I throughly enjoyed the blending of space opera and the history of Julius Ceasar, Cleopatra, & Marc Antony. Like Red Rising the Roman societal structure overlayed on a galactic empire makes for a great read. My only complaint is I wish the Cleopatra/Ceasar section was shorter to make way for Cleopatra & Antony's relationship and later war against Rome.

***I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review. ***

I’m not a natural hand at ancient history. To me—as fictional retellings, and this book, perhaps agree—such personages found in ancient history function primarily in the niche of myth. I was not familiar with the story of Cleopatra going in, and as a result the book didn’t strictly click for me until I caught up on the historical background partway through, which I recommend to readers also unfamiliar with her story. But once I did, I found this book was achieving an astonishing feat of narration that changed how I think about both space operas and retellings.

This book is at once literary theatre and oral history. As is common to space operas, there are wars and planets, colonies and commanders, queens and histories; but Ceirran (Caesar) and Gracia (Cleopatra) tell the audience about their experiences with each other through the lens of war, rather than the lens of war through their experiences with each other. They do this, effectively, through twin entwining histories/monologues. We follow the characters as we would if they were on a stage in front of us, giving their histories as monologues. In the author’s note, Robin makes an allusion to directing the characters, but the impression is given without reading the note.

As a result of this constraint or innovation, much information about world history and character history is delivered in telling; indeed, the act of telling is very much the point. This book is, in no small part, a love letter to Shakespearean theatre in specific, with overt if abbreviated allusions to his plays (most identifiably to me <em>Julius Caesar</em>, for obvious reasons) peppered through the text. Gracia herself delivers a riff on Shakespearean poetry halfway through the book. As a result of this theatrical flair, the book is conversation- and character-heavy not only for the reader with the book in their hands, but because Gracia and Ceirran are focused on the personages around them to a remarkable degree. There is a narrative reason for this focus, but it is also for the sake of balance: at the beginning of the text, Gracia is leaving (rising) Szeyet as Ceirran is arriving (falling). This predicts their narrative arcs. It is natural the book begins here, and that they should follow each other throughout; Gracia tells the story of her rise using Ceirran as catalyst, and Ceirran tells the story of his fall using Gracia as catalyst in kind. This is not only because their stories are contemporaneous, but because they are thematically entwined.

This book demands a close read, and the smoothness of the storytelling may depend on the reader’s ability to closely follow details. Throughlines are provided sometimes a bit obliquely, trusting the reader to make the requisite connections. I myself did not make all of them. At times I wondered what motivated character decisions, particularly when it came to the events that led to the climax of the book, though this may all be explained by the narrative frame—particularly Gracia’s insistence that she is a liar and Ceirran’s repeatedly demonstrated arrogance. The romance wasn’t strictly a slow burn, but the true nature of the affair between Ceirran and Gracia was. All of this promises to reward a reread. What Ceirran and Gracia really want with the other—as themes of empire, land, and wealth form the rich context to the book, though neither narrator is particularly inclined to comment on these topics directly—remains in my mind an open question, and makes me excited to return to this world.

If approached a bit sideways by the character-focused nature of the narration, empire is a significant and foundational focus of the book. Questions of law and migration, of war and imprisonment, of resources and territory, of religion and “civilization” are all raised, particularly as Ceirran’s political drama begins to ramp up on Ceian. These topics are—thanks to close first POV from two characters who aspire to imperial power—discussed by the characters with notable neutrality, almost indifference. The facts of empire are indeed treated as facts; and why shouldn’t they be? They were; they are. Yet the book is intensely interested in the <em>spectacle</em> of empire, a focus that makes their narrative bias plain.

The book is intensely interested in governance in general: democracy, law, mandated secularization and divine rule. One reason Gracia and Ceirran are so preoccupied by each other is because they are reflections of each other’s relationship to power and empire. Ceirran’s (at this point) ease with power and liberality with resources is not something Gracia (at this point) experiences, though it is something she envies, admires, and sometimes rues. Gracia, meanwhile, is both ruthless and effortless in her own right, and her ambition and spiritual power Ceirran admires in kind. Ceirran’s aspiration to Gracia’s form of power is novel to him and therefore exciting; this aspiration is integral to his downfall. In contrast, Ceirran’s power is comparatively simple, realized from consensus and material assets that Gracia is capable of coveting if she plays the right cards, and does collect throughout.

