Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is deeply in love with astronomy but has no academic experience in it, I love reading these types of books. I simply love when scientists are able to write books in a simple yet understandable language, meaning that someone like me are able to dive deeper in subjects that aren’t so easy to comprehend. When I saw this book also ties astronomy with art, I was instantly interested! I’m an artist, although I usually categorize myself as a graphic designer, so I was curious to see how Nia Imara would tie both subjects up. And let me tell you something, she did not disappoint.

First of all, I loved how the book was divided, making it easy and straightforward the way she approaches each astronomical study, be it: light, space, black holes, stars, time and so many others! I’ve read a lot of astronomy/science books, so I was familiar with some of the history and even subjects discussed here, but if you’re a first time reader, you won’t be let down. In fact, I believe this is a great introduction for those who want to dive deeper into astronomy, similar to the likes of books written by Carlo Rovelli, Katie Mack, Carl Sagan and Brian Cox. The fact that she also approaches sciences and ties it together with art, gives this book a new, fresh and interesting perspective. And I never thought it would work, but you know what? It does!

Like I said before, I’m an artist! And like Nia herself explains in the very first chapter of the book, it’s strange how today, both science and art are set apart in their own distinct categories. It wasn’t always this way, which was astounding to me, because you never think about it, right? They aren’t really the same, but in a way, they are? And thinking about it, reading the book, I really came to understand more why me, as an artist, feel so deeply about astronomy.