving Winter's Orbit a shot， and I'm glad that I did because of how much I loved it。 It's definitely a slower paced book， but that actually worked for me this time around， though I will admit that I started losing track of which military/royal was which with the exception of a few。 I kept getting the military and Internal Affairs people mixed up， but it's not something I was altogether worried about because I was too busy being distracted by the slow burn romance in the background。 Jainan and Kiem are the two most frustratingly endearing people and I love them so much， but at the same time I felt like I was getting emotional blue balls every time they got SO CLOSE to connecting only to barely miss the mark by the slightest bit。 Jainan especially， he deserves all the worlds and I hope Kiem spends every single moment of the rest of their lives letting him know how amazing he is。 That second half of the book gave me all the emotional whiplash too， between warm fuzzies， bitter frustration and outright venomous fury when certain events/actions were revealed to the reader。 Thankfully， the story left off with the warm fuzzies， and I'm more than happy with that。 。。。more
Teresa
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Loved itBeautifully written slow burn sci-fi with a lot of my catnip: forced marriage， forced proximity， slow burn romance， misunderstandings that could be cleared up with a conversation but with characters structured that it makes sense that the conversation doesn’t take place immediately。 Trigger warning for an abusive spouse， abuse survivor。
The Miseducation of Emma Tru
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v cute v fun 10/10 would recommend
Kristen Marie
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I adored this book！ It was filled to the brim with all the tropes I love， and the romance was impeccable。 I adored Kiem， and how sweet he was and how filled with joy。 My favorite character by far though was Jainan。 I related to him so much， and the way he experienced his own mental health issues was very relatable。 I loved his character development and growth。 This is by far my favorite kind of sci fi， where it’s lighter with a strong focus on the romance。 The only critique I have was that it wa I adored this book！ It was filled to the brim with all the tropes I love， and the romance was impeccable。 I adored Kiem， and how sweet he was and how filled with joy。 My favorite character by far though was Jainan。 I related to him so much， and the way he experienced his own mental health issues was very relatable。 I loved his character development and growth。 This is by far my favorite kind of sci fi， where it’s lighter with a strong focus on the romance。 The only critique I have was that it was a bit slow the first half， but the payoff was totally worth it。 This book left me feeling all warm and fuzzy with joy by the end。 Actual rating: 4。5/5 ⭐️ 。。。more
Jean
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I really enjoyed this and I've had a problem getting into new books lately。 I agree with Martha Wells who said it reminded her of Bujold's Vorgosigan series。 Very character driven， with mystery and romance。 I really enjoyed this and I've had a problem getting into new books lately。 I agree with Martha Wells who said it reminded her of Bujold's Vorgosigan series。 Very character driven， with mystery and romance。 。。。more
Rose
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3。5
Jessica
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I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters and the galactic mystery that they had to investigate。
Riley
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Winter’s Orbit is a captivating blend of scifi romance， political intrigue and mystery。Mystery first。 Who killed Prince Taam？ What really happened？ Why？ Lots of questions。 Originally deemed an accident， troubles for our heroes seem to point to something more。Iskat （Kiem’s world） is the ruling world in an alliance of several worlds that includes Jainan’s world Thea。 The Resolution that binds the worlds is about to be renewed and the Auditor is present to make sure that everything is in order。 Whe Winter’s Orbit is a captivating blend of scifi romance， political intrigue and mystery。Mystery first。 Who killed Prince Taam？ What really happened？ Why？ Lots of questions。 Originally deemed an accident， troubles for our heroes seem to point to something more。Iskat （Kiem’s world） is the ruling world in an alliance of several worlds that includes Jainan’s world Thea。 The Resolution that binds the worlds is about to be renewed and the Auditor is present to make sure that everything is in order。 When he points out that things may not be in order， things get complicated。 As part of the Resolution process， the Auditor is also collecting remnants （ancient alien artifacts）。 This is not a casual bit of the Resolution process – the remnants will play a role in the story， giving the story a part of its scifi aspect。Of all the characters， Prince Kiem seems the least devious。 He is charming， sometime playboyish， and really prefers to stay away from it all。 But when he ends up in an arranged marriage with Prince Jainan， he will not be able to avoid all the plotting。 