Zenith Dream

Ren's journey from when he was captured by soldiers and taken from his home planet, Erden, through discovering that he was a Star Host, learning and struggling to live with his new powers and abilities to be both, human and Star while being enslaved and then on the run from the Phoenix Corps who wanted him dead – and eventually killing him! – all the while making friends, living aboard the Star Stream and falling in love will always stay with me!

I adored Ren and Asher from the moment we met them in book #1 The Star Host. I LOVED continuing their outer space adventure with Ghosts & Ashes which came to an exciting, electric really, ending with Zenith Dream!

I'm a bit teary eyed still, having to say goodbye to Ren, Asher and their old and new friends!! This was such a wonderful series, one I'll never forget...

Zenith Dream was FANTASTIC.

The book opens with Ren opening his eyes weeks after being reanimated by his friends from the Corps' lethal attack in the previous installment. Watching Ren return into his corporeal body after staying in the Star Stream for weeks was rough, I worried for a while he wouldn't manage to get back to his old self. BUT! Not only did he get better, I feel like he grew into an even stronger and more wonderful person throughout the book!

In the beginning of the story, the gang makes a new friend, Darby, who is a great addition to the family! I enjoyed seeing everyone grow closer, fighting the bad guys, and man, having Asher back was truly the best feeling in this world! =D

Honest. I'm probably the biggest fan here. I was completely captured by the story and atmosphere, I didn't want to put the book down. Every little moment between Asher and Ren were my highlight, not gonna lie.

I'm glad to see the series got a (lovely) epilogue, which rounded everything up nicely.

Perhaps we can still hope for a coda or two on FT Luken's website? Something...!

I just hate endings & goodbyes.

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Many, many thanks to the publisher who kindly provided a free copy for an honest and impartial review.

Unbelievably, I am not a huge science fiction fan; although, recently, I have reviewed several new novels in this genre, but none have thrilled me more than the release of F.T. Lukens’ final book in the Broken Moon series entitled Zenith Dream. I have been waiting with bated breath to see what would happen with poor Ren and Asher and the motley crew of the spaceship Star Stream since the second novel ended with such a gut wrenching cliffhanger. Before I continue, I will warn you there will be spoilers here if you have not read the previous two novels in this series, The Star Host and Ghost & Ashes, respectively. I would encourage you to grab them up, because I feel this is perhaps some of the best Sci-Fi work I have read in a long time.

So when we last left our intrepid crew, Ren had been horribly betrayed by Millicent, and presumed dead. Asher was grabbed by the corps and hustled off to a place no one knew about. After six weeks of recovery, Ren wakes aboard the ship just as it’s being broken into while the rest of the crew is on the drift they’ve landed on. Thwarting the spunky thief, Darby, Ren collapses in exhaustion. But not for long. He is determined to find Asher and save him. Rowan, the captain of their ship and brother to Asher, agrees to help, as does the rest of the crew. They enlist Darby’s help and all too soon realize that the danger Millicent represented is far from over; in fact, she is just getting started, killing corps members who don’t willingly follow her, and conquering one small drift after another.

First Ren must find Asher, then he must find his brother, Liam, who has also been taken by the corps and whom Ren believes is imprisoned in perilous space. If he doesn’t get himself and everyone else killed doing all that, then he will finally have to face down Millicent—another star who wreaks havoc with his emotions and his powers to the point where he appears to be unstable and dangerous, even to the crew he loves. But Ren is about to discover just how much power he holds and if he can wield it without going all supernova and imploding.

There is never a moment in this novel when you disbelieve that Ren loves Asher and will do anything to find him and keep him safe. The tentative emotional attachment we saw growing between Asher and Ren in the first two novels blossom into a full-blown relationship in this one, and it is really quite lovely to watch unfold. Along with that, we get even more time spent with the crew: Ollie being like Ren’s protective shadow, and even Lucas, the navigator, opening up and admitting his growing respect and friendship with Ren. The feisty Darby is a fantastic addition to the group as she lends much-needed humor to one tense life threatening situation after another. It certainly spices things up when they realize how much she loves to play with explosives.

With not one but two daring rescue missions to execute and then the final confrontation where most all the baddies of both novels come back into play, this novel barely gives a reader time to breathe before jetting off to another harrowing job. But it is those rare moments between Asher and Ren, when they are alone and emotionally intimate, that really provide the most beautiful of interludes. Note that I said emotionally intimate; there is no doubt that this is a young adult novel, but I must honestly tell you that the story is so riveting the lack of on-page sex will not be missed by anyone, fan of the series or new to this author’s work.

F.T. Lukens is a gifted writer, creating alternate worlds and inhabiting them with fascinating characters who may fall to the traumas they endure but are never ruled out for long. They are resilient and courageous, and I love that this author took the time to create more than one hero in the series. The love story is there and a vibrant part of the novel. These are people who will live on in your heart and mind well after you turn the final page. The story is just that good. I highly recommend not only this installment but the entire Broken Moon series to you. Sci-Fi lover or not, this trio of tales will make you a fan of space adventures, guaranteed.

Reviewed by Sammy