I have had a really rough end of last year/beginning of this year with reading. Probably in part due to the state of everything (gestures at the world at large), so I’m starting my year by finishing up a number of books I started in 2024. I’ve also started a project that I hope will help me get back into reading. It’s a book blanket where each square matches the colors of the cover of a book I’ve read this year. I’m hoping the project will be good motivation to get me back into the habit of reading.
As the crew of the Starlight’s Shadow delves into the mystery of who is trying to restart an interstellar war, Kee takes point with her hacking skills. The crews are integrating well with one another, even if Kee is trying to get over her crush on weapons specialist Varro. However, when Kee decides to split off from the crew in order to do some deeper digging into what’s going on, Varro tags along for her protection. The two of them being in such close quarters will force them to both figure out how to work together as well as sort out their feelings with the stakes quickly rising as Kee stumbles upon information that could tip the balance of the conflict.
The second outing in the Starlight’s Shadow series delivers on the space opera romance just like the first book. I really liked the fact that we get to see a bigger picture of what is going on in this setting as well as how the two crews are integrating into one unit. The plot pacing worked really well, and I appreciated the continuing plot threads from the first book. Often the plot falls to the wayside of romance, and I appreciated how the author balanced them in this book.
The one thing that bumps this down to three stars is the constant miscommunication between Kee and Varro. It did make sense at the beginning of the story, but the way it continues got frustrating especially when Kee knew there are cultural differences between them. I did really like the relationship between them once it got going, but the constant miscommunication was particularly frustrating. Miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes though, so folks milage may vary on that. But this was another fun outing in this series, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the plot arc wraps up in the next book. Three out of five stars.