Jainan appears， at first， to be extremely serious and timid。 Not at all the type to get involved in intrigue。 But both are swept up in the scheming and cannot avoid the intrigue， plotting and maybe even an assassination attempt。Winter’s Orbit is as much romance as mystery。 Maybe more。 Kiem and Jainan both think the other does not want the marriage。 At he same time， they are attracted to each other。 As they become more acquainted， misunderstandings will continue to get in the way of the romance， while at the same time they start to fall for each other。 Ultimately， their relationship will be integral to solving the mysteries， overcoming the intrigue and making everything right in the universe。I really liked that the story placed no emphasis on gender or race or sexuality。 Everything was accepted。What I also really liked is the hopeful， happy ending。Thanks to the publisher who provided an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Sophia
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I read about half of this when it was still on AO3， but didn’t finish because I don’t like court intrigue enough to read low-heat romance。 I picked it up when it was published because I was curious to see the changes， though I wish I still had a copy of the original for a more accurate comparison。 My impression is that the plot and world building side of the story got a big boost in editing， which made the first part of it a lot more compelling， but the change left the romance feeling weak and d I read about half of this when it was still on AO3， but didn’t finish because I don’t like court intrigue enough to read low-heat romance。 I picked it up when it was published because I was curious to see the changes， though I wish I still had a copy of the original for a more accurate comparison。 My impression is that the plot and world building side of the story got a big boost in editing， which made the first part of it a lot more compelling， but the change left the romance feeling weak and dangling especially through the middle of the book。 Arranged marriage is such a strong trope that should entail a lot of emotions and a complicated tension between the characters， so shifting focus to the mystery changed the basic genre and didn’t give enough space for the relationship to develop while still relying on the underlying trope to give shape to it。Overall， it felt like a romance story conceived in a fandom genre which should depend on a lot of character interaction （eg， them sleeping apart and mostly living separate lives after the wedding night really took down the tension）， which instead has sprouted the trappings of modern SFF， though only superficially gestured at。 Since I didn’t finish the original version I don’t know how/if the ending has been altered， but a big complex political situation which was actually intriguing at the start gets boiled down and solved easily， and while that’s fine for fanfiction where the focus is elsewhere， it felt like disappointing in a novel that’s been edited to be more mainstream plot-heavy。I finished the book， so there are definitely some strengths and high points to it， and I liked the characters even if they don’t feel totally complete。 There are still some remnants of a compelling relationship dynamic， and I was actually pretty into the description of the Galactic political situation。 It just would have been a more solid book with some more refinements and a clearer sense of the key elements of each genre it’s in。A final small note—my recollection of the original is that basically every major character is described as dark-skinned/Black， while here there were almost no physical descriptions except some very slight indications。 Again， my memory may be faulty， but if the descriptions really were changed to be more ambiguous （which many white readers will just read as white） that’s disappointing， when I felt like it was a strength of the original version。 The novel overall feels influenced by Le Guin （down to changing the title to have “winter” in it like the planet in LHoD）， and she generally had protagonists of color and described them more clearly than this。 。。。more
Jordan
，
I loved this book SO much。 I cannot get enough of this couple。 It's funny and brilliant and beautiful。 I loved this book SO much。 I cannot get enough of this couple。 It's funny and brilliant and beautiful。 。。。more
Alex
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There are things that could have made this story a full 5 stars but it’s just not there。 It hovers between 3-4。I wasn’t prepared for what this story is ACTUALLY about - how a person recognizes and learns to overcome years of trauma and abuse。 It was posited as a slow-burn style sci-fi romance， but there was almost no “burn”。 It was just a sci-fi with very slow character development in the guise of romance。 I appreciated the normalization of gender fluidity and queer relationships， I liked the ch There are things that could have made this story a full 5 stars but it’s just not there。 It hovers between 3-4。I wasn’t prepared for what this story is ACTUALLY about - how a person recognizes and learns to overcome years of trauma and abuse。 It was posited as a slow-burn style sci-fi romance， but there was almost no “burn”。 It was just a sci-fi with very slow character development in the guise of romance。 I appreciated the normalization of gender fluidity and queer relationships， I liked the characters as they were （with the exception of the abuse victim still blaming himself for every single thing well beyond halfway through the book， but he was still an interesting character）。I couldn’t put it down， at least。 The sci-fi was good， just the right amount of excitement and an interesting， politically based plot。 I kept hoping for what I never got， but it at least wrapped up nicely。 。。。more
