Made of Stars by Jenna Voris is a thrilling space opera that combines action, romance, and rebellion against a backdrop of interstellar conflict. The story follows a group of characters, each with their own personal stakes, as they navigate a galaxy rife with political tension, dangerous secrets, and the looming threat of war. Voris weaves together a fast-paced narrative filled with unexpected twists, high-stakes missions, and complex relationships.One of the book’s highlights is its dynamic character development. Voris introduces readers to a cast of flawed but compelling characters, from daring pilots to morally conflicted rebels, each of whom brings something unique to the story. Their interactions are fraught with tension, humor, and deep emotional connections, which add layers of complexity to the overarching plot.
While the novel has plenty of action and excitement, Made of Stars also explores deeper themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and what it means to fight for a cause bigger than yourself. The romance subplot adds emotional weight to the story without overshadowing the larger narrative.
Though some readers might find the pace relentless, with little time for quieter moments, it suits the intensity of the plot. Voris delivers a satisfying balance between character-driven moments and heart-pounding action.

Made of Stars is a good entertaining read, one that favours fast-paced action and character bonds over in-depth world building.

I liked that the book started with action and continued throughout the book. The characters were interesting but I wasn’t super invested in them.

So fun! I love scifi and there's not enough of it in YA. This was a high-stakes, action packed romp through the stars and I'm desperately hoping there's a sequel!

SCI-FI PERFECTION!! Bonnie and Clyde in space is the pairing I didn't know I needed and I loved every second of this. Really hoping a sequel gets greenlit though, because I need more after that ending!

From start to finish, this book is full of passion and emotion. The plot is less than original, but the author did a great job cutting through sentiments by making readers feel every word, weight, pain and struggle of the characters.

The mood is consistent throughout, the perspective of two separate characters pretty well done. However, the plot, which I think is over-used in this genre, feels prolonged in trying to be different or add something new. It could have benefitted from some chapters being compressed into one.

Despite that, I enjoyed the characters’ character. They are perfectly built, developed and portrayed. I got to love some of the personality in the story, especially of the three main characters. Dialogue and reactions feel real and unscripted.

The ending is not really what I expected, nor surprising (to say the least) but unique in its way. It gives bookworms something to process after reading.

Overall, it is a well written, well executed story. The author made a good effort narrating the plot in a somewhat original manner; it lives up to its Bonnie and Clyde claim.

Made of Stars is a book that you want to pick up when you are in the mood for an action-packed, fast-paced sci-fi. It actually helped break me out of a reading slump, which I am very grateful for. I was originally drawn in by the Bonnie and Clyde premise, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the characters and the premise. I hope Voris releases another sci-fi soon.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't for me, just because I prefer world building and character study. If you're into immediate action and romance, then you'll probably enjoy this a bit more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Rather enjoyable read with some interesting ideas and characters. I will probably buy a physical copy and give this a re-read.

Ava breaks her partner in crime, Shane, out of prison on a moon where he is being mistreated. They return to their home planet, and learn that conditions have gone down from when they were last there. They hatch a plan to help their families once and for all. Meanwhile, a space cadet named Cyrus has just graduated from the academy, and has been given Capitol Security as his new post. While on a mining planet, he runs into Ava and Shane during their heist.

This was a pretty forgettable book unfortunately. It started off with such a bang with a prison break out - but quickly became quite boring. I felt that a lot of the action took place off page, which for a Bonnie and Clyde story felt like a cheat. I did like all the murder and bloodshed that happened though. I thought that both relationships were decent, but I wasn't completely invested in them. I did think Lark and Cyrus had some fun banter though. There seemed to be no backstory on how these feelings developed, and became so strong. Jared, another member of Ava and Shane's crew was definitely the highlight of the book for me, and I wish he had more page time. I did read the book in one sitting, so it was a fairly quick read.

Overall it was decent, but nothing that will stay fresh in my mind.

This is well written in it's prose, but the dual POV was done in a way I feel will be confusing for some readers. It lacked quite a lot of character depth.

I enjoyed Made of Stars for its originality. It had terrific world-building with relatable characters and was well-written throughout. In the story, Voris gave a voice to the characters who consistently felt unseen and unheard, making for a timely tale.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

This was a fun and original story. I really enjoyed the twist on Bonnie and Clyde. All of the POVs were well done and even when some chapters jumped between them it was purposeful and easy to follow whose POV was being expressed. I have never rooted for the “outlaw” more. The plot flowed and kept my interest in wanting know what happens next.

Shane and Ava are on the run from the a military power. This is only made worse when Ava break Shane out of a max security prison. Wanted to get back at the people who imprisoned him Shane finds a plot to take over his home planet. Now it’s a race to stop them at all costs.

Dual POV with 2 totally different stories thrown at us then we are dragged back in time twice? My brain short circuited

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for a review!

If I could do half stars, I'd probably give this one closer to 3.5. I did enjoy this book while I was reading it, and I liked the characters! The story was more approachable than a lot of space/sci-fi stories because it wasn't overcomplicated.

