THOUGHTS

I loved everything about this book! I just didn't get enough of it. I know it's going to be a series, but there was so much potential already here in this first one that I would have liked to see develop. I wanted more, which is only a good thing.


PROS
Memorable FMC: I really liked Celeste as a main character. I like that she's a bit standoffish. I like that she's an engineer, all technical expertise, and that she comes with a healthy anti-capitalist sentiment as well. She plays by the rules as far as it keeps her afloat while recognizing that this is a world not designed for her personal well-being. I liked her. She stands out, in a market saturated with female-led stories that start to blend together.

Soft MMC: I also liked the contrast Dominic gives to Celeste. He's a much softer character than she is. He's had luxury as an everyday part of his life. He isn't as fit for life on this ship as she is, not after things go wrong. He isn't physically capable of what she is, what her life has prepared her for, and he doesn't have the technical know-how to be as useful. But he's willing to help wherever he can. He's just limited, and I like that sort of role-reversal between the sexes.

Incredible Cast: On top of the two main characters complementing each other really well, the whole cast of characters were great. I loved Ren, Celeste's best friend, because not enough YA main characters have active friends in their life. Especially not loner MCs like Celeste. And I liked all the other characters we got, too. They made a great cast of background characters, characters that felt fleshed-out and thought-through. The characters really are the star of this book.


CONS
Blending Voices: Though Dominic and Celeste contrast each other, and complement each other, very well as characters, their perspective voices do start to blend together. Especially toward the end, when they are doing the same thing (and not living vastly different lives), it can be a bit disorienting to have to flip back to the chapter head to see whose perspective we're in. They can't always be distinguished by voice alone, and that's a missed opportunity (though an unfortunately common flaw of a lot of first-person POV books, alas).

Too Quick: The biggest downfall of this book is that it's just too short. I loved the background characters and how vibrant they make this book. And I absolutely wanted more of them. There's just not enough time in these pages to develop all of these characters, and I wanted all of these characters developed. I wanted to spend more time here, to immerse myself into this world. I think another hundred pages (or more) would have been well worth it just to see how well Johnston could develop these characters, develop this world if given the chance. But I didn't get that.

Not Enough Time: This book does a really good job of setting everything up, but at the same time, given how short it is, it does take a disproportionate amount of the book to have something actually happen. I think it takes almost 3/4 of the book before we really reach a tipping point, which is an indication that this book isn't plotted well (at least not for a book of its size). It will be a series, so there's more to come, but I wish this book had been better balanced within itself, because things do otherwise conclude well enough in this one volume. Or, even better, I wish this book had been longer to actually see what we're working with here (in, you know, an ideal world). It's too short. Have I said that already? Well, here it is again: this book is too short.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10
Fans of the classic 1979 film Alien will love diving into this voyage with unexpected passengers. Those who loved Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation will like seeing what happens when there are (already) aliens among us.

First and foremost thank you NetGalley and Tundra Book Group for letting me have early access to Titan of the Stars by E.K. Johnston.

This YA science fiction horror had me on the edge of my seat. If there's one trope I'm always down to read it is “we are trapped in space alone with aliens and there is no help coming”. The description of the Titan preparing to take its maiden voyage made me want to slip through the pages and explore the ship myself. Preferably without the unthawing aliens brought on the ship to be displayed as the next big scientific breakthrough. Seriously who thought the best idea was to bring aliens to space, let alone to Mars?

The human settlement on Mars brings new opportunities for both Celeste (A hard working engineer who seeks to better herself without belittling herself or capitalizing on her tragic childhood) and Dominic (The adopted son of a prominent rich family who uses their wealth as a form of control over him). The parallels between these two characters both revolve around money and their shared tragic childhoods. Celeste having no family is self made, working hard to not become a charity case for the wealthy. She relies on herself, and no one else to blaze a way for her future on Mars. Dominic was adopted and is often portrayed in the book as "rescued". His family often reminds him of how fortunate he is and how grateful he should be towards them for giving him a life above all the others. The gratitude his parents wish to see from him often involves Dominic doing exactly what they want, which includes giving up his dreams of art school for a more practical and socially acceptable job. Dominic is constantly belittled for his emotions and talked down to when he defies orders. Dominic is by far the most sympathetic out of his family and a developed empath. He's lonely and searching for a place he feels he belongs. From a writing mechanics standpoint the dual perspectives alternating between Celeste and Dominic flowed nicely. I never felt bored reading one perspective over the other. The characters of this book were equally lovable as they were despicable (I'm looking at you Adam).

