Parallax by Amber Toro
Blurb:
An outlaw lost at the edge of the galaxy and an honorable commander who will have to risk everything to save her, Parallax is a heart-pounding, slow burn space opera romance packed with action, adventure, banter, and found family.
The tenuous alliances of the United Tribal Axis have fractured, breaking humanity into warring factions. Hinata finds himself fighting a losing war against an opponent that doesn’t play by the rules. While Freyja focuses all of her efforts on uncovering the origin of the signal that she is convinced is the key to revealing the source of the chaos ripping their society apart. Upon returning from an outer rim mission, Freyja realizes that Skyla hasn’t received a single communication they've sent in months and must convince Hinata to abandon his post to mount a rescue mission in search of the missing captain. But there are forces at play larger than any of them realize.
Review:
The crew is back in this delicious romanti-fi and boy do we level up in this sequel. Vast deserts, frozen wastelands, ancient caves, and hidden civilizations meet my favorite characters as we dive in. Everything deepens in this book, from the worlds to its characters, plot to tech. If you thought you knew the Sentient Stars series, hold on to your seats. And if you haven’t read Umbra by Amber Toro, you’re missing out… check out my review and don’t miss my interview with her.
This plot honestly side swiped me the second paragraph of Chapter One where Skyla has bitten off far more than she ever bargained for as she continues her search for her father on a forsaken ice planet with much more hidden beneath its surface. With the rest of the crew scattered across the galaxy, roiling in the wake of disaster, Freyja is faced with more questions as she scours ancient ruins for answers. While Hinata looks for someone to listen to reason as the tribes throw blame and political foundations continue to crumble, he’s left fighting inwardly to hold himself together.
I had an expectation for where this book would go, but I was pleasantly surprised with how little I really knew. I didn’t foresee some of its development from a mile away and even with the obvious ships that had already set sail, there were some shocking couples that I couldn’t be happier with. But more than the butterflies and satisfying wins on the battlefield, this book really matured with its characters. I was captivated as our characters faced their demons and clawed their way to a semblance of a plan after everything went so exceptionally wrong at the end of Umbra, and didn't stop.
“The universe did not revolve around them, and they had more important things to do than sulk over losses. If they were successful, there would be plenty of time once there was peace to stitch themselves back together.”
One of the biggest highlights for me was the world building. Of course I knew Amber could build, Umbra was a brilliant example. This series is unique, and with her real life expertise, she brings a level of interest to the AI I hadn’t seen before. But in Parallax, with all of our favorite characters scattered across the known galaxies, Toro brings us to some new supremely interesting planets and spacecraft, opening up the story with a world hopping feel. Starting with Dr. Dar digging through caves and ancient cities with Freja, Skyla getting herself into all sorts of frosty trouble, and seeing more of Hinata’s Eastern inspired world, you’re seeing just a taste of what’s in store. This book is multisensory as we deal with otherworldly elements and the depths of what may be possible out there beyond the MilkyWay.
In the Sentient Stars series, Amber has created characters that feel extraordinarily human. We’re all just processing our messy lives, and these characters, love them or hate them, are so dang relatable. The great payoff here is that we get to watch these characters that we’ve grown to know get put through the ringer, and boy does their characters hold true. Someone get Hinata an ice pack, an emotional support animal, and a really great therapist, my word the poor man. He’s not the only one that needs it, and there are some incredibly heart wrenching and touching moments you’ll come to love. Skyla’s arc takes us through some serious growth and a good amount of pruning (you’ll get the pun when you read the book, promise). We get much deeper with these two both individually and together, moving past the classic frienemies to hope-filled companions and into true support and understanding. Because at the end of the day all us romance enthusiasts really want is a couple that can communicate, and Amber delivers. Not only has she given us satisfaction but she’s brilliantly tiered the romance so that as we get some sweet progress with some, other interests are blooming. But don’t be fooled by my fawning, this story is first and foremost a solid scifi with all the action, tension, political and environmental pressures you’d want.
“You cannot end this war if you are broken before it truly starts.”
And that’s why Toro is a must read author. She’s great at making these stories feel easy, relatable and swoony while maintaining a satisfying level of classic science fiction that any diehard can get behind. And it definitely shows in the prose. Amber doesn’t shy away from getting techy, with code stakes, solar sails, and sentient ships, but the story flows easily through it so that you don't have to get lost in the weeds.
This series is such an easy rec for anyone across the scifi board, whether they are just trying out the other side of fantasy for the first time or have been here for decades. With a plot whose layers are continuing to fall beautifully, while our characters grow and evolve organically, in a world that is both fascinating and terrifying, Amber Toro delivers a book two worthy of its place in this fantastic series.
