⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 Stars – I enjoyed it, but not as much as others in the series.
Format: eBook
Read: November 2025
This is the first book in the series that hasn’t been a re-read for me (where I’d not forgotten I’d read it before!). It is also the penultimate book in the series.
I find it hard to review a book in a series, especially one as consistent as The Expanse, because all the things I’ve said before apply to this one. This is a solid series with solid writing, a world that feels real and high stakes, while focusing on characters.
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as others. There were a few major things that happened, but overall, the series arc did not move very much, and I felt like a lot of filler added new questions rather than resolving any of the many mysteries we already have.
The POV characters this time are Alex, Bobby, Holden, Naomi, Elvie (from Ciobla Burn) and a new character, Teresa Duarte, the 14-year-old daughter of the Laconian leader.
I normally don’t love Holden, but this time his chapters had the most intrigue, especially as they were very few and far between. Teresa’s chapters were also interesting since she provides a completely new perspective from her unique, insular, and isolated life as the heir to the new empire… But also a teenage girl. I also thought the direction the Empire storyline took was interesting too (I don’t want to give spoilers!).
Elvie annoyed the shit out of me last time I had to suffer her POV, but it’s been over 30 years, and she’s grown up. She’s married to Fayez, she’s a mother, and head scientist for the Laconian Empire tasked with investigating the alien anomalies. This time, I enjoyed her chapters because, honestly, they are the only ones that actually inch the main story arc along.
Unfortunately, I found the chapters for Naomi, Alex and Bobby a slog, and those make up the majority of this book. I find it very hard to focus on the resistance movement, and my attention drifts off when I’m reading about space battles. There is also an absolutely criminal lack of Amos!
It’s not a bad book at all, it’s just not my favourite. I do wonder if I come back and re-read this series again, once I’ve completed it, if I’ll feel any differently about it.
REVIEW SUMMARY
I LIKED
- It’s a solid entry to the series.
- Teresa gives a different perspective on events from inside the Laconian Empire.
- A different type of political intrigue from inside the Empire.
- I like Elvie now!
I DIDN’T LIKE
- Lack of Amos.
- The crew are split up.
- Too much focus on the resistance movement and space action for me.