Full disclosure, I read 63% of this book before I DNF’d because the amount of cursing was just too distracting for me. This was disheartening because I was super invested in the plot and I wanted to know what happened to the Titan. I will definitely be looking for spoilers to fill in the gaps of what I know!

Overall, despite reading 63% of the book, I’d give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed the characters, backstory, descriptions, and pacing of the plot. My only negative comment is the heavy cursing which is a personal reading pet peeve of mine.

I cannot end this review without mentioning what an absolutely stunning front cover this book has!

Titan of the Stars was incredible! It was my first time reading sci-fi horror, and I couldn't put it down. E.K. masterfully sets up the world and story, making it feel like a movie playing out in my head. The characters are well-developed, and the writing perfectly balances awe and terror as the plot unfolds. The ending was perfect - satisfying on its own yet leaving just enough room for a potential sequel.

I was super excited for this book, the premise sounds amazing and I’ve read and loved a book by this author in the past (Exit, Pursued by a Bear) so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. I wasn’t really jiving with the writing style and I couldn’t connect to the story or the characters.

I am so excited to read this (!!) but the formatting was off on the Kindle download and it was really hard to make out.

Neutral star raring given because NetGalley requires it.

Netgalley wont let me do half stars but this is actually a 4.5/5 for me do not be fooled by what netgalley allows me to do. I have never seen alien but I have a dad who loves the entire franchise so I know it via osmosis and the mashup of alien with titanic like mm yes loved it ate it up absolutely adored it I read almost 50% of this in less than an hour in one sitting that was how obsessed with it I am AND I NEED A SEQUEL. EVEN IF ITS A NOVELLA PLEASE

Wow, and not wow in a good way this book was hard to get through , I kept waiting for the story to pick up .

There was a lot of description and a lot of talking with very little advancement to the story and I felt like it just kept droning on and that half of the dialog and plot thus far wasn’t even necessary.

30 percent through the book I was literally having to fight my own urge to stop reading with how bored I was.

There is a point when a writer needs to realize that while description is helpful there is a point where you can write to much description and forget to write the actual story.

I noticed a lot of the same points where brought up through the story only written in a slightly different way but even so it felt like a lot of repeated information especially when discussing their past, the rupt and the goverment.

Onto the characters, there were a lot of characters to follow, that being said I could not connect to anyone at all and the constant back and forth got really hard to follow at times. The only character I even had a slight fascination in was Dominic.

Thank you netgalley and Tundra Book Group | Tundra Books for the arc

**e-ARC courtesy of NetGalley**

I picked up this book because of its beautiful cover art and, admittedly, didn’t even read the description before diving in.
For me, that was a great choice. Normally, I shy away from creepy, thriller-like books, but skipping this one would have been a mistake. I loved it from start to finish.
The dual perspectives of Celeste and Dominic offered two distinct yet relatable viewpoints on the unfolding events. Dominic, adopted under tragic circumstances and thrust into a world of wealth and privilege, faces constant scrutiny and criticism from his adoptive parents. Their question generosity is wielded as a tool of control, creating a suffocating vail of manipulation.
Celeste, on the other hand, is hardworking, loyal, and determined. She has had very few choices in life because choices require money, something she’s never had. Her lack of freedom is the direct result of the wealth inequality that Dominic is suppose to benefit from.
I loved the parallels between these two characters, how their lives diverged yet mirrored each other in striking ways.
Overall, this book was incredible, and I’d definitely read more by E.K. Johnston!

I like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading.

I'm not unfamiliar with E.K. Johnston's writing. I have read a couple of her Star Wars books with female protagonists. I'm familiar with her sci-fi vibe.

In terms of this story, this was going to be her first original piece. I think she can write, but without a 'bounceboard' (in terms, Star Wars) or some kind of strong idea, I think the story is a bit of a muddled mess. Our protagonists aren't really interesting for me to follow them. Honestly, with all the info dumping I didn't really gleam anything about who they were in response around other characters.

If I don't have interesting characters to follow, then I'm not going to get far with the story. Perhaps it works for others, but this was my issue.

