Where Starlight Burns

by Alicia Haberski

Perfect for fans of f/f romance and feel-good sci-fi, this cozy space opera follows two women whose lives change after they cross paths in one of the galaxy’s most notorious places.

After living only on planets, including the desolate war-torn world of her youth, Dr. Cori Nova is eager to begin a new life and career in space. Victory Station doesn’t have the best reputation, but she couldn’t be more excited to be there. On her first shift at the clinic, she meets Aster, a well-traveled woman with fascinating tattoos . . . who quickly turns out to be Cori’s most frequently injured patient.

Spaceborn and adventurous, Aster Moss has been station-hopping for years, until she got stuck with a colossal load of debt. She’s working it off by engaging in one of the most dangerous (and taboo) occupations in the galaxy, so she needs to be patched up pretty often. Stuck on dull, grimy Victory, Aster’s appointments with Dr. Nova become the single bright spot in her life. But the friendly doctor has a much more complicated past than Aster realizes, and in each other, they’ll discover a powerful connection like neither has ever known—and a love worth fighting for.

From debut author Alicia Haberski, Where Starlight Burns offers an indulgent, unforgettable sci-fi adventure with a tender heart. The first installment in the Nova Moss Chronicles, this new series is sure to delight fans of Chronicles of Alsea, the Wayfarers series, and the Murderbot Diaries.

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Lesbian, LGBT, Adult, Aliens

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2023

About the author

Alicia Haberski is a lifelong Texan who discovered a love for stories and storytelling at a young age. For as long as she can remember, she has loved two types of stories more than any other: Stories about the distant future and stories where love makes people stronger. She enjoys combining the two elements in her work. More specifically, she strives to write super fun sci-fi where queer women get to be brave, fall in love, and have happy endings. At any given moment, Alicia is probably daydreaming new story scenes, wishing it would rain, or snuggling with her cat.

Reviews

[JulesGP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of scifi so I picked up this book because of the cool cover. I had a good time reading it and would recommend to low key fans of the genre. The author writes like she’s also a big fan of scifi and enjoying herself while she gives her own spin.

Dr. Cori Nova has newly moved to an old raggedy space station where she begins a rotation in an urgent care clinic. Most of her patients are community residents with typical ailments with the exception of one woman, Aster Moss, who consistently arrives in bad shape. Although her condition is often serious, she is tagged as being low priority in the clinic’s triage because she is a sex worker. Cori bucks her superiors and fights against the discrimination. Gradually, Cori and Aster become friends and then more.

Aster is a bit of a whirlwind but a good person. She is searching for her place in the world. I rooted for her and felt the tension when she would go out to do her work. Cori is a delight, sometimes naïve but also with a strong set of convictions. Once upon a time, she was a tech-enhanced teenage soldier in the war between Earth and Mars so she knows tragedy. Cori views the world with a pure joy that only survivors know and so I really liked her character.

For the SciFi crowd, this book has good nuggets of tech that are fun to read. My favorite aspect of the story is the movement. The characters are constantly visiting restaurants, clubs, other space stations, planets, they are always in motion. So many debuts often remain static but not this one. Yes, the beginning especially, felt like a debut. A little too much tell but the author got in a groove later on and ended with a solid world and good secondary characters. I am looking forward to reading more books in the series.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Starlight Burns has a deceptively cosy feel, even though both MCs have gone and are still going through rough times. It reads easily, almost lightly. The romance is very sweet and evens out the hard topics.

When she starts her new job on Victory Station, Dr. Corinth Nova, aka Cori, is shocked to find that her predecessor didn’t treat every patient with the same respect. Sex worker Aster Moss was considered low priority despite being a regular, because of the work she did and who her clients were.

A love story set far from Earth, in a future that allows the author to incorporate technologies and traditions unknown to the reader, Where Starlight Burns, plays on both the exoticism of space and the familiarity of romance. The latter is a tad rushed at times but I didn’t mind. I liked the MCs a lot, as individuals and together, and the side characters were good too. And I enjoyed the worldbuilding, the different planets, each with its own mood.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy space opera? Sort of like cozy fantasy, or cozy mystery, but in space!

We meet Cori a doctor and Aster an escort, who meet on a space station and become thick and fast with each other, uhauling it space style.

