SPOILER FREE SECTION

I will start off by saying that I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I gave this book fours stars and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was definitely a book to keep you engaged the entire time and there is so much that happens that is packed into this book. The writing style was really easy to read and made the book really easy to get through which always makes a book more enjoyable for me.
When I started the book I found our main character Lyra to be kind of annoying and the fact that she seemed to be such a great ‘wormer’ compared to adults around her to be a little unbelievable and kind of tropey but she actually really grew on me and I ended up really enjoying her as a character by the end of the novel. She was incredibly determined and such a hard worker and even though she is a bit of a delinquent she also has such a great heart and at the middle of everything she does is the want to help others. I also loved her banter while Niall and how their relationship grew throughout the novel, they helped each other through some hard times and it was incredibly cute.
I loved some of the science fiction elements from this book such as time dilation which isn’t something that I have come across before, but it super interesting!! I mean when there is faster than light travel that basically creates wormholes through space then it must interrupt time right? As a kid though that would really suck because you would stay the same age while your friends would grow old and maybe die by the time you get to your next place. But also think of all the advancements you would get!!! I mean if your skip ahead 10’s of years you think of everything that would have happened in your absence.
I also loved seeing the archaeology aspect of the story as our main character is the daughter of two of them, it was really interesting to see how they catalogue the sites and try and decipher the reason for these Terra Cotta warriors and what their symbols mean.
I also loved the idea of the Q-net, this kind of interactive service that holds all of the information in the universe and in some ways it seems to be intuitive which is super interesting. The ‘worming’ aspects where pretty interesting, how Lyra is able to get through the walls and into files through feel in a way which is pretty cool.
I would 100% recommend this book for someone wanting to get into science fiction as this would be a great starter book and its very easy to get through.

SPOILER SECTION

The plot of this story was definitely interesting, we have Terra Cotta warriors found in planets throughout the universe for reasons unknown and I love the idea of that!! Throughout the novel we find out so many things about these warriors and what their purpose might be which seems to be to keep the shadow blobs at bay, which is kind of weird but I’m okay with adding some paranormal to my science fiction 😀 I would really like to find out what is going on with these entities since all we really find out in this novel is that they attack people on the planets when the warriors are no longer there and that they can only seem to attach in the dark, they also have blades that can cut people but they cannot seem to be harmed themselves.
The ending of the novel was kind of crazy and I did not expect it which is different for me since usually I can see things coming, I mean Jarren is the boss of the looters?! There obviously seems to be a way around the time dilation if he can move from planet to planet without any affects from it, which he mentioned the first time we meet the looters but I still didn’t put it together that it was going to be him.
I am really hoping to get more answers in the next novel, I need to know what these shadow blobs are and what is going on with these Terra Cotta warriors!! And also if we could see some more of these planets I wouldn’t be opposed to it 😀 I will be starting the next book ASAP.

Thank you for reading!

Navigating the Stars is the first novel in Maria V. Snyder’s Sentinels of the Galaxy series and is a rich and surprising science fiction YA that draws readers in with its mystery, suspense and promising storyline.

Terracotta Warriors have been discovered on planets all across the Milky Way and Lyra Daniel’s parents are the foremost archaeological experts on them. This means Lyra has been dragged to various planets to study them all her life. Lyra is tired of always loosing friends and of the constant moves, even as her parents promise that the most recent find is the most exciting of them all. Stuck on a research base isn’t Lyra’s idea of fun, but when one of the many Warrior planets go silent and looters storm the base, Lyra quickly finds herself involved in discovering the Warriors true origin but with dangers coming from unexpected places and a blast from the past throwing her through a loop, Lyra will need all her skills to outsmart the bad guys before those she cares about are hurt.

Maria V. Snyder is an author I absolutely love. I’ve been a fan since Poison Study came out as a debut (yes that long) and have devoured her novels ever since, continuously getting lost in her tangible and alluring worlds. Navigating the Stars proved to be something different than her fantasy tales and Snyder doesn’t disappoint with this intergalactic and futuristic adventure.

I really enjoyed the concept of China’s infamous terracotta warriors being discovered throughout space, although at this point the implications and reasons behind their existence is yet to be explained. I have a feeling that Maria V. Snyder has a lot planned where their origin and purpose is concerned and given some of the events of this first instalment, I’m very keen to see what we uncover as the series progresses.