The main issue I had with it was that the pacing felt a little weird. Somehow it felt a little rushed, like I didn't know the characters well enough to really understand them. Maybe it was because this was a standalone and it was switching POVs, so there wasn't a ton of space to dig into their thoughts and feelings, but something about the story and the characters just felt a bit shallow. I did really like Ava and Shane, as well as Cyrus; they were all relatable in their own ways, and they grappled with the consequences of what they were doing. But I felt like I wanted to know them better.

Also, the ending? That got depressing so fast. I wasn't expecting all of that from a YA book. So I didn't love that aspect.

Anyway, I enjoyed this book and overall would recommend it, but there were definitely a few things I wasn't a huge fan of. This is a good pick if you want a YA sci-fi that's space-themed and if you like Bonnie and Clyde (since that's what the story was roughly based on).

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

A Bonnie and Clyde retelling or sort of concept had me interested in reading the book. Did I get what I hoped, felt like it fell short but still an okay read.
Characters could of been more in depth and maybe more world building. I hope others enjoy this more. This one just wasn't for me.

I’ve always been a big Bonnie & Clyde fan (blame the musical), and I really loved seeing Jenna Voris explore this mystified couple in a completely new way. This isn’t quite a retelling, although there are tons of allusions to the original story that I loved spotting along the way. There are smaller parts of the story that I wish had gotten a little more depth and expansion, but as a whole I really enjoyed this story and it had me pretty hooked, especially near the end. Definitely worth the read if you’re interested.

As far as worldbuilding goes, this book isn’t the most original, although I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. To me the most interesting world aspect was the Nakara atmosphere and how that really played into the overall story. Still, I thought the world building that did happen benefitted the story, and made one where I always had a pretty good understanding of how things worked.

Character wise, I was fairly fond of all the main and supporting-protagonist characters, although I do wish that the supporting characters on Cyrus’ side had gotten a little more exploration. The book is dual-POV with one or two chapters being told by other characters, and I really thought that both POV worked well for the story being told. Ava’s storytelling and character work really well within the myth of the story, and manage to give some of the most empathetic readings of the characters.

Plot wise, I would say that some of it is fairly predictable, which comes with the territory of inspiration from a historical event, though the body still manages to feel original despite all that. One thing I especially appreciated was how Voris didn’t shy away from the more brutal or tragic elements that come from reimagining a story like Bonnie and Clyde, letting the story keep its strength instead of watering it down. Even though you know the end, you keep reading regardless.

i guess you could call this bonnie and clyde set in space. but honestly, besides a few quotes at the beginning of each part, and the fact that shane and ava were star-crossed lovers who also happened to be fugitives, it wasn’t really all that comparable…

i hate to say this is just another book in a recent string of books that i just don’t particularly care for. another mediocre book that’ll be forgotten by the end of the month, if you will.

none of the three main characters particularly stood out to me with their personalities. it kind of felt like they were all going in circles with their characterizations. and a particular choice just made it feel like none of the story felt worth it, you know?? (which i guess is accurate to the real story, but still. a lot else has changed, why not that.) it felt like the author was trying to go for six of crows vibes but i just didn’t feel the connection with any of them. besides my personal neutrality towards shane and ava, jared said like literally nothing??? i was expecting for him to be more prominent in the story honestly, given he was with their “gang” before the events kicked off. but nope, he was just kind of there. clara’s main thing was not to trust anyone. ares was the dick. (i can’t even really remember the other two’s names oops). that was it for them. cyrus was honestly the only one i somewhat enjoyed reading from actually. (not great when you’re trying do to bonnie and clyde, and you prefer the third mc who is neither of those).

the world building was subpar to say the least. you mean to tell me that a whole planet goes radio silent for months and not another single other planet in a supposedly large system cares? like at all? nakara has not literally one other ally i guess??? but whatever. i don’t expect most ya sci-fi space operas to be particularly fleshed out, so i kind of knew i needed to suspend my belief for that one. but i guess, i just couldn’t really understand noth’s reasoning for doing literally anything she did. we never really learned her motivations for wanting to invade nakara other than the one time she mentioned to cordova she wants more money… i guess, lol. idk, i guess i found where i personally draw my line. like if you want to make her the villain, that’s fine. but give us more of a reason why she wants and needs this invasion to happen.

overall, i was just hoping for more cohesion. and the poor development was especially noticeable for the last 15%. i feel like a few things were thrown into there just because the author wanted to. shane and ava’s storyline in particular. cyrus and lark kissing, which i personally just didn’t get any of the feelings cyrus was saying he felt toward lark. the man barely thought about him. and now apparently they’ve had this strong chemistry the whole time? noth, as i mentioned.

and i personally think, the author wanted to set it up so that it could either be considered a standalone. but also, set up so that it could potentially get picked up for a second book to be published down the road. like a decent amount felt left open ended. and that’s an odd way to finish a (currently?) standalone book.