The throughline in each of their ambitions is that of spectacle, which is featured prominently each time the story endeavors to look at empire head-on. Each strives for spectacle, because without the social and political affirmation created by spectacle, their imperial (territorial, political, economic, military) power is diminished, unjustified, perhaps unstable. Ceirran is shown, in every conceivable way, to care so much about appearance, spectacle, pomp and circumstance that it makes others—including Gracia—nervous. The feeling of scope and scale is occasionally elided at the beginning of the book by Gracia and Ceirran’s preoccupations with each other; but as the story proceeds, those details are filled in gradually through the characters' ambitions. The world broadens as the characters' focus and ambitions do, and almost without realizing, the reader finds themselves in a dynamic, complex world rendered by events of imperial spectacle within, of, and aside those ambitions.

This book changed what I understood retellings were capable of. Like any book demanding of a reader’s attention, it delivers a great deal to anyone willing to lend it their ears (god, sorry): a unique narrative frame, a compelling approach to a space opera, and… Anita. God; Anita. Am I a Mark Anthony stan now? Is that something it’s possible to be? Do I devote time to thinking about this? Only Book 2 can address these questions.

It’s a bold idea for a debut novelist to choose the stories and legends of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar projected into a space opera. Bold, I think, because these were formidable people in life, and I’ve been disappointed too many times with thin fictional replicas of great historical figures. But Emery Robin’s The Stars Undying succeeds brilliantly in rendering interesting and complex characters for these difficult roles.

The Stars Undying begins with parallel escape and pursuit sequences by the two main characters, a would-be queen briefly leaving her planet to escape her throne-usurping sister and a powerful commander of an imperial army descending to it in search of an old foe. Altagracia Caviro Patramata (known as Gracia) flees from her twin sister, Arcelia, who has recently seized control of the Szayeti Empire by defying the traditional rituals. The queen’s enormous hologram hovers over all as Gracia flees to a satellite in a smuggler’s spaceship. Just at this time the great Matteus Ceirran, commander of the Ceian Empire, with his captain Ana arrives at the Szayeti city of Alectelo in pursuit of his former mentor Quinha, now on the run in a broken down space ship. And so we have the recast Cleopatra as the teenager seeking her rightful throne and Caesar with Mark Antony at his side pursuing the defeated Pompey to the shores of Egypt.

The fact that we already know the highlights and the ending of the story of Caesar and Cleopatra makes it possible for Robin to allude to the best known events while taking us deeply into the minds of its two main characters. The alternating chapters devoted to Gracia and Ceirran, both in the first person, elaborate the strikingly different worlds of the religiously observant Szayeti and the rigorously secular and power driven attitudes of the Ceian empire.

While there are space battles and bloody conflict, these are glancingly referred to as the focus remains on the relationships at the heart of the story and the parallel rise of Gracia and the deepening conspiracies surrounding Ceirran. More than once I was reminded of Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan novels. I think both writers are equally brilliant in examining the subtleties of imperial intrigue and the mental and moral acrobatics involved in the exercise of power.
........
The Stars Undying is full of beautifully rendered moments... that make the story exceptionally rich and rewarding. There are dozens of scenes I come back to again and again. This may be a debut novel, but it is the work of an incredibly accomplished writer. I look forward to the hoped-for follow-up novel on the exploits of Ana and Gracia.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

Overall, I genuinely liked this book, as the plot was interesting and the characters were well-written. The story focuses around Gracia, a princess who is determined to take back her planet after a bloody civil war with her sister. She enlists the help of an empirical leader, whom we get to read from the perspective of. I loved the use of dual-perspectives in this case because it just worked so well. One thing about this book is that it is very long and it took me a while to finally get through it. The plot is very interesting and well-written, but it tends to slow down in some parts, so it's a long read. I also wish that there was more romance, as those are my favorite type of fantasy books, but there was very little in this book. Overall, I would still recommend if you like science fiction/fantasy books.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

Princess Altagracia has lost everything. After a bloody civil war, her twin sister has claimed not just her crown of their planet Szayet, but the Pearl of its prophecy, a computer that contains the immortal soul of Szayet’s God. Stripped of her birthright, Gracia flees the planet just as Matheus Ceirran, Commander of the Interstellar Empire Celao arrives in deadly pursuit with his volatile lieutenant Anita. When Gracia and Ceirran's paths collide, Gracia sees an opportunity to win back her planet, her god, and her throne. If she wins the commander and his right-hand officer over first.

