Wow. WOW. Bethany Jacobs did it again!

If you are a fan of GOT for its brutality and political machinations, you will love love love this book.

This author has an amazing ability to horrify you in the shortest most blunt ways. True brutality out of nowhere, which is my favorite. I’m not into super gory death-for-death’s-sake sci fi/fantasy, but I do love rapid shifts of villains that slap you in the face out of nowhere while also not feeling cheesy.

In this second part of her debut trilogy, Jacobs continues to expect readers to keep up with world-building and political intrigue through context clues rather than feeding them information. Somehow this makes stakes feel higher. She also took characters I didn’t care about in book 1 and fleshed them out beautifully. I found myself caring about every single character in this book because they all had such interesting motivations and backstories. That isn’t to say I *liked* all of them; some I really despised (but in a fun way).

While this second book did take a while for me to really get into it and there were some dry spots, the moments of payoff make it all worth it. The fight scenes are also written so well. Like, better than any other book I’ve read.

Lastly, the representation of genders + sexualities + abilities is done so well. You can usually tell when an author is forcing diversity, and everything Jacobs did felt natural and intentional and made perfect sense. I can’t quite articulate how well she diversifies her characters so you’ll just have to trust that it’s amazing.

5 stars because of the interesting character studies and the way she weaves this world and a million different plot points together so well.

Thank you to the publisher + Net Galley for a free advanced copy in exchange for a review. I can’t wait to buy this as soon as it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars, rounded up

While I enjoyed this book, I'm disappointed that it didn't come close to my level of enjoyment for the first book, These Burning Stars (which was an easy 5 stars!). This book is a lot more action-focused, with the politics and character work in the background. Many characters felt more like set pieces, with them making choices necessary for the plot that didn't seem to correlate with their personality. To me, this book suffers from middle book syndrome.

To start with the good things—Chono remains my favorite character, and seeing her become more and more confident in herself and her choices was wonderful. A few minor characters from the first book had important roles in this book, and their interactions with Chono added a lot of layers to her history and background to understand her character even better. Of course, I loved the constant tension between her and Six that has me DYING to read the next book. At first On Vicious Worlds felt like it was backpedaling a bit for no reason, with lots of flashbacks to Six's history before the events of book 1. But it slowly started to make sense why these chapters were included, as they connected to the current timeline and added more depth to Six's interactions with various characters. Liis is also a favorite, and remains a badass. Jun is wonderful as well, though she didn’t seem as badass as she was in the first book.

Treble politics undergoes a complete transformation in this book that was very enticing to follow. The ending was wild, with enough closure for the main storyline of this book while also providing a lot of intrigue for the final book in this trilogy.

However, On Vicious Worlds is a lot more violent and gory than These Burning Stars—it felt like there was a detailed fight scene every other chapter. As a visual reader, my brain often glazes over fight scenes because I have a hard time picturing them, and that was certainly the case for this book, which got tiring due to the sheer frequency. In retrospect, many of the fights were necessary to the plot, but the high amount made the already slow-paced plot drag even more. Casting also felt a little more cartoonish than I remember it being in the first book.

Half of this book focuses on the mystery of who is killing collectors in the new Jeveni homeworld of Farren Eyce, and as a result, it spends a lot more time with Masar. I liked Masar in the first book, but since he is hyperfocused on this mystery throughout the book, it seemed like there wasn't much else to his character. There was a romantic relationship (complete with sex scene) with one character that felt like it came out of nowhere. But my big complaint about the mystery is that there wasn't much progress made in solving it until a certain character conveniently returned to the narrative, after being gone on a trip that was glossed over in the beginning. It was disappointing to see characters that were so smart and strong in the first book seemingly fumble for so long until someone who should have been there the whole time saved them. And then the reveal of the avatar's identity came across as completely random—I don't remember there being any hints in the narrative beforehand as this character's personality did a complete 180 after the reveal that felt very mustache-twirling silly. The twist in These Burning Stars was surprising but satisfying because it made complete sense with what we knew of the characters involved. But in this book, I felt like I didn't know the characters at all and couldn't make sense of their choices.

I definitely still plan to read the next book as the ending has me so curious, but my sky-high expectations have been lowered. I do hope book 3 returns to more of the character and political focus of These Burning Stars.

After two years of reading disappointing sequels or final books in a series, I was nervous to read this. These Burning Stars was a fantastic start to my year, and I was worried that On Vicious Worlds would just be another in the line of disappointments I've had. Wonderfully, it was not - it lived up to the first book in the series.

On Vicious Worlds picks up not too long after These Burning Stars left off, with characters in new places and having to explore new possibilities for their futures. We are with Jun and Masar and the Jeveni on their new planet for part of the book, and Chono and her companion back in the Treble for the other part of the book. The chapters alternate between the different POVs, so you often aren't in one location for too long, which may be disorienting or frustrating for some, but didn't bother me at all. I loved the rotating POVs and seeing how different things were happening, and how it all tied together at the end was very satisfying.

I truly appreciated Jacobs' exploring the tensions, frustrations, and challenges that come from building a new society when the people have been historically oppressed. There is no coating over the difficulties here; while some authors might write out a perfect government system and civil society arising, Jacobs' doesn't shy away from how challenging it can be to create new systems when you don't know anything different, or to adapt a system you've had for a new environment. The struggles that the Wheel deals with don't have easy or obvious solutions, and the author treats that very, very realistically. I liked seeing how Masar's opinion was not always in line with Jun's opinion or Effegen's opinion or any other character's opinion - they all had different ideas, and they all had to figure out where or where not to compromise.

I also appreciated, back in the Treble, the struggle of the rising revolution, and the politics between the different Hands. This felt a little more like a classic sci-fi section, with people working to disrupt the Empire, so I think it will feel familiar enough to people for them to be able to latch into it. Though it might feel more familiar than the Jeveni sections, I don't think it follows the same beats or anything. Chono becomes a political pawn and has to navigate her way through those politics, and figure out when to let herself be used in order to accomplish her own gains and when she should breakaway - and, importantly, if it is safe for her, her companion, her allies, and the stranded Jeveni to do so. Chono deals with some important moral and ethical quandaries in this book, and while her faith is her guidance, it was interesting to see how exactly she used her faith in the name of justice - and how that might change as events arose.

There were a few blips in those book for me, but they were minor. I thought the reveal of one of the villains got a little mustache-twirly and was slightly over-the-top, though I understood why; Jacobs' is a strong enough writer, though, that I thought they could have toned that down a little bit and still created the same impact. I was sad that Liis wasn't more present, and I thought some of Jun's internal struggle in that direction was a little unnecessary. Jun and Liis remain an excellent couple, though, and I am intrigued by the throuple that was explored with other characters, and what could happen with them.

On Vicious Worlds is primarily a political sci-fi, with lots of machinations and psychology and people thinking very, very carefully about how to accomplish their ends, but it doesn't shy away from action. I love the casting battle scenes (I appreciate their connection to classic cyberpunk, or things like Shadowrun or Netrunner) and the last 80 pages or so are a rapid run to the finish line, excellently building tension as things begin to fall apart. With so much focus on the political aspects, it is unsurprising that I find Jacobs' character work to be excellent. Seeing how the characters evolve in this book was fascinating, as they are challenged in new ways and are forced to really test their convictions.

I love this series. If Jacobs' can stick the landing with the last book, it may become one of my favorites of all time. As it is, I think this is an amazing sci-fi that more people need to be picking up. On Vicious Worlds continues with everything we loved from the first book, and is a great addition to the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing an eARC; all opinions are my own.

On Vicious Worlds is the second in the Kindom Trilogy series after These Burning Stars. The sequel follows our favorite characters across two separate but intertwined storylines, one following the Jevini after events in These Burning Stars and the other following our Kindom Hands in the Treble. The Jevni storyline is fast-paced and pulled me right in from the start while the Treble storyline felt more sluggish initially. Luckily, I trusted Bethany Jacobs and both storylines picked up and intertwined beautifully. There were some wonderful twists throughout this book. Some that I predicted and some that I never saw coming. It's not unusual for the second book in a trilogy to be a bit slower and less enjoyable than the first and third books. However, On Vicious Worlds blasted this stereotype out of the water and was even more intense and rewarding than These Burning Stars. My only complaint is that now I have to wait for the third book to come out like some kind of animal.

Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into this sequel. I think it was more a case of me not being in the mood for sci-fi than anything truly wrong with the story. The characters are just as compelling as the first time. Hopefully will revisit it at a later date.

Thank you so much to Orbit and Netgalley for the chance to read On Vicious Worlds as an ARC! Bethany Jacobs jump-started my recent sci-fi obsession with These Burning Stars (which I absolutely adored), so I could NOT wait to get my hands on this title.

The first thing I will say about beginning On Vicious Worlds is: REREAD THESE BURNING STARS. I did *not* do this before starting book two and I deeply wish I had- even just a refresh on the last few chapters of book one would be a good idea. This book picks up QUICK and left me no room for recalling details- but I have no complaints about the pacing. OVW is definitely the kind of book that would do well with a brief synopsis of book one at the beginning, but not rereading book one before jumping right in was a total "me" problem. All this to say... learn from my mistake and reread TBS. I felt like I was caught up and truly understood what was going on around the 50% mark of OVW, if that's any consolation.

My only other MINOR complaint (other than initial confusion on wtf was going on, which was 100% my own fault) is that some chapters take place in the past; while this is not a problem in and of itself, I wish there had been more cues that those particular chapters occurred previously. With so many names and dates and names of years, I found it hard to keep track of what was past and what was present; even just something like "x number of years ago" in the chapter heading details would have helped clear some of my confusion. This, of course, is my opinion- otherwise, I really have no complaints about this book.

I really enjoyed the pacing of this book; the overarching plot unfolding had me swearing under my breath while I was reading at work, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat about what could possibly happen next. I am so excited (and stressed) for the third installment of this series, and will be anxiously awaiting its release! Bethany Jacobs... I am equally impressed by and afraid of you. On Vicious Worlds releases on October 15th, and if you haven't already started this series, take this as your sign to do so!

On Vicious Worlds by Bethany Jacobs is everything I want a sequel to be! This book easily earned a 5 star read on every page of this action packed follow up to These Burning Stars.

Many people are like me in that they found These Burning Stars as a book that saved them from a reading slump. On Vicious Worlds continues that status as a book unlike any others. Wholly unique in it’s setting and premise, this book (and this series) will grip you and never let go until you’re finishing up at 2am with red streaked eyes and a racing heart.

***Beware, below this line contains spoilers for These Burning Stars and On Vicious Worlds!!!***

In On Vicious Worlds, we pick up right were These Burning Stars leaves off. Six, Chono, Jun, and company have jumped with the Jeveni to the distant planet Capamame. The Treble system they leave behind is in disarray without the Jeveni to do the work they don’t want to do.

I truly loved this second installment in The Kindom Trilogy. As you follow Six and Chono when they return to the Treble, you’re intrenched in political machinations. Can Six continue to stay 3 steps ahead of everyone else? Or will her wits find their match and result in an end for her and Chono? Meanwhile, Jun is not just fighting for her life, but also her reputation among the Jeveni back on Capamame. The mystery of the hacker who is besting Sunstep kept me riveted to the page! I loved that Jacobs went back and forth between Six and Chono and then Jun and Capamame every other chapter because it kept me interested and craving more!

The absolutely devastating yearning between Six and Chono was palpable and visceral as you read through the pages. Masar and his polyamorous love story with Bene and Effegen was also so riveting.

I cannot recommend this book and this series enough! Please preorder this book if you want a story that you cannot put down!

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

PHEEEWWW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! This is an excellent example of a second book in a trilogy that wastes no time and pulls no punches. I instantly fell for Bethany Jacob's writing in These Burning Stars, it had the right amount of sci fi elements and human connection to really grab my attention and keep me invested. This follow up takes that feeling to a whole new level. I deeply wish books this well written were more mainstream popular than they are. Sci fi can feel like such a boys club, and I think strong female writers who write THIS level of brilliant story telling deserve such a larger platform to really be given the space to shine.

This book is dark, complex, and surprising in so many ways. It's beautifully queer, and created a space that, despite its challenges, I didn't want to leave. I am absolutely dying to get my hands on the final instalment in this series, while I am also dreading it coming to an end. I will definitely be following Bethany Jacobs' work as long as she continues to write.

overall rating: 4.5 stars

plot: ½
prose: ¼
pace: ¼
main characters: ½
side characters: ½
worldbuilding: ½
concepts/tropes: ½
ending: ½
entertainment value: ½
emotional resonance: ½

the spectrum of emotion this book put me through is frankly frightening.

so much darker and more hopeless than the first book with a lot more action and politics than interpersonal moments. i will say the way it switched between the things happening in Capamame and everything Chono and Six were going through back in the Treble each chapter was a little jarring because as soon as i really got into one story it skipped to the other one. begrudgingly i will admit it served the narrative well by leaving a maximum impact when the storylines converged toward the end. it did slow down the pace but it also added this overall harrowing choppy atmosphere that worked with the overall mood.

once again, Chono and Six continue to be my favorite and i will beg for crumbs of interactions between them every time. i hope there's more of that in the next book (which i don't know how i'll be able to wait for). Seti Moonback is a wonderful new villain and i'm looking forward to more of him. also my new favorite throuple emerging with Bene and Effegen and Masar. there's soo much conflict and tension that comes with it and i'm looking forward to see where that goes.

once again, thank you bethany jacobs for existing and for writing.

and thank you to orbit and netgalley for the arc.

Thank you so much to Bethany Jabcobs and Orbit for this opportunity to read this arc!

This book took me right back to the world of Kindom and all of its characters and sucked me back in within the first page. On Vicious Worlds did not disappoint, sometimes the second book in a series can be a bit of a slog to get through but Jacobs packed a punch with epic battle scenes and dialogue between new and old characters. Dare I say that I enjoyed this book more than These Burning Stars (jury is still out but it’s close).

Our main characters are haunted by Esek and her decisions right along side what she would have done in the situations they found themselves in. Chono is baby girl and I cannot allow anything to happen to her. I cannot wait for the third and final installment of this series.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Bethany Jacobs for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bethany Jacobs did it once again, her debut These Burning Stars was one of the best books that I have ever read and it is safe to say that On Vicious Worlds did not disappoint in the slightest. I had signed up for NetGalley precisely so that I could read this book as soon as possible, and it is definitely the best book I've read all year. Legitimately, I cannot praise this series enough and I am constantly baffled that it is not more popular than it is.

Picking up where These Burning Stars left off, On Vicious Worlds follows Chono, Six, and Jun into the Treble, a space system controlled by the three branches of the Kindom, both church and government in one, in the wake of the Jevenis' escape from the hands of those who would wish to enslave them or complete their genocide begun a hundred years earlier. While the first book was more action-packed, this sequel focuses more on interpersonal issues: who can you trust, what does it mean to be intimate with someone else, how far would you go for someone you loved and defined your life around? This is, of course, not to say there aren't intense action scenes where the characters lives are on the line and Jacobs gets your heart pounding and hurting for them, since that definitely happens, in fact, these relationships and themes developed add even more weight to these moments, for you begin to truly feel for the characters, as messy and often terrible as they are.

This leads me to one of my absolute favorite parts of Jacobs' writing, namely that she doesn't shy away from writing messy complicated women who are no paragons of virtue, but would even burn down the universe and destroy entire planets, betraying countless innocents, to protect someone that they love or an ideal that they hold. This leads to a constant theme of complete and utter devotion, bordering on obsession, that drives the plot and characters forward.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first book of the Kindom Trilogy, anyone who loves epic space operas full of characters that you love and hate in equal measure, morally grey women devoted to their causes, and anyone who is looking for the next best scifi series. I cannot say enough how much I love this book.

