Persephone Station feels like the right mix of gritty space opera, crime syndicates, a dangerous planet, and secrets that can only be revealed by characters willing to risk their lives. I found the protagonists unique, both in their motivations and in their histories. These aren’t your run of the mill space travelers, but a ragtag group of ex-soldiers, criminals, and at least one member who is not at all who they seem to be. The action was fast-paced, the world well-drawn, and the plot easy to follow. All in all, it’s exactly what I look for in a space opera.

There are a lot of elements here, pulled in from various subgeneres to piece together what I felt was an exciting and unique story. You have a few spy-meets-mystery elements, complete with clandestine missions and assassinations. You have a societal drama playing out on a city-wide stage where nobody can be trusted. You have everything that makes a good space opera thrown in the mix, alongside a long human history of planetary expansion and a native race who is fascinating, to say the least. We get some AI drama mixed in with a bit of science for good measure. All of it works well together and kept me hooked. 

Underlying everything is a humor I didn’t expect, thanks to the author’s character choices and the harried situations everyone finds themselves in. These characters are used to getting into scrapes and they react to the most intense battles with a laid back, just another day attitude. There’s definitely plenty of serious moments and tragedies to be overcome, but the characters navigate it with mixed emotions, making it feel all the more real.

Persephone Station

By Stina Leicht
Published by Saga Press

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Genre: Science Fiction
Subgenre: Space Opera

This book was provided to me by NetGalley as an ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.