If you're looking for a fun gays in space romp, this book is not the one for you. If you're looking for a twisty mystery in space with gays in love, then this is for you.

Ambrose and Kodiak are gay. And in space. Humanity has done fucked up and the Earth is ruined. These two young men (both are 17ish in the novel) are off to a one of the moons of Saturn to retrieve a previous space cadet. They're also looking to see if humanity will be able to colonize space. Along the way, they realize that not everything is as it seems. These two need to put aside their differences (they're from two different countries) and figure out what's going on.

This was definitely a decent read. The author does a great job of setting up the plot and pacing it nicely. While I was able to call a few of the plot twists along the way (tropes are tropes for a reason), there was one or two that I wasn't expecting and was pleasantly surprised. I did call one of the biggest plot twists about 50 pages in though, so that was mildly disappointing.

While the characters weren't exceptionally well-developed, the author actually has a reason for that that I can (mostly) accept. I love how the fact that these protagonists are gay is not the focus of the novel. There's no huge gay freak out; they're in love and they're fine with that (in fact, they jump to having sex rather quickly. And then have a frank discussion on sex that I'm still not sure how I feel about). I do wish there had been a little more character development/relationship development in the story, but what is presented works well enough.

And I think that's how I feel about the book. There's nothing overwhelmingly great. Everything works well enough, but there's no major wow factor for me.

Ambrose and Kodiak wake up aboard a space ship, the Endeavor, heading to save Ambrose's sister stranded on the moon Titan. They come from different worlds. Earth has been divided into the Federation and the Dimokratia, each sending a representative on the mission. Post-Cold War Earth seems to be left in turmoil but Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together to accomplish their mission. However, they'll learn to depend on each other as they question the truth of their mission. With the help of an advanced AI system, appropriately named OS (Operating System), Ambrose and Kodiak ready the ship for arrival.

This book takes readers on an emotional journey flying through space to the outer edges of the universe. Ambrose narrates the story in first person and there are times it would be nice to hear what Kodiak is thinking. Both characters are complex and develop more deeply over the course of the novel. They develop a respect and love for each other that is the foundation of the plot. As readers, we get to witness the love between Ambrose and Kodiak grow, literally isolated in the vacuum of space. Their tension and conflict are hard to avoid when they only have the space ship in which to escape. It would have been nice to get more information about the historical context that shaped the division between the Federation and Dimokratia. It's a fascinating back-story that could be explored further.

There are definitely some plot twists and and ending that happened abruptly, but was in alignment with the overall plot structure. It's hard to talk about it without giving away any spoilers! If you are a fan of stories about space travel (like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Beth Revis's Across the Universe series), then I highly recommend this novel. The world is detailed and filled with facts about time, space, and the expanse of the universe.