Every now and then I will start reading a science fiction book, as a break from the thrillers that I tend to read the rest of the time and I am so glad I picked up this one!!

Nathalie is woken up too early from cryo-sleep, after putting her hand up to go on a mission to check out a distant planet that has pioneers living on it for the past 10 years. The pioneers have gone silent so someone needs to check on them. Everyone who has volunteered for this mission knows that they will probably never see Earth again, and there are a LOT of secrets amongst the crew. Nathalie is not the only one who is running away.....

There are lots of tense moments in this book and the author does a good job of building the tension until I wanted to just yell at the Kindle, hahaha.

The author leaves us with a bit of a thinker too.....what is real and what is not? Who can you trust and why do you trust and/or mistrust people? And the big one - what are we, right now, doing to our planet and will we end up causing so much damage that there is no coming back from it?

Lots of food for thought.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

I really enjoyed this book! Nathalie is a starship pilot, but when the cryo-tanks she and the crew of her ship are sabotaged, she unexpectedly becomes the ship's commander and has to solve mysteries both on the ship and at the colony on the planet they have been sent to assist. While dealing with events as they unfold on the ship and at the surface, a very complicated political backstory emerges. Just about everyone on the ship is a refugee from political conflicts between Earth countries and the space stations orbiting Earth, where the very wealthy live. The ship, and the colony on the planet are from the former USA and allies, but the actual ship technology is from the former China. There is a small Chinese contingent both on the ship and on the surface, who fall under great suspicion, in no small part due to the technology they have hardwired into their brains to communicate with their computers. The former USA is now a Christian theocracy, which disallows the brain implants, making the Chinese contingent indispensable. Something has gone terribly wrong at the colony, and it's a complex, intriguing tale to get the bottom of it. This isn't a horror story, the conflicts are man-made. The characters are quite well developed, and interact in plausible and relatable ways. Overall a great, serious, imaginative, and carefully thought out story. Highly recommend!

This book reads like a white person's reverse racism fever dream and was basically just an "examination" of a world where white people are oppressed and set in space so that we could get away with calling it ~sci fi~

Not for me, but thanks for the opportunity to ARC read.

At some time in the not too distant future, the Earth is in crisis. Climate change has led to cataclysmic flooding, drought, hunger, and mass migrations, and a plague has killed two billion people.

In the chaos, China led the recovery and took the economic and technological lead, and the New American Union (Union) - which has become more Christian than ever - is struggling to catch up. In this climate, the Union is trying to establish Christian colonies on distant planets. To do this, the Union has to 'lease' Chinese interstellar ships, which are controlled by Chinese engineers. The Chinese engineers have sole access to the ships' engines and inner workings, to make sure no one steals China's technological secrets.

The Union's first space settlers were sent to establish a colony called Bethesda, which is 35 years away in space-travel time. For the first ten years, things were going well on Bethesda, with messages going back and forth between Earth and the 5,000 people on the distant colony.

The apparent success of Bethesda led to additional colony ships being launched; a ship named Gabriel was headed to join Bethesda, and other ships were sent to different planets. Before the additional ships arrived at their destinations, Bethesda went silent. The residents stopped sending messages to Earth and no one knows why. Thus the passengers on Gabriel and the other colony ships - which have now arrived at their destinations - are being kept asleep in cryo-chambers until the situation on Bethesda is resolved.

Now a rescue ship called The Samaritan has been launched to Bethesda, with Union AND international (Russian, Kenyan, Canadian) personnel. There are doctors, nurses, scientists, security experts, and so on. The Samaritan's purpose is to find out what happened on Bethesda, and to make sure the space colony is safe for more residents. As always, The Samaritan's engineers are Chinese, and they will have sole access to the 'secret' parts of the ship.

One of the passengers on The Samaritan is a Canadian space pilot named Nathalie Hart, who's second-in-command. Nathalie is running away from a scandal on Earth and mourning the death of her sister and baby niece from a serious illness.

While The Samaritan is en route to Bethesda a fire breaks out among the cryo-chambers, and several passengers, including Nathalie, are automatically awoken. The fire is put out, but the Captain and several other passengers perish. This makes Nathalie the new Commander of The Samaritan. When Nathalie climbs back into her cryo-chamber to resume the trip to Bethesda, she sees the word 'Sabotage' (in Russian) written inside her pod.

As the story unfolds, there are flashbacks to Earth, showing what happened before The Samaritan departed. These scenes demonstrate the after-effects of the plague; the continuing medical problems on the planet; the segregation of Earth's populations into the super-rich (mostly Chinese) elite who live in sky high orbitals, and the struggling masses down below; the unrest among the economically deprived; and more. We also learn what induced Nathalie to take a job on a colony ship that wouldn't return to Earth for at least 70 years.

