Reviews with content warning for Violence - Eclipse the Moon

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Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik

8 reviews

luna_lovelace's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The first book of the series does a wonderful job of introducing Kee and Varro in a 'I like being around them, but they don't know I like them' type of way that quickly captures your heart and makes you root for them from the beginning. Their relationship has a grumpy-sunshine dynamic that is thoroughly entertaining to read about.

Kee is a strong and emotional character, but not in an overbearing way that can be off-putting. Actually, her emotional side makes her even more lovable, and I would consider it as one of her strongest traits.

And let's not forget about the tension between Kee and Varro when they are forced to share a room. It's electrifying! The emotions are palpable, and the intensity is exhilarating.

The plot is equally impressive. Kee and Varro have an important role in rescuing people multiple times. Kee's tech-savvy skills are the main focus of getting the mission done, and Varro is always by her side to protect her,

even when he thinks he's not good enough because of the way Valoff vows work.

Together, they help prevent a war, and the journey there is captivating.

I can't wait to read what's next in store!

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mmkn_99's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

There’sa better way to write low confidence, anxious women. Good book, not better than the first. I’m excited to see where the next book goes. Good sexual tension and chemistry, but also

I was super irritated with the couple when they were making out mid-rescue attempt and she got self conscious thinking Varo didn’t want her when it was because they were in danger… nearly made me DNF

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bel017's review against another edition

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I'm really enjoying Mihalik's books. They are very entertaining, and I am really enjoying the smushing together of sci fi and romance. There isn't enough of it.

I really liked that she didn't push the one-bed trope (there is a second bed! Even though the room is so tiny that it's a bunk!), making the way their relationship evolved super awkward in a good way (it's a forced proximity trope, but I'll take it). I also liked that Mihalik's computer science background bled through the most in this one, good to see her stretching her tech skills in this future tech world.

I didn't like the darker scenes--I'm here to be entertained--but understand, somewhat, why they were narratively necessary.

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beccaand's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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justmccoy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is the second book in the Starlight's Shadow series and like the first book in the series, Hunt the Stars, it is an unique blend of immersive, sci-fi action/adventure and slow-burn romance. Such a good book.
The narration is excellent too in the audiobook version: Frankie Corzo is once again, amazing. The world-building is expertly crafted, it takes a gifted writer to put the reader (or in the this case, the listener) in a world unlike our own and seamlessly weave together the narrative with the world-building. One of the hallmarks of this author is her ability to write endearing, strong, capable, female characters who fall in love. Akin to her prior series, "The Consortium Rebellion" each book follows a different pairing of main characters who fall in love, in this case it is the brilliant hacker, Kee and stoic, thoughtful Varro. One of my favorite aspect of this series is the central plot-line: true enemies to lovers, all the central characters are ex-soliders, who were all part of enormous militaries that fought against each other in a devastating war. So the distrust amongst the former enemies runs deep and the slow, uneasy path to friendships amongst the joint Valovian and human crew is organic. In short, this is another wonderful addition to the series. This book has a treasured spot on my bookshelf and it is my favorite book of 2022.

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jessie_h's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

5.0

One of my favorite books of the year so far has been Hunt the Stars so you can say that I was more than a tad bit excited to get my hands on its sequel, Eclipse the Moon. And when I found it was going to be Kee's book I was even more exited! I may have squealed when I finally let myself read the synopsis and discovered who the likely love interest was going to be.

I was a little nervous going into this one based on a few of the ratings I saw on some of the early reviews but I loved this book so much! It was the grumpy/sunshine trope mixed with Jessie Mihalik's signature action-packed scenes and twisty mystery. This book picks up right where the first one left off with the Starlight's Shadow heading to Bastion station as the crew tries to dig up all the information they can to stop the powers that be from starting another war.

Y'all know how much I adore the found family trope and this book had it in spades. The tight-knit human crew and the Valoffs are becoming more and more of a family and it was everything! The standoffish Valovians from the first book have been settled in and taken their positions as part of the crew to heart. I loved seeing the crew interact with each other and to see how happy Tavi and Torran are. What really shined in this book was the romance though!

I wanted Kee and Varro to be paired with each other from the very start of their tumultuous relationship and Eli and Varro's subsequent sparring match. Kee is the heart of this small found family and is part of the glue that binds them together. She is sunshine incarnate and a genius hacker and gets to be a badass in a different way than Tavi. I too would rather eat cookies than train. She is convinced that Varro doesn't have feelings for her beyond being friends so she decides that she needs a vacation on the space station to get over him and do some sleuthing with a better connection.

Things on the station don't go as planned and Varro reveals himself at the first hint of Kee being in trouble and things just escalate from there in both the romance and the action. I'm not a big fan of the miscommunication trope but I enjoyed how Mihalik used it in this story. It made the romance even sweeter. I loved Varro and his grumpiness! Getting to know more about the different psychic abilities the Valoffs have was fascinating! And I loved getting to know more about his ability! One thing I do wish is that we got a bit more of both Kee and Varro's backstories beyond the vague hints we got in this book.

