The Blighted Stars
Ratings24
Average rating4
When a spy is stranded on a dead planet with her mortal enemy, she must first figure out how to survive before she can uncover the conspiracy that landed them there. This first book in a new epic space opera trilogy by award‑winning author Megan E. O'Keefe is perfect for fans of Children of Time, Semiosis, and Ancillary Justice. She's a revolutionary. Humanity is running out of options. Habitable planets are being destroyed as quickly as they're found and Naira Sharp thinks she knows the reason why. The all-powerful Mercator family has been controlling the exploration of the universe for decades, and exploiting any materials they find along the way under the guise of helping humanity's expansion. But Naira knows the truth, and she plans to bring the whole family down from the inside. He's the heir to the dynasty. Tarquin Mercator never wanted to run a galaxy-spanning business empire. He just wanted to study rocks and read books. But Tarquin's father has tasked him with monitoring the settlement of a new planet, and he doesn't really have a choice in the matter. Disguised as Tarquin's new bodyguard, Naira plans to destroy the settlement ship before they make land. But neither of them expects to end up stranded on a dead planet. To survive and keep her secret, Naira will have to join forces with the man she's sworn to hate. And together they will uncover a plot that's bigger than both of them. For more from Megan E. O'Keefe, check out: The Protectorate Velocity Weapon Chaos Vector Catalyst Gate
Series
Featured Series
3 primary booksThe Devoured Worlds
The Devoured Worlds is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2022 with contributions by Megan E. O'Keefe.
Reviews
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While I was initially drawn in by the incredible cover art, I was pleased to find that the book itself is terrific too!
The main plot centers on the mining of earth-like worlds for a precious mineral named relkatite. Unfortunately, the unintended aftereffect of the mining process is a devastating fungal blight that effectively destroys the planet. Not ideal!
We've also got 3D printers capable of spitting out human bodies with a neural map/mind in tow. Well, that's how it's supposed to work. Sometimes the body misprints. Sometimes the mind cracks after you've been printed out too many times, or – gasp! – your mind is printed into two bodies at once.
O'Keefe dives into the unintended consequences of technological progress and humanity's insatiable push to over-consume our planetary resources as we move throughout the cosmos.
I'm often overwhelmed with sprawling space operas, but the limited narrative scope of The Blighted Stars allows a few central characters and their motivations to stay top of mind. The character development is well-done and the swift pacing kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
Overall, The Blighted Stars is an exciting start to a promising new series. If the cover art stays cool and the story stays compelling, I'll certainly be along for the ride.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Megan is a very good successor to Bujold, with very little space unfilled in those shoes. The hints of Delany and LeGuin are delightful and not intrusive, in what is a significant step up from velocity weapon's protectorate trilogy. An author to follow attentively.
This book started so good! The premise is fantastic and I liked the opening chapters and the two lead characters. The story builds tension in an excellent way and the themes of technology gone awry and human consumption were worked into it seemlessly.
The book did start to drag for me in the second half, and I found the romance to be...just not very good or believable. Some of the lines were cringy, but also I just didn't buy that these two people would fall for each other. And it took up a LARGE portion of the book.
I will read the sequel!
