Another Book Review

Harmony by C.F. Bentley

I started checking on this author as I was halfway through the book because I was wondering how I had missed out on her. Turns out this book is the first of a new series – Huzzah!
The main characters are Jake, a human from the Confederated Star System or CSS. He’s a pilot who has lost his parents and sibling to an attack by the alien Marillon Empire and when he spots one while on a flight drill, he disobeys orders and goes after it. Instead of being happy that he’s saved the station from being rammed, he’s told that he killed a fellow pilot on a recovery mission. This turns out to be a lie so that he can be put to use by the female spymaster and turned into someone for her use as a spy, because what the CSS needs is the Badger Metal that the Harmonic Empire produces. But Harmony left Earth to be separate and just want to be left alone. On Harmony we meet the other main character, Sissy, a young woman working in a factory doing delicate work with black crystal chips in navigation units. She has a special affinity to crystals and the work she does helps her family live in two apartments that are connected. Family includes her parents, multiple siblings and both sets of grandparents. When the planet starts quaking, the priests of Harmony discover that Sissy has managed to spare her factory by bonding with the crystals. They also discover that she has all seven of the caste symbols on her face. She immediately becomes the new High Priestess and her gift of prophecy is a help to some and a burden to others. What haven’t the priests been telling people all of these years?
A bit of spy thriller, science fiction and romance, but very light in this area, this will appeal to a wide audience. I’m looking forward to the next book.