But talking her way into Cerirran's good graces and his bed is only the beginning. Dealing with the most powerful man in the galaxy is almost as dangerous as war, and Gracia is quickly torn between an alliance that fast becomes more than political and the wishes of the god or machine that whispers in her ear. For Szayet’s sake and her crown Gracia will need to become more than a princess with a silver tongue. She will have to become a queen, as history has never seen before, even if it breaks an empire.

Robin's constructs a masterfully crafted retelling of one of the oldest classics, one of Caesar and Cleopatra. A fantastical excursion into the subconscious is rendered as a space opera where Cerirran is Caesar, Gracia is Cleopatra, and Ana is Antony.

Robin's word building is exquisite. It is filled with a richness of philosophy, poetry, and lyricism, making the writing style resplendent. An intricate labyrinth-like quality is woven throughout with mystery, and delusion, that only a true wordsmith could master.

The characters were amazingly captivating and pulled you in immediately.
Gracia is breathing taking, and cunning. At the same time, Ceirran is powerful and commands the room. Then there is Ana, the warrior that is there but is not. Lest we not forget Arcelia, who started it all by warring with her twin Altagracia.

Robin’s also sprinkles in side characters that play either major or minor roles next to the three main characters, such as Jonata, Octavio, Celestino, Flavia, and Catia, so they too should not be forgotten.

Robin's Beats, Punches, Kicks, and "SMASHES" down the door so that the world acknowledges her presence.
The Stars Undying says, "HERE I AM."

The concluding line will have everyone with their mouths hanging open. "Yeah, that line!"
"THAT LINE SOLIDIFIES HER MARK"

This is one "HELL" of an impressive novel, in all its intricacies that you are not soon to forget. You will remember this one as well as you remember the classic Cleopatra and Caesar.

Be prepared, and wait for the ride of your life…...

Oh yes, "THE CARPET," never mind, just read it yourself. It is far better that way, anyhow.
Robin's is a "BEAST!"

"MAGNIFICENT!!!"

"SMASHINGLY DONE!!"

"2022 BEST LIST"

#Orbitauthor

Thank you, NetGalley/Emery Robin/ Orbit Books.Orbit/ For this sensational eARC for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

#ORBITFAN

#ORBITHASTHEBESTAUTHORS

A great novel that pulls from textbooks and transcends both the historical fiction and fantasy genres. Astounding prose, and even better character work.

To win a civil war against her twin sister, Altagracia must gain the alliance of the Empire of Ceiao through its Commander, Matheus Ceirran - but their ambitions may get in their own way as their stars rise.

Obviously I snapped this book up. It's a Cleopatra and Julius Caesar retelling - set in space! I even reshuffled my TBR to read a short biography of Cleopatra in preparation, because I'd heard that my experience The Stars Undying would be richer for it. I was not disappointed.

Robin introduces us to a lushly built world with plenty of history and politics to keep my intrigue-loving self satisfied. The theme of religion was explored in a truly fascinating way, and I found myself turning the philosophical questions over in my mind long after I finished the book. And the characters! The central trio of Gracia, Ceirran, and Anita are well-realized and deliciously morally grey. I also liked the complicated relationship between Gracia and her twin Arcelia.

However, I did have one major quibble with this book - I didn't necessarily buy the romance between Gracia and Ceirran. I enjoyed their intellectual sparring very much, but I did not think the feelings between them were on the epic scale that the events of the book imply. (However, I did love the tension between Gracia and Anita!)

I also thought the secondary characters in Ceiao - Jonata, Otávio, Celestino, and the rest - were rather underutitlized. My main question now that I am done reading is whether or not there will be a sequel, as I think this second problem will at least partially resolved with a second book.

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, Orbit Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fresh and interesting take on space opera. I enjoyed the world-building here, particularly the culture and religion of Gracia's home world. And I always enjoy well-done political struggles in space opera, and this book is good example of complex political conflict and maneuvering. This is a sort of Caesar and Cleopatra-inspired story, and you can definitely see the shades of those real historical figures, among others from that time period, in the characters and situations presented throughout the book.

Overall, a well-written and well-plotted SFF novel.