I adored so many things about this book! The action! The romance! The crew! The mystery and its twists! The tech! The fashion! This book grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat until I ran out of pages to read. Was this book perfect? No. Some of the miscommunication got a bit repetitive in my opinion but my enjoyment of the story as a whole made up for it.

I cannot wait for the next book! One, I need to know what happens next because HOLY COW! And two, THE NEXT BOOK IS LEXI'S ROMANCE! My body is ready! I have no idea how many books will be in this series but I am hoping this is going to more than a trilogy because I want to see some other crew mates ( *cough* Eli *cough*) get their happily ever afters as well! I'm totally on board with the polyamorous vibe that is going on. One thing is for sure, Jessie Mihalik is turning into my go to for sci-fi romance and has cemented her place on my auto-buy list.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley and this review was originally posted to the Goldilox and the Three Weres blog.

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tessa_b's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A key theme of this book is communication. For me the 'failure to communicate' trope can get old very fast especially if (as happens all too often) it has no logical foundation (other than the need to engineer plot tension). However, this book shows how to do it right. The misunderstandings between Kee and Varro are firmly grounded in their social & cultural backgrounds so never feel forced. All this makes for a lovely juicy 'learning to trust & communicate' plot that works in parallel with the main action plot.

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overflowingshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

CW: Violence; torture

After loving Hunt the Stars, I could not wait to read the next book in the series! Eclipse the Moon lived up to my expectations. I immediately got sucked into the story and stayed up until 3 am two days in a row so I could finish this – I couldn’t put it down!

Kee Ildez wants to get away from the crew on Starlight’s Shadow – and a certain Valovian who she has developed an unrequited crush on – and spend some time tracking down information on a group of traitors trying to start an intergalactic war between the Valovian Empire and Federated Human Planets. However, as she disembarks for what she hopes will be a quiet few weeks to nurse a broken heart on the space station Bastion, who shows up at her door but the very person she’s hoping to avoid – Varro Runkow. She vows to keep her feelings to herself as he rebuffs her flirting. Yet, when the two of them get tied up in a rescue mission away from the rest of their crew, they need to figure out how to work together fast to protect not only themselves but thousands of other innocent lives caught up in a broader plot to start a war.

I’m not usually the biggest grump/sunshine romance fan, but the romance in this worked perfectly! The romance between Varro and Kee gave me so many heart-squeezing emotions. There is a lot of mutual pining between Varro and Kee, though Varro keeps emotions tightly guarded, but I’m a sucker for mutual pining when the other doesn’t know. Kee has a very obvious crush on Varro and thinks her feelings aren’t returned, and, ugh, it just brings so much tension and a little bit of heartache, and I love it. The chemistry between these two was on fire! This was the perfect use of forced proximity to move the romance forward! You also get a bit of a bodyguard with Varro, so if you like heroes with a protective instinct, this one is for you. Seriously, this romance was everything I wanted and more.

When it comes to the characters, I adored Kee. Usually, with sunshine/grump tropes, I find the person who is a sunshine a bit grating, but not Kee. Yes, she has a bit of an optimistic, bubbly and friendly personality, but it wasn’t in your face. As the book is told from her POV, you get to know her and see her insecurities and fears – she has so much emotional depth. I loved watching her take charge on Bastion and afterward with leading the rescue mission. She’s not the strongest or the best fighter on the Starlight’s crew, but she brings her own valuable skills to the table with her hacking. Kee shows herself to be a leader and hero by doing whatever is necessary to protect those she loves and by stepping into harm’s way for others. I loved watching her journey to discover her own strength throughout the book.

While I adored this book, I would have liked a little bit more development of Varro. I still loved this man and his relationship with Kee, but by the end of the book, I didn’t feel like I knew him all that well. He’s a bit hard to get a read on, a bit purposefully given he has to hold his emotions tight to his chest to reign his insane mental powers. But he did feel a little flat, especially compared to Kee, who was so fleshed out. However, this didn’t bother me much while reading as I still really liked Varro, especially as a partner for Kee. The Valovians have some rigid rules regarding honor in their society, and I loved watching him try to wrestle with his Valovian customs while balancing Kee’s feelings. He’s a protector through and through and would do anything for Kee, but he struggles because he cannot always protect her.

Mihalik is one of my favorite writers of sci-fi romance! Mihalik perfectly balances world-building, action and romance to keep you deeply invested in the story and on the edge of your seat. Her plotting is superb as the story moves forward at the perfect pace. Her writing brings the story to life – I can perfectly visualize the intense action scenes and all the characters. I love how this book also advances the broader series story arc forward! You will definitely need to read Hunt the Stars to understand what is going on in this story. I cannot wait to see what happens next as the politics and plots are getting more complicated between the Valovians and FHP.

As I say every time I read a Jessie Mihalik book – I need more books like this in my life! Seriously, I live for these action-packed, space adventure romances, and I would like more of them to read. I’m anxiously awaiting book three in the Starlight’s Shadow series as I cannot wait to see where Mihalik will take the series next!

Thank you to Harper Voyager/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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