The crew of the legendary Capricious are rich enough to retire in comfort for the rest of their days, but none of it matters if the galaxy is still in danger.

Nilah and Boots, the ship’s newest crew-members hear the word of a mysterious cult that may have links back to an ancient and all-powerful magic. To find it, hot-headed Nilah will have to go undercover and find the source of their power without revealing her true identity. Meanwhile, Boots is forced to confront the one person she’d hoped never to see again: her old, turn-coat treasure-hunting partner.

*checks review for A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe, certain it was only like six months ago*

*it was September 3rd, 2018*

*looks around for the on/off switch for the INEXPLICABLY–SPEEDING–THROUGH –TIME RIDE*

Goddamn, this is so long overdue! A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe was one of my favorite reads of the year (wait, what year was it again?!) Alex White took such a fun & unique approach to space opera, combining sci-fi with magic, and leaving their mark on the “lovable group of misfits become a found family aboard a spaceship” trope (which is maybe THE BEST trope there is)

A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy picks up a little while after the events of A Big Ship…Boots has retired & finally opened her distillery, though from the sounds of it, the whiskey is horrid. But whatever.

And then the crew of the Capricious comes calling. Just when she thought she was out & all that…

They’re basically all celebrities at this point, something only Nilah has much experience with. They’re all rich. They could just walk away & leave the galaxy’s troubles to someone else, but it’s just not how they roll. There’s a creepy weird cult popping up, the so-called Children of the Singularity. And it’s gonna be up to the crew of the Capricious to take these fuckers out, but to do that, they have to infiltrate the cult.

Things get…intense. And dangerous. And a little fucking creepy, too. But goddamn, is this another fun ride that Alex White has taken us on. Two books in & The Salvagers is pretty much everything I’d hope for in a space opera: It’s fun & fast-paced, the action scenes are fucking bananas, the cast of characters is incredibly diverse, and this core group of people (and even some great new additions to the crew) feel like family.

Watching the relationship between Nilah & Orna grow was for sure my favorite part of this book. They’re still trying to figure each other out, and amidst all this danger & chaos…it’s not easy. But theirs is a powerful & super gut-punchy love and just…oof…this book had me in tears more than a couple times.

With A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy, Alex White also does an extremely good job setting up the third book of the trilogy, The Worst of All Possible Worlds. For real, all the pieces are in place for an absolutely mind-bending finale.

The Salvagers is a sci-fi series with an absolute ton of heart. Alex White is having a lot of fun with these books, and it comes through so clearly on the page. The stakes for these characters are very high, and the bonds between all of them are deep. I’ll put the crew of the Capricious right up there with the crews of the Rocinante and Serenity as some of sci-fi’s most endearing. What a fucking treasure this series is so far!

Shoutout to my friend Mackenzie from Colour Me Read for buddy reading this one with me!