From a novel that has received ample comparison to two of my favorite books, a Memory Called Empire and Ancillary Justice, I was expecting this to grab me from the get-go. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The balance between past and present felt uneven: as much as it was interesting to learn about Altagracia's history with her sister and their dynamic I felt it took away from the present, which was more compelling to me. As both a former Shakespeare scholar and a retired classics student I loved this as a reimagining of Anthony and Cleopatra that pulls both from the actual history of Roman colonization of Egypt and the dramatization that Shakespeare put to prose. You can see aspects of each well-known figure in Robin's dexterous re-working, but they also exist fully as their own characters in the context of the original novel. Also, on perhaps an unnecessarily technical note, I don't feel as though this is a true space opera, lacking scenes of high-action and drama that I usually associate with the genre. I think this could have worked just as well as an epic fantasy, or perhaps been marketed more as a political science fiction epic rather than the more flamboyant "space opera".

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so no one is more disappointed than me that it didn't work for me. There was just so much backstory, especially in the first few chapters. I kept expecting that backstory to tie to the present, to have whatever happened twenty or thirty years before inform some present actions in that chapter, but we just kept getting chapter after chapter in the past, and when we did get the present it was a bit boring.

I love court intrigue with a dash of space. A Memory Called Empire is one of my favorite books. But this didn't do it for me.

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

The Stars Undying by Emery Robin

Release Date - November 8, 2022

✨ WHAT’S IT ABOUT? ✨
Swipe to the second photo to read the GoodReads description for The Stars Undying! 😊

✨ WHAT I LIKED ✨

THIS COVER!! I love how the cover helped me to really visualize how things look in the story.

The characters intrigued me and grabbed my attention right away.

There is a lot of character background and world building at the beginning. This is done in a way that still kept me interested, but I did need to stop a few times to sort out names in my head. 😂 The planets and people all have unique names that took me a while to get figured out.

We continue to learn about the characters and dive deeper into their minds as the story goes on. The characters managed to surprise me many times while reading.

Duel Point of View throughout the book.

Badass female characters.

I enjoyed the writing style. It feels as if the characters are sitting next to you and telling a story.

I really enjoyed the ending of the book! It did a great job wrapping up everything.

There are many connections between the book and the lives of Cleopatra and Caesar. As a history lover, I really enjoyed this.
Recommend listening to a podcast about Cleopatra after you read this to really catch all the historical details the author included.


✨ WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ✨

In part two, the book really slowed down. It felt as if nothing was happening.

I expected more romance, but there actually wasn’t much… But that could have been me going in with the wrong expectations. 😢

Parts just felt like they were purposely over complicated or overly descriptive.

OVERALL RATING - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

While this was not a “five star” read for me, I still want to give credit to the author. This is their DEBUT novel. Emery Robin created a beautiful and complex world and cast of characters. I have no doubt that this will be a five star read for many others. I just didn’t enjoy the pacing of the middle of the book, and it was a overall slower read for me. That brought it down to four stars.

This book is everything I am interested in reading right now, but just did not click with me for some reason.

The overall plot points and character interactions were well done. The world building and cultural backstories were intriguing, thought out, and believable.

By the end, I had a really hard time pinpointing why the book just didn't work for me. I think it comes down to the composition and writing style. I struggled bit time to get into this book. It switched back and forth between characters quickly. I felt like I would finish one perspective/chapter and then immediately jump to the next without getting much out of the previous. Some areas were just walls of text that had run-on after run-on sentence. There is no way that wasn't intentional - maybe it works for some people but I found myself reading and reading, only to get lost in a sentence have to backtrack.

I spent most of the book very confused, feeling like I had missed something. This is one of those stories that dumps you into an existing world with no real introduction and then gives you little tidbits here and there so you can connect the dots on your own. I don't mind that, but I think combining that with the less digestible syntax and composition choices made it difficult for me to focus on the plot itself.

I was really impressed by the scope of this original and fresh story. It is sci-fi, but really not about science or technology. There is space travel, without any attention given to how. There are computers, and a possible sentient AI. The worlds are very interesting, one with a vast increase in sea level. Many other planets have human populations and travel time between them is somehow insignificant. The story is about the planning, manipulating, and warfare of the main character, Gracia, princess and heir apparent of the risen sea world, as she strives to improve the political and financial solvency of her planet. Though told from the point of view of both Gracia and her lover and ally Cierren, who is commander of the most powerful military force anywhere, as the reader there is still a lot of mystery regarding what has really happened, how the different characters really feel, and an extremely murky picture of who they good guys really are. The well drawn characters and relationships make this a very engaging story, if a bit unsettling in the end.

