Francesco Calabrese

I’ll preface this by saying, you only need to read this if you’re a completionist. Outside of that it’s a good story that leads into the 2nd book of The Cinder Spires series, The Olympian Affair, but it’s not necessary to read it.

Benedict Sorellin-Lancaster is the main character of this novella who has been tasked with retrieving a briefcase from a smaller Colony Spire that has gone radio silent. The twist for Benedict is that his backup on this mission are three criminal Warriorborns that he caught and imprisoned. If the three Warriorborns comply and return back successfully they can be freed from prison.

It’s an action novel where the team of four Warriorborn have to work together to complete this mission but no one likes each other so chaos ensues. The best part about this novel is giving us more information about being a Warriorborn. The prejudice they feel for being inhuman, their violent traits, and their sexual prowess which all gives us a bit of foreshadowing to the following novel.

When I read a novella within a series I tend to like the ones that will take a character we don’t get enough of and get more of a backstory to them. It usually takes place before the series or if the event is between novels it’s its own contained story. This one feels more like the first few chapters of The Olympian Affair but the fact that it’s not tends to make me think it wasn’t good enough to be a part of the novel.

Is it a fun little story that does broaden the world building? Yes, a little bit. Is the writing good? Yes, it is. Do you need to read it? Only if you want to.