Characters That Resemble the Vagueness of a Fortune Cookie- Reign Sci-Fi Romance Review

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Title: Reign
Series: Strands of Starfire #1
Author: May Sage
Page count: 388
Genre: sci-fi romance
Age rating: 18+
Spice: Open door
Published: February 27, 2018
Tropes: 
Trigger warnings: 

Reign by May Sage Mini Review

Reign by May Sage is a sci-fi romance with a stunning cover and excellent audiobook narration, but unfortunately, it left me disappointed. Nalini, the “not-Jedi” space wizard, would be flour if she were a spice, and her cyborg fated mate, Kai, is just as one-dimensional; his character has all the vagueness of a fortune cookie. I’d be more likely to root for two seagulls fighting over a french fry than root for their romance.

The infamous miscommunication trope drags on for most of the book; the characters only have an actual conversation until 80% of the book is over, and the plot struggles with jarring time jumps and disjointed POV shifts that make it difficult to follow.

Conclusion

While the world-building hints at intriguing possibilities, it feels surface-level, leaving much unexplored. Despite some great ideas and potential for a captivating series, the execution falls flat, resulting in one-dimensional characters, a choppy plot, and a story that ultimately doesn’t deliver.

Though the narration and some concepts show promise, Reign could have benefited from more focus on character development, pacing, and world-building. Sadly, it’s a missed opportunity for what could have been a stellar read.