On her eighteenth celestial, Arra expects the day will be like any other. She's single-handedly running the Darkstar galactic hub, fixing transport tech, and making hyperjump calculations. That’s all about to change after a chance meeting with her secret and estranged best friend, Crown Prince Etaine Darkstar. In the middle of Arra and Etaine’s reunion, the dangerous Vithians descend on the Darkstar realm. Arra and Etaine race through the palace to prepare for the Vithian arrival and take a shortcut to their destinies.
In a hidden room inside the palace, Arra’s powers manifest and take the galaxy by surprise. Arra is one of the last Solar Empyreans. Someone hid her identity, and as Arra searches for answers, her relationship with Etaine and role in the galaxy are about to get seriously complicated.
Pages: 306
Release Date: April 2nd 2019
Rating: 4.75/5 Stars
Review:
I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Excess Gravity for review and I absolutely loved it. The novel follows Arra on her 18th birthday as she discovers she is one of the two last Solar Empyreans. Her newly discovered identity and powers thrust her into a world of political intrigue, drama, action, and adventure. Excess Gravity melded fantasy and science fiction together perfectly and was an incredibly fast read. It has been a while since I read anything that was not contemporary fiction or non-fiction, but I easily fell back in love with both fantasy and science fiction. Excess Gravity has me craving to read more of those genres soon.
One of my absolute favorite parts of the novel was the world. I has not anticipated a blending of fantasy and science fiction; however, the combination was perfect. The world was beautifully crafted and like no other I had ever read about. The galaxy that Excess Gravity is based in is highly technologically advanced and consists of seven realms. Each realm has its own culture, language, political hierarchy, and geography. I loved to see the diversification among each realm and how they had developed into their current societies. In addition, the technology used in Excess Gravity was fascinating and highly advanced. I had never thought or dreamed of some of the technology used; however, now I cannot stop thinking about some of them and how interesting it would be to have that type of technology in our world.
Excess Gravity had a very engaging plot. I never felt as though there was a dull part or a lag in the story. We were constantly learning more about the world and many unexpected things happened. I never knew what to expect and I loved it. While I do applaud myself when I guess plot points ahead of time, I loved being in the dark in Excess Gravity. The element of surprise made the story more engaging and I loved being on the edge of my seat. The writing was easy to read and process, allowing me to comprehend all the new information very easily. The writing allows the reader to transition to a very unique and distinct world with little confusion.
The characters and their relationships were also a great part of the story. I loved the character development throughout the novel and I cannot wait to see the continuation of their development as the series progresses. My two favorite characters were Max and Jai. Although seemingly polar opposites, they were both incredibly funny and loyal in their own ways. I also enjoyed Arra, but I had some trouble liking Etaine's character. I did not like his anger or personality, at times; however, I did like that he began to work on it and that Arra also saw his flaws. Although they did not always talk about their feelings together, they saw each other's flaws and knew that they had to work on their own problems before they could become a couple. I also liked that their relationship was not forced. They knew they had other priorities and would work on their relationship when those other issues were solved. I loved the focus was more of them becoming friends again and not automatically a couple.
Overall, I really enjoyed Excess Gravity. It was a quick and engaging read that I would highly recommend for fantasy and science fiction lovers and haters alike. The story is easy to read and easy to become engrossed into. I loved the world that A.J. Vicktoria created and I am excited to see where the story and the characters go next. I will definitely be reading the upcoming additions to the Empyreal Saga. Gravity Rising, a novella based before Excess Gravity, was published on May 1st and I am excited to start it sometime soon.
I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Excess Gravity for review and I absolutely loved it. The novel follows Arra on her 18th birthday as she discovers she is one of the two last Solar Empyreans. Her newly discovered identity and powers thrust her into a world of political intrigue, drama, action, and adventure. Excess Gravity melded fantasy and science fiction together perfectly and was an incredibly fast read. It has been a while since I read anything that was not contemporary fiction or non-fiction, but I easily fell back in love with both fantasy and science fiction. Excess Gravity has me craving to read more of those genres soon.
One of my absolute favorite parts of the novel was the world. I has not anticipated a blending of fantasy and science fiction; however, the combination was perfect. The world was beautifully crafted and like no other I had ever read about. The galaxy that Excess Gravity is based in is highly technologically advanced and consists of seven realms. Each realm has its own culture, language, political hierarchy, and geography. I loved to see the diversification among each realm and how they had developed into their current societies. In addition, the technology used in Excess Gravity was fascinating and highly advanced. I had never thought or dreamed of some of the technology used; however, now I cannot stop thinking about some of them and how interesting it would be to have that type of technology in our world.
Excess Gravity had a very engaging plot. I never felt as though there was a dull part or a lag in the story. We were constantly learning more about the world and many unexpected things happened. I never knew what to expect and I loved it. While I do applaud myself when I guess plot points ahead of time, I loved being in the dark in Excess Gravity. The element of surprise made the story more engaging and I loved being on the edge of my seat. The writing was easy to read and process, allowing me to comprehend all the new information very easily. The writing allows the reader to transition to a very unique and distinct world with little confusion.
The characters and their relationships were also a great part of the story. I loved the character development throughout the novel and I cannot wait to see the continuation of their development as the series progresses. My two favorite characters were Max and Jai. Although seemingly polar opposites, they were both incredibly funny and loyal in their own ways. I also enjoyed Arra, but I had some trouble liking Etaine's character. I did not like his anger or personality, at times; however, I did like that he began to work on it and that Arra also saw his flaws. Although they did not always talk about their feelings together, they saw each other's flaws and knew that they had to work on their own problems before they could become a couple. I also liked that their relationship was not forced. They knew they had other priorities and would work on their relationship when those other issues were solved. I loved the focus was more of them becoming friends again and not automatically a couple.
Overall, I really enjoyed Excess Gravity. It was a quick and engaging read that I would highly recommend for fantasy and science fiction lovers and haters alike. The story is easy to read and easy to become engrossed into. I loved the world that A.J. Vicktoria created and I am excited to see where the story and the characters go next. I will definitely be reading the upcoming additions to the Empyreal Saga. Gravity Rising, a novella based before Excess Gravity, was published on May 1st and I am excited to start it sometime soon.