When The Samaritan finally arrives at Bethesda, everyone wakes up, and messages and news reports from Earth - which have taken years to reach the spaceship - report increasingly cold relations between China and the Union. This causes friction among personnel on The Samaritan, and divisive factions form. Meanwhile, Nathalie dispatches medical, scientific, and security teams to the planet surface, to figure out what happened to the original colonists.

Nathalie has a hard time as the new Commander because she lacks experience and confidence, and other crew members don't necessarily trust her to do the job. In addition, almost everyone aboard The Samaritan is keeping secrets, and there's an underlying agenda that Nathalie knew nothing about. This leads to plenty of action and adventure, and some interesting technological jibber-jabber.

I enjoy a good space opera, and I found the first two-thirds of the book compelling (if a bit derivative of other sci-fi stories). However, the last part of the novel stretched credulity too much for my taste. In any case, I appreciate the author's intentions, which is to tell the story of a person trying to do her best in a difficult situation, and to demonstrate the negative aspects of prejudice and discrimination.

The book has a helpful glossary at the end, for techno-terms and some Chinese dialogue.

This is the first book of a planned series, and I'd be curious to see what happens next.

Thanks to Netgalley, M.V. Melcer, and Storm Publishing for a copy of the book.

I never read anything by this author and will surely read the next as it's tightly knitted, fast paced and entertaining.
The world building is well done, the characters fleshed out and it kept my attention till the end.
Can't wait to read the next
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Refractions is well-paced, carefully-structured and peopled with characters who must confront the flawed choices they’ve made in the past as they try to work out what the greater good looks like. No pressure, folks, just 5000 lives and possibly the future of humanity. It’s immediately immersive, giving us key context without infodumping as Melcer adopts two timelines that meet in the middle before focusing on the consequences when the rescue mission reaches Bethesda. I appreciated the relentless focus on the psychological toll and the little interactions that illuminated the characters and their past and present relationships. Everybody aboard Samaritan has secrets to keep and reasons to hate - the question is whether they can put that aside to do the right thing.

Melcer keeps the pot simmering nicely until the two-thirds mark when secrets are finally unveiled and the plot pivots to explosive action. The final act focuses on loyalty and moral dilemmas, with punchy observations as relevant to us as to the story in hand. The result is a gripping tale with bags of tension and enough twists and turns to keep me enthralled. I freely admit I raced to the finish and while Refractions stands alone, I understand a sequel is in the works that I am already looking forward to with anticipation.

Loved this book. As soon as it ended I was looking for any information on when the next book may be available.

It starts as a standard space mystery. It turns into a discussion of race vs.power/class distinctions that is well worth discussing in all time periods. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and am looking forward to the next book.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

A thrilling space tale with mystery, and thought provoking themes. It took a bit for me to feel engaged in the story but the ending was well worth it.

This was a great Science Fiction story getting closer to reality! The usual protagonists reacting to each other in the future. A great cast of characters who were brought to life very convincingly. Lots of action and tension and an excellent conclusion.

Release November 16.

A complex feminist deeply characterized Science Fiction novel, at its heart REFRACTIONS (first in a series) is the tale of a woman so guilt-ridden due to her well-intentioned, obsession-impelled, actions on Earth, she literally "escapes" this planet on a decades-long journey into Space. Nathalie Hart is a virtually "last-minute" choice as pilot on a "rescue ship," sent on a 43-year journey to Bethesda, Humanity's only colonized exoplanet, after communications (with a 6-year lag between Bethesda and Earth) have gone dark.

The novel impacts immediately with a progression of heartbreaking and terrifying events, hooking the reader and evoking the high level of suspense and near-constant tension which rules throughout. The author, in addition to peeling away the layers of her characters and exposing their cores, also unpacks geopolitics, the rigors of space travel, and multiple layered conspiracies sufficient to drive a mentally stable person straight into the embrace of rampant paranoia!

It’s been some time since I’ve read a sci-fi book, and this was a lot of fun!

📚 I really enjoy non-linear stories, and it was so great to hop timelines to find out what motivates Nathalie, and how it impacts the narrative, while we explore the mystery of what happened on Bethesda, billed as humanity’s first extra-solar colony and home to a thriving population of adults and children. 🕵🏻‍♀️

🌌 The futuristic world with a mix of cultures (and especially the use of Chinese) reminded me of Firefly, while the system malfunctions and getting pulled out of crypto-sleep early reminded me of Passengers. But that was where the similarities ended. This book was such a great mix of an exciting mystery, a thrilling adventure, and an examination of what motivates us. 💖

Thank you @mvmelcer and @letstalkbookspromo for my digital copy. My thoughts are my own.

Science fiction is not my typical genre but the synopsis of this one piqued my curiosity, so I decided to delve into the world of space fiction this week!

Pilot Nathalie Hart is second in command on a spaceship headed for the distant colony of Bethesda. Her mission is to determine why the colony has stopped sending transmissions to Earth. Could there have been a pandemic?

Nathalie wakes up from a cryogenic sleep to discover that the ship’s captain has been murdered, and she is now in charge. Along with not knowing who she can trust, Nathalie must deal with a spaceship that is inhabited by different factions who all seem to have their own agendas. As Nathalie’s spaceship arrives at the distant settlement, Nathalie and her crew discover a baffling mystery, with consequences far worse than anything the crew had speculated! Soon Nathalie is involved in a fight for survival, not only for herself, but for thousands of crew members and colonists.

This suspenseful story takes place at least 2 centuries in the future. It is told in alternating timelines and through Nathalie’s perspective as she battles with guilt over choices she has made, regret for the past, and insecurity about being in charge.

The author spins a compelling tale with well fleshed out characters and complex themes of politics, trust, regret, emotional turmoil, and survival. Not being an avid sci-fi reader, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to follow the action with limited technical terms. (A glossary is provided, just in case!) The suspense builds to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion. This one is definitely a page-turner!

A gripping space exploration novel with a stark warning and a heart of steel!

A slow beginning builds up steam as Nathalie and her crew face dangerous complications and even more volatile personal conflicts. I appreciated the interesting character dynamics paired with the diabolical science conundrums. Nathalie is a complex character with ghosts in her closet and a laudable sense of both self preservation and willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. Really well done!

Thank you to Let’s Talk Books, NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

Refractions was a book that I did not enjoy because of how confusing it got for me and for me the plot was hard to follow. I am sure that other sci fi fans would love this book but not me. The cover is amazing and I was really excited to read this. I would still suggest this book to other sci fans because they could enjoy it a lot better then I did. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this book in exchange of my honest review.

A compelling read! This book starts fast and never lets up. A science fiction mystery with a great main character, and so many levels of political and social intrigue and suspense that it's hard to put it down. I particularly love how the narrative swaps between the present day and the recent past, giving me just enough background to keep surging forward while understanding what's driving Nathalie, the protagonist. And just as in real life, nothing here is black-or-white, but instead comes in shades of gray. A great book for people who like intricate plotting and high-stakes intrigue in their space-faring science fiction.

Part mystery, part science fiction, all compelling, Refractions follows Nathalie Hart, an orbital pilot running from her past by joining a crew traveling to find out why Earth's first faraway colony has stopped communicating. Political divisions, secrets, and lies all divide the crew of the ship Nathalie finds herself commanding when an emergency occurs long before they reach the colony, Bethesda.

The story itself is fascinating with quite a few turns along the way, but the real draw is the underlying terror - many lives depend on this group of misfits getting along and finding answers to the mystery. The very end pulls together the emotional threads as well and leaves the reader wondering if one could make the right decisions in the same situation.

Murder mystery in Space with political overtones. I love the choices that Nathalie made. The ending raised it from a 3 to a 4 star for me.

I really enjoyed this Space Opera, it had so much going on, politics/intergalactic-travel/mystery/rescue mission/cryo-sleep/brain-computer interfaces/etc., but it was never too much. Also, it kept me continuously engaged, there was never a point where I felt like the story let up, definitely a page turner for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

The colony of Bethesda has fallen silent, and with 5,000 more colonists on route, answers are needed.
Nathalie Hart has joined a rescue mission that will take her across the galaxy, away from everyone she knows, and hopefully away from her past. With sabotage, secrets, and the predjudicea they brought with themz Nathalie must figure out who to trust to make sure her mission succeeds.

This novel by M V Melcer was a compelling story in the vastness of space. Examinijg the things that bring us together, and the things that drive us apart. The characters were interesting, a messy combination of flaws, strengths, and motivations. I enjoyed the science aspects, with detail enough to paint this future in colour without going so far as to be a dry technical run down.

I would absolutely recommend picking this up, especially if you enjoy character driven speculative fiction.

Refractions follows Nathalie Hart, a space pilot who volunteers to join a long space mission in order to escape her past guilt and mistakes. The book is split into two time periods, one in the past where we go through understanding why Natalie took the job and what she's trying to escape, and the other is the present where she has been woken early our of cryo-sleep along with a few other members of the crew to discover the captain of the mission dead and chaos breaking out, now forced into commend Natalie must take charge of the situation and the mission and when 'sabotage' is written on her cryo-pod she is thrown into a whole mystery of secrets and deceit. Now she must learn who to trust, uncover the truth of the mission and hope to save the thousands of lives that have now been thrown into her hands.

Overall I enjoyed this read, there wasn't too much jargon so it was easy to follow. The story was mostly a mystery in space which had some interesting characters thrown together. The main character I found likable and relatable, she was well developed. It was definitely one I didn't want to put down and wanted to keep going to found out what was going and why. I liked the mystery element and the fact that it was never obvious who the bad guys really were until it was all revealed.

If your a fan of space opera, science fiction or even a good mystery I think you will like this one.
I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next in the series.