The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is the latest space opera novel from Megan E. O'Keefe, the author of The Devour Worlds trilogy and The Protectorate trilogy. But unlike O'Keefe's previous works, this book is a standalone that gives the whole story in one go. I've read a few of O'Keefe's other books, so this is a June book release that I've been really excited to check out and review.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with The Two Lies of Faven Sythe quite a lot; it's a fast-paced adventure with pirates in space, supported by some interesting worldbuilding for the story's crystalline galaxy and the sorts of unexpected twists and turns which are a hallmark of O'Keefe's work. That said, I much preferred The Blighted Stars, the first novel in The Devoured Worlds. But what Faven Sythe offered is a little different than the intensity of her previous series: unbridled escapism for its compact 300+ page journey. Read on for my SPOILER-FREE review.
Review: THE TWO LIES OF FAVEN SYTHE by Megan E. O'Keefe
The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is told through two third person limited points of view. The first is the titular Faven Sythe, a navigator who is "crystborn" — half human and half cryst, an ancient alien species which once ruled the cosmos. The cryst were capable of charting paths that allow for warp-style jumping between star systems. As their presence in the galaxy faded, human-cryst hybrids like Faven were created to carry on the navigator tradition and retain humanity's ability to travel through the void.
Faven excels at her duty, but chafes at the life of enforced luxury she leads as part of her station. Her discontent boils over after her mentor goes missing, leaving behind strange coordinates which lead to a mysterious interstellar deadzone known as the Clutch. Faven's mentor isn't the first navigator to vanish; she suspects foul play from the crystborn leaders. To get answers, she decides to cut a deal with some pirates to ferry her to the Clutch and a lost vessel known as the Black Celeste, where she believes she'll find answers.
The other main character is Bitter Amandine, the pirate captain whom Faven comes into contact with. Amandine is a rogue who's always got a snarky remark on hand and who captains a state-of-the-art ship with a tiny, closeknit crew. She needs repairs for a crucial part of her ship, which this job with Faven could help her secure. And she wouldn't mind the navigator's life-changing offer of getting her own personal, private starpath either, which would allow her unprecedented access to systems across the galaxy.
That all sounds like a fairly basic setup for a pirate story, but rest assured: The Two Lies of Faven Sythe delivers the surprises early and keeps them coming. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the book's basic setup, but it almost immediately defied those expectations, at least in terms of the plot. In terms of the vibes, The Two Lies of Faven Sythe exactly what you'd imagine from a pirate space opera led by two dysfunctional yet highly competent and powerful women who spend almost as much time pining after each other as they do chasing their goals.
The flaw of Faven Sythe
I mentioned some pining; yes, this book has a sapphic romance front and center, so if that's your jam you'll probably find a lot to love. However, the romance highlights the book's one main issue for me: it's so short that some of its elements don't land quite as well as I hoped. I found that to be the case with the romance. It's very much a secondary story to all the bigger, galaxy-changing events in Faven and Amandine's lives, and often feels more like obligatory pining between two leads than something that's earned by the characters' interactions and development. I actually prefer this sort of setup where the romance is a subplot rather than the main storyline — O'Keefe's The Blighted Stars is a great example of this done really well — but in this instance it felt a little too forced to me, especially where Faven was concerned.
That problem is part of a bigger issue I had with the book overall: it's so short that many of its bigger punches don't land as well as they could have. Because The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is such a quick read, it doesn't have time to delve too deeply into any one aspect of the story. I think this is at the heart of why elements like the romance didn't land as well for me. It's also why some of the book's biggest twists fell a little flat. They are very cool on paper, but I wasn't nearly attached enough to supporting characters like Amandine's crew, the pirate queen Ma Sere, or Faven's childhood navigator friend Gailliard for the twists involving them to really blow me away.
That issue is a microcosm of what is basically my one big gripe about The Two Lies of Faven Sythe. And since I've read some of O'Keefe's other books, I know that this is a flaw with Faven Sythe specifically, not O'Keefe's writing as a whole. I've seen her pull off twists that had my jaw on the floor, and unexpected romances that had me very emotional by the time I flipped the last page. The Two Lies of Faven Sythe never quite hits those same highs.
The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is a fun escape for fans of Megan E. O'Keefe
While all that did bug me a bit, I still had a very good time reading The Two Lies of Faven Sythe. What this book does really well is give readers an injection of wonder and adventure, which is more accessible than a lot of space opera since it's a compact, complete tale. The nature of Faven Sythe as a fun, escapist novel makes even more sense when you realize that O'Keefe wrote this book to take a break from working on The Devoured Worlds. In the Afterward, the author reveals that she began writing The Two Lies of Faven Sythe while waiting for edits to come back on the first Devoured Worlds book, and it served as a refreshing detour from the heavier material in that series. That feeling absolutely permeates The Two Lies of Faven Sythe.
So if you're a fan of Megan E. O'Keefe, obviously, you are going to want to read this book. It's nice to have a new work from her so soon after the end of The Devoured Worlds, which displays all the strengths readers have grown to love about her stories over the years, including deeply inventive worldbuilding, highly unpredictable plotlines, memorable characters, and sharp pacing. The Two Lies of Faven Sythe feels a little like a victory lap for the author after the weightier material of her last trilogy, a chance to take a breath and revel in a good old fashioned pirate adventure before O'Keefe's next big series comes along to melt our brains all over again.
But if you're reading this review and haven't read O'Keefe's other works, I don't know that The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is where I would recommend you start. Personally, I'd go for The Blighted Stars or Velocity Weapon, which are the first books in The Devoured Worlds and The Protectorate trilogies, respectively. Those are probably better examples of the full range of O'Keefe's authorial talents. But after becoming acquainted, The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is well worth the ride.
Verdict
The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is a fast-paced and fun sapphic pirate adventure in a striking crystalline galaxy with cool settings and interesting worldbuilding. But its standalone nature and short length mean that it never spends too much time developing any one aspect of the story, which ultimately keeps its plot twists, romance, and characters from soaring quite as high as they might have otherwise. Fans of O'Keefe's works or those seeking an escapist respite will have a blast, but it doesn't quite reach the same heights as some of the author's previous books.
The Two Lies of Faven Sythe 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 Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.