I originally saw Polaris Rising mentioned on an e-book forum, and when I checked it out online, I discovered that Ilona Andrews (whose books I always enjoy) had provided nice feedback about it. So that encouraged me to (1) buy it, and (2) move it to the top of my long to-be-read list. And then once I started reading it, I got hooked, and finished it in just a couple of days.
I mostly read mysteries, but I dip my toes into science fiction/space opera, adventure/thrillers and romance from time to time. Polaris Rising is NOT a mystery, but it IS a really nice blend of the other three genres I like to read.
In a funny way, and similar to many of the early science-fiction books I’ve read, this really reads like a contemporary novel, but set in a nicely fleshed-out world that is enough different from ours to provide the occasional unexpected “gotcha” moment. <<Beware of minor spoilers coming up.>> Sure, you’re pretty certain that in the end the princess and the rogue are going to figure out what is going on, complete their quest, and get together, but there’s a lot of adventure along the way. And that is exactly how space opera is supposed to be.
There were a couple of moments when I was pulled out of the book, mostly around the “getting together” parts of the story. I’m not really into the steamy part of romance stories in general though, so I’m used to skipping over a few pages now and then, no biggie. And other than that, I really enjoyed Polaris Rising. It’s a light, fun, quick read that is the first in author Jessie Mihalik’s recently completed three-book Consortium Rebellion series. (The remaining two titles are Aurora Blazing and Chaos Reigning.)
I liked this series enough that I was happy to see on Mihalik’s website that she has signed up for a new three-book deal with the same publishers/editorial team. The first book in that series is due out in January, 2022, and is so new it still doesn’t have an official title – Mihalik has been calling it “New Shiny” in her posts. But, whatever the title turns out to be, I’m looking forward to it.
Buy: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Kobo US | Kobo UK | Kobo Canada