Effective world-building? Check. Well-rounded, entertaining characters? Check. Entertaining space opera elements? Hot romance? Fast-paced adventure? Check, check, and check!
If you love stories told in first person by a mouthy, tough, and bold heroine who rebels against her family and society and yet remains true to her own sense of honor, you will enjoy every moment of Jessie Mihalik’s debut space adventure, Polaris Rising. Ada von Hasenberg comes from a powerful family, one of the ruling Houses of a Consortium that governs the galaxy. She has become a fugitive from the people who are both her family AND the government, favoring a life on the run to acting as a pawn in her family’s never-ending power struggle.
Ada is finally captured by her own House, and meets Loch, a fellow prisoner, who is known as the Devil of Fornax Zero. He has incredible charisma and an awe-inspiring physique and he is open to the idea of Ada and Loch collaborating to the desirable end of no longer being imprisoned on a ship owned by the manipulative von Hasenbergs.
There are escapes and captures and interplanetary travel and major chemistry between Loch and Ada.
And also? This is the first book in a planned series. I for one can’t wait for the next book in the Consortium Rebellion sequence.
Other sci-fi and fantasy adventures featuring fiery female protagonists include:
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
Prudence by Gail Carriger