Because this is book 2 in a trilogy, I am providing a full series review. I love this series and wish more people were talking about it.

❥ These Burning Stars | sapphic ~ morally grey ~ space opera
Bethany Jacobs' debut novel. Enrapturing, with complete baɖǟֆֆ female protagonists, beautiful descriptions of casters, нα¢кєяѕ, intergalactic space battles, genocide of races, cat and mouse where the hunters become the hunted. This book swept me off my feet and blew me away. Please read this one.

❥ On Vicious Worlds | sci-fi ~ polyamorous ~ queer
It was a joy to be back with some of my favorite characters: Chono the "Burning One", Six, ever haunted by the voice of Esek, and Jun Ironway, master caster and hacker extraordinaire. Scenes come to life, twists will be turning, action scenes balanced with deep political machinations. Themes of belonging and acceptance, law and government, shifting loyalties and allies, the double cross, and yes, love. In typical middle book fashion, the ending is a bit abrupt, so prepare for a "to be continued..."

❥ This Brutal Moon | final book of The Kindom Trilogy
We get a preview of the finale at the end of Book 2. I'm going to be waiting with bated breath for a release date..!

Thank you @netgalley and @orbitbooks for the digital ARC of On Vicious Worlds. Also grateful to my forever sci-fi lover in arms, @shesreadingagain_ for buddy reading this series with me.

#queerbooks #theseburningstars #onviciousworlds

This story continues to be epic worthy. We left off with our cast of misfits rescuing an entire planets worth of people, the Jeveni , from brutal treatment by the ruling regime. Now they are safe and sound, or are they? what of those who didn't want to be rescued by the wheel? Murders are happening in the refuge and who is to blame? Even more interesting, Six and Chono return to ask for the release of the Jeveni who returned. They are walking right into a revolution as well as a coup. Six as Essk will have to use all their skills to convince the Clerics they are Essk. Really great book. Many thanks to the Author and netgalley for letting me read this book.

You know that old gif of the guy who's like "whooooaaaaaa" while supernova fireworks are exploding from his head? That's me with this series.

These Burning Stars might be one of my favorite scifi books ever. The thrilling cat-and-mouse tension had me on the edge of my seat, and that tension was resolved with the GREATEST plot twist of all time! I understandably had very high expectations of On Vicious Worlds and I'm happy to report that this book lived up to them.

We're thrown into the action right away: a suspicious death on the Jeveni new world, hinting at a possible serial killer, has thrown the new colony into fear and distrust. Chono and Six are battling Treble power politics and unstable coups. Who's the mastermind behind the scenes? Who can be trusted, if not those that we love?

Much like its predecessor, the action in On Vicious Worlds has you by the throat, but this time it's the interpersonal relationships that really shine. There is platonic love, romantic love, familial love, and all the complications in those relationships that unhealed trauma can cause. Chono and Six were my favorites. The INTIMACY, the PAIN, the FOREHEAD PRESSING! Who needs kissing when you have that? (Me. I do. Six and Chono need to smooch next book.)

Once again, Bethany Jacobs has taken me on a whirlwind ride through space and I'm left feeling dizzy and more than a little dazed. Much like the first book, the different chapter POVs hop around time and space. There's plenty of twists and reveals, but unlike the first book where I felt like certain reveals were legitimately shocking, the reveals in this book feel more heart-wrenching. Not to say that there isn't shock to be found. I will say that the pacing in this book feels a bit different. I think because in the first book, each character hops around to different places in the Kindom while in this book, while there is some travel elements, most of it is largely stationary. It makes sense given the events of the first book and I do think Jacobs does a great job of creating tension and intrigue in the spaces the characters and confined to. Compared to the first book, though, the loss of a certain POV definitely has an impact (though how you can replace such a uniquely intriguing and hateable character with anyone else I have no idea), but the second book has such tension from everyone dealing with various aspects of the fallout from the first book. And, of course, Jacobs has to end it with a bang and now I'm desperate for answers and terrified as to what's going to happen to the characters.

