The Bookish Mindset

Overview:

Title: The Principle of Moments
Author: Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
Published: January 2024
Genre: Sci-Fi
Themes: Space saga, found family

One sentence summary: Asha and Obi are part of something much bigger than either of them could have dreamed, they just don’t know it yet.

One sentence review: The beginning of an epic space saga and I need the next instalment yesterday.

Review:

Asha and Obi are part of something much bigger than either of them could have dreamed, they just don’t know it yet. Their journeys have already spanned centuries and there is so much more to come.

I’m being purposely elusive with the plot because I refuse to spoil anything and think you should go into this one blind, so let’s just start by saying I loved this. It’s that simple.

Space saga sci-fi is a genre I’ve grown up loving on screen but haven’t read nearly enough of it. The Principle of Moments satisfied a need I didn’t know I had. I truly feel like it’s a love letter to the genre (since writing this I’ve noticed that love letter is also used in the blurb, but I concur, it’s a love letter to the genre and especially Black readers). Told over multiple timelines with multiple POV’s, this ticked so many boxes for me.

I loved that Asha and Obi had their own lives and trajectories before their worlds collided. Both hold so much emotion and have dealt with so much, I just want to hug them and make everything okay for. We have totally loveable characters despite their (absolutely understandable) flaws and you’ll be backing them to the end. They’re characters I know I’m going to be thinking about until the next book comes out.

Sometimes when I’m starting a trilogy I can be a little apprehensive on how the first (or even second) will end, knowing that there’s more to come. I really shouldn’t have worried with this one. I love how some of the storylines were tied up and others were set up ready for the next book, I wasn’t left feeling cheated out of an ending that could have just been a cliff-hanger, I felt genuinely satisfied and excited for the next chapter in Asha’s and Obi’s tale.

A stunning debut and one I love recommending.

If reading more is something that you’re looking at doing this year then should check my reading challenge out here! Read nine books from nine prompts over the first six months of the year and be entered into a draw to win a bundle of bookish goodies.

If you’d like to get yourself a copy, you can support local bookshops while doing so on Bookshop.org with this link here.

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And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 24/03/2025