Week 33 Review: Ocean's Echo

From Goodreads:

Ocean's Echo is a stand-alone space adventure about a bond that will change the fate of worlds, set in the same universe as Everina Maxwell's hit debut, Winter's Orbit.

Rich socialite, inveterate flirt, and walking disaster Tennalhin Halkana can read minds. Tennal, like all neuromodified "readers," is a security threat on his own. But when controlled, readers are a rare asset. Not only can they read minds, but they can navigate chaotic space, the maelstroms surrounding the gateway to the wider universe.

Conscripted into the military under dubious circumstances, Tennal is placed into the care of Lieutenant Surit Yeni, a duty-bound soldier, principled leader, and the son of a notorious traitor general. Whereas Tennal can read minds, Surit can influence them. Like all other neuromodified "architects," he can impose his will onto others, and he's under orders to control Tennal by merging their minds.

Surit accepted a suspicious promotion-track request out of desperation, but he refuses to go through with his illegal orders to sync and control an unconsenting Tennal. So they lie: They fake a sync bond and plan Tennal's escape.

Their best chance arrives with a salvage-retrieval mission into chaotic space—to the very neuromodifcation lab that Surit's traitor mother destroyed twenty years ago. And among the rubble is a treasure both terrible and unimaginably powerful, one that upends a decades-old power struggle, and begins a war.

Tennal and Surit can no longer abandon their unit or their world. The only way to avoid life under full military control is to complete the very sync they've been faking.

Can two unwilling weapons of war bring about peace?

My Review:
Oh man, this was a fantastic read! It's set in the same universe as Winter's Orbit, but it's in a new empire, so there's whole new politics and worlds to learn, and I loved it! Tennal and Surit are a lot like Kiem and Jainan, but they're also their own people!

One thing that was really interesting to me was the remnants. This society used them to neuromodify people, which put them in the hot spot with the Resolution. It also meant that we learned about the remnants, and that was so interesting! 

That if your parent was neuromodified, then you would inherit that from them, well, the Architects and Readers were really interesting to read about. And a good deal of this book is about the politics of the two branches-and the history with the rebellion that Surit's mom led. So the action plot was compelling!

And so was the romance. Surit is so by the book, not a rule breaker, and Tennal only cares enough about the rules to see how he can use them to his best advantage. He also has a low sense of worth. I adored these two, and I was rooting for them! 

This was a really great read, and I hope that this becomes a series, because I want to learn more about this universe! 

Author: Everina Maxwell
Read: August 13th, 2022
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved her first book, and it's a SAC Book, Sophomore Challenge Book and a WoW Book!  
Publisher: Tor Books 
Expected Publication: November 1st 2022 

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars