***Received from the publisher via a Goodreads giveaway along with Book #1***

***The author also sent, separately, an envelope full of swag for both books!***


Description:
The Compton Crook Award-winning author weaves her trademark blend of science fiction and dark humor in this dazzling story that continues the imaginative saga begun in Escaping Exodus, in which a society lives in the belly of a beast—and an entire civilization's survival depends on a pair of uneasy allies who must come together for one epic battle.


Nearly a thousand years removed from Earth, the remnants of humanity cling to existence inside giant, space faring creatures known as the Zenzee. Abused and exploited by humans for generations, these majestic animals nearly went extinct, but under the command of its newly minted ruler, Doka Kaleigh, life in the Parados I has flourished. Thanks to careful oversight and sacrifice by all of its crew, they are now on the brink of utopia, and yet Doka’s rivals feel threatened by that success. The Senate allowed Doka to lead their people believing he’d fail spectacularly—a disaster that would cement the legitimacy of their long-standing matriarchy. Despite vocal opposition and blatant attacks on his authority, Doka has continued to handle his position with grace and intelligence; he knows a single misstep means disaster. When a cataclysmic event on another Zenzee world forces Doka and his people to accept thousands of refugees, a culture clash erupts, revealing secrets from the past that could endanger their future. For Doka, the stakes are bigger and more personal than ever before—and could cost him his reign and his heart.

He has fallen for the one woman he is forbidden to love: his wife, Seske.

Doka and Seske must work closely together to sway the other Zenzee worlds to stop their cycles of destruction. But when they stumble upon a discovery that can transform their world, they know they must prepare to fight a battle where there can be no winners, only survivors.

***Won this book from a Goodreads giveaway***

As with Book #1, Drayden's world continues to be quite unique! She really has a cool imagination and is great at world building. The characters are also all unique and interesting in their own right. I don't particularly like the 2 main characters of this book, Seske and Doka, which I don't think you're meant to always like them anyway, so that is alright. I do like Adalla and she was such an interesting character in the first book and wish we would have continued to view events through her eyes with this book but, alas, she was no longer a main character. Sad.

All-in-all, this is a good sequel to Escaping Exodus. I think my biggest critique would be that I think this book needed one last Seske chapter. SPOILER --> I think we, or at least I do, need a better wrap-up of Seske's story. She's going from a have sex with whomever is closest to her and doing whatever the hell she please, for the most part, to being one with Sisterkin as an emissary for the Zenzee. I'd like to have had a little bit about what was going on in her mind and what she thinks of it. It can't be 100% harmonious. <--END OF SPOILER

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Sent to the winner of the Science Fiction Sweepstakes!

Congratulations!

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Thank you so much for the generous package! This pair of books look particularly interesting.

As with the first one, my impressions aligned pretty closely with Spatial's. One difference being that I liked Doka more as a character. He may be very much a product of his culture, and sometimes the author's attempts to use that to illustrate real-world bigotry fell into the "way-too-obvious" eye-roll-triggering camp, but I actually found him an interesting narrator with a unique viewpoint. Seske continues to be a bit of a train-wreck, but honestly there are folks out there who go through life like that, and it felt true to her character. For me, it felt like these events demonstrated Adalla's influence by how much Seske struggled without her beloved partner.

The end threw me for a bit of a loop too. So many conflicting thoughts and feelings! I guess in that way, it worked. It forced me to think about my reaction, and the reaction of the characters. Digging into and asking yourself why you feel uncomfortable is awkward, but good practice for real-world situations. I found myself re-reading those last chapters, trying to guess at the author's intentions. Is this meant to be a happy ending? A "gotcha" jab at our own society's intense individualism? A bittersweet ending? An illustration of an alternate way of co-existing? Ultimately, I can only know my own response.

Sent to the winner of the Lesbian sweepstakes.

Thank you for the book. This author is new to me. Thanks for sending both books.