Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye

 Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye by Alex White, 452 pages.

This sequel to August Kitko and the Mechas from Space follows several months after the first book, as Gus, Violet, and the other conduits continue trying to find someway to stop the seemingly evil AI who nearly exterminated humanity with giant robots. But this time they have help! A whole lot of aliens with a shared enemy and giant robots of their own are here to help; although alien politics is a whole other complication, and one there isn't much time to solve.

This book is as self-indulgent and fun as the first one! I enjoyed the dual perspectives between Gus and nonbinary pop star Ardent Violet. The aliens were very creative and diverse, which is something I always enjoy with Sci-Fi. I do think the pace of this book dragged a little compared to the first book, and it definitely feels like the middle book in a trilogy. That being said, I am excited to read the conclusion and see how everything comes together! These books are a great example of the kinds of things space opera can do, and I would definitely recommend them for anyone interested in the genre.