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Polaris Rising cover art

Polaris Rising

Written by: Jessie Mihalik
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
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Publisher's Summary

A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space-opera adventure - the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.

In the far-distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three high houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her high house is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.

Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now, her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.

When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her house. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.

But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive devil, you may lose more than you bargained for....

©2019 Jessie Mihalik (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Polaris Rising

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A Fun but Predictable Sci-Fi Romp

I read “Polaris Rising” before I bought it on audiobook, and I thought it was only mediocre the first time through. The storyline was exciting, but the romance progressed too quickly and the main character was unbelievably competent. The author used a lot of phrases and tropes that were popular from other books in similar genres.

I bought the audiobook on sale when “Aurora Blazing” came out and really enjoyed listening to it. No, it’s not great literature, but it’s entertaining- like the newer Star Trek movies or an episode of “Firefly” with fewer lighthearted moments. I also came to appreciate how well the main character knew her limits and how she wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted. In terms of the narration, Zeller did a good job with the female voices but didn’t voice the male characters nearly as well.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Has its moments, but a bit repetitive

This book has many great moments and not a bad plot. I found the overall story arc compelling, if a bit linear. The world is interesting. Sadly, the book gets repetitive, with far too many chapters that are about the two protagonists alternately getting captured, and a lot of romantic angst that just makes me wish I could skip those parts in an abridged version, because for all the back and forth, you know exactly how the relationship's going to end.

Emily Woo Zeller is an enjoyable narrator, and performs all the female parts very well. I am not really fond of the voice she takes when she reads male parts - I often wish female performers wouldn't try to deepen their voice to sound "male" - I don't need that, any more than I would like to hear James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman try a falsetto to narrate a woman's part. However, all in all, she's definitely one of the better narrators to enjoy.

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10/10

Great story, great performance, 10/10 would recommend this to everyone. I’m not a sci-FI fan but I loved this story so much.

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Interesting Start

I liked this one enough but it wasn't like perfect. I feel like I've read this a few times from a few different perspectives but I absolutely love Emily Woo Zeller as an audiobook narrator. If you are looking for more romance in your SF novels, this is the book for you!

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