Shattered Gravity (Poisoned Stars 1) by Jina S. Bazzar-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 30, 2026

A captain in the Vald Military Space Force, Dara has never disobeyed an order. Until now.

Convinced the peace talks are a trap disguised as diplomacy, she risks everything to expose the betrayal. But when her mission backfires, she’s forced into an uneasy alliance with Tarin—a Dratos soldier she was raised to hate.

Now, Dara and Tarin are running out of time. Stranded on a hostile planet, they’re hunted by something far deadlier than anything in the war, and it belongs to neither side.

As enemy lines begin to blur, Dara must decide what matters more: loyalty to her people, or trusting the one man she was trained to destroy.

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REVIEW:SHATTERED GRAVITY is the first instalment in Jina S Bazzar’s adult POISONED STARS military, sci-fi, space-opera adventure focusing on the ongoing war between the Vald and the Dratos.

Told from omniscient dual first person perspectives (Tarin and Dara) SHATTERED GRAVITY follows in the wake of the attack on Rovan, the youngest prince of Dratos, a young male who works as a spy for the Dratos Council but Rovan is on the run, and his would-be rescuer proclaims to be a Vald warrior, from the world at war with the Dratos government. Not once but twice Dara would save the life of the young prince, and in doing so would become the Dratos’ hostage as they continue to negotiate a treaty for peace. Crown prince Tarin Dratos struggles with his prisoner, a woman to whom he is attracted but Dara refuses to remain a prisoner, knowing her family will decline to secure her release.

The world building focuses on the societal structures of interplanetary war, the governance of each planet, political factions and dubious rights and declarations of war. Akin to the continuing war in the Middle East, and Russia vs Ukraine, there are also similarities to the television series Homeland™.

The relationship between Dara and Tarin is contentious but there is an attraction between our story line couple. Neither one is willing to trust the other’s intentions yet both are protective of each other’s life. Dara suspects she will become a pawn in the negotiations of war; Tarin is hoping for something more. The lone $ex scene is passionate but mostly implied.

We are introduced to Tarin’s younger brother Rovan, and their sister Asora, as well as Tarin’s right hand man and guardian Slavo. Dara is a determined, strong-willed and capable female lead while Tarin struggles with his attraction to a woman who could destroy them all. The requisite evil has many faces.

SHATTERED GRAVITY is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, war and grievances, family, relationships, and humiliation. The slow building premise is dramatic and edgy; the romance is limited; the characters are desperate and determined. SHATTERED GRAVITY ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy