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Spark and Tether
Working odd jobs across the Outer Ring gets a little lonely sometimes—not everyone loves having a synchronist with supraliminal perception around. But all Sacheri wants, he tells himself, is to wander the stars.
Then he takes a salvage run to an abandoned moon where he meets the wry, reserved, strictly-by-the-rules archivist Jin. Mesmerized by their confidence and charm, Sacheri can’t resist showing off his abilities–and instead of the damaged ai he was tracking, he stumbles onto a signal left by a synchronist who went missing decades earlier.
Sacheri knows from previous experience that pursuing the truth—never mind justice—could destroy everything he loves. He would defy his employers, the institution responsible for the myconeural networks that make him a synchronist, and the leadership of several worlds.
And it would complicate his new, passionate, and impossibly sweet relationship with Jin. They might be the best thing that’s ever happened to him, but they work for the very entities that ended Sacheri’s last investigation.
He knows better than to risk it.
But he’s never been able to turn away from someone in need, and there’s a voice in the void calling for aid…
Then he takes a salvage run to an abandoned moon where he meets the wry, reserved, strictly-by-the-rules archivist Jin. Mesmerized by their confidence and charm, Sacheri can’t resist showing off his abilities–and instead of the damaged ai he was tracking, he stumbles onto a signal left by a synchronist who went missing decades earlier.
Sacheri knows from previous experience that pursuing the truth—never mind justice—could destroy everything he loves. He would defy his employers, the institution responsible for the myconeural networks that make him a synchronist, and the leadership of several worlds.
And it would complicate his new, passionate, and impossibly sweet relationship with Jin. They might be the best thing that’s ever happened to him, but they work for the very entities that ended Sacheri’s last investigation.
He knows better than to risk it.
But he’s never been able to turn away from someone in need, and there’s a voice in the void calling for aid…
376 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 19, 2024
8 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 6, 2024
Spark and Tether is a sci fi novel set in space, where humanity has been developing the Outer Ring for a significant period of time. Sacheri, the main character, is a Synchronist. He has been enhanced to have a power that allows him to connect with people and their emotions, and all forms of life, including machinery and fai (friendly ai), as well as regulate his own body. Sacheri is a little chaotic and a little lost in life until he meets Jin while doing a job to search a dead moon for signs of life. Jin is a brilliant, reserved, NB archivist (idk why but that is the hottest profession possible) and Sacheri falls immediately. But, while the two are beginning to build their life together, a mystery is building as well, one that connects to the answers Sacheri has been hunting after his entire life. What follows is exciting, heartbreaking, and shocking, interspersed with some of the cutest scenes of these two trying to seek out their little corner of existence in the vastness of space.
Spark and Tether, to me, is perfect sci fi: I was confused as all heck trying to figure out the world, but once I started to piece it together I became obsessed. Interwoven in the story are the reflections on society, corporations, and discrimination that the genre is the perfect tool to explore. But at its heart, this is still a story about humanity, about people trying to find a way to live that is good and right in the midst of a world that they have, ultimately, limited control over. It succeeds through realistic, loveable characters and a vast, intriguing world while perfectly balancing the two. There are little touches, like the cultures of the varying worlds and the foods that reflect it, and the banter between friends, that make the story feel very grounded while you explore the mystery Sacheri is hunting, and desperately hope he and his archivist will make it through together.
This is a must read for any fan of the genre, especially if you need that queer rep and an honest love story to have a fresh take on it. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I joined Paradis in yelling at Sacheri, and I swooned for Jin too.
(This is an ARC review)
Spark and Tether, to me, is perfect sci fi: I was confused as all heck trying to figure out the world, but once I started to piece it together I became obsessed. Interwoven in the story are the reflections on society, corporations, and discrimination that the genre is the perfect tool to explore. But at its heart, this is still a story about humanity, about people trying to find a way to live that is good and right in the midst of a world that they have, ultimately, limited control over. It succeeds through realistic, loveable characters and a vast, intriguing world while perfectly balancing the two. There are little touches, like the cultures of the varying worlds and the foods that reflect it, and the banter between friends, that make the story feel very grounded while you explore the mystery Sacheri is hunting, and desperately hope he and his archivist will make it through together.
This is a must read for any fan of the genre, especially if you need that queer rep and an honest love story to have a fresh take on it. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I joined Paradis in yelling at Sacheri, and I swooned for Jin too.
