Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

Challenge #23 ~ “A book with a body of water in the title.”

oceansecho

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My opinion in three sentences:

I was blown away by my first Maxwell book earlier this year, but still a little hesitatnt about this one because (a) I very much wanted to read more about the characters from Winter’s Orbit not (I thought) others in the same universe, and (b) the premise sounded a little suspect – a recently bereaved being strong-armed into a partnership for political gains?! Before I knew it, however, I had once again been swept off my feet with fantastic world-building, some fabulous characters, and an exciting plot (such that I honestly don’t known whether I’d prefer a sequel to this or Winter’s Orbit – they were both such sublime reads!) In two books alone, Maxwell has become an automatic must-read for me, and I’m thoroughly excited for the next release.

(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:

It’s set on another planet (or several), in a world with established inter-planetary travel, and with some psychological fantasy elements as well. Which is to say, strong world-building is an absolute must. Not only does Maxwell deliver, crafting a larger-than-life experience, but this is achieved in an engaging, subtle manner without resorting to info-dumps (which is a true skill and successfully navigates what I find to be one of the common pothole in YA sci-fi).

A warning for the book:

I’m not sure if the blurb is quite right for this book. It’s not inaccurate, per say, but it gives a slightly misleading impression. And I’m glad that it wasn’t what I expected, don’t get me wrong, but I think what I’m trying to say is: don’t be put off by the blurb and any pre-conceptions it gives you, especialy if you’re a Maxwell fan – it’s really not like that.

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