Destined: By Choice or Circumstance is a science fiction deep space novel by Michael D. Brooks. This novel is the author’s first science fiction adventure, and I’m really looking forward to more from this author in the future. I’m already anticipating what comes next for these characters. Yes, I’m hoping for a book two that continues with these characters and reveals the dangers that lie over the horizon for them.

This book is written in the third person and never focuses solely on one particular character. The story takes two characters, Leachim and Markka, and throws them into deep space. They’ve barely survived the firefight, but with their craft damaged, their chances of survival are slim. They plan to make their final moments count at the very least. But it would seem that a twist of fate is in store for these characters and that their time is not yet up.

When this story starts with a bounty of gorgeous details that immediately pulled me into the story. My first thought/question was – where are we exactly as we look up into space? Well, just give the author a minute and they’ll give you a clue. The author describes what has become an all-out war between two factions – the Galactic Star Empire aka GSE and the Union of Allie Worlds. The GSE has one goal in mind and that is the annihilation of all unlike them. The Allied Worlds seek peace, but they know what must be done to accomplish this. Lives will be lost on both sides, but this is where our main characters’ story begins. With each detail and revelation, I’m pulled further into this book eager to learn more about the drama playing out and where things are going.

As the first chapter of this novel unfolds, I’m pulled in and quickly engaged, on the edge of my seat with the dogfight going on in the sky and harrowed by the cries and screams of the various characters scrambling for survival. Will a call for help get out? Will someone show up sooner rather than later to bring help? We’ll have to find out.

When the author began to describe a few traits of Markka’s I was taken aback a bit yet intrigued at the same time. Piece by piece I get a few details about her, and I wanted more to get a better mental image of her. The same applies to Leachim. I only get a couple of details about him that lead me to believe that he’s human or at least humanoid. It would have been nice to have a character description for both of them at the beginning to better imagine what they look like but in later chapters the author does get around to giving a bit more details to round out this two characters, so we are finally able to compose a more complete mental picture of them . It’s obvious that Michael D. Brooks is not afraid of detail which is prevalent throughout the story.

As the story progresses, I’m appreciative that the author gives me details concerning the appearances of new characters that are introduced. There aren’t “fine details” but the details are enough to give a general image of the characters.

The ebb and flow of this novel is amazing, the author constantly pulls us to the edge of our seats, and just when we start to settle back there comes something else to pull us back in. Then there’s the length of each chapter in this book, which I really appreciated. None of them are overly long and pack just enough information to keep the reader engaged and in page-turning mode. Michael D. Brooks, the author, does a good job sprinkling in a variety of details that literally had my eyebrows crawling up my head. One such scene you ask? Well, when a leviathan “with eyes twice the size of the fighter” jumps out of the water and tries to eat them…yep...I was like… what in the world!?! LOL! My second question was… are there bigger creatures lurking on this strange planet? I’ll admit that I’m a bit disappointed when only one other creature is introduced. I, personally, would have loved it if there had been more throughout the story.

I appreciate the moments in this story where the author works to invoke an emotional reaction from readers. I couldn’t help wondering about the backstory of some of these characters, and the author chooses the best exact time to reveal them. As I was reading, I briefly worried that the author would actually just tease at the backstory and move on. No worries there though, he gives the information that we come to crave as we read and with that information comes heartbreak and hope.

There are also quite a few sprinklings of humor throughout this book as well. I love how these moments lighten the story up and keep it from being too dark with everything that is going on.

One particular dark mark on this book though is the sexual assault of one of the characters. If the author is going to include this particular scene, while brief, there should be a trigger warning. Was this scene graphic? No, it was not. It is hinted at before it happens, but I was still a bit surprised when some of it is detailed in the story. It also seemed a bit strange to include details of the assault, but have “fade to black” moments with the consensual scenes later on. It would have been better if he author balanced the story out in this aspect.

For readers hoping for some romance in this novel, your hopes will be rewarded. Romance begins to bloom in this novel after a time., although focused on two characters most. I appreciate that the romance gradually develops and that there aren’t any “insta” moments in this book. If there had been I might have thrown a fit, but thankfully there weren’t. LOL! Things gradually develop as the characters interact with each other and get to know each other.

Once the book hits about the halfway point, things begin to pick up speed, causing the story to start to feel a bit rushed. I wanted things to slow down a bit and for the author to give me more of that engaging detail that I got so much of in the beginning. The story still progresses overly well, but it seems to be moving in fast-forward instead of regular speed.

When it comes to the characters of the novel, it’s a toss-up as to who is my favorite. I really think that I’m going to go with Markka on this one. Markka is such an interesting character and I love her sass. She’s a feisty character, and she really livens the story up. There are moments in the book where she disappears from view, but she’s always there somewhere. Cora is a close second though in my favorite characters category.

All in all, this book is well-written and packed with engaging moments throughout. I loved the twists, the surprises, and what I hope will be a continuation. I’d love to revisit these characters and find out what happens next. I say this because the author appears to leave the door open for this book to turn into a series and I highly encourage the author to do so.

Pros:

• Engaging storyline from beginning to end.
• Lots of twists and surprises scattered throughout
• I liked the invoking of a variety of emotions in this novel, and the sprinklings of humor to keep it from becoming too dark.

Cons:

• I would’ve liked if the author gave trigger warning on the beginning of the book, of the assault scene in this novel.
• The flow becomes a bit rushed about halfway through the story.

Lesson of the book: The truth is out there, you may not be prepared for what it reveals, but seek it nonetheless.

Cover Score: 8.6/10

Book Score: 8.7/10

Get your ebook // Open on Goodreads

This incredible review was made by Bunny. You can support her review even further on her Buymeacoffee.