cel ✼ readwithcel's Reviews > Winter's Orbit

october 2023 reread: FUCK TAAM ALL MY HOMIES HATE TAAM

“i have nothing to be ashamed of. i might be easy to manipulate. but i am very difficult to break.”

so i guess winter’s orbit has officially converted me into a sci-fi person huh.

after prince taam dies, his widow, count jainan, is forced into an arranged marriage with prince kiem to maintain a delicate inter-galaxy alliance. circumstances aren’t ideal for both men, but when jainan is implicated in prince taam's death, they begin to work together, learn to heal and trust each other, solve the mystery, and prevent interplanetary war.

world building in sci-fi can be tremendous and when its combined with politics, my two brain cells quake. this one was manageable though and the political intrigue was enough to keep me hooked. if you asked, i could probably vaguely explain the world building to you, just not verbally simply because i cannot pronounce most names (e.g. hren halesar. me: hen racecar). it’s a soft space opera but beyond that, it shines as a character study and i am but a hoe for characters.

my love for kiem was immediate. the wayward, scandal-magnet prince. an absolute himbo, a golden retriever, gently optimistic as he tries to be good to jainan, to make up for past mistakes. so genuine and eager to right the wrongs of those before him.

the most painful sections of the story belong to jainan. he appears detached and austere, but from the start your heart aches for him. and as you discover more about the secrets that plague him, that ache grows and so does the desire to create a gofundme so you can pay ms everina maxwell to write you into the book to give jainan a hug.

and then the yearning! pining in the arranged marriage trope just hits different! the navigation between “oh heck i’ve truly fallen for him” vs. “oh no surely he feels bound by duty and doesn’t reciprocate my feelings” vs. “nah that act of tenderness doesn’t mean anything” but then the pov switches and the mutual yearning is so strong that it rattles your bones. its good stuff.

like yes! huddle together for warmth! offer to catch him but its an excuse to hold him close to your chest! touch your cheek in tender amazement and wonder after he gives you a peck on the cheek! you fools, now kiss!

kiem and jainan have jagged edges that fit together perfectly. how kiem fell in love with jainan and was always kind and gentle, never overstepping and respecting his past bruises, the way they grew to see the good in each other that they were blind to seeing in themselves.

one might even say this story was…out of this world.

content warnings: domestic abuse (physical, emotional, psychological), gaslighting, torture, violence