Book Reviews: Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

 

The treaty falling apart is an anvil dangling overhead, threatening to crush Jainan and Kiem beneath it. Kiem is swept into responsibility he long since accepted he wasn't suited for, and Jainan puts ever more pressure on himself to be perfect. The cracks are apparent for both, but it is in the cracks that they find how well they fit, both as a pair and as partners working side by side. The story takes these two characters that are lost and allows them to find refuge and solace with each other. It is devastatingly obvious that Jainan has gone through the wringer long before we are given actual glimpses of the abuse Jainan suffered at the hands of Taam. It is evident in his reflexive apologies, in the way he constantly perceives everything from the stance of "I caused this." The sparsity of his belongings and the utter shock he has with Kiem's gentler, warmer demeanor. Maxwell captures his trauma with honesty and sincerity as he embarks on a journey of healing. 

In my eyes, the only significant way that Kiem has changed involves his drinking. Every other "wild" incident can either be chalked up to his youth (pranks with his friends), betrayal (those same friends turning around and selling the stories to the tabloids) and being held up to a mirror that could never accurately represent him. Kiem is charismatic and kind, he is diplomatic and skilled at spinning a story. More, he isn't so proud as to allow his "wild" reputation to ruin his life.

From the start, Jainan and Kiem's relationship is fraught with misunderstandings. They each deeply want to make the other one comfortable and to foster a certain closeness, but due to early misunderstandings, they zig when they should have zagged. Kiem enters the marriage believing that Jainan had the perfect marriage to the perfect partner and he would forever be inadequate. Jainan entered the marriage expecting to fall into similar roles as his marriage with Taam, roles where Jainan is repressed and isolated and always unwanted whereas Kiem would have all the power. Everina Maxwell laid the groundwork for Jainan's abuse revelations with heartbreaking precision. Many threads are tied in that Maxwell previously wove throughout the beginning stages of Jainan and Kiem's relationship. Jainan being from a planet with a radically different climate yet possessing far greater defensive and offensive abilities than Kiem came into play, as did their misunderstandings and tender moments. The action elements were what truly solidified Jainan and Kiem as a couple, and without them, Winter's Orbit would be lesser.