(This is an ARC review)
February 8, 2024
This is just a really, really lovely book. I found myself fascinated by the unique, well-drawn worldbuilding and caught up in the mystery that slowly got unraveled across the course of the book. Atmospheres and environments felt immersive, and I thought the prose was fluid and flowed very well; descriptive, but graceful enough to avoid being too much. There was a good balance of action, exposition, plot, and exploration of relationships. (Platonic as well as romantic; I’ll come back to that.)
I loved that the main romantic pairing experienced very serious adversity (that isn’t really a spoiler; it’s obvious in the prologue) without either of them being villainized. Yes, they did make mistakes, but ones that I found totally understandable in the circumstances they were facing. It made it so much easier to cheer for them to find their way back to each other, and by the end of the book I was racing along because I wanted to know how things would turn out for them. Plot threads were tied up in a satisfying way—no unexpected cliffhangers here!—but I am still excited to see where the series goes in the future. This universe offers so much potential for exploration.
Finally, as someone who is asexual and probably also somewhere on the aromantic spectrum, I really loved that one main character had a long-term, profoundly important platonic relationship that was given almost as much weight as the romance was. Fantastic book all around.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
I loved that the main romantic pairing experienced very serious adversity (that isn’t really a spoiler; it’s obvious in the prologue) without either of them being villainized. Yes, they did make mistakes, but ones that I found totally understandable in the circumstances they were facing. It made it so much easier to cheer for them to find their way back to each other, and by the end of the book I was racing along because I wanted to know how things would turn out for them. Plot threads were tied up in a satisfying way—no unexpected cliffhangers here!—but I am still excited to see where the series goes in the future. This universe offers so much potential for exploration.
Finally, as someone who is asexual and probably also somewhere on the aromantic spectrum, I really loved that one main character had a long-term, profoundly important platonic relationship that was given almost as much weight as the romance was. Fantastic book all around.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
January 19, 2024
From the very start of the book you are immersed in sci-fi world full of well written characters, banter, secrets, intrigue and hope.
We are taking through a journey with Sacheri, who is a Synchronist, from going onto a normal job and meeting Jin to being injured and finding secrets that people in high up places have been hiding.
I feel that Jin and Sacheri were so good together. They were great LGBTQ+ representation. I fell in love with them.
The ending of the book was what I hoped it would be. No loose ends and a happy ending.
We are taking through a journey with Sacheri, who is a Synchronist, from going onto a normal job and meeting Jin to being injured and finding secrets that people in high up places have been hiding.
I feel that Jin and Sacheri were so good together. They were great LGBTQ+ representation. I fell in love with them.
The ending of the book was what I hoped it would be. No loose ends and a happy ending.
October 9, 2024
Part of me wants to give this a one star rating. I found a lot of the world building/futuristic tech to be impenetrable. The reader is mostly thrown in the deep end with minimal explanations. Maybe I'm just too stupid for this book but the confusion about what was happening at any given moment definitely alienated me as a reader.
I also had problems with the nonbinary love interest. I applaud the author for having a nonbinary love interest but they went so far out of their way to not give any gendered descriptions or signifiers that it became hard to picture the character at all. More confusingly, there are plenty of male and female characters but everyone, upon seeing the nonbinary character (even as the walk by in the background of a video screen) automatically knows the correct pronouns to use. I would have loved to have that described better, what nonbinary presenting resembles in this future. I'm sure the author had a very clear picture in their head, but it doesn't quite make it to the page, which is exactly the problem with much of the tech and world building.
I also had problems with the nonbinary love interest. I applaud the author for having a nonbinary love interest but they went so far out of their way to not give any gendered descriptions or signifiers that it became hard to picture the character at all. More confusingly, there are plenty of male and female characters but everyone, upon seeing the nonbinary character (even as the walk by in the background of a video screen) automatically knows the correct pronouns to use. I would have loved to have that described better, what nonbinary presenting resembles in this future. I'm sure the author had a very clear picture in their head, but it doesn't quite make it to the page, which is exactly the problem with much of the tech and world building.
April 17, 2024
Spark and Tether (Synchronists 1)
BY Lilian Zenzi
Published by the author
Four stars
What fascinated me most about this book is the fact that a sci-fi mystery adventure set in a space-centered future could have so little actual action, and still be (for me) riveting and compelling. Zenzi is a good writer, and her story pulls you in as you (sometimes desperately) try to grasp the nature of the world in which she has dropped you, as well as all the nuances of her complex and interesting characters.