This was a strong start to the Titan of the Stars series, it had that element that I was looking for from this type of book. I had enjoyed the overall concept of this world and how everything worked together to tell the story that it needed to. The characters had that feel that I was hoping for and enjoyed the overall feel of them in this. I always enjoy the way E.K. Johnston wrote this and am excited to read more.

I enjoyed this more than I anticipated. While the premise sounded intriguing, I didn't expect much of a storyline or character development. But the pacing of this was spot on. The book is more than halfway over by the time the breach (for lack a better term) occurs. Some could argue that the pacing is too slow at the beginning. However, this gives Johnston time to establish personalities, relationships, and other pertinent background information, while also ratcheting up the tension. The reader knows the aliens are going to escape, but not how or when. Our characters spend a good deal of time viewing the vibrantly purple (and spectacularly hideous) aliens frozen inside their glass containers. They have time to discuss how they were found, wonder where in the universe they originated, how they got to earth, and how exactly their grotesque tentacles operate. Basically, all the human and nerdy science stuff is established in this part, which grounds the story, making it more "real" and giving the insane last part of the book more impact.

There are some goofy bits: our spaceship, the most advanced ever built, guilded luxury for its upper-class passengers and a prison for the indentured servants in its bowels, is named Titan; the anthropologist who discovered the aliens is named Dr. Ripley. These are eye rolls at worst, and likely fun for a YA audience who can feel like they're in on the joke.

A more obvious misfire is the perspective and tense switching. They are unneeded and occasionally confusing, but appear to be known deficits that will be fixed in the sequel. I also want more of an explanation on how the aliens . . . shall we say, to avoid spoilers . . . interact and breed. It makes sense that we have only as much information as the characters do, but that doesn't make it less frustrating, especially when it seems the aliens have infinite abilities and no limitations. They should have some environmental or physical weaknesses, otherwise it veers into magical—not sci/fi—territory.

Despite these things, it was a suspenseful and exciting read and I look forward to the sequel!

I had such a blast reading this book! I love E.K. Johnston's writing, and this book sounded really good, so I knew I was going to enjoy it! The whole idea of a luxury space cruise that unveils aliens, but that it turns out the aliens aren't dead, and start to take over the ship? It sounded so good!

Celeste and Dominic's lives might have had a similar starting point, being affected by the same tragedy of a fault line opening up, but while she had to continue to live there, he was adopted by a rich couple in politics. (While I loved the mention of my home province, Alberta, I did not like her being the politician representing us, since she was an awful human being.) That she is now a worker on the voyage that he's a passenger on, I really enjoyed those dynamics! She's resourceful and a hard worker, and he's struggling under the weight of his parents expectations.

Watching as they tried to survive the aliens, was thrilling and so very entertaining! The aliens were so creepy, and the in between chapter pages that we got from the alien's perspective...chilling. I was tense the whole time reading this book, I had to know what was going to happen next!

This book is technically a stand alone right now, there's no series mentioned on Goodreads that I can find right now. But at the end, the way it ends, and that in acknowledgements, it mentions that ending is a series potential, and I really, really hope that it becomes a series, because I need to know what these characters are going to do, given the circumstances that they're in!

Loved reading this book, it was so fantastic, and I can't wait to read more by E.K. Johnston!

"Titan of the Stars" masterfully combines sci-fi grandeur with the creeping tension of survival horror. E.K. Johnston's vivid worldbuilding aboard the Titan highlights stark class disparities while building emotional depth through Celeste's grit and Dominic's inner struggles. The alien menace is genuinely chilling, though the pacing slows at times. Still, it’s a gripping blend of space exploration and suspense.

E.K. Johnston can write a thriller.

There were tingles down my spine from the prologue alone, where I didn't know the character's names, I didn't know about their relationships or deepest desires, all I knew was that they were trapped on a spaceship and something was hunting them down. The creepiness factor was cranked all the way up and handled with precision through the whole book. I don't want to spoil all of the masterful elements, because that would be besides the point, but I'm amazed at how Johnston used so few words to cause so much fear.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Johnston's work and that I completely disregarded my carefully planned ARC reading list to catapult Titan of the Stars straight to the top. I've been following this project since it was a secret book called "Space Bees". The reasons I love Johnston's work are still present in Titan of the Stars; I love how she's continuing to hone her craft and develop more and more precision in her world building. Aetherbound also takes place in a spaceship and I really enjoyed watching how Johnston had refined the space ship, the logistics, and the journey even further than her masterful exploration of logistics in Aetherbound. Johnston isn't an engineer, and most author's aren't, but the details and research she put in meant that I never got thrown out of Titan of the Stars because of the fundamental laws of physics being broken or emergency planning and logistics being a literal nightmare. It's these little details that allow myself to completely immerse myself in Celeste and Dominic's world.

