Thank you to quirk books for the opportunity to read rare and review this arc which is out July 11 2023

This is a YA SciFi murder mystery on a minor moon. Cass is a theif who’s plan is simple
1.) hitch a ride to the planet of Ouris, the heart of the empire.
2.) sneak into the imperial palace station to attend the ball
3.) rob the rich blind

But the empower is found dead and Cass must team up with a rebel because she’s been marked to take the fall.

I actually enjoyed this book. The past few ya arcs I’ve read were juvenile and I couldn’t stay in the story. This was lush with details adventure and a wee bit of romance.

Typical YA trope, poor girl must fight those in charge to get what she needs to support her family, smitten by a stranger who turns out to be royal. The best parts about this book were the royal was never a love interest, but the pretty rebel lady who tells her to run away whilst she’s stealing from the empires most rich? A true love story, if only there’d been at least a kiss. All in all, a general trope played out well, a short enjoyable read with an open ending

This was such a quick and fun space romp/heist turned murder mystery turned adventure! I'd honestly read a sequel if the author decided to write one.

Even though it deals with galactic nations at war and political intrigue, it's not too heavy and doesn't get bogged down by the themes. Even though I'm someone who prefers a more serious political sci-fi, I actually ending up liking this. It's like a breath of fresh air after reading books with dark and heavy themes.

While the villain was obvious to me from the start, and the ending was kind of rushed and strangely optimistic (my suspension of disbelief had to really crank up here), the characters are great and fun to know. We get to know Cass and her love interest really well, but I wish we could've learned more about Cass's family back on Sarn and the members of the Voyria. Maybe in a possible Book 2? 👀👀

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for this arc.

Thank you NetGalley and Quirk Books for allowing me to read a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All the views and opinions expressed are purely my own and not affiliated with any brand.

This was a fun book. If you like a murder mystery, you will like this book. It reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel or Four Dead Queens. Jessica Best creates a thrilling story full of twist and turns that keeps you guessing until the very end. If you like a thrill, you will like this book.

I loved it! I love all of Jessica Best's creations (check out her music and podcasts). I would describe this book as the cast of Les Miserables is trapped in a Hamlet retelling in space, where they're being framed for the death of King Hamlet and have to solve the murder to clear their names. It's a lot of fun. For fans of Winter's Orbit and Belle Revolte or anyone who likes mystery and politics in their SF.

4/5 stars! Well I love heist novels and I loved "Knives Out" so... I was ecstatic to read this book and it didn't disappoint. I think the mystery aspect was more prevalent than the heist angle, but I didn't mind this. And I enjoyed the LGBTQ+ representation in the story. I'm normally not super into science fiction but it worked well for the story. Cass was a total baddie! Would definitely read more by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily