Blurb:

Heartbreak hurts, even in space.

When it comes to love, Maeve’s luck has never been great. First, she followed her cheating boyfriend to a clandestine rendezvous, only to be abducted by aliens and sent to a mining colony on Ceres in the asteroid belt. Then, she accidentally fell in love with one of the aliens in her mining unit. It’s really too bad that his heart belongs to another biocarbon and he’s due to be released from Ceres Station.

Not that Maeve should be obsessing over anyone. Distractions lead to death on Ceres. Between mining highly explosive ursadium while trigger happy, laser-wielding drones monitor her every move, and defending her unit’s mining position against violent poaching, unrequited love should be the least of her concerns.

But the ache in her chest never ceases, and because of this, she’s willing to risk it all to escape Ceres and start a new life among the stars.

Review:

I didn’t imagine a cozy sci-fi from a book set in a dwarf planet mining prison, and maybe I’m off base for even suggesting it, but I really loved snuggling up at night to read this well paced galactic prison break with some of the the best (and worst) alien cellmates an abducted human girl could ask for. This story was my kind of weird, and though there were some issues I’ll take up with the Republic, all in all I was really smitten with the whole experience and am dying for a second book, *cough* Remi *cough*. 

What starts as story with a very slice of life feel that takes us through the day to day of Maeve, a person of earth (POE) that was abducted by aliens of the, unknown to average earthling, Viatoram Republic and brought to a prison mining operation on a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt becomes so much more. Through the hardships and dangers of her daily life within the prison, we come to find out there's a lot more going on under the surface of the world she’s been forced into and the politics that uphold it. This was a great start to what I hope is setting up an unlikely hero series. Bradley took her time weaving her opposing sides, building motivations and mounting tensions. I for one found it really enjoyable and the pacing kind of perfect. With themes of mental health, autonomy, loss, grief, and overcoming fear, Bradley encapsulates depth and purpose into this entertaining story. And though ‘cozy’ may just nod more to my level of enjoyment and absence for frustration rather than obvious tone, as there was no lack of extreme danger and adrenaline fueled scenarios, it was an easy to love story for me. 

“The Viatoram Republic had stolen me from Earth to work in a mine on Ceres. That horrible fact would never get any less painful. But damn, I was great at mining ursadium.”

Ceres is set on quite the planet with lots of big brother creepiness to go around. The types of aliens, their prejudices and factions, the undertones of oddly religious mining practices and the fate of our known world being mixed up in its political struggles all made for world building that felt creative and fresh. Within a multi-species universe we’ve only scratched the surface of, and hints to other extraterrestrial life we’ve yet to see, Remi has great built-in room for expanding this story. With all of that going on, the book still feels very intimate. The struggles of a prisoner taken without warning are punctuated by the day to day rhythm of life in prison. I felt immersed in their daily systems. From the living walls to the unique diets and robotic tech, it all felt fleshed out and immersive.

“Unrequited love felt just as shitty on an alien-run mining station as it did on Earth.”

Maeve was a strong main character. Though I wouldn't necessarily agree with all her conclusions or vary as widely, she was believable and I really grew to love her. Her peers that surrounded her were dynamic and interesting. I loved her crew and really felt like I got to know them. I struggled with Xale’s character, not fully understanding him. Though his motivations were clear, I didn't always find logic in his choices or a consistent thread to spur my sympathies. If there's a book to follow, I'd love to see more depth there. That said, I did find his addition really interesting and I have many theories on his future impact on the story. So though I think some would walk away wondering… why?... about him, I’m kind of a fan. The dynamic of their overarching overlords paired with feisty enemies at close proximity and past nemeses created the possibility of so much believable calamity and a few instances really caught me by surprise. The balance of mundane heart-sinking despair and heart pumping fear with hints of the sweetest hope was yummy.

Which brings me to the writing. It was easy and straightforward, and felt very consistent with its genre. The first person past point of view made the story feel intimate and real. The moderate pace with lulls of day to day added into the action was moody and strong. Maeve coming off emotion suppressant implants brought an added element of connection as we dove into her anxiety and mental health living as a captive. And though I know the romance wasn’t the central part of the story, it certainly was a heavy theme in Maeve’s mind and I for one was a fan. It was a slight bummer that I caught a good few proofreading errors that pulled me out of an otherwise immersive story. But make no mistake, I’m jumping on any pre-order of the next book. There is more to this story and I think as it unfolds we’ll see a lot more from Maeve and our mysterious POV, that becomes pretty clear pretty quickly and is ultimately revealed.

“It is my belief that anywhere in the universe, time could slow down or speed up depending upon a biocaron’s desire. The deeper the desire, the slower time moved, as if a biocarbon’s wishes possessed the mass gravity to distort time.”

So if you’re looking for a cool prison sci-fi with an anxiety ridden inmate totally and completely out of her element, working through her humanness in the most unlikely circumstances with some hunky and protective aliens making things ever so complicated… this is your book.