Navigating the Stars is told through the eyes of Lyra, a talented hacker (called worming in this series) and daughter of the two leading archaeologists on the terracotta warriors. Admittedly the novel does read younger than some of Snyder’s other books and I think this stems from the fact that protagonist Lyra is seventeen years old and still very young in a lot of ways; something that is highlighted in her occasionally childish voice and actions throughout the story. Lyra is rash and often unthinking however I do see a lot of area for potential growth in her and can only envision the kind of character she will become throughout the series.

Maria V. Snyder weaves elements of action and romance within her story while also focusing on the mystery and unknown surrounding the terracotta warriors. Her ideas behind space travel and time jumps was interesting if not somewhat confusing in the beginning. I felt the story got off to a somewhat slow start in the very beginning but steadily progressed with the turn of each page.

Building towards some surprising revelations that leave more questions to be answered, Navigating the Stars features likable characters and an intriguing storyline. Maria V. Snyder concludes this chapter of the series very well and has me excited to see what she has in store for her characters and her readers with the next novel---I can’t wait to read it!

I absolutly loved this book - perfect for fans of starwars! This is a must read and i would recoment it to every one who reads sci-fi

Navigating the Stars had such a wonderful premise: China’s terracotta warriors are discovered throughout space, and it’s a mystery as to who created them. This is the first book in Sentinals of the Galaxy series.

Lyra Daniels' parents are the archaeological Experts on the Warriors and have dragged her to the various planets to study them. Lyra becomes involved in discovering why the Warriors were placed on these planets and by who.

Lyra was a great character with awesome hacking skills, I enjoyed this aspect and loved the way she would 'worm' her way into different areas. She was a strong and determined character that kept things interesting. I alsoloved her relationship with her parents, who despite their busy roles still set boundaries for her.

Now the love interest, moody, broody Niall - it certainly took a little while for these two to get along but once they did it was great! I enjoyed their interactions, even the not so pleasant moments and loved the way their relationship progressed.

The science fiction elements had me baffled, when it came to the space time differing from Earth time and the age difference, I was completely clueless. Other than thism I was completely entertained.

Navigating the Stars was a well written, entertaining page turner with great characters and I am excited to read the sequel.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Harlequin Australia and the author, Maria V Snyder, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of NavigatingThe Stars in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I was drawn to this book by the exceptional cover art and the premise of the storyline.
The book offered a good read with compelling characters. I am looking forward to reading more in this series as it is very promising.
Worth a read for fans of the genre.

I loved this new series from Maria and am looking forward to the next book. Very well written and I read it in one sitting.

*thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 stars.

Ohh I so wanted this to be 5 stars. It was great but I found the last 150 pages a bit of an effort. Still the story was really well written and a fast read. I did enjoy it! I also recieved a paperback copy of this from Santa. The main character, Lyra was rather enjoyable. Her humor made me smile a few times. It was really interesting to read about all the science side of space and how time works etc. Alot of work was put into that and it has resulted in a well written story. The book ends with it clearly letting us know that there will be a second in his series and I will definitely be reading it. This is my first novel from this author and I'm pleased to say I will be reading more of her works in the future.

Set in the future, Navigating the Stars revolves around main character Lyra, and her parents, who are basically space archeologists. I was expecting more of an adventure/Tomb Raider style novel, especially as it feels like there's a big focus on the terracotta warriors, but instead it felt more like a light sci-fi with more focus on romance and character than action/adventure.

I thought the book was a decent read, but it didn't hold up to the strength of her high fantasy novels. In particular, I felt that her world building was not up to the standard of many other science fiction novels I have read, leaving me wanting a little more foundation to the story. I was especially confused about some aspects of the VR-like technology and how Lyra used "worming" to somehow hack into other systems and repair broken files- this was never explained that well.

Overall, I think this would be an entry level YA science fiction novel.

Ratings
Overall: 6/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 2.5/5
Writing: 3/5
World Building: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 4/5

Now this is decent sci-fi.

I very much enjoyed the author's first fantasy series (the Poison books), largely because of the viewpoint character, a determined, capable young woman who had to overcome considerable challenges and did so with bravery and determination. I enjoyed the Glass books less, largely also because of the viewpoint character; I remember her as whiny. Here, we're back to a snarky, imperfect, but ultimately admirable young woman with a delightful voice.

Lyra has a bit of a problem with authority (and vice versa), but she's fundamentally a good person, chaotic good though it may be. She wants to help people, not harm them; she just doesn't see how following the rules is relevant to that exactly. She's a natural, intuitive "wormer" (as hackers of the quantum computer net are called), and nobody is going to stop her worming.

There's a strong conflict built into the setting, which is good use of worldbuilding. Ships can warp through space between stars, but doing so involves a time dilation effect, so that even though it takes a short subjective time for the passengers, many years pass in the wider universe during their transit. This means that if someone leaves for another planet, particularly someone young, to their friends they might as well be dead; when they're next heard from it will be decades later, and they'll still be a teenager while their friends are middle-aged. Lyra's brother has left in just such a way after turning 18, and is gone from the family's life; Lyra, who's not yet quite of age, has to accompany her archaeologist parents when they move planets (again) to investigate another find of ancient terracotta warriors, apparently transported there from China by aliens. The aliens, for reasons not yet understood, did this a lot. (So much so that I did wonder how that amount of clay went missing from China without leaving enduring evidence or historical accounts. If the clay wasn't from Earth, that wouldn't be hard to detect scientifically.)

Leaving aside such minor niggles, this is something different from the common space opera fare, which is what I'd expect from this author; she doesn't just write to the usual bland default template, but puts some thought into the setting and how it interacts with the story and characters. Setting detail isn't just background, it's central to the plot. A good many hard-SF authors could take a lesson.

It's not without its cliches. The moment I read that the young man Lyra hates had blue-green eyes, I muttered, "Houston, we have a love interest." Why do all important characters in YA have to have green, violet, or at best grey eyes? Where's the love for brown eyes? Brown eyes are great, and most humans have them. Maybe that's the point; YA characters have to be special. And Lyra is, though she isn't over-the-top special; at one point she notes that she isn't suddenly going to be a crack shot with a weapon she's never used before, which won the author points from me.

It may have the occasional cliche, but it's not the usual assemblage of tired tropes laid end-to-end on a well-worn pattern, which for me made it much more enjoyable than the many books that don't attempt any more than mediocre sameness. I would happily read more in the series; although there's no cliffhanger, there are plenty of open threads left at the end, and I found this first book entertaining.

I received a copy via Netgalley for review.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Although I prefer to read fantasy these days, sci-fi was actually my first love (please don’t tell my fantasy books). I’ve read and loved almost all of Snyder’s books, including her original sci-fi Inside Out, so I was pretty keen to dive into this one, especially since it was starting with a younger, mouthier heroine than I’m used to with Snyder. And Lyra’s voice is incredible! So different to anything Snyder’s written before – Lyra actually talks to the reader, but it really works in this context.

If, like me, you have read and loved other Snyder books, you’ll find it comforting that there are numerous tropes Snyder utilises in this book that you’ll find familiar:

-Lyra is the only one who can perform a particular valuable yet illegal skill.
-Lyra and her love interest start off hating each other.
-Lyra makes a very good impression on the captain/commander/leader-type figure.
-Lyra spends some time in self-defense/combat training.
-Lyra becomes part of a team but always remains an outsider.

There are of course differences from Snyder’s other books: Lyra’s a minor, and her parents, though they love and trust her, don’t, won’t, or can’t treat her like an adult. Lyra’s parents are archaeologists whose job on distant planets means they basically time travel into the future while their friends stay behind and age, and Lyra’s brother, whom we don’t meet, abandoned his time-travelling, space-faring family once he came of age, and her parents are afraid she’ll do the same thing. They love and respect her, but they force her to travel with them, even though they allow her to make other dangerous decisions. Lyra is one of the oldest minors on the ship, and she’s at that very interesting and perfect YA age that I love reading about. She has school requirements, social requirements, and a responsibility to assist her parents, even though she’s not sure if archaeology is the career she wants to pursue.

