A Scintillating Sequel!

They say sequels are never better than the first. Well, then they haven't listened to this book and they sorely need to. Yes, that's right—I'm about to sing the praises of Symphony (just not as well as Sapphire Saturn can!).

After the tumultuous experience of uncovering Bharat Nadar's corruption and putting him and his cronies behind bars, Ethan Keller wants nothing more than to kick back and take a vacation with those he loves.

Unfortunately, it's never that easy.

In fact, it hasn't been easy for a while. With opposite schedules, Ethan and Aysha can barely find time to see each other. Change is happening at breakneck speed, but when a surprise wedding springs up, the crew takes their chance. Even Aysha, who is spearheading a new project relating to Luna's independence, carves out a few days.

But her project also catches the eye of a formidable organization, one which most of Luna can't decide is violent for violence's sake or just violent enough to create change that is long overdue. Ethan himself is torn over them and their charismatic but volatile leader, Ezequiel Alvarez. This organization, the Luna Independence Front (LIF), promises just that, through whatever means necessary. That's something he can relate to.

But when LIF seizes hold of Aysha and her project, Ethan must improvise a daring rescue mission, and it all hinges on one thing: hijacking the Symphony. Can he pull it off, celebrate a wedding, and save his girlfriend at the same time?

Symphony begins where Night Owls leaves off, and it doesn't just stay the course—it makes it into something new and better. The ongoing theme of class separation takes a deeper turn, holding up a mirror to the injustices and revolutions we see today, and stoking the constant fire of moral quandaries when it comes to how much we should tolerate and how and when we ought to fight back. I loved the continued sprightly pace, and the stark contrast of the Symphony's luxurious setting was a fantastic deviation from the rough and volatile Lunar environment. The worldbuilding takes a bit of a backseat with the setting more contained than it was in the first book, but it remains easy to understand and beautifully balanced between the action and dialogue.

As with Night Owls, the relationships and friendships were the standout. Kudos to the author for portraying Ethan and Aysha's troubles in such a realistic, heartbreaking, and ultimately rewarding manner—being able to see where they were coming from and their reasons for believing they were each doing the right thing beautifully mirrored Ethan’s internal struggle with Ezequiel (who was a great foil and such a tantalizing new villain). In my opinion, hate-to-love villains are some of the very best, and Ezequiel fits the bill to a T. The fact that we, and Ethan, can truly sympathize with his suffering makes me want to root for him if his methods weren't so drastic.

As a reader, I love when narratives make me ponder, especially about myself, and this one certainly does. How would I react in Ethan's position, or Ezequiel's? What measures would I take to ensure my loved ones were safe? How far would I go? I don't know, but I can't wait to find out how Ethan navigates the path to his own answers. Looking forward to seeing where the Owls' fight with LIF goes!

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