I'm elated that we are finally getting more LGBT fantasy and sci-fi books but Winter's Orbit wasn't the joyful journey I was expecting. The romance was lackluster, full of tropes and cheap plot devices (like the abusive past relationship).

The sci-fi part fell flat. In the beginning, I was getting some [b:The Left Hand of Darkness|18423|The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle, #4)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488213612l/18423._SY75_.jpg|817527] vibes and was all on board for that, but, unfortunately, it didn't even come close to the depth of Le Guin's immersive world. I suppose, for me, the best part was the mystery but even that wasn't so interesting. The whole book was basically a major letdown that I almost didn't finish reading.