Review by Booklist Review
The middle volume of Revis' Chaotic Orbits novella trilogy that began with Full Speed to a Crash Landing (2024) finds charismatic thief Ada Lamarr ready for another job after successfully pilfering valuable intel from government agent Rian White. Ada's mission sends her to Rigel-Earth, a colonized planet for the wealthy who could afford to escape the deteriorating conditions on Earth caused by climate catastrophes and radiation. Her target is trillionaire and supposed philanthropist Strom Feter, and his protection is none other than the handsome and capable Rian White. Told from a jaunty, first-person point of view, How to Steal a Galaxy will have readers feeling like accomplices as Ada shares her insights, tricks, flirtations, and deceptions throughout the story. This fast-paced, character-centered space opera is at once light hearted and serious; Ada's charm and carefree manner collide with the heaviness of topics like corporate greed, terrorism, and climate catastrophe to create an exciting and compelling narrative.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Picking up where Full Speed to a Crash Landing left off, this rollicking second installment of Revis's intergalactic trilogy will keep readers glued to the page. Space looter Ada Lamarr infiltrates a Met Gala--esque fundraising event on a secret mission assigned to her by a mysterious rebel group--while also pursuing a hidden agenda of her own. There to intercept her is handsome bureaucrat Rian White, who readers will be delighted to see return. As before, Ada and Rian disagree over effective methods of enacting change while Rian works to stop Ada from putting into motion her secret plot, the details of which remain hidden from both Rian and the reader for much of the novel. The result is an un-put-downable page-turner helmed by a lovable heroine who is clever and passionate beneath her armor of sarcastic quips. Readers will need to come back for the concluding volume to fully understand all of Ada's behind-the-scenes machinations--and to witness the culmination of Ada and Rian's roller-coaster, cat-and-mouse romance. Revis makes the anticipation delicious. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (Dec.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
After the first entry in this intergalactic heist series, Full Speed to a Crash Landing, this second book seems to be even higher on the froth and banter, as mercenary thief Ada Lamarr and government agent Rian White circle each other, courting and sparking all the way through the priceless artifacts on display at a charity gala in the galleries of the Museum of Intergalactic History. White is sure Ada is there to make off with one of the artifacts, but Ada is about to destroy White's entire worldview--and his career--in the middle of one mind-blowing con with the fate of the entire planet at stake. This romp of a story is even more deceptive than Ada and Rian's first encounter, and readers will get every bit as caught up in her nonchalant misdirection as the government agent does--until the big reveal of just how high the stakes really are. VERDICT Readers who love an old-fashioned heist story, anyone who loves witty, banter-driven romps, and those who have gotten caught up in SF/mystery stories, such as The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal or Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis, will love the fluffy but ultimately dangerous misdirection of this one.--Marlene Harris
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