I loved the stark contrast between Celeste and Dominic, but also the fundamental similarities. Part of Johnston's incredible attention to detail is that she thought long and hard about why humans would be going to Mars. Although the Catholic Church might consider the Moon (and Mars) as part of Florida, corporations consider it no-man's land. No laws, no labour rights, no government, no oversight, just every corporation's dream to exploit the workers and the land for maximum profit. It gives Celeste, an orphan, and Dominic, an adopted orphan in to a powerful family, two very different reasons to be going to Mars. No one does an examination of class privilege, the impact of wealth, and the power of normal human beings like Johnston.

There was something about Dominic's point-of-view that really resonated with me. I'd assume I'd love Celeste - the engineer, the underdog, the go-getter. I don't know if it's the Christmas season and the various inevitabilities that are facing me down, but Dominic's hopelessness, even though on paper he has all the power and has "won the lottery", struck home. The moral of Johnston's books is never to sympathize with the rich who can and should be doing better, but being in Dominic's head as all of the choices were being made around him and he was screaming inside to stop and think about people that could have been him touched my soul.

This wasn't the kind of ARC where I could highlight quotes, so I can't leave you with some of my favourite lines of the book here. What I can do is acknowledge that dropping all of Sudbury to Montréal in a giant seismic rift has made me so happy. Unfortunately, Johnston didn't pull a The Calculating Stars and do it while parliament was in session.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Titan of the Stars by E. K. Johnston is a mixed third and first person multi-POV YA sci-fi horror combining Alien and Titanic. Celeste and Ren are two young engineers on the Titan, a space cruiser heading to Mars, and were chosen for being young survivors of a massive earthquake that ripped through Ottawa, Canada. Dominic is another survivor of the earthquake and was adopted by rich, opportunistic parents who used his circumstances to better their own. When the three meet and are introduced to fossilized aliens, they couldn't have expected what would happen.

A major theme is how the rich tend to not think of others and will use the misfortunes of others to gain the upper hand. Dominic’s mother is a politician who paraded her son around to really boost her career but is also extremely controlling and doesn't support his artistic talents. Dominic's father is even worse and his boyfriend, Adam, cares more about sex than he cares about Dominic. Celeste and Ren reveal parts of their childhood where the rich came in and gave ‘opportunities’, but many of those chances left the people who took them in a worse spot.

The pacing is on the slower end but is what I would expect of a horror novel. Horror needs time to build that atmosphere and to really set the stakes when things start to happen and not a page feels wasted here. The character arcs are fairly tightly written as are the bits and pieces we see with the aliens on display, such as their neon coloring and how many eggs are in the nest. The worldbuilding and atmosphere really worked together and sold that Alien meets Titanic concept.

Celeste and Dominic have a somewhat complicated dynamic because of their shared past but this is also the first time they've ever met. Celeste isn't very interested in getting to know a spoiled rich teen, though Dominic soon proves to be different from Adam. Meanwhile, Dominic is looking for some kind of connection to what happened when he was too young to remember, but he also starts to develop feelings for Celeste that go beyond that. There's mutual trust and respect that isn't made more difficult by misunderstandings because the aliens are enough.

Content warning for depictions of child abuse

I would recommend this to fans of YA horror looking for something more sci-fi and fans of space horror

I love space horror! Likeable characters and a good 'creepy' factor. I really want to read the sequel!

Titan of the Stars by E.K. Johnston is an intense and imaginative YA science fiction horror novel that delivers on its Alien-meets-Titanic premise. Johnston expertly builds tension aboard the Titan, blending the grandeur of space travel with the creeping dread of the alien threat. The dual perspectives of Celeste, a determined apprentice engineer, and Dominic, a conflicted passenger, add depth to the story, highlighting themes of class disparity and personal agency. The pacing is mostly tight, though some slower moments in the buildup detract from the urgency. The alien menace is chilling, and the action-packed sequences are thrilling. A compelling read that balances sci-fi spectacle with emotional stakes, perfect for fans of survival horror in space.