Title: Rebel

Author: Darby Cupid

Pub. Date: December 11, 2020

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fighter with a desperate soul, a queen with a broken heart and a planet torn apart by lies.

An orbit has passed since Crystal’s family were assassinated, stranding her on Earth.

Now, as queen of a war torn planet, struggling to keep the capital from rebel rule, Crystal discovers the reason behind the attack is far more sinister than she could ever have imagined.

Crystal’s memory of her perfect family is shattered as she’s forced to right her ancestors’ wrongs, but putting your planet first isn’t as easy as it seems when your heart is on the line.

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. You can check out my review for Crystal – here – if you’re interested.

I inhaled the last 60% of this book. Like, could not stop turning the page because I needed to know what happened next. I still majorly got Lux series and Our Dark Stars vibes from this book, but it also reminded me of some of my favorite SF shows. All in all, this was a good book that kept me captivated and interested from book 1.

It was so much fun being back in this world with Crystal. Familiar faces were missing in light of how Crystal ended, but we get to meet and hang with some new faces. I wasn’t actually sure how everything was going to tie together – because if you’ve read Crystal and you know how it ends, then you know that some big sacrifices were made. Knowing now how it all ties together, I need book 3 and March 2021 is a long wait.

Whereas I had some minor issues with the plot feeling rushed in book 1, I didn’t think that was a problem in this book. Events progress at a quick pace, but not so fast to feel rushed, but keep you engaged and interested. Like I said, I breezed through the second half of this book because I couldn’t put it down. It was like a whirlwind and I needed to know what happened next. I do have one small question/minor complaint – I honestly don’t understand how old the characters are supposed to be. I don’t quite get the conversion between Earth Years and Starlatten orbits. I was operating under the assumption they were in their late-ish teens, but now I’m thinking older? Maybe early twenties? I don’t think this detracts from the book, it was just something I noticed and started wondering about when it becomes a prevalent issue in Crystal’s mind. I started thinking of them as in variations of their early twenties, because that’s the only thing that makes sense to me about Crystal’s worries.

I loved Crystal in this book – her arc is really great to read. From where she starts to where she ends the book, there’s a lot of growing, maturity and stepping into her power. She gains confidence and skill and it’s so satisfying to read.

Jaik on the other hand…I’m honestly not sure. On one hand, I love him, I think he’s seriously in love with Crystal and willing to do anything for her. But on the other, I think his love for Crystal blinds him and causes him to act rashly and overprotectively. He’s got perceived ideas about what his future looks like, and really doesn’t seem to want to deviate from it. I don’t know, for as much as I love his character, I feel like he could really go the twisted route.

And then there is the ending for this book…I need the next one. I need to know what happens next. Things are just starting to get really interesting and the answers to questions that are on the line, hanging in the balance are waiting to be discovered. Things about Starlatten came to light in this book and I want to know – no, I need to know. I need their journey and I need to know what is on the other end of it.

I definitely recommend checking out this series – it’s a good, run, relatively quick SFF read that will leave you wanting the next book.