This should be up my street: a space opera in which most people have magical powers, and a ragtag crew are looking for a warship that’s long since vanished. Unfortunately, they’re being chased by Mother, a menacing figure who has the galaxy’s law enforcement in her pocket.

It’s an intriguing bit of worldbuilding, a fun mix of fantasy and sci-fi. Everyone has their own sigil, their own brand of magic (except people with no magic at all). Mechanical systems run on a mix of magic and science.

Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the characters at all, and I didn’t care enough to finish the book (which is on the long side). There’s a point about two-thirds through where two of the characters are falling for each other, and that’s when I realised it wasn’t working for me.

I might revisit it at some point, but right now it’s not the book for me.

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