These Burning Stars is a dark and evocative space opera revenge story

As autumn rolls into winter, curling up with a brooding tale of vengeance and political upheaval is never the wrong choice. These Burning Stars is the first novel in Bethany Jacob’s series The Kindom. Morally gray space clerics, a cat-and-mouse game across the stars, and dark secrets exposed with ramifications for an entire society…These Burning Stars is a gripping read that’s dripping with venomous style. Read on for a SPOILER-FREE review.

Book review: These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs (The Kindom #1)

These Burning Stars is a puzzle box of a story which hinges largely on the interplay between a few important lead characters who vacillate between caring for one another or wanting to exact some sort of bloody retribution depending on the moment. At the heart of the story is Esek Nightfoot, a cleric for the Kingdom who is notable both for her unusual preference to train cloaksaan (assassins) as well as her morally gray worldview. Esek is connected to one of the powerful ruling families which controls the trade of a vital resource in this space opera universe. Questions about where exactly her loyalties fall between her family and her duties to her cleric calling loom large. Not that Esek would worry too much about those questions; her “burn-it-all-down” attitude is a lot of fun, even as she commits actions which are objectively horrific.

The story begins with Esek being tasked with hunting down a pirate who has stolen an object of great value and danger from the Nightfoot family. The Kindom poses this as a test of Esek’s loyalties…but the deeper into the story we get, the farther the span of the conspiracy reaches. There are no shortage of stunning revelations throughout this book.

Floating in orbit around Esek are two of her former students, who she set on vastly different paths as part of a fateful, cruel mind game she played when they were children. Chono is a devout cleric who serves as Esek’s closest confidante even as she constantly finds herself questioning her former teacher’s motives. The other, Six, is shrouded in mystery, but suffice it to say their view on Esek is even more complicated.

These three characters, along with one other who I can’t even mention because of spoilers, form the core of These Burning Stars. Jacobs does an incredible job with their complicated, often toxic relationships, exploring every nook and cranny of what makes them all tick in order to tell an extremely compelling tale. These Burning Stars is one of those enjoyable reads that looks incredibly different by the time you finish, which will make it a lot of fun on a second read once you have the full picture. It has some major twists and turns.

These Burning Stars is a great new thought-provoking space opera

The galaxy where These Burning Stars takes place—known as the Treble—is also fascinating. This is a space opera that focuses primarily on human politics and affairs, rather than anything too alien; I suppose that if there was one thing I wished for a bit more of, it was information on whether anything other than humanity resides in this vast star system. That said, These Burning Stars has a very intriguing exploration of how a religious ruling order might fit into this sort of space society; it reminded me a bit of Dune, but with a greater focus on unraveling the story’s many mysteries. Esek and Chono constantly dance back and forth between duty and personal interests, which adds great layers to the story.

Many of the things Jacobs explores in this book resonated with me and felt very real, from the story’s take on exploring genders to the gruesome history of genocide which forms the basis for this interstellar society. The worldbuilding is very detailed. The same can be said of the prose themselves, which are dark and evocative in a way that makes the book a very enjoyable read.

Another place These Burning Stars really shines is the action. This isn’t a story that throws fight scenes at you every few pages, but when one does crop up it really hits hard, both in terms of the actual beats on the page as well as how dangerous they are for the characters involved. This isn’t a story where the heroes are protected by convenient plot armor as they single-handedly take down a hundred enemies. When weapons come out, things get very dicey, very fast.

That sense of realism serves the story well. Even when it’s dealing with galactic-level issues, These Burning Stars remains a very grounded read that has some elements in common with thrillers as well as sci-fi books. When you add in the fantastic ending which serves as a compelling set up for book 2, it’s going to be a very easy choice for me to come back for more. The ending stands well on its own…but the promise of what’s to come is even more exciting.

Verdict

These Burning Stars is a solid read with great worldbuilding, exceptional characters, and a multilayered mystery that made me gasp out loud more than once. Bethany Jacobs’ debut novel is a dark and immersive read, with a ton of re-read value thanks to its late game twists. The Kindom trilogy is off to an excellent start.

These Burning Stars is available now from Orbit, wherever books are sold.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels