I love stories where "diversity" exists without being a plot point. Characters can simply be fat, or non-binary, living their lives. It's frustratingly hard to find stories like this, but they have been more and more coming out.

The art and coloring is gorgeous. The character design is unique and varied. You can see the work that went into each panel. It's a wonderful accomplishment. I wish we had seen more of Fassen's growth, their change in perspective, at a slower pace. The ending feels a bit rushed, but given the format I think it works.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

I liked this, but it wasn't super easy to understand. I don't mind working to get into the content of a good book, but being that this took place in space and there were multiple types of people and locations, I felt it needed a bit more background. It took me until 75% through to understand the different groups that the characters were in and trying to understand why they're falling into these groups.

With that being said, I loved the cast of characters. It was diverse in all ways without it being a stunt. It felt authentic and honest. We were able to learn about the characters and their personalities through their interactions. I also loved that personal discovery was happening without it being the only focus taking place.

The drawings and colors were also wonderful. I felt the illustrations really brought you into the story and showcased the world they were living in. There was a lot of text to balance out what was happening to and to try and explain the ways of their worlds.

I'd probably read a sequel if it came out, just to see if I liked it more now that I have a better understanding of the world. But I did feel this left some room to be explored by the author.

This graphic novel is one of the best I have read in awhile. The story is fast-paced, the illustrations are bright and engaging and the characters are amazing. This is one I will be putting in my school libraries.

Across a Field of Starlight is a face-paced, science fiction graphic novel with two non-binary characters at the center, Fassen and Lu. When they were younger, they met after Fassen’s ship crash-landed on a planet that Lu (and others from their community) were exploring. Although it was forbidden to talk with each other - Lu lives in a passive society, and Fassen fights against the Empire - they became fast friends.

Fassen wanted to get back to their people to help fight, but they were from a different solar system, and if Fassen left, they would never see each other again. From a crashed ship, Fassen found parts they needed to contact their word, and Lu figured out a way they could stay in touch as they grew up. But their communications needed to remain a secret, or the Empire would find Lu’s home and take it over as it has done with so many others.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. The artwork was some of the best I have seen. The graphics were very detailed and helped advance the story, but sometimes I did get lost in what was happening with some frames. There was so much detail that I didn’t know what ship I was looking at or where in space I was. The fight scenes were some of the best, though.

I am a huge Star Trek fan, and I am not sure if Delliquanti used the Next Generation as inspiration, but I did get a sense of the Empire being the Borg. When you read, let me know if you felt the same. The story itself poses many political and moral issues. Many I continue to ask myself days after reading. Would I want to fight against an unjust entity like the Empire or live in the passive world of Lu and her family/friends. As I write this, for me, both are true.

Random House calls this book a romance/sci-fi fantasy, but I would not. Sci-Fi, yes, but not romance. The two main characters may, one day, become romantically involved, but this book wasn’t it. It was more of a friendship, which I think is excellent. If it had gone more into the romance/love area, it would have hurt the story since they knew each other for less than a couple of hours before they went their way. They built their friendship and became closer by the end of the story. I was also thrilled to see a book with so much diversity. It was refreshing to have a story with so many people living who they are without the negative stigma that we usually see in reality. This is the world I want to live in, and I think most people do as well. So, yes, I recommend this book highly - even though some parts confused me. The graphics, the storytelling, and so much more will make you want to see more from these characters and Blue Delliquanti.

I don't know that I completely understood the overarching plot/science. What I do know is that the characters were amazing and the art showed so much diversity that it's impossible not to love this.

Beautifully illustrated, this graphic novel is a classic sci-fi story in the vein of Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish Cycle, exploring themes similar to The Dispossessed and to The Left Hand of Darkness, but with a lot of colorful, kinetic action. What makes a person? What do people deserve? The political and moral questions are advanced, but the reading level is not, and the story is fast-paced and never dry or too dense (much like a great quickbread). I absolutely loved it.