I'm definitely keeping my review purposefully vague because half the fun of these books is going into it knowing nothing to almost nothing. While it's not quite as punchy as the first book, it has a different impact that kept me reading well into the wee hours of the morning.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC! I had been checking to see if this book was available to request for literal months, so to say I am grateful have been approved to read it is an understatement.

This book is great. It is a worthy sequel, and adds a lot of rich complexity to the universe of the story. The plot is dark and brutal. This universe is vicious. Watching the Jeveni have to reconcile their political and societal idealism against the reality of their traumatized, brutalized population felt very realistic. As always, the character work in this is my favorite part. The politics and the many machinations of the characters were fascinating to follow.

However, I do hope that the goals of certain characters become more transparent, just because trying to figure out who is double-crossing whom over and over again makes the plot feel convoluted. Because of this, some of the twists harder to follow. A decent amount of relationship-building between the characters happened off-page in a time-skip between books, so when betrayals happened or alliances were tested it didn’t feel as impactful.

I will say the pacing is slow in the beginning. I spent quite a bit of time reviewing the “Cast of Characters” section, and I had to go back to review the first book to figure out the time periods of the plot again. Eventually I had to just let the story sweep me up, and the pacing picks up later on until you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster made of consequences. This seems to be a pattern in Bethany Jacob’s writing, and you just have to trust her that the payoff will be worth it (it has paid off every time so far).

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this. These Burning Stars was one of my favorite books of this year, and I have recommended it to anyone I know that enjoys sci-fi. I do have some nit-picks to this sequel, but I still feel that this was an interesting, impactful story that sets up nicely for the final book in the trilogy. I will also say that I am currently so confused by the final twist but I’m trusting that the payoff will be in the last book. Fingers crossed! Can’t wait.

Well damn! The amazing story and characters developed in book one just kept getting better. The mysteries were tight, the dialogue sparkling, there was a little more firefight than I would prefer but that comes with the territory. This is a political space opera ROMP, baby, and I’m strapped into my romper for book three. Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC (my first!) Five burning stars.

Review also appears on my Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6730708543

I continue to stand in awe of Bethany Jacobs. Dark and violent, the sequel to These Burning Stars is everything I had hoped for—at its heart, infused with deeply layered character studies. Seeing what these characters are willing to do, the lengths they will go to, in the face of losing what they love is both grievous and empowering. All so flawed yet endlessly human. As always, Chono is nothing short of a delight to follow, intensified by her complicated relationship with Six. Each character, and I mean it, each character will surprise you in some manner. While at some points slower than the first installment, this book is still an engaging and alluring experience. The world is filled with intricate details, and the series continues to cement itself as an incredible space opera (one of my new favorite series, in general). If you loved the first book, this second one will likely connect with you too. I am so excited to see where this trilogy ends, especially after that ending. Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for sending me an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review! 4.25 / 5.0 ⭐️

I loved the first book for its strong characters and complex relationships between them. For this book, the author decided to focus more on the political games and after effects of the first books dramatic ending. While overall I believe it worked it did leave me a bit hungry for the cat and mouse games of the first book and the mystery around Six. We got to spend a lot more time with a whole cast of characters in this book but I didn't find them as engaging as Esek Six Chono and Jun in the first book. The book did add some complexity to Chono and some back story for six which I appreciated though I'm not sure Jun had the same arc. I very much look forward to book 3 regardless.

I was blown away by These Burning Stars and am equally impressed by On Vicious Worlds. It took me a bit to recall all the characters but author Jacobs thrusts the reader right into the action from the beginning and I quickly felt back in the saddle. It is a wild ride, with new characters, stunning betrayals, and wild, unexpected twists. This trilogy is anything but predictable and I eagerly await the concluding book. Start with book one and read this excellent series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.