What a fun read. I got major Firefly vibes from this story. The lead is a kick-ass woman who has served her time in the military and gathers a group of crew and passengers that keep the book interesting and moving. I enjoyed the fast-paced plot, action, character friendships/interactions, and emotional moments. A fun space opera romp that I highly recommend!

One of my all time favorite reads for writers. The 'King' of horror and arguably one if the most prolific and best selling writers of the 21st century talks about the craft in an engaging, informative, and somewhat autobiographical way. I don't agree with all his advice, but who can argue with results? Conversational and entertaining, it's a must have for beginning writers. (And maybe not so beginning writers) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The good: The book picks up right were Queen of Shadows leaves off and picks up the pace. The world building and descriptions are voluminous, evocative, and immersive.
Overall, the writing, as usual, is strong, the characters are generally likable, and I want to find out what happens, but the book loses a star for forcing plot points and the massive change of tone leaning too heavily on sexy scenes.

SJM did it again. Made me care and cry and cheer. I loved most of this book. It moved at a better pace than Heir of Fire which dragged at the beginning but redeemed itself by the end. This book had me engaged throughout. There were scenes that I'd been waiting for since Assassin's Blade in this book. The ending dragged a bit, and some actions seemed out of character, but overall, I loved it.

I have to give it kudos for the ambitious vision, imaginative twists, and world building. I was engaged and wondering how things would play out until the last page.
As a writer, I usually figure out the plot of a book by about half way through. This book threw me, but it was unfair to the reader as it didn't give us enough info to figure out the mystery so, to me, it fell a bit flat. There was no 'aha so that's why' moment for me.