I really enjoyed this book, getting to know Lyra’s friends and family, her life as a time-travelling archaeologist/computer hacker balanced with her responsibilities as a teen. If you’ve read other Snyder books I think you’ll love the familiarity of this book coupled with the new direction Lyra’s voice takes us in. I loved the descriptions of her home, the new characters added, and her dynamic relationships with everyone.

While the Terracotta Warriors seems like an odd choice of topic for a sci-fi, I think Snyder really makes it work with respect to the originals and the ones discovered in space. I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series and unravelling more of this mystery.

Navigating the Stars by Maria V Snyder is the first book in the author’s first SF series (she has many fantasy books under her belt already). It was also my first experience of the author’s work and I’m pleased to say it was a very positive one. I was drawn to pick up this book because the blurb intrigued me and I am glad I took a chance on it.

Terra Cotta Warriors have been discovered on other planets in the Milky Way Galaxy. And Lyra Daniels' parents are the archaeological Experts (yes with a capital E) on the Warriors and have dragged her to the various planets to study them despite the time dilation causing havoc with her social life.

When one of the many Warrior planets goes silent, and looters attack her research base, Lyra becomes involved in discovering why the Warriors were placed on these planets. And, more importantly, by who.

The first thing I want to say is that Snyder clearly did her research when it came to setting up a futuristic society. Not only does she bother to include time dilation in her interstellar travel — remarkable in and of itself since so many books take a lazy magically fast travel approach — but she also thought through the social ramifications of it. The story opens with Lyra, our protagonist, sad, angry and desperate over the fact that her parents will soon be moving to another planet for work. Since she is under 18 and has to come along, that means she will never see any of her current friends again. The way the research base kids deal with that situation struck me as very believable and it was an emotional scene to read.

The way they travel through space to distant planets is still a little bit magic, time dilation or not, but it was sufficiently well thought out that I didn’t find anything to complain about. Ditto the quantum computer that controls navigation and a host of other things. There was also a bit of maths-based problem solving that I found it quite plausible that Lyra would be capable of. In summary, this book gets my “physics done right” seal of approval. Oh, and there was also some realistic treatment of head wounds, which was refreshing to see.

Not ignoring the laws of physics wasn’t the only thing done right in this book. The story was engaging and I enjoyed Lyra’s voice and being in her head. The archaeological side of things, which Lyra was frequently involved with thanks to her parents, was also interesting and not overburdened by boring details. By the time the more mysterious elements of the plot came to the forefront, I was well and truly invested and couldn’t put the book down. (And now I am sleep-deprived.) the romance was probably the least interesting element of the plot, since Lyra’s love interest is literally the only other teenager insight, but he was a sufficiently interesting character that I didn’t get annoyed at him and actually worried for his safety (I may have forgotten that I was reading a Harlequin book at that point.)

I highly recommend this book to all fans of hard science fiction and/or YA. Snyder shows that lazy shortcuts to advance the plot (magic travel, ignoring concussions) aren’t necessary to make a story interesting and engaging. I was really pleased with the realism (yes, realism, even when strange inexplicable things were also happening) and the amount of research that clearly went into this book. I was trepidatious about how the ending would go and whether I would still want to read the sequel, but I am pleased to report that I am definitely interested in finding out what happens next (and that it didn't end on a horrible cliffhanger or anything like that). Bring on the sequel!

5 / 5 stars

First published: November 2018, Harlequin Australia
Series: Yes. Book 1 of a new series called Sentinels of the Galaxy
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Admittedly, not since Poison Study, have I so immediately fallen in love with one of Maria V. Snyder's creative worlds.
The heroine, Lyra Tian Daniels, captivated me from the start. She's sassy, strong and has a mischievous, quick-thinking mind that made me smile more than once. She's also loyal, kind-hearted and courageous.
This book has much more than just a charming heroine to offer though - there's space travelling and the complicated, confusing and emotionally painful concept of jumping through time. Not to mention, plenty of mysteries and puzzles to solve, along with pulse pounding danger to survive as well.
In other words, Navigating the Stars is a great first book in Maria V. Snyder's sci-fi series, Sentinels of the Galaxy and definitely sets the stage for future books to come.
I'm highly anticipating, the next book in this riveting series.
Hopefully, the next book will take me a little bit longer to read because truthfully, I read this book in one sitting. Once I was at least three chapters into this book, I was utterly hooked and could not put it down.
Definitely recommended.

With thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my copy.

I only discovered just how good an author Maria V. Snyder is for myself in the last twelve months; I'd seen some of her books and read good reviews but they had remained on my TBR list... and then I read Poison Study. #Iwashooked!

Navigating the stars is another series with a strong, intelligent, female protagonist and an excellent first title. I read the book in one sitting - so be warned - don't start reading late at night unless you're prepared for very late night/early morning, because I didn't just want to know how the story ended (I'm an inveterate last page reader) but I needed to know how the story got there.
And, wow, I was totally immersed in the story and have spent the last week with a book hangover as I have wondered what will happen next, how the characters will act/react to the circumstances at the end of book one and also recognised that the author's writing is reminiscent in quality to another author whose books I enjoy; Anne Mc Caffrey.

Buy this book today and when you're eagerly/desperately waiting for a publication date for the next title in the series check out Maria V. Snyder' other series and try not to gorge yourself on them all in one sitting. It can seem like a long wait for the next book in a series.

As soon as I saw Maria V. Snyder has another book coming out I knew I had to have it, so I was over the moon when I found out i had been approved for an ARC!!


Maria is one of my favourite authors and she really has a way of making you connect and feel like you're walking in the main characters shoes. Her mannerism of writing has just a beauty around it that you can't help but be drawn in completely.


Navigating the Stars tells the story of Lyra Daniels being taken on an intergalactic journey by her archaeologist parents. The story premise is incredibly well told, the world building is second to none. You can really tell that Maria has gone to great lengths to research everything she is writing about, especially all of the scientific explanations. I loved the fact that she also had sensitivity readers to ensure that she wrote about Chinese culture accurately and sensitively.

Lyra is a headstrong, passionate, intelligent and kind main character. I loved reading her journey throughout the book and seeing how she grew. The family dynamics are such fun to read and the romance. Maria does slow burn so beautifully.

“And there’s this girl, she’s like a comet—makes the rest of the Galaxy seem dull in comparison.”

*thank you to Harlequin Australia and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

To sum up my thoughts on this book in a sentence it’d be “it’s not a bad book, just not my cup of tea.”

So reading Navigating the Stars made me realise I do not like sci-fi novels.

The plot seemed great and I like the writing- I’m a huge fan of Maria V. Snyder’s- but I just didn’t like all the futuristic gadgets and I couldn’t wrap my mind around the space travel and science of it (science is not my strong suite and it’s been a LONG time since I studied any kind of science). So I just couldn’t get into it, and despite how much I wanted to keep reading and find out what happens (because seriously the plot is so interesting and I need to know what happens), I just couldn’t force myself to keep going and stopped at 5%.

I’m not saying the book (or what I read of it) was bad, its just the genre I don’t like (which at least I know now) but I’m certain this will be a popular novel, so I do recommend this novel for readers who enjoy YA sci-fi books.

This was absolutely fantastic!
Interesting premise, great characters, funny dialogue - especially between Lyra and Niall, which made me laugh a lot.
This is a fast-paced, adventure YA novel with the cutest romance in it.
I didn't want this to end and I'm already planning on re-reading it. I tried to find out when the second book in the series will be published, but couldn't find any dates.
I'll recommend this to anyone, especially if you liked the Illuminae trilogy.
I already see this blow up the YA booktube community.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for providing me with an eARC.

I am a huge fan of Synder’s Ixia Chronicles and her Outside In series, so when I heard she was writing a new sci-fi novel I knew I just had to read it. I am so glad that HarperCollins Australia went ahead with publishing - yay Australia! Navigating the Stars is full of adventure, awesome advanced technology, romance, archaeology, hacking, code breaking and trouble-making. With Synder’s signature writing style and touch of humour and banter, Navigating the Stars is sure to thrill all her devoted fans and entice many new readers to join the ranks of her followers.

Lyra lives on planet Xinji - one of hundreds found after the discovery of the quantum net and the ability to crinkle time, moving tens of years through space in a matter of days. Her parents are archaeologists working to uncover the mystery of the thousands of Chinese Terracotta Warriors buried on planets spread throughout the Milky Way. But when a new planet is discovered, it means Lyra is forced to follow her parents deeper into space, leaving behind her friends and her planned future. But big discoveries await and this time Lyra will find herself right in the middle of the big and dangerous discoveries.