It's hard to fathom a world in which humans have evolved a necessary symbiosis with technology (this is after all, a place where one could ostensibly go for the weekend to someone’s vacation house on a “luxurious little moon” of an isolated planet. As we learn, the synchronists are a special subgroup within that, which includes protagonist Sacheri and his longtime best friend Paradis. These folks have had extra technology integrated into their nervous systems, giving them the capacity to read both people and machines with far-reaching skill, making them both invaluable and possibly dangerous.
It is also a world in which fai (Friendly Artificial Intelligence) have become citizens in many worlds, in spite of their having no physical presence—existing entirely in code and within digital systems linked to human habitats. The word fai is a favorite for me, invoking the magical people (fae) appearing in an entirely different sort of fantasy fiction. It also touches on the magical quality of all this technology that has become essential to sustaining human life long after earth (Terra).
And then there’s Jin, a highly skilled archivist who is a crew member with Sacheri on a recovery and restoration trip to an abandoned moon settlement. Jin becomes the love interest for Sacheri, and that emotional attachment drives the larger narrative, interweaving with the techno-mystery that is the focus of the plot. It is a suspenseful and engaging adventure.
If there was a flaw in this book for me (an aging, cis-gay Kinsey 6), it was the relentlessly careful avoidance of any physical markers that would even slightly suggest gender presentation. Sacheri is he, Paradis is she, and Jin is they. There’s nothing unusual today about non-binary people, and it’s easy to imagine them fully integrated into future human society. But Sacheri and Jin are drawn to each other for physical reasons as well as emotional ones, and other than the occasional use of the words “handsome” and “beautiful,” the reader is given nothing to illuminate the intensity of their physical closeness. We are told about their love, but we are not really shown it except as a discreet distance. I had trouble seeing Jin as anything beyond “human,” and while that may have been the author’s intention, it doesn’t help sell a romantic pairing for someone like me. The “queer” umbrella is not monolithic, and every letter in the LGBTQ+ rainbow looks for something slightly different in which to find emotional satisfaction. I simply couldn’t fully engage with Sacheri and Jin.
The author promises further adventures of the synchronists, and I suspect they’ll be just as compelling as this first one was.
BY Lilian Zenzi
Published by the author
Four stars
What fascinated me most about this book is the fact that a sci-fi mystery adventure set in a space-centered future could have so little actual action, and still be (for me) riveting and compelling. Zenzi is a good writer, and her story pulls you in as you (sometimes desperately) try to grasp the nature of the world in which she has dropped you, as well as all the nuances of her complex and interesting characters.
It's hard to fathom a world in which humans have evolved a necessary symbiosis with technology (this is after all, a place where one could ostensibly go for the weekend to someone’s vacation house on a “luxurious little moon” of an isolated planet. As we learn, the synchronists are a special subgroup within that, which includes protagonist Sacheri and his longtime best friend Paradis. These folks have had extra technology integrated into their nervous systems, giving them the capacity to read both people and machines with far-reaching skill, making them both invaluable and possibly dangerous.
It is also a world in which fai (Friendly Artificial Intelligence) have become citizens in many worlds, in spite of their having no physical presence—existing entirely in code and within digital systems linked to human habitats. The word fai is a favorite for me, invoking the magical people (fae) appearing in an entirely different sort of fantasy fiction. It also touches on the magical quality of all this technology that has become essential to sustaining human life long after earth (Terra).
And then there’s Jin, a highly skilled archivist who is a crew member with Sacheri on a recovery and restoration trip to an abandoned moon settlement. Jin becomes the love interest for Sacheri, and that emotional attachment drives the larger narrative, interweaving with the techno-mystery that is the focus of the plot. It is a suspenseful and engaging adventure.
If there was a flaw in this book for me (an aging, cis-gay Kinsey 6), it was the relentlessly careful avoidance of any physical markers that would even slightly suggest gender presentation. Sacheri is he, Paradis is she, and Jin is they. There’s nothing unusual today about non-binary people, and it’s easy to imagine them fully integrated into future human society. But Sacheri and Jin are drawn to each other for physical reasons as well as emotional ones, and other than the occasional use of the words “handsome” and “beautiful,” the reader is given nothing to illuminate the intensity of their physical closeness. We are told about their love, but we are not really shown it except as a discreet distance. I had trouble seeing Jin as anything beyond “human,” and while that may have been the author’s intention, it doesn’t help sell a romantic pairing for someone like me. The “queer” umbrella is not monolithic, and every letter in the LGBTQ+ rainbow looks for something slightly different in which to find emotional satisfaction. I simply couldn’t fully engage with Sacheri and Jin.
The author promises further adventures of the synchronists, and I suspect they’ll be just as compelling as this first one was.
January 24, 2024
Im now officially in my sci-fi era!!
You can tell the care and time Lilian put into this book, she so seamlessly crafted out the whole world around these characters and her attention detail is just amazing. I immensely enjoyed the charters we get to meet I this boo, being from outer space they were all so unique and fun. Also fai (friendly artificial intelligence) was such a cute touch!
Along with how quirky the people in this book are, so was the plot, I cant say ive read a book even remotely similar to this and that just made the experience of reading this novel so much more fun, I loved reading and trying to guess what was going to happen next but being completely wrong. You get romance, found family and unique relationships which in my opinion is all you can ask for in a book! This need to be on your 2024 TBR hands down!
You can tell the care and time Lilian put into this book, she so seamlessly crafted out the whole world around these characters and her attention detail is just amazing. I immensely enjoyed the charters we get to meet I this boo, being from outer space they were all so unique and fun. Also fai (friendly artificial intelligence) was such a cute touch!
Along with how quirky the people in this book are, so was the plot, I cant say ive read a book even remotely similar to this and that just made the experience of reading this novel so much more fun, I loved reading and trying to guess what was going to happen next but being completely wrong. You get romance, found family and unique relationships which in my opinion is all you can ask for in a book! This need to be on your 2024 TBR hands down!
December 18, 2023
I loved this book! The story was so good and full of surprises. It kept me guessing until the end. The world building was intriguing, the synchronist technology was so cool, and Sacheri and Jin were amazing characters (they balanced each other so perfectly). I rooted for them the entire book. 🥰
January 19, 2024
Amazing!! I loved the unique world. The characters were some of my favorite that I have read and the book kept blossoming with each new character that was introduced. The story was original, unexpected and kept me turning pages to find out what was going to happen next.
This book is a gem :) Cannot wait to reread this book when I receive my physical copy!!! (and I am not a rereader)
This book is a gem :) Cannot wait to reread this book when I receive my physical copy!!! (and I am not a rereader)
December 18, 2023
Spoilers hopefully contained to a minimum/vague within, but major themes are discussed so will necessarily reveal portions of the plot. Also apologies for length.
This book, to me, is like the absolute perfect blend between what I love from sci-fi and romance. The love is strong and tender and central- but they get together very early on. It's more about being together in this world and the problems their institutions have created both for the larger world in their relationships. Sacheri and Jin are complex, they both have their secrets and they both make mistakes but their love is so pure and committed and strong. Minor spoiler, but I will be thinking about The Wink(™) forever.
This is the kind of sci-fi that asks you to slow down and let the answers come. You'll want to read fast to get the answers to your questions. The world is strongly built out and not everything is always fully explained. This freaked me out at first but I learned to love the puzzle of it and how much my brain raced trying to piece it all together. The writing is everything I could ever want. Every sentence is so dripping with meaning and it feels like poetry and it's heavy and dense and smart and incredibly meaningful. I already want to reread this and I probably will soon. I think there are probably a million things I missed and I want to go back and think about them all.
Also it asks some fucking amazing questions. Like how do you do research using disconnected archives and badly indexed finding aids😂. No but really it's like, what will you do for love? What will you do for people you don't know but share something with you? What is justice? Is justice worth the price? How do you hold institutions responsible for their actions? Who is culpable in institutional crimes? How do you do what is right while navigating intentionally complicated bureaucracy? What do we owe each other? How do you learn when you’re trapped in the confines of a system that doesn’t want you to know?
All this to say, I think there are so many ideas stuffed in this book, my mind was constantly alight. I was thinking constantly about the limits of research in academia. A few pages are spread with my frantic notes about the Nuremberg trials and the concept of international justice. I wept thinking about the recently destroyed archives in Palestine. I have pages covered in my notes about community archives and what it means to rely on state/institutional archives to self report and keep accurate record. I thought of the fai and the synchronists and the people we have all but lost- but also the people that have been returned to our pages through tireless research and the collection decisions of some archivists. All these things were so apparent to me in this book, but trust me you will still be giggling and kicking your feet over the romance and the humanness of these characters.
To me, that is actually the critical part. It’s about finding love WHILE dealing with all these complex social/political issues. Just because we are embroiled in finding truth and a better world does not mean we cannot also find love and friendship and personal meaning- in fact these truths and our personal meaning are often interconnected. As someone who spent years being long distance with my spouse, Sacheri and Jin’s early stages of their relationship was so meaningful. Sometimes you just can’t see each other and that’s life- you don’t love each other any less and you just try harder and organize a little more next time. Also, while neither Jin nor Sacheri are explicitly labeled as autistic, they both spoke really strongly to me as an autistic person. Jin to my overly analytical side, my compulsive need to plan and organize, my need to understand, my sometimes unreadable nature. Sacheri didn’t hit me immediately, but I should have seen it coming considering my note next to the first real description of how the synplants help him is “wait these would be so helpful! Imagine being able to just feel what people mean!” He speaks to the struggle to understand, the desire to be connected. And none of this even mentions Sacheri’s best friend and balance, Paradis, who I absolutely adored. I love the trust and understanding between them, and the fact that they can just silently share with each other and have someone who completely fully gets it. There’s a million other things I could go on about: how it feels to not belong wholly anywhere, how it feels to return home and rebuild family, having relationships with your family that are so complex you can’t really describe them as either good or bad, the shame of needing help, how to help people that don’t really want your help, the sheer joy of having someone to call home, etc etc.
In short, though nothing about this review has been short, I love this book. It’s packed with questions about its own world, our world, and our future. It’s about falling in love and seeking truth. It’s about a world so complex that even the characters are realizing there are secrets to the structures and bureaucracies that ought to be investigated and infiltrated and understood. It’s about being connected to the world around you but still having so much hidden. It’s about truth no matter the cost, institutions that are “too big to be entirely anything”, and how the bonds we share are everything. Highly recommend.
This book, to me, is like the absolute perfect blend between what I love from sci-fi and romance. The love is strong and tender and central- but they get together very early on. It's more about being together in this world and the problems their institutions have created both for the larger world in their relationships. Sacheri and Jin are complex, they both have their secrets and they both make mistakes but their love is so pure and committed and strong. Minor spoiler, but I will be thinking about The Wink(™) forever.
This is the kind of sci-fi that asks you to slow down and let the answers come. You'll want to read fast to get the answers to your questions. The world is strongly built out and not everything is always fully explained. This freaked me out at first but I learned to love the puzzle of it and how much my brain raced trying to piece it all together. The writing is everything I could ever want. Every sentence is so dripping with meaning and it feels like poetry and it's heavy and dense and smart and incredibly meaningful. I already want to reread this and I probably will soon. I think there are probably a million things I missed and I want to go back and think about them all.
Also it asks some fucking amazing questions. Like how do you do research using disconnected archives and badly indexed finding aids😂. No but really it's like, what will you do for love? What will you do for people you don't know but share something with you? What is justice? Is justice worth the price? How do you hold institutions responsible for their actions? Who is culpable in institutional crimes? How do you do what is right while navigating intentionally complicated bureaucracy? What do we owe each other? How do you learn when you’re trapped in the confines of a system that doesn’t want you to know?
All this to say, I think there are so many ideas stuffed in this book, my mind was constantly alight. I was thinking constantly about the limits of research in academia. A few pages are spread with my frantic notes about the Nuremberg trials and the concept of international justice. I wept thinking about the recently destroyed archives in Palestine. I have pages covered in my notes about community archives and what it means to rely on state/institutional archives to self report and keep accurate record. I thought of the fai and the synchronists and the people we have all but lost- but also the people that have been returned to our pages through tireless research and the collection decisions of some archivists. All these things were so apparent to me in this book, but trust me you will still be giggling and kicking your feet over the romance and the humanness of these characters.
