ARC Review: Umbra: Sentient Stars (Sentient Stars Trilogy, Book 1)

This book was provided to me by author Amber Toro in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacts the rating of the book. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions.

Title: Umbra	Author: Amber Toro
Series: Sentient Stars Trilogy	Genre: Sci-fi Opera, Romance
Publisher: Independently Published	Page Count: 356

Content Warnings:

• Graphic: 

• Moderate: death, gore, murder

• Minor: war

Earth That Was has faded into myth. After millenia spent wandering, humans are no longer nomads. Twelve tribes stand allied under the United Tribal Axis; but there is a signal in the darkness that threatens to destroy everything. All Skyla wanted after leaving the Navy was to be left alone. Just her ship, the stars, and a new adventure. But when a strange virus disables her ship, she is thrown into the middle of a conflict she doesn’t understand, forcing her to take on responsibilities she swore she never would again. Hinata always followed the rules, honor above all else. He always won, until he didn’t. Sentenced to exile for his failures, he is determined to prove himself, until a mysterious woman arrives on his station and chaos threatens to break already fragile alliances. Freyja was always angry, an outcast, playing the part of admiral and black ops operative. But she is tired of being a pawn in the Empress’ games and when she’s stranded on the wrong side of enemy lines after a vengeful battle, she’s forced to ally with her adversaries to clear her name. A Rogue. A Commander. And an Admiral. Brought together by circumstance, held together by duty. Can they find a way to work together to save humanity?

★★★★★ — obsessed
🔥🔥 — smoldering

Reading Umbra: Sentient Stars was like diving into the depths of The Expanse, with its rich political intrigue and the vastness of human expansion in space. It intrigued me with an unknown alien signal and the various factions of Earth That Was competing for control of known space. It also reminded me of Battlestar Galactica due to the sentient starships and strong military influence, and the battle scenes were reminiscent of Star Wars.

I was particularly hooked by the slow burn relationship between Skyla and Hinata. The way their trust and understanding for each other evolved in volatile situations, as well as their bonding over a common enemy, was simply delicious to me.

One aspect of the book that deeply intrigued me was learning about Freyja’s backstory and how she played such an important role in the overarching story.

In my opinion, this is truly a stunning piece of science fiction. I am eagerly waiting to see where the author will take the story in the next installment. It has rekindled my love for the science fiction genre, a feeling I've been missing for years. I look forward with great anticipation to the author's future works.