Thank you to Orbit and to NetGalley for the arc!

Arcelia captured me.

Altagracia captured her city, her country, and Ceirran, but it was her sister who took me in. Arcelia is Tryphaena/Berenice, Arsinoë, A sister who seized power under suspicious means, it is she Gracia seeks to supplant so she may rule. This is a familiar tale to all who are passingly familiar with Cleopatra, minus a few brother-husbands, cousin-husbands, uncle-husbands, and familial murders.

To have a passing knowledge of Cleopatra is helpful: Cleopatra, rolled up in the carpet for Julius Ceasar, Cleopatra with a pearl in wine, Cleopatra journeying to Rome, Cleopatra who speaks the language of her people and not simply her family's Greek. It enriches the story being told, which is both beneficial and falls slightly flat.

we know Anthony and Cleopatra are said to fall in love. Altagracia and Ceirran do in the same way, and I found it difficult to... believe in it? They're two attractive young adults, they use each other, they appreciated each other's power and want what the other had to offer, but I couldn't force myself to... understand their draw? This might very well just be me being too ace. It could also be that Emery Robin didn't feel as if effort was really needed for their romance because it is what it was.

I liked the queernormness of the world, as well. I liked the non-Ceirran politicking, and I liked the way that Alekso was portrayed, as well as more of what it was. Fans of A Memory Called Empire will certainly like this book, even if it doesn't catch all that they came for.

I hope it has a sequel? I'd like to see the fallout.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I think it’s objectively a GOOD book and I will be wholeheartedly recommending it. On the other hand, I… just didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. This is at least in part because it wasn’t the book *EYE* really wanted/expected it to be, which is not very fair to the book, hence my four star rating. This is a book that deserves four or five stars, even if it was only a three (maybe a 3.5) for ME.

Let’s start with the good (minor spoilers only--I'm keeping it vague):

- When this book was good, it was MIND BLOWING. The first 40% and the last 10% had me hanging on to every word.
- the writing is OUTSTANDING. I wish it had pushed a little further in terms of alien environments and visceral immersion, but the voice was so sophisticated and philosophical. It had a poetic, almost archaic quality reminiscent of the classics, with meticulous attention to historical detail. I’m only a casual hobbyist when it comes to ancient Mediterranean history, so I’m sure a lot went way over my head, but I know enough to recognize a lot of allusions, and appreciate how richly the author rendered this world. And there were, to be fair, a few physical descriptions that stuck with me: the City of Endless Pearl and the Libeirocopolan of Ceio stand out, as does one scene in which ice canyons are described as “golden waterfalls” under the light of a rising planet.
- The POV characters, Gracia and Ceirran, are analogous to Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. I really enjoyed both of them. They felt more like surreal, larger-than-life legends than relatable humans, but to me that was appropriate for the book’s overall tone.
- Gracia was the standout, for me. She’s deeply flawed and fascinating, convincingly portrayed as a brilliant political mind. Which is a HARD thing to write. If you liked Mustang/Virginia’s POV chapters in Pierce Brown’s Dark Age, you’ll like Gracia’s. I actually think Emery Robin does a better job than Brown did at conveying “this character is supposed to be 3580486 times smarter than me or you”, because her voice never comes across as “trying way too hard to sound intelligent.” If that makes sense.
- This book is less violent than I tend to like my space operas, but I was about 60% in by the time I realized nobody had participated in an epic space sword duel, and all the space battles were from a very distant strategist’s perspective. There’s a lot of talking, and the pace is fairly relaxed. That was both good and bad, for me. Good, because like I said it took me so long to even notice, and it’s fitting considering both POV characters are galactic-scale leaders who aren’t particularly interested in physical scraps. Their verbal sparring is HIGHLY entertaining, too.
- I liked that this was a queer-norm setting. There are a few prominent nonbinary characters, and basically everyone is bi.
- There are a couple of really S T E A M Y scenes. The infamous Cleopatra/Julius Caesar carpet scene is in this book, and… whew. It’s good.

