I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

I requested this title back before my blogging break. I have ended up with a number of titles that are overwhelming to catch up on now I am back from my blogging break. I am regretfully not going to be reading and reviewing this title, but now I am back from my blogging break, I am looking forward to reading and reviewing some of your future titles. Thank you so much for the opportunity and apologies.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

When you really can wish upon a star, what happens when your dreams turn to nightmares?
Be careful what you wish for…
A top-secret government experiment that promises to build a perfect world might bring about the end instead, and Lyra must reveal the truth and let humanity decide if the consequences are worth more than wishing on a star.

*3.5 stars*

YA sci-fi - that isn't dystopian - is a blessing sometimes. It is nice to read something that is based in our current world but still brings science to the fore. And that it certainly does - the premise of this book is rooted solely in science fiction but it isn't hard to picture a time when this could be true enough.

The plot was easy enough to fall into. The government and leading scientists have come together for a project that could change the world - just by wishing it. Lyra's father and aunt are leading figures at SEAD and science is the only life she has known. On a whim, she breaks into a government facility, is caught and, by stroke of luck from her father, begins working there as an intern. As she discovers what is happening, she must decide to let it continue on - or expose it and let the rest of the world in on the secret.

The characters - well, Lyra was the only one who seemed to have any real development over the length of the story. Her father is always a scientist at work, her friend/boyfriend Darren is just someone for her to pine over, she has no other friends, all the other adults work at SEAD. Nothing really changes in their lives.

The romance was probably the biggest letdown for me. I have never really appreciated the "will he/won't he" story in YA fiction. For the 215 pages of this book, Lyra dreams about Darren for about 200 pages of it. You get the idea. And then, when they do get together, all they do is kiss.

There were some grammar and spelling issues - "taping" instead of "tapping", that sort of thing. Not enough for me to be taken out of the story (although, in the example I gave, the sentence was something like "He was taping his fingers on the desk..." I had no idea why he would do that...until I realised what it was supposed to be.

Overall, a fun story and good plot, let down a little by characters and grammar/editing.


Paul
ARH