Arkhangelsk

“You think you escaped from Earth? You're fools, every one of you. All you did was bring it with you.”

Novayarkha is a colony on a harsh planet where its residents have carved out a living against all odds. Living in the remains of the dismantled colony ship Arkhangelsk can be tough, with all sorts of health risks and radiation to contend with, but its population is more or less content with their lot in the universe and convinced that the “old world” (Earth) is no more. What they believe is then turned on its head as a starship sent from Earth on an entirely different mission appears in orbit, and Anya, the head peace officer, makes an unlikely friend in space.

There's a lot going on here, as the story is part murder mystery, part sci-fi dystopia, part found family/romance (depending on how deep you read between the lines). I thought it mostly worked out well, actually, with the beginning dovetailing neatly into the conclusion at the end. I thought the relationship between Anya and the captain of the starship was sweet, and I really loved the author's writing style throughout. There's a lot to think about here with themes of gene manipulation, xenophobia, and mob justice prevalent. I particularly liked the old Arkhangelsk logs left throughout the book, as it starts to paint a very different picture from what Anya learned about their origins growing up.

I'm really glad to have given this book a shot, and look forward to trying out more books by this author now that I've discovered them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.