To me, that is actually the critical part. It’s about finding love WHILE dealing with all these complex social/political issues. Just because we are embroiled in finding truth and a better world does not mean we cannot also find love and friendship and personal meaning- in fact these truths and our personal meaning are often interconnected. As someone who spent years being long distance with my spouse, Sacheri and Jin’s early stages of their relationship was so meaningful. Sometimes you just can’t see each other and that’s life- you don’t love each other any less and you just try harder and organize a little more next time. Also, while neither Jin nor Sacheri are explicitly labeled as autistic, they both spoke really strongly to me as an autistic person. Jin to my overly analytical side, my compulsive need to plan and organize, my need to understand, my sometimes unreadable nature. Sacheri didn’t hit me immediately, but I should have seen it coming considering my note next to the first real description of how the synplants help him is “wait these would be so helpful! Imagine being able to just feel what people mean!” He speaks to the struggle to understand, the desire to be connected. And none of this even mentions Sacheri’s best friend and balance, Paradis, who I absolutely adored. I love the trust and understanding between them, and the fact that they can just silently share with each other and have someone who completely fully gets it. There’s a million other things I could go on about: how it feels to not belong wholly anywhere, how it feels to return home and rebuild family, having relationships with your family that are so complex you can’t really describe them as either good or bad, the shame of needing help, how to help people that don’t really want your help, the sheer joy of having someone to call home, etc etc.
In short, though nothing about this review has been short, I love this book. It’s packed with questions about its own world, our world, and our future. It’s about falling in love and seeking truth. It’s about a world so complex that even the characters are realizing there are secrets to the structures and bureaucracies that ought to be investigated and infiltrated and understood. It’s about being connected to the world around you but still having so much hidden. It’s about truth no matter the cost, institutions that are “too big to be entirely anything”, and how the bonds we share are everything. Highly recommend.
January 21, 2024
Romance is definitely at the center of this book, but it isn't a romance. If anything, it's a cozy scifi mystery... very little 'action,' per se, but a lot of worldbuilding and character development. The plot was perhaps the least memorable part of my reading experience, in terms of the impression it made on me, but the world (galaxy??) is so rich, and the characters so compelling, that I didn't really mind.
The tech systems in this story are SO COOL. I usually find that harder scifi sacrifices the emotional core of the narrative in favor of describing technology, but the syntheplants the main character relies on actually unite technology with emotional intelligence. As a result, the tech wouldn't have worked as a story concept without strong character development. Even when the pace of the story fell off from time to time, it was so that the reader could get to know and explore the setting and its inhabitants. Sometimes when I say that a story is slow, I mean that sections could have been chopped to make the story tighter, but in this case a better word might be "quiet." While the genre trappings are distinctly scifi, I think fans of narratives such as Legends & Lattes or Monk and Robot will enjoy the atmosphere and kindness of this book.
Yes, there are some dubious government entities. Yes, there are some serious emotions in play. But for the most part, the worlds in which this story take place are relatively utopian, even if they have some complex history to contend with. I see that this is the first book in a series, and while I have no idea if it will follow the same characters (I hope we get to switch to Paradis's story!), I look forward to returning to this world eventually.
The author was kind enough to send me this book as an ARC, and I very much enjoyed it.
The tech systems in this story are SO COOL. I usually find that harder scifi sacrifices the emotional core of the narrative in favor of describing technology, but the syntheplants the main character relies on actually unite technology with emotional intelligence. As a result, the tech wouldn't have worked as a story concept without strong character development. Even when the pace of the story fell off from time to time, it was so that the reader could get to know and explore the setting and its inhabitants. Sometimes when I say that a story is slow, I mean that sections could have been chopped to make the story tighter, but in this case a better word might be "quiet." While the genre trappings are distinctly scifi, I think fans of narratives such as Legends & Lattes or Monk and Robot will enjoy the atmosphere and kindness of this book.
Yes, there are some dubious government entities. Yes, there are some serious emotions in play. But for the most part, the worlds in which this story take place are relatively utopian, even if they have some complex history to contend with. I see that this is the first book in a series, and while I have no idea if it will follow the same characters (I hope we get to switch to Paradis's story!), I look forward to returning to this world eventually.
The author was kind enough to send me this book as an ARC, and I very much enjoyed it.
February 3, 2024
Oh. My GOD. The emotions I am going through right now after finishing this book. 💀 Someone save me from them. Seriously. I just want to go back and read it again. I was supposed to be working this morning but got wildly off track because once I reached the 50% mark there was no hope for me and finishing was the only way forward.
