Boots Elsworth was a famous treasure hunter in another life, but now she’s washed up. She makes her meager living faking salvage legends and selling them to the highest bidder, but this time she might have stumbled on something real–the story of the Harrow, a famous warship, capable of untold destruction.

Nilah Brio is the top driver in the Pan Galactic Racing Federation and the darling of the racing world–until she witnesses the murder of a fellow racer. Framed for the murder and on the hunt to clear her name, Nilah only has one lead: the killer also hunts a woman named Boots.

On the wrong side of the law, the two women board a smuggler’s ship that will take them on a quest for fame, for riches, and for justice. 

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is one of those books that just comes at you a million miles an hour & rarely lets up. Alex White has created something truly unique here, and I just had a fucking blast reading this!! 

It’s the brilliant & believable characters, along with the mashup of magic & sci-fi that makes this book really shine. In this world, nearly everyone has the ability to cast magic in one form or another. In fact, being unable to cast magic is almost unheard of (one in five million), but one of our main characters, Boots, has that affliction (known as arcana dystocia, or more commonly/offensively known as being a “dull-fingers”). Boots is a former soldier, and currently making a living by selling treasure maps…maps which are typically bunk.

She crosses paths with one of the most famous race car drivers in the galaxy, Nilah Brio. Nilah is on the run after a bizarre & deadly attack occurs during the middle of one of her races (the car race scene is completely fucking bonkers…just sheer insanity & awesomeness). 

These are two characters who likely would have never met, who need to learn to work together to survive. Nilah has a brash & cocky side to her personality, but she’s earned every bit of it. Although she lives an extremely privileged lifestyle, she’s not exactly spoiled by it, and has worked incredibly hard for it. She is driven to be the best at what she does. Boots, on the other hand, is a bit more world-weary. She’s been through hell, is barely scraping by, and she’s just looking to settle down, stop struggling, maybe open a distillery. Boots & Nilah’s friendship is at the core of this novel, and it’s delightful to watch it grow.

They are taken aboard the Capricious, the spaceship that Boots served on when she was in the military. Now a civilian ship, it’s led by Cordell, Boots’s former captain (himself now a civilian). There’s this massive & sprawling conspiracy, which I’m not going to get into here, but they set out to look for (and salvage from) a ship called the Harrow, which may or may not be a legend (Boots swears it’s real). 

This book immediately goes on my list of books I’d recommend to anyone, even if they don’t typically read sci-fi. There’s just…something for everyone here. Badass action scenes, incredibly authentic dialogue, some incredibly sweet romantic elements, and a wicked cool magic system. And I really loved the fact that the two main characters, the main villain, as well as the ship’s “heavy” (the incomparably badass Orna Sokol) are all women!

If A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is not on your TBR, MAKE IT HAPPEN!! Cannot fucking wait for A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy!!

Thank you so much Orbit Books for sending me a copy!!