The Last Star Chaser

Thank you so much to Rosen Publishing / West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Zenna doesn’t want to be on the Star Chaser cruise forced to look after her pain of a brother Kain, then the ship starts to go down and she and Kain are stranded on an unexplored land, with prionser teens ready to kill her and all the commands being down she must protect her brother and survive, with help from Arron one of the prisoners.

This was a good read, it had a complete dystopian feel to it, but written in a verse form. I enjoyed it, the setting was so interesting and you could really visual it even though it’s not actually real. I’m not usually one for space stories but I did enjoy the setting, the dystopian world of space and new planets, going on a star cruise and seeing the space up close, the clot hues of the new planet they landed on, it was so perfectly described.

I wasn’t much of a fan of our protagonist Zenna though, she was so bratty and rude, her brother just wanted a small bit of her time and she was really rude to him, for literally no reason either. Though she stopped being rude when things started happening, it was a bit abrupt of a change though honestly. But she was a strange character that I never really grew to like. Kain was a very smart little boy who knew everything about the Planets which was so cool learning all the facts he knew, he helped them survive. The prisoner teens were an interesting addition, ready to kill to survive and not be sent to the horrid hot planet to work the lifetime away. I also thought Arron was an odd character, sweet in places and he’d had a hard life, but he was very flippant and didn’t seem to hold an alliance to anyone.

I liked how different this was to other verse books, I liked that the style was that of a ya dystopian book, but done in a much easier and creative way. I really enjoyed the setting which is strange for me as I really don’t like space stories much at all, but I did like learning about this world that was created for the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and Demitria Lunetta for the opportunity to read The Last Star Chaser in exchange for an honest review.

This is a HiLo novel-in-verse, meaning it is a quick and easy read told in a poetic style.

Zenna is dragged onto a space cruise family vacation that she isn't very interested in. At least her brother, Kain, loves space. He would love nothing more than to explore the planet they are passing, Skoll. His wish comes true when a solar flare messes with the Star Chaser's navigation, causing a mass evacuation and for the space cruise liner to crash.

Kain is excited to experience the new flora and fauna of Skoll, but Zenna knows that survival should be their main focus. With the supplies they can muster, they aim to find a working communication system in one of the downed escape pods, waiting out their time to be saved.

As it would turn out, the Star Chaser isn't the only ship to have experienced interference from a solar flare. Zenna and Kain must also survive young prisoners, mean to be shipped to a prison planet, their vessel crashing on Skoll instead. Between the lethal prisoners and the unpredictable wildlife, it will take a miracle for the siblings to make it off planet.

Yet another brilliant novel-in-verse from Demitria Lunetta. I have also read Our Broken Earth and it's sequel, The Shining City, both excellent HiLo novels for young adults. I must say, though, The Last Star Chaser is Lunetta's best yet! The story is so filling, it amazes me how the author was able to cram so much characterization and plot into so few words. A super fun read for a young adult audience and definitely any fan of space exploration.

Such a riveting sci-fi survival thriller! Despite being a quick read, it was filled with action, excitement and even emotion. I also enjoyed the vivid worldbuilding and was trying to visualise it all. Most of all, I loved the book's central message of finding beauty and hope even in the darkest of times, and to live every moment.