Galaxy Grifter is a high-stakes space opera novel, written by A. Zaykova, published by Orbit Books. A wild and fun ride, which never stops, full of adventure with a fair share of shenanigans, completed with a dash of romance, and two really different main characters that, however, share how snarky they are.

Levi is an interestellar conman, all charming and with little scruples; his real love is his ship, the Caerus, that he has given as a collateral for a loan. As he's desperate to pay and get it back, he gets a valuable antimatter blueprint; but it's worthless without being decoded. Here's where Vera enters: a programmer whose debts keep her trapped on an asteroid; knowing that Levi is using her, she plans to steal the blueprint and use the money to pay for her own freedom. A match made in hell, which marks only the start of a big adventure, especially after gangs, alien governments and other elements enter in the equation, all trying to get the blueprint for their own goals.

Not going to lie, I wanted to strangle Levi's neck a thousand times; it is true that he's charming, and he knows it, we can see him trying to play with that for his advantage, but he's also super quick to betray those that trust a minimum on him. There's a small chance of redemption for him, but he's much more focused on recovering the Caelus than being a good person to those that help him.
Vera, on the other hand, is a character I can get behind; struggling with unfair debts, brilliant, but also without a clear exit from the asteroid. Levi's blueprint is a hot nail, but in her situation, it's better than nothing; risking everything for that chance is the correct option, even if means dealing with such a shady character as the Weasel. She might be reckless starting this, but we can also see her trying to do the right thing when the opportunity arises.
The rest of the cast falls a bit on the stereotypes that you can expect in this kind of story, with a few surprises here and there adding to the plot.

Zaykova's setting is quite interesting: a big universe with more than the humans and many factions fighting for getting hold of the power; mafias but also governments trying to recover the blueprint, adding a layer of danger to the whole adventure. There's a romantic element attached to the story, which complements well the rest of the plot.
The pacing is frenetic, making you fly through the pages, plenty of fun and also well-written action scenes.

Galaxy Grifter is a great debut novel, perfect if you are looking for a high-stakes space opera story, full of action with a dash of romance; if you don't mind hating the male main character, much better!