Review: How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis

How to Steal a Galaxy (Chaotic Orbits #2)
by Beth Revis

My Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f

Blurb:
Sparks fly when Ada and Rian just-so-happen to find themselves at the same charity gala—but there’s something rotten behind the sparkling gowns and dazzling wealth on display

This heist turned rom-com from New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis is perfect for fans of sexy, romantic science fiction and readers of Martha Wells and Becky Chambers

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 perk: an undercover mission to a charity gala where Rian will be in attendance. Rian, meanwhile, has volunteered his services for the gala believing that the rare items up for auction will attract Ada’s eye. Hoping to catch her in the act and pin her with a punishable crime, Rian has no idea Ada’s really after.

In a high-stakes game of theft and deception, Ada plays to win…and Rian will do anything to stop her.

My Review

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I liked book in this series and was excited to continue the series. Unfortunately I enjoyed book 2 less than the first one. And despite it being a quick read I was bored at times and the book didn’t really hook me. Where book 1 took place in space this one mostly takes place in the span of a few hours in a museum. Ada is there to steal something and Rian is there to stop her. And as the reader we don’t know what Ada’s plan are either.

I didn’t really care for the museum setting or the whole atmosphere of this book, I missed the space setting of book 1. I also thought the whole plot with Ada planning something and the reader not knowing what worked better in book 1, here it just felt like a lot of build up and tension and it not really going anywhere. The ending was a bit of a let down and this book just mostly felt like a way to cross from book 1 to 3 and it just didn’t really keep my attention.

I also felt this one was a bit of a clash with my previous read, a very sweet contemporary romance with characters who actually communicate and then How to Steal a Galaxy book had all this hinting and being subtle and pushy without actually talking. I also didn’t like Ada as much in this one, although I do think she’s an interesting character.

What I did like was seeing how the plot of this book builds upon the plot of the first book with what Ada did in book 1 continuing with this new mission. I also thought the part about saving Earth was interesting. And how Ada pretends to be tough and only care about money, but she definitely cares about Earth. There was some interesting backstory that comes to light that adds to Ada’s character. I liked how different Rian and Ada are, but I felt this book had less opportunities for them to connect. I am curious what book 3 will bring and do plan to finish the series.

To summarize: While I enjoyed the first book, I didn’t enjoy this sequel as much. The plot was less interesting and I felt like there was a lot of build-up and waiting till the end to finally find out what it all was about and then the ending felt a bit anticlimactic as well. I also thought the museum setting was less interesting than the space setting from book 1. I struggled a bit with Ada in this book and there isn’t as much romance and opportunities for them to connect. I did like seeing how the plot builds on from book 1 and there are some interesting bits of Ada’s backstory that come to light. I do plan to finish the series and am curious how book 3 wraps things up.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.