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The Blighted Stars

Written by:
Megan E. O'keefe
Narrated by:
Ciaran Saward

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
1
Narrator
1
Release Date
May 23, 2023
Duration
17 hours 49 minutes
Summary
Stranded on a dead planet with her mortal enemy, a spy must survive and uncover a conspiracy in the first book of an epic space opera trilogy by an award‑winning author.

She's a revolutionary. Humanity is running out of options. Habitable planets are being destroyed as quickly as they're found and Naira Sharp thinks she knows the reason why. The all-powerful Mercator family has been controlling the exploration of the universe for decades, and exploiting any materials they find along the way under the guise of helping humanity's expansion. But Naira knows the truth, and she plans to bring the whole family down from the inside.

He's the heir to the dynasty. Tarquin Mercator never wanted to run a galaxy-spanning business empire. He just wanted to study rocks and read books. But Tarquin's father has tasked him with monitoring the settlement of a new planet, and he doesn't really have a choice in the matter. 

Disguised as Tarquin's new bodyguard, Naira plans to destroy the settlement ship before they make land. But neither of them expects to end up stranded on a dead planet. To survive and keep her secret, Naira will have to join forces with the man she's sworn to hate. And together they will uncover a plot that's bigger than both of them.

For more from Megan E. O'Keefe, check out:

The Protectorate 
Velocity Weapon
Chaos Vector
Catalyst Gate 
Reviews
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Morgan H.

I'll admit, "stranded on a dead planet with her mortal enemy" was all the incentive I needed to give this book a shot. That, and Jaime Jones's cover art definitely didn't hurt. In all, this was a very entertaining Sci-fi/Space Opera à la Altered Carbon or Ghost in the Shell. It's very refreshing to read (or listen) to a story where the "strong female lead" isn't undermined by descriptions of her weight, build, or general looks. Naira Sharp is a badass along the lines of Sarah Connor or Ellen Ripley—a believably flawed character that you want to root for, who afforded scenes and abilities usually only reserved for male characters. Narrator Ciaran Saward nails the different voices and accents, elevating the story further. I wasn't sure about his choice for Naira's voice at first but it definitely grew on me. She's vaguely NJ tough guy? Whatever, it kind of works for the character, and it's miles better than had he decided to make a falsely effeminate, "girl voice" for her. I'll take Tony Soprano over Minnie Mouse.

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