It took me a few chapters to get my head around the setting, timeline and context of Navigating the Stars but once I did I was hooked. There is something about Snyder’s writing that just grabs you and I particularly liked her use of unique voice and humour in Lyra’s narration. Written in first person, Lyra sometimes seems to be directly addressing the reader, inviting them to join her story and see things her way - even if she is about to lead us all straight into trouble. I loved her little asides and wry comments. Lyra is a strong character - but perhaps not in a traditional way. Lyra is smart, frequently helps her parents with archaeology related task and is very good at worming her way through security restrictions in the Q-Net. Her ability to puzzle out problems and find answers suits her tenacious spirit. But Lyra is far from fearless and is less than physically strong, has mood swings (she is a teenager, after all) and would be happy to leave the fighting to the adults. Yet, with her resilience and humour and desire to help, Lyra never gives up, or as she puts it, Refuses To Be Ignored.

Romance plays a big part of this story, and I loved it! Niall starts off as an annoyance to Lyra - sullen and constantly threatening to report her less-than-legal activities. But thrown together and then forced to support each other to stay out of trouble, Niall and Lyra end up working together and find they make a good team. Which is handy, because they must face some dangerous challenges.

History meets the future in Navigating the Stars. As Lyra, her parents and teams of scientists uncover ancient artefacts with futuristic technology (and a good bit of elbow grease), they must also try to work out how the Warriors made it onto planets only recently discovered. With no hint of the aliens lifeforms that might have transported them or reasons why this might have happened, Lyra, with a bit of help from friends both past and present, starts to uncover clues that puts all their lives in danger.

The technology in Navigating the Stars is cool - from time crinkling space ships, to the Q-Net and Lyra’s ability to worm (read: hack) her way through intelligent streams of data. While the whys and hows of the technology isn’t the focus of the story, it all works together to make the flow of the story possible. This means readers who are not big fans of science fiction can still enjoy this book and the adventure, romance and family dynamics that take the bulk of the book’s focus. The only problem I had was a few details that were missing or brushed over. For example, where does all the food come from? There was no mention of the source of food - they all eat plenty and the chefs cook it for them in the galley and cafeteria, but where did it come from? Earth? Space cows? Life on an otherwise mostly desert planet? And what about waste systems and cleaning systems and all the basic things of life that takes resources and people to make happen? Maybe I just missed those details or they were excluded so they didn’t detract from the flow of the story but I was very curious and often distracted by these little details.

Navigating the Stars is the first book in the Sentinels of the Galaxy series. I am eagerly anticipating book 2 and the continuation of Lyra’s story. In the meantime, I will enjoy sharing their first book multitudes of readers from our library who can’t wait to get their hands on a copy.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Navigating the Stars was brilliant! An amazing 5-star read, one of my favourites for this year! It was an Indiana Jones space adventure with dark twists, amazing characters and a supremely swoon worthy romance. If you love adventure, romance and a little bit of mystery wrapped up in space, this is certainly the book for you.

I'll admit that when I first started reading this book, I was not sure I would enjoy it. The language and terminology used to describe the world put me off at first, but soon I was completely hooked on this amazing story. The characters are well written and so full of depth. The main character, Lyra, is an absolute gem! She is strong and fierce and smart. I loved her. Not only was she a great heroine for this action packed space adventure, but she grew as a character over the course of the book.

Navigating the Stars made me laugh out loud multiple times. I almost made myself choke I was laughing so hard at one point. I really liked the writing style of this book, it was really fantastic to read. I laughed, I gasped and I thought 'yes that is so accurate' so many times. I felt so many emotions and wanted to read until I couldn't keep my eyes open, thats how amazing it was.

Lyra's relationships with her parents, Niall, Radcliff and Beau were amazing. It was the perfect mix of space, adventure, romance and mystery. Not only was this a funny, family-realistic and amazing space adventure but it even had a few heart stopping moments! I honestly grasped my chest thinking my heart would come out and I was trying to keep it in.

I cannot wait to see more from this series by Maria V. Snyder. I couldn't recommend this book enough, it was sensational.