Chaos Reigning
Consortium Rebellion, Book #3
By Jessie Mihalik
ISBN: 9780062802439
Author’s Website: www.jessiemihalik.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar
Summary
Interplanetary intrigue and romance combine in this electrifying finale to the Consortium Rebellion series.
As the youngest member of her High House, Catarina von Hasenberg is used to being underestimated, but her youth and flighty, bubbly personality mask a clever mind and stubborn determination. Her enemies, blind to her true strength, do not suspect that Cat is a spy—which makes her the perfect candidate to go undercover at a rival House’s summer retreat to gather intelligence on their recent treachery.
Cat’s overprotective older sister reluctantly agrees, but on one condition: Cat cannot go alone. Alexander Sterling, a quiet, gorgeous bodyguard, will accompany her, posing as her lover. After Cat tries, and fails, to ditch Alex, she grudgingly agrees, confident in her ability to manage him. After all, she’s never found a person she can’t manipulate.
But Alex proves more difficult—and more desirable—than Cat anticipated. When she’s attacked and nearly killed, she and Alex are forced to work together to figure out how deep the treason goes. With rumors of widespread assaults on Serenity raging, communications down, and the rest of her family trapped off-planet, Catarina must persuade Alex to return to Earth to expose the truth and finish this deadly battle once and for all.
But Cat can’t explain why she’s the perfect person to infiltrate hostile territory without revealing secrets she’d rather keep buried.
Review:
Chaos Reigning starts at a party where Catarina von Hasenberg breaks a glass cup with her hand by sheer force of anger after reading a message from her father. To hide or spin her injury, she trips on her own feet to fall and creates an accident that everyone sees. Everything that Cat does in public is planned and calculated to keep a fake person mask on and hide her true intentions: protect herself and spy on behalf of House von Hasenberg. The next day, she goes around the city talking with her house allies and making rounds with the prospect of a lesser house that may join her house against the other higher houses. In order to get proof that the lesser House James plotted the kidnapping of her older brother Ferdinand, she manages to get invited to a two-week summer retreat, but her sister Bianca has other plans. Plans in the form of a new lover and a new bodyguard, Alexander Sterling, who has a secret similar to Cat’s.
While in the party, and after surviving a murder attempt, Cat’s group learns that Serenity, the capital city on Earth, has been attacked and lost contact with it. Now, Cat and her friends have to escape and make their way back to Earth and save everyone.
I liked Cat as the protagonist, her persona mask and intellectuality was very fun to read. It was interesting to read about her past and how she came to be the person the world saw, but also see the world meet her true self. I was expecting to see more about the weekend at House James mansion, but I liked that we were able to see Cat raise to authority and save her world.
Another thing that I liked was that we were able to meet other members of the higher and lower houses. Most of all, I liked that we met the Von Hasenberg siblings and important members of House Yamado and Rockhurst, but it was fun to see the interactions between members of house James and Patel.
While this story is labeled as the last of the book in the Consortium Rebellion Trilogy, I hope author Jessie Mihalik writes more stories in this world and lets us see what happened after the end of Chaos Reigning. I really want to read more about Ferdinand, Benedict, and Hannah’s future.
I have read the other books in this series, and I keep liking it every time the technology and space travel that are used in this series are mentioned. From the weapons to gadgets to the travel capabilities are fascinating. I liked the blend of genres between science fiction and space opera, and even added high royalty and social-economic structures.If you are a fan of Jessie Mihalik and her work, then I recommend you, Chaos Reigning. In this story, a space princess reveals her true warrior form, and by spying, manipulating her enemies and her own wits she changes her world.
