I’m a sucker for space opera. When I saw this title pop up I thought it was the book that movie was based on.

Yeah. Pretty sure that’s not the case.

The yarn starts with a family ship that gets captured by pirates. Only the children survive and only because of Meriel Hope. I’ll have to stop here to avoid spoilers.

Ray Strong creates a tight, beautifully formed universe that’s equal parts grit and grind. Muriel carries deep scars from her tragic childhood, but works to keep them from ruining everything even as she fails to control their pull. The story plays a lot of double-crossing against a skeptical cast. I was pretty sure I knew where the story was going from about the one-third mark, but Strong did a masterful job and kept me guessing until the end.

This ain’t your normal pirate space opera. The characters feel real and relatable. The world building is superb. If you’re looking for a fun read that doesn’t take the normal paths through death and destruction, you might grab a sample and see what you think.

About the reviewer:

Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]