#BlogTour ‘Winter’s Orbit’ by Everina Maxwell

About the book…

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.

Huge thanks to Compulsive Readers blog tour organiser Tracy Fenton and publishers, Orbit, for having me on the blogtour for ‘Winter’s Orbit’, a debut fantasy novel due out in hardcover,paperback and ebook on February 2nd, 2021.

Happy publication day to the most awesome, readable and downright wonderful fantasy novel, I fell straight into this book and removed myself, reluctantly, to do necessary things but you can be sure I was annoyed whilst doing them.

The effortless world building of the novel, which takes place on planets Thea and Iskat, is so absorbing that you immediately fall into what could have been complicated politics, but remains, at its heart, a love story about duty, free will and obligation to societal structures.

There is so much which is relatable, and I think a lot of people are put off science fiction and fantasy as being too out there, but, in reality, on Earth we have multiple cultures wherein royal and leading families are held to a standard and a way of life which prohibits their freedoms in a way that puts the good of the many before the choice of the few.

And this is where ‘Winter’s Orbit’, comes in . With spare, multiple minor royalties ready and raised to step into the shoes of others should the need arise, royal playboy Kiem is told his partying ways have come to an end with the imminent marriage to Thean, Jainan.

Theirs is a marriage not just of convenience, but of necessity as the bonds between planets are more than just words exchanged between two people,they represent a peace treaty between these worlds.

Love doesn’t come into it, nor does choice, and therefore Kiem and Jainan embark on the most awkward of ceremonies, what could possible go wrong?

Well, taking into consideration Machiavellian manoeuvrings behind the scenes, a plot to bring the house of cards roaring down around everyone’s ears and an accident which might be more than that, and you get the beginnings of a war for which  nobody is prepared.

I loved that gender is irrelevant, people wear different items to indicate gender, but no one is really focussed on this, it merely serves as a device to signify the correct way to treat others. For example, Bel, Kiem’s Private Secretary wears flint earrings to signify that she is female.

Jainan and Kiem might appear to be the odd couple, but they have enough in common that drives them forward to make the best of a super awkward arrangement and create a relationship that they can both be happy in is really lovely.

This book definitely is accessible, easy to read and leaves you with a feeling of warmth that those on Iskat would envy. It’s the perfect book to settle into on a dark, wintery evening and let the alternate atmosphere wash over you.

About the author…

Everina grew up in Sussex, which has come a long way from the days of  Cold Comfort Farm and now has things like running water and Brighton Pier. She was lucky enough to live near a library that stocked Lois McMaster Bujold, Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon, so spent all her spare time devouring science fiction and doorstopper fantasy, with her family’s Georgette Heyer collection always a reliable friend when the library books ran out.

She first took part in NaNoWriMo just in time to procrastinate from some important exams. Despite this she went on to study Japanese, specialising in deciphering medieval script so deeply that she forgot to study the modern language. To correct this she moved to a remote island three hours off the coast of Japan where she spent two years and had a lot of peace and quiet to write.

On her return, after a brief stint as a translator, she took a job with the government and has since worked in various departments. She regrets that she can write as many stories about weird political bureaucracy as she likes, but it will never top the weirdness of the civil service in real life.

Links-https://everinamaxwell.com/

https://www.compulsivereaders.com/

Twitter @Tr4cyF3nt0n @OrbitBooks @Av_Stories