I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review

In book one of The Anye Legacy, on a distant planet a lab experiment goes wrong which leads Rivan Saraf on a journey that could save the people on his planet. Hostile foreign government agents, known as the The Vanya are in town and hunting Rivan down.

This book starts with a lot of information about the history of Anye world. It’s a lot to take in all at once and does make the book feel daunting. I would recommend reading it and not worrying if you don’t take it all in, you can come back later if you feel the need. Once the book actually starts it eases you in with a great opening that introduces Rivan and his family. It really slows the pace down nicely and gets you settled in before the main action starts.

When the accident happens the pace picks up massively with incredibly short hectic chapters that are exciting and absorbing. It’s when the book slows down again that it really shines. When the characters and events are given time to unfold. I wish there was more of this in the book to give more time to take in what’s happening. At points it does feel that you are skipping over the place with very short chapters that are skipping forward in time. That’s not a big issue, I enjoyed the book I just wish there was more of it.

There are moments that are quite shocking in a good way. There’s a moment towards the end with a prisoner, that I won’t tell you too much about, but it’s an excellent few chapters that take the book in a really dark direction for a short while. I think this was my favourite bit, because I didn’t see it coming and it’s really well written.

This is a dialogue heavy book and that’s not a bad thing because John Dyer writes some really punchy and natural dialogue. You do get a sense of who the characters are through the way they are written and it won’t take long before you are invested in them.

I quite enjoyed The Illusion of Gravity, even though it’s not something I would normally read and I would recommend it to people who like sci-fi that isn’t dumbed down, this is a book that rewards you for paying attention. There’s some great characters and the story has some great moments throughout. I will be looking to read more of this series at some point.