How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Ada had no intention whatsoever to continue working for the rebel group that hired her to retrieve the government’s plans for a nanobot climate cleaner if they weren’t willing to pay her for it, but then they offer a different undercover mission to a charity gala where Rian will be in attendance.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

December 2024; DAW; 978-0756419486
audio, ebook, print (192 pages); space opera

How to Steal a Galaxy is book 2 in the Chaotic Orbits series. Like book 1 Full Speed to a Crash Landing, this is a novella. 

Even though it is short, there is still plenty of time spent on character development. As with the first book, the focus is on the characters. In order to achieve this in less than 200 pages, there is only really one setting and not a lot of world-building. However we do get more information about what it is like on Sol Earth (the earth we inhabit) and a little look at Riselle Earth - a planet that was settled after Sol Earth is destroyed to the point of being almost inhabitable. It is a wealthy planet.

Pretty much the entire story takes place at a futuristic Met Gala that is a fundraiser for Sol Earth. It is also the place where the new nanotechnology that is supposed to clean up Sol Earth is unveiled. This is the tech Ada was sent to salvage in Book 1. If you are into fashion, you'll love the descriptions of the clothes.

While you could probably read this book without reading book 1, it would be better if you read the first book. Book 2 picks up where Book 1 ends, but the only carryover characters are Ada and Rian. It is kind of sad because I loved all the characters in book 1.

We do see things heat up between Ada and Rian. I thought this book felt more like a romance and less like an adventure story. But that might be because a lot of pieces needed to be put into place for the finale. Will Sol Earth be saved or totally destroyed.

So this is still being billed as a trilogy, but there are plenty of pieces of this world and characters to explore that this could be a much longer series or a larger "universe" with shoot-off series.

If you are looking for a fun, quick read check out this book.

Buy How to Steal a Galaxy at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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