Book Review| The Principle of Moments

6066: In Emperor Thracin’s brave new galaxy, humans are not citizens but indentured labourers, working to repay the debt they unwittingly incurred when they settled on Gahraan – a desert planet already owned by the emperor himself. Asha Akindele knows she’s just another voiceless cog working the assembly lines that fuel his vast imperial war machine. Her only rebellion: studying stolen aeronautics manuals in the dead of night. But then a cloaked stranger arrives to deliver an impossible message, and her life changes in an instant.

1812: Obi Amadi is done with time-travelling. Never mind the fact he doesn’t know how to cure himself of the temporal sickness he caught whilst anchoring his soul to Regency London, the one that unmakes him further with every jump. Or if the prince he loves will ever love him back. Or why his father disappeared. He is done. Until he hears about the ghost of a girl in the British Museum. A girl from another time.

When Obi’s path tangles with Asha’s and a prophecy awakens in the cold darkness of space, they must voyage through the stars, racing against time, tyranny, and the legacy of three heroes from an ancient religion who may be awakening, reincarnated in ways beyond comprehension. A love letter to Black readers of science-fantasy, The Principle of Moments is a symphonic, centuries-spanning adventure – unmissable for fans of the spacefaring found family of Becky Chambers, the alternate London of V. E. Schwab, and the virtuosic climate-craft of N. K. Jemisin.

Waterstones

Huge thank you to Orion and NetGalley for the eARC copy of The Principle of Moments.

I have been excitedly waiting for this book ever since I first saw it. A space-opera with time travel and magic, I just knew I was going to love this novel! I’m so glad to share that I absolutely did. From the first page to the last I was fully caught up in this breath-taking story.

The novel is set in two very distinct times, an industrial planet in the future where humans are indentured servants working in factories, and 1800s Regency London. This dual setting is perfect, both are different enough to be separate, but have similarities to each other and to present day. The setting is a different world, but one with enough in common with ours to make the narrative relatable.

This novel is brilliant, and is packed with so much love for the genre. You can tell that the author loves science fiction, and it really is a love letter. The writing is lyrical yet brief, never becoming tiring to read. The action is well-written and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page!

I loved the characters in this novel. Asha and Obi are perfect together, and have the most amazing sibling energy which. We also get some queer romance sprinkled through too, which is always a big plus in my book!

Overall I really enjoyed this brand new sci-fi novel and I can’t wait for the next one in the series. The Principle of Moments is an excellent novel, perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin!

Huge thank you again to Orion and NetGalley for the eARC copy of the novel.

Buy The Principle of Moments from Waterstones or Bookshop.org (*both affiliate links*)

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