Review ~ Polaris Rising ~ Jessie Mihalik

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
Series: Consortium Rebellion #1
Published by Harper Voyager on February 5, 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Space Opera
Pages: 448
Format: Hardback
Source: Library

A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.

In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.
Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.

When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.

But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for . . .

Polaris Rising is an incredibly impressive debut. Space opera isn’t a genre I read much of but this book was un-put-downable! The world building was excellent, the character development was awesome, the plot, sub-plots, and what I assume will be the over-arching story plot created such an entertaining read. I liked it all! 😉

Highlights:

• Characters
  Ada was just the kind of kickass heroine I adore. She gave up a life of luxury – she’s a daughter of one of the ruling Houses in the ‘verse – on principle. See, Ada didn’t agree with being sold into marriage. She’s held a variety of jobs since leaving home and she’s currently a mercenary. It’s just that she’s a mercenary who’s been captured due to the bounty on her head. Marcus Loch, who Ada is sharing a cell with, is also being held due to the bounty on him. Of course, Ada’s wanted alive…Marcus will likely be put to death. These two form an unlikely alliance in order to escape. And it only gets better from there! 😉
• Character Development/Growth
  Both Ada and Marcus learn trust and loyalty where it applies to intimate relationships. They learn to look beyond more present concerns and they learn life might be more satisfying when shared with someone you love.
• Secondary Cast
  Mihalik developed an entertaining supporting cast. The secondary characters helped add tension and suspense as well as comic relief to the story. They also added to the depth of the story overall as they solidified the description of the type of people Ada and Loch were.
• Plot
  The plot was tight. It conveyed not only the type of world these characters currently inhabit but also what the ruling Houses had been up to in the recent past. Combined that made for an engaging and riveting story but also aided in the world building.
• World Building
  Mihalik did well in creating a ‘verse of indistinct size with space travel that feels fresh even if it’s reminiscent of Star Wars and Star Trek.
• Romance
  Of course, there’s romance! The way it develops felt genuine and I enjoyed watching Ada and Loch fall.

 

Polaris Rising was so good! Again, I don’t read space opera often so I’m not a connoisseur but the story was… well, go read it and let me know what you think! 😉

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2019 New Release Challenge

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