“I am the blaze in the flame. I am the calm in the storm. I am the force behind the machine. The choice is mine. Fear has no power over me.”
Amber Toro is shooting for the stars in Parallax, and you better believe she is not going to miss. This second instalment in the astronomically epic Sentient Stars series somehow goes bigger and gets more intimate all at once, and it’s got a dangerously addictive level of tension that will just have you blazing through the pages.
Even though Parallax picks up roughly six months after the bittersweet event at the end of Umbra, it took me just about one page to feel completely reimmersed in this world and reinvested in the characters. I mean, we start off with one of the most heart pounding and heart wrenching first chapters I have probably ever read, which just perfectly set the tone and instantly had me locked in for all the chaos to come.
Now, whereas Freyja was easily my favourite character in Umbra, I genuinely loved all three perspectives qually here (just don’t tell Freyja that, okay?). Whether it was Skyla’s deadly adventure (together with the goodest boy Fenrir) on a distant planet on the hunt for answers about her father, Hinata’s desperate attempts to lead his people in the war against a diabolical opponent refusing to play by the rules, or Freyja’s mission to uncovering the origin of the mysterious signal that could lead them to the root of the chaos tearing their entire universe apart; I was truly captivated by it all, and I loved how Toro effortlessly switched back and forth between them all to keep up the pacing and create that utterly addictive ‘just one more chapter’ quality.
To me, the earned character growth for each of these three powerhouses was so compelling and strong that the side characters almost started to pale in comparison (okay except for Kylian and Tristan, where do I sign up for their spin-off?!), but I honestly didn’t even mind that too much. Moreover, I loved the tentative yet strong development of the many complex interpersonal relationships that lie at the heart of this story, be they romantic, antagonistic, platonic, familial or something altogether more complicated in between it all. Honestly, forget the exhilarating space battles, it’s the battles of wits and wills between these headstrong characters and the wars that they are waging in their own minds that kept me glued to the page the most.
And ooooh baby, does Toro know how to write a good will-they-won’t-they slooooow-burn romance full of angst, denial, sexual tension, mutual pining, and so much burning passion! Each of these characters is caught in a crossfire between their heads and their hearts, torn between duty and desire, and I was honestly living for the emotional turmoil of it all. And yes, I often wanted to strangle them for their frustrating actions (especially looking at you, Freyja, my guy Kylian deserves better), but the character work is simply so strong that I can’t even blame them because I totally understood their reasoning and motivations. Also, I really appreciate that these characters are not afraid to call each other out on their bullshit; the dangerously sharp dialogue and snarky banter is just to die for!
Now, I will fully admit that I am personally more here for the character journeys rather than the whole space civil war, but I honestly love that way that Toro managed to make me care by doing such a phenomenal job of balancing and interweaving all the internal/interpersonal conflicts with the external conflicts. Sure, some of the more sciencey aspects and the intricate political scheming might go over my head a bit sometimes, but I really appreciated that the plot progression and worldbuilding never suffered for the increased focus on the characters’ journeys. We get to spend so much time exploring new environments, uncovering more lore about Earth That Was, and diving even deeper into the special bond between AI starship and captain (Pele and Tentei have my heart) together with these characters, and all the twists, turns, and revelations had me going “OH SHIT!!” more times than I can count.
Ultimately, there just wasn’t a single dull moment in this book for me, and I honestly think Parallax is everything you could wish for in a strong and satisfying sequel. There were so many memorable moments that had my heart in my throat, and I am not ashamed to admit that I devoured this book in just two days. The Sentient Stars series is quickly shaping up to become one of my favourite fast-paced yet character-driven space opera adventures, and the ominously enticing ending left me desperate for the next instalment already.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Parallax is scheduled for release on May 20th, 2025.