This is a sci-fi romance and adventure following Sacheri, a wild child troublemaker, and Jin, Sacheri's patient long-suffering partner. The best part about this story for me was how devastatingly romantic it was. The romance isn't even the main plot really, I mean it sort of is just lots of other things are going on, but it swept me away big time. Jin and Sacheri are the OTP I didn't know I needed. The book starts with their meeting and follows as they fall in love quietly and perfectly with one another. They are a wonderful balance, Sacheri running headfirst into trouble and Jin doing their best to save Sacheri from himself. All I can do is hope with all my little romantic heart there is more to come in this universe so I can read more of the two of them. In every page their dedication and care for one another shines.
Because ofc I read this mainly for the romance, it is what I focused on. But the plot stands on its own too. A weaving and labyrinthine story with just a touch of chilling mystery splashed against an interstellar backdrop. Sacheri and Jin are both wonderfully independent, fighting their own battles when they need to. There is heartbreak in this story, it's intense and raw. So read it if you want to feel all the feelings. Right now I'm feeling empty because it's OVER. Ugh. What is a reader to do.
This is a sci-fi romance and adventure following Sacheri, a wild child troublemaker, and Jin, Sacheri's patient long-suffering partner. The best part about this story for me was how devastatingly romantic it was. The romance isn't even the main plot really, I mean it sort of is just lots of other things are going on, but it swept me away big time. Jin and Sacheri are the OTP I didn't know I needed. The book starts with their meeting and follows as they fall in love quietly and perfectly with one another. They are a wonderful balance, Sacheri running headfirst into trouble and Jin doing their best to save Sacheri from himself. All I can do is hope with all my little romantic heart there is more to come in this universe so I can read more of the two of them. In every page their dedication and care for one another shines.
Because ofc I read this mainly for the romance, it is what I focused on. But the plot stands on its own too. A weaving and labyrinthine story with just a touch of chilling mystery splashed against an interstellar backdrop. Sacheri and Jin are both wonderfully independent, fighting their own battles when they need to. There is heartbreak in this story, it's intense and raw. So read it if you want to feel all the feelings. Right now I'm feeling empty because it's OVER. Ugh. What is a reader to do.
February 5, 2024
Cozy mystery scifi meets mildly angsty romance.
The synchronist system was an absolute highlight for me. The idea of biological modifications that almost externalize emotional intelligence and the way it’s explored and used was so interesting. It served both as a cool fantastical element and as a neat way to display a character who is an outsider. Someone who literally feels differently than the majority of people around them.
Sacheri is a fun character to follow, and at times an infuriating scallywag. I enjoyed his friendship with Paradis quite a lot and was often dropping my head into my hands and sighing deeply with her.
This book’s universe is vast and well developed. The full scope and political landscape felt out of reach for me to fully understand, but when I didn’t let myself feel the need to walk ahead of the plot trying to figure out the mystery element, it worked.
At the center of this story is a romance. And I really enjoyed the relationship between the love interests. Their chemistry was tender and believable. Sacheri and Jin not only balance each other, but almost need each other to find balance.
Definitely recommended for readers who like to take a little time with a story.
The synchronist system was an absolute highlight for me. The idea of biological modifications that almost externalize emotional intelligence and the way it’s explored and used was so interesting. It served both as a cool fantastical element and as a neat way to display a character who is an outsider. Someone who literally feels differently than the majority of people around them.
Sacheri is a fun character to follow, and at times an infuriating scallywag. I enjoyed his friendship with Paradis quite a lot and was often dropping my head into my hands and sighing deeply with her.
This book’s universe is vast and well developed. The full scope and political landscape felt out of reach for me to fully understand, but when I didn’t let myself feel the need to walk ahead of the plot trying to figure out the mystery element, it worked.
At the center of this story is a romance. And I really enjoyed the relationship between the love interests. Their chemistry was tender and believable. Sacheri and Jin not only balance each other, but almost need each other to find balance.
Definitely recommended for readers who like to take a little time with a story.
February 25, 2024
Brilliant debut by Lilian Zenzi! This queer love story is set in one of the most believable, complex, and thoughtful scifi universes I have yet to discover. The main character, Sacheri, is a familiar, charismatic, and lovable being whose synplants have granted him the ability to read the feelings and motives of the humans and fai (autonomous and mostly friendly ai beings) around him. During a run to an abandoned moon, he falls madly in love with Jin, a lithe and inscrutable investigator. When Sacheri's synplants are later rendered inoperable through a nefarious plot, the author thoughtfully captures Sacheri's struggles with his new disability and status. The strain this places on his relationships with Jin, and Sacheri's closest friend, Paradis, is as heartbreaking as it is relatable. Zenzi knows people and she's masterfully crafted the politics and conflicts resulting from a universe with advanced tech, ai, implants, and synplants. I'm delighted to say this was a fun, sexy, and intellectually stimulating read - a rare and wonderful combo!
January 10, 2024
Fresh sci-fi and a rich imagination!
Lilian has made something really special here. This book balances a lovely and real feeling queer romance, with imaginative sci-fi, with an interesting mystery. It felt really new, and kept me hooked right to the end. I thought the AI beings in this story were such an original take and I loved the name for them. Great LGBTQIA representation, and romantic yet the characters and their relationship feel real and the romance believable. The corporate style government for me channeled Aliens, or Blade Runner, and the references to a larger world left out of this story was great. It was done so well that it made the universe richer as if I knew there was other stuff going on, other adventures and so forth.
I'm in, so if more books follow I'd be getting them. That being said I thought this made a beautiful one shot if it stays one story, as it did a great job of wrapping up all the threads.
Great Story. Check it out!
Lilian has made something really special here. This book balances a lovely and real feeling queer romance, with imaginative sci-fi, with an interesting mystery. It felt really new, and kept me hooked right to the end. I thought the AI beings in this story were such an original take and I loved the name for them. Great LGBTQIA representation, and romantic yet the characters and their relationship feel real and the romance believable. The corporate style government for me channeled Aliens, or Blade Runner, and the references to a larger world left out of this story was great. It was done so well that it made the universe richer as if I knew there was other stuff going on, other adventures and so forth.
I'm in, so if more books follow I'd be getting them. That being said I thought this made a beautiful one shot if it stays one story, as it did a great job of wrapping up all the threads.
Great Story. Check it out!
September 13, 2025
took me a hot minute to read and it was such an odd book. like romance but no sex scenes and very little initial conflict getting into their relationship. also like over such a large scale of time, so just rlly not typical structure of a romance/romcom. plot was interesting but felt hard to grasp onto. i could tell the author knew what they were talking about but i always felt a little out of the know on worldbuilding. very unique world and worldbuilding but i wanted just a little more to grasp onto it, bc it felt hard to care about stakes. also so confusing what the message/allegory vibes are. idk the whole thing felt very different than anything i’ve read of this genre and that made it hard to grasp onto. but it was interesting and i didn’t dislike anything. i was just kinda like okay okay okay the entire time
January 14, 2024
Zenzi put so much thought, heart, and hard work into this novel and it shows. I love the synplant technology and the world building. The queer normative story was a plus as well. My favorite part was Sacheri's friendship. Excellent sci-fi.
March 19, 2024
4.5/5 - I absolutely fell in love with this world and these characters. The vibe is mostly cozy, the conflict is compelling, there's a mystery and a relationship at the core of the story. You get fully immersed and get to watch the characters grow and explore their careers, selves and relationships because you spend a significant amount of time with them. I'm obsessed and can't wait for #2 (hoping it follows Dorun and Paradisi!)
Zenzi has created an incredibly detailed and gorgeous universe and she drops you into it from page one. In fact, you kind of get shoved into the deep end and have to trust you'll figure out how to swim lol. If you read a lot of sci fi or fantasy, it's not too jarring, but oh boy I wanted just a little more context earlier in the book to help me color some things in, lol. I'm all for writing to the height of your reader's intelligence, but I could've settled in more if I wasn't re-reading or inferring for more clarity. Additionally, I didn't feel like the prologue was necessary. It distracted me a bit as I read, my brain thinking ahead and trying to predict how we'd get to that previewed moment.
I received a copy of Spark & Tether via LT's Early Reviewers and I can't wait to recommend it to my friends.
Zenzi has created an incredibly detailed and gorgeous universe and she drops you into it from page one. In fact, you kind of get shoved into the deep end and have to trust you'll figure out how to swim lol. If you read a lot of sci fi or fantasy, it's not too jarring, but oh boy I wanted just a little more context earlier in the book to help me color some things in, lol. I'm all for writing to the height of your reader's intelligence, but I could've settled in more if I wasn't re-reading or inferring for more clarity. Additionally, I didn't feel like the prologue was necessary. It distracted me a bit as I read, my brain thinking ahead and trying to predict how we'd get to that previewed moment.
I received a copy of Spark & Tether via LT's Early Reviewers and I can't wait to recommend it to my friends.
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