Marlowe
，
This was positively delightful！ It reminded me of the Vorkosigan Saga， but make it romance。The main characters are both such dears。 I love that they are so different from each other， but both excellent people and totally committed to making the relationship work - if only they'd learn to communicate！CONTENT NOTE: An abusive relationship is central to this story。 While it's only explicit in a few flashes， seeing the aftermath is hard enough。 Don't worry， our victim does get his Happily Ever After This was positively delightful！ It reminded me of the Vorkosigan Saga， but make it romance。The main characters are both such dears。 I love that they are so different from each other， but both excellent people and totally committed to making the relationship work - if only they'd learn to communicate！CONTENT NOTE: An abusive relationship is central to this story。 While it's only explicit in a few flashes， seeing the aftermath is hard enough。 Don't worry， our victim does get his Happily Ever After。 。。。more
Nicole Moon
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HOLD THE FUCK UP， THIS IS A POLITICAL ARRANGED MARRIAGE SITUATION？？？？ moving up my tbr as we speak
endrere
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YES， REGISTER ME。
Elizabeth
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DNF @ 41%
Rebecca
，
I don’t really ever read SFF， but sometimes， when I’m in the throes of a book slump I can’t seem to shake， I’ll do something crazy like read outside my normal genres。 So I grabbed this one to try it out。Usually this trick doesn’t work， and I DNF anyway， so the fact that the book pulled me in and I completed it I think speaks volumes to how engaging and accessible the writing is， and how developed and likeable the characters are。 And I also don’t normally like a marriage of convenience trope， but I don’t really ever read SFF， but sometimes， when I’m in the throes of a book slump I can’t seem to shake， I’ll do something crazy like read outside my normal genres。 So I grabbed this one to try it out。Usually this trick doesn’t work， and I DNF anyway， so the fact that the book pulled me in and I completed it I think speaks volumes to how engaging and accessible the writing is， and how developed and likeable the characters are。 And I also don’t normally like a marriage of convenience trope， but for some reason it really worked here？ Was a little disappointed that it was a closed door/fade to black but maybe that’s normal given that this is more of a sci-fi with a prominent romance subplot rather than strictly a SFF romance novel。 Ultimately， I had a hard time getting into the plot and found myself skimming through a lot of pages， per my usual disinterest in sci fi， but if this book at all intrigues you I’d definitely recommend。 。。。more
Marie
，
I really love your story， it deserves a lot of audience。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Laura Hickman
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3。5 stars。 This was definitely slow in parts but the world building was interesting and original and I enjoyed the characters。
Tali
，
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 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。 。。。more
Lauren
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Almost didn't finish， but was so close to the end that I forced myself to。 Won't log my complaints here as other reviewers have pretty much said it all。 Almost didn't finish， but was so close to the end that I forced myself to。 Won't log my complaints here as other reviewers have pretty much said it all。 。。。more
Fenn
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Very gay， very good
Rabiah
，
Honestly 3。5 but it was cute and light but too long。 CW for relationship abuse。 If you like a harlequin romance and all of those hot/cold tropes this will fit for you。 It has great side characters that you get shockingly into。 The negs are you just don’t get enough world building and deep dive on some of thongs that could give this story more depth and flavor。 Pacing issues， after the first third gets going and I liked it。
Kreiri
，
I liked it better when it was a WIP :/
Julianne
，
Overall， I enjoyed this。 The plot got a bit convoluted at times but it was witty and funny and I really liked the characters of Jainan and Kiem。 While it had some romantic pieces， I wouldn’t call this a romance。 It was definitely more sci-fi with a small romantic sub plot。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Winter's Orbit
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Winter's Orbit&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Winter's Orbit&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0