Calamity (Uncharted Hearts #1) by Constance Fay

I'm going to be honest with you here. I only read this book because I needed a book on my Kindle, all my Libby waits were MONTHS LONG, and this one was available for immediate download. I sort of cheated my way into Calamity by Constance Fay. Temperance Reed has been banished from her powerful family and now captains a ramshackle ship. She and her crew take on a mission for one of the Fifteen Families, but only under the condition that they include the second son of the family on the assignment. 

This is fun. It's an adventure book with a fun bit of worldbuilding. There's a romance (with some spicy sex scenes - beware if that's not your jam - I'm noticing a trend in fantasy that sometimes you'll be reading what you think is just a regular romance novel and then there are EXPLICIT sex scenes (yes, I might be scared from Fourth Wing) and I think it's attributable to BookTok's obsession with romantasy, but I'd rather read a romance OR a fantasy book and rarely do I think romantasy is done well, but I'm seriously digressing here). There's a ship! There's a fun crew! There's intergalactic politics. 

I think this book is what I'm looking for in science fiction. There's not too many technical details about what makes space travel possible, but just enough. There's enough about the Fifteen Families and power structures for you to understand what's going on, but there aren't huge lists of names or family trees. There's a love story and you really are rooting for them to get together, but they also don't completely ignore everything else in their lives because they're falling in love. Nicely done for a debut novel.

I'm docking it a point for two main reasons. One, the sex was absolutely unexpected (or maybe I'm a prude? - you decide). Two, the writing is incredibly basic. Look, I'm not casting stones here, but so many sentences are Subject - Verb - Object with little variation and if I'm noticing that, it can't be good. Just look at the lines of note if you want to know what I'm talking about. Still, I liked this and wouldn't mind reading more in the series. 

4/5 stars

Lines of note:

I make everyone’s problems my own anyway. It’s like a gift. (location 601)

I don't know why, but this made me laugh. I feel this way all the time. 

People are the worst. It’s always easier without people. (location 789)

I agree. It usually is easier without people, but what are we if not social beings. 

“We’re all going to die.” That helpful contribution comes from Pablo, who looks at his brother like a stranger. 
“We might not all die. I might live.” Micah’s really helping to raise the mood. (location 3846)

Lols. 

Thanks to my mother for suggesting that I should write some smut and my father for agreeing—and to both for being early readers. (location 4625)

I love reading about supportive parents. 

Hat mentions (why hats?): 

Micah is a man of many hats. (location 583)

The hat principle can apply to hair. (location 807)