These Burning Stars is so good.
So good.

As soon as it is officially published I’m immediately getting a copy and adding it to my Favs shelf. (Which is an actual shelf that lives above my bed.) I laughed, I cried, and I crave more.

Some Thoughts:
I thought the pacing was incredibly done. Each chapter gave another clue to the identity of Six and how each character was connected to them. It kept me so engaged and just wanting to read more.
Jacobs did such a great job with her characters. Even the worst character you sort of adore, because she’s just so fun. I’m very attached to them all (this will hurt, I have a feeling.)

I’m so excited for the rest of the series!

These Burning Stars is a character focused space opera told through a split narrative of past and present through multiple points of view. Usually I have several complaints about this method because I don't think it adds much value and slows momentum, but for this book I have no complaints and believe it is the best possible way to have told the story because of how much it enriches the narrative and by how amusing it becomes after having finished the book.

This is among the very best debut novels I've read and is a great novel in its own right. I am thoroughly impressed by how much I enjoyed it from beginning to end. For my personal taste it's written almost exactly how I prefer and there wasn't a single low point. It doesn't reach the heights of what I consider the best, but reading something that is consistently highly enjoyable without almost anything needing to be overlooked is a treasure as well.

All of the viewpoint characters are morally gray at the lightest, though I didn't find any of them to be unlikeable. Three of the viewpoint characters, all gendermarked as women, are Esek, Chono, and Jun. Esek is a sociopath prone to theatrical displays of emotionality and violence, which makes her fun in a terrifying way. Chono is deeply religious and wants to brighten the world, but she's dyed dark by Esek and is ambivalent about her rescuer. Jun is a rogue hacker seeking revenge and profit, though not to benefit herself. They're all involved with each other's drama. This isn't a story where the viewpoints don't cross paths.

The only significant point of contention I have it with it is that I don't understand the practicalities or the meaning of the gendermark system. Each person has a visible physical mark denoting man or woman, and a few taboo exceptions. Most people aren't allowed to choose a mark until they're an adult, though it can be changed afterwards. It's never made clear what percent people choose the same gender as their sex, which are considered separate, or what differences there are.

There a few sex scenes, which are romantic or violent. The most detailed scene isn't explicit enough to definitively know (or so I tell myself) the specific sexual characteristics of both of those involved, though I don't mind whichever configuration it may be. There are several relationships but due to ambiguity involved, it's probably most accurate to call almost all of them sapphic. There's definitely much more of a focus on women.

I'm already hopeful that this will become one of my favorite trilogies, which seems more likely than not currently, but considering how the book ends the second will probably have to be rather different, though I think Jacobs can manage. As far as I'm concerned Jacobs has outshone her relevant and similar contemporaries with her debut.

I know this is described as a space opera, but it really felt like a political drama (not necessarily in space until it was in your face) with a whole lot of intrigue and very cool tech. The Kindom is a far-ranging empire led by the Treble of Clerics, Secretaries, and Cloaks, and there's a whole lot of shadiness just in that set-up, even before you get to characters like Esek Nightfoot, a Cleric drawn from one of the First Families and infamous for her ruthlessness. Despite the high-tech elements of the story, the underlying rivalries and violence gave me some Game of Thrones vibes along with A Memory Called Empire. It took me a long while to get into the plot and understand what was happening (there are many flashback chapters interwoven with the main narrative), but eventually it got to the point where I kept coming back for more. And that TWIST!!! This book is an intense read all on its own but it's the first book in a trilogy, so expect more of wild ride to come. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Whole lotta content warnings for this book, but most would be covered by "brutal violence and gore" and "unhealthy sexual relationships" (and that's not a dig at the sapphic characters, who probably have the healthiest relationship; it points at references to pedophilia as well as non-con and dub-con sex).

Thank you, Orbit and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Bethany Jacobs has authored a fantastic first novel and launched what should prove to be a remarkable trilogy. Jacobs is a splendid writer, with a gift for pacing, plotting, dialogue and, above all, characterization. Esek, Chono, and Jun - the three viewpoint characters - are all nuanced fully realized. The Kingdom and it’s unlikely social structure, is an appropriate powder keg for a tale of galvanic events, like revolution, to play out. I eagerly await the next volume. Well done.

Wow, what a phenomenal debut novel! Masterfully written, loaded with fascinating, intriguingly connected characters, set in a sophisticated and plausible, planet spanning political arena. And the ending! Rarely does a story come to such a delightfully satisfying, and also surprising conclusion. There's certainly more to tell of these characters, but this book is outstandingly stand-alone. The conflict is beautifully developed, told from the viewpoint of three identifiable adversaries, with some chapters in the current timeline and others in the past, giving the story the intensity of watching it unfold in real-time while also learning the backstory exactly as it becomes relevant. One of the main characters, Esek, is pure self indulgent cruelty. The character development is so insightful and nuanced that you come to understand how Chono, a deeply thoughtful and good person with a difficult background, comes to love her while under her employ. Jun, a genius caster (which is like software hacking, not sorcery). is easy to root for. Driving the story as seen through these characters is the long time persecution and near genocide of a subsection of humans, the Jeveni, secrets about which are now coming to light, triggered by a remarkably cruel and capricious past act of Esek's, when she ruins the life of a promising student. Can't recommend this brilliant book highly enough!

I adore Science Fiction, from Near-Future to Far-Distant, from Low Earth Orbit and Near Space, to thousands of light years away. Most Science Fiction I read is great, with rare exceptions; but THESE BURNING STARS is in a class all its own, and I give "these stars" 36 stars!!

This is not just Science Fiction, but SciFi Fantasy, set on a trio of planets (called The Treble) colonized by "the First Families," who rule in feudal fashion by "droit de seigneur," which applies to laws and economies and culture and religion, not confined solely to sexual predation.

Talk about "Morally Grey" character! There's always an excuse or a motto to cover their wrongs, and mostly human life is very undervalued. Some of these characters are actually human monsters [more than just one!]. Even pirates ☠ are included! If you can imagine medieval epic fantasy conducted in the far-flung reaches of Space 🌌, with Spacefaring vessels 🚀 and laser weapons, you might have some idea.

THESE BURNING STARS is also Pride 🌈 Science Fiction (primarily Sapphic) and Diverse, and contains any number of specifically strong female characters, who totally carry the story! 📖 In the Kindle version, THESE BURNING STARS reaches 513 pages!; but I don't regret a single page📃, nor needing three days to read it. Wow! What a book!

This was a wild, wild ride. I finished it late last night and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. The book certainly started off slow--introducing the main players with expert precision--but once it got going, I honestly couldn't put the book down. There are three main POVs and each one felt very distinct and lived-in. The way the story played out was also just, in my opinion, wonderfully done. With sci-fi stories, I can often feel like there's too much going on that I don't understand which leaves me floundering and frustrated. Even though this book starts off slow and has the classic sci-fi/fantasy "here's all these names you aren't sure how to pronounce and terminology that sort of makes sense but you aren't 100% sure", I never felt completely out of my depth. The way Bethany Jacobs introduces the world and the characters, I felt like I was reading one of her later novels rather than a debut. I wish I had more to say, but I don't want to spoil any of the plot and I'm still reeling a little from the ending. Overall, if you like books that are political, cat-and-mouse intrigue types, definitely pick this up.

An interesting if heavy fantasy story where religion and politics control a star kingdom’s economy and a moment of prejudice sparks a revolt.

If I were to say that this was the best debut novel I've read in a long time, I would be doing it a disservice. It's more than that -- it's one of the best SF books I've read period. End of sentence. It has it all: Jump off the page action, wild twists, superb world building. But the characters! They make it all work. It's rare that an author can make you care about so many different characters the way that Jacobs does here. So good. Even after the story's climax, I wanted to keep reading because I was so invested in these people and wanted to know where they were going next.

This is the first book in a trilogy, but it absolutely stands on its own. Satisfying ending? I don't know that a book could have one that is more complete than this. I don't envy the author as she tries to follow it up with a sequel. It is so good that it's going to be hard to top.

Go ahead and pencil Jacobs in for your Astounding Award ballot next year (For best new author).