Now, the bad:

- That middle. It took me less than a day to read the firsts 40%, and then it took WEEKS for me to get to 80%. It felt like the Trade Federation disputes part of Star Wars—so much talking, so much politics, so much recapping of events that sounded WAY more interesting than whatever was actually happening. Now, this was at least partially a “me” problem. I talked to someone else who read and loved this book, and they cited a scene I skimmed over as one of their favorites. The way they described said scene sounded REALLY COOL, but I didn’t even remember it, because I was so frustrated with the pacing and the only thought going through my head was “STAB CAESAR WHEN”.
- Speaking of stabbing: so many of my favorite moments from the story of Julius Caesar happen OFF PAGE. Again, it felt very in line with the tone of the book, but it still made me mad.
- The politics are very very very complicated, and can get overwhelming. It was straight up frustrating when the pacing began to drag so much—felt more like doing homework than reading a story.
- The book starts VERY strong on Gracia’s home planet Szayet (Egypt), with a smaller, more interesting cast of characters. Gracia, Ceirran, Gracia’s father, her sister Arcelia… all very compelling characters who get a lot of attention and page time. Then the story moves to Ceiao (Rome), and SO. MANY. new characters are introduced. I found it impossible to keep track of them all, especially since they’re presented almost exclusively in terms of their allegiances and political stances. I didn’t care about any of them, let alone anything they did.
- I was conflicted about Ana (Marc Antony). She’s definitely a well-developed character, second only to the POVs, but very little about her made me believe in her stature and competence as a military leader. Gracia and Ceirran both constantly underestimate her, which is definitely part of that, but something about her was just… lacking, for me. I think she ought to have had her own POV chapters.
- I was MUCH more disappointed with the characters meant to embody Octavius, Cassius, and Brutus. Jonata (Brutus), especially—Shakespeare’s version is one of my favorite characters in all of literature, and here they just felt… weak and underdeveloped. Their motivations were largely told rather than shown, and IMO they were introduced too late in the book to make enough of an impact. Catia (Cassius) was a little better; she gets a couple of excellent scenes late in the story. I’m holding out hope Octavio gets more attention in the sequel (I think this is the first in a duology?).
- Space opera is my FAVORITE genre, especially when it reads more like epic fantasy in space. I’ve been itching to get my hands on The Stars Undying since I first saw it announced on Publishers’ Marketplace, because I desperately want more books like that. Which is why it kills me to say this: I’m not sure why this had to be space opera. Other than the Pearl of the Dead (which was so cool, don’t get me wrong), there are almost NO sci-fi elements. This was especially jarring when Ceirran is out on campaign—they talk about tents and crossing rivers. Every once in a while they mention a hologram or a spaceship, but it never felt integral to the story. Take that combined with the archaic speech, I could have been reading any old Roman-inspired epic fantasy. I LIKE fantasy, of course, but part of the reason I read space opera specifically is for the SPACE stuff. This book did not have enough of that, for me.

To summarize: this is a GOOD ASS book. It’s a flawed book, and it’s not the book I (selfishly, I’ll admit) wanted it to be, but I hope it does well. Emery Robin is an author to watch, and I’m excitedly anticipating whatever she writes next (especially if it’s fantasy…).

“Show, don’t tell.” This is basic advice for writers, especially SF writers. Sometimes, though, an artful data dump can lend a clearer picture. I found the first chapters of The Stars Undying very confusing, though I eventually got a handle on the characters and setting. But I found the effort a chore. Robin is a talented writer and creates atmospheric settings but sometimes the atmosphere was too murky for me. Would I read more by the author? Yes, so that is a testament to narrative drive, if not clarity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advanced copy of The Stars Undying

The premise of this book was very interesting, an Anthony and Cleopatra retelling but in space. I'll preface this review by saying that I'm pretty new to Space Operas so it's possible I'm still getting used to the structure of books like this but I was very confused for the majority of the book. I got the central premise and the character interactions were interesting but I couldn't get a grip on the world/political alliances/what the central conflict was and that took away from my enjoyment.

Based on other reviews it seems like this book is a hit for many so as I said before, take my review with a grain of salt and maybe if you, like me, are new to this genre, pick a more beginner friendly series?

Thank you, Orbit Books, for allowing me to read The Stars Undying early!

I loved, loved, loved this book. I adore re-imaginings of famous historical figures, especially when their queerness it's shown to full scale.