This was an odd one, which I struggled with. What confronted me many times was the darker side of things in this reality. Things that were acknowledged but then just not given enough weight in their seriousness. It was a weird dichotomy that never felt right, to me.

The reality of escort work, and terrorism are mentioned and seen, time and time again. But shrugged off as common and expected, which felt a bit too nihlistic and jaded, even for my misanthropic thought process!
There was just no deeper meaning or impact there, so it made me wonder why it was there at all? I just feel like if you are going to introduce some deep elements like that, why not utilize them?

I also had a hard time accepting Aster's actions and choices here, as well as Cori's acceptance, then their subsequent fast connection. Maybe my own biases got in the way.

A lot here just didn't work for me. I was reading and kept reading only because it was reasonably short and I kept hoping for something more to click and to happen, but it just didn't? Like I kept having expectations with each chapter, but then it always just fizzled.

It's very well written, don't get me wrong - I think I am just not the target audience here. So please try it for yourself!

[Alicia L · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up for being a decent debut! I think I liked the idea of this book more than the actual execution.

For me, I enjoy books with some tension and build-up in the plot or in the relationships between characters. This book didn't really have any of that. It was a super low (or really no) angst, no conflict story, which left it a bit repetitive and flat. The author said she wrote a book that she wanted to read, so I'm sure this would be great for other readers looking for a fun, easy, low stress read.

The pros:
- the f/f romance; I love books with queer representation.
- the space setting.
- Dr. Cori Nova's insistence on treating all patients equally, regardless of their occupation.
- the middle section where we met Patrek and Joely; I enjoyed their characters and would have loved to see more of them with Aster.
- the flashbacks because I felt like they gave the characters a bit more depth.

The cons:
- it was a bit too perfect for my taste; I like to have some tension with stories because otherwise I get a bit bored.
- Cori and Aster's relationship; I liked the idea of them, but everything moved so quickly and I feel like a lot of the development happened off page which left me confused how they were already moving in together after essentially one date. I also didn't like how they literally never disagreed. It just felt like an unrealistic relationship.
- I wish there was a bit more exploration of the setting. I love space and I would love to see the author develop this world more in future installments.
- the first half was a little repetitive (Aster gets hurt, Cori fixes her, Cori goes to work, they kiss and have sex, repeat). I would have liked a bit more variety.

I think this was a good debut, it just unfortunately wasn't to my personal taste. I would recommend it for readers who want a low angst, quick read though.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kosmic Syren Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

How cozy can a space opera be? Quite, it turns out!
F/F romance meets feel-good sci-fi in this quietly enjoyable novel.
Sparks quickly fly between Cori, a doctor taking up a new position on Victory Station, and Aster, whose work as an escort to pay off a large debt frequently lands her in Cori's clinic, and seeing the two of them navigating their way from gentle flirtation to solid relationship was a lovely experience all around.
It's so very refreshing sometimes to get a romance without unnecessary drama, stupid misunderstandings, jealous rages, or other such nonsense - instead, Where Starlight Burns gives us a lovestory built around the development of a caring, kind and unquestioningly supportive relationship, which I found a pleasure to read.
That's not to say there's nothing happening in this book beyond two people entering into a delightfully drama-free relationship - there's certainly enough story around the romance to provide a solid plot that doesn't get boring.
While for some readers this might be a little too cozy and low on tension, for me it was just what I needed right now. I'll be keeping an eye out for future books in this series.

*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read that "Where Starlight Burns" was a f/f romance, a cozy sci-fi and a space opera I couldn't request this book fast enough. They literally are three of my most favorite boxes to check!

There were things I really enjoyed and things that left me wishing for something different. I liked the idea of an independent woman like Aster figuring out how to best work off her debt from a job gone wrong and having that be a form of sex work that her fellow humans look down upon (unlike the legal sex workers who are treated just fine). It was an interesting angle! I liked learning about the way that the universe was laid out and especially liked the 2nd location Ceri and Aster relocated to. I wanted to be able to explore more there. It sounded a bit like an outer space version of Las Vegas or New Orleans.
What I wasn't thrilled about is that most relationships in this book seemed to only skim the surface and then find themselves all of a sudden soul mates or the best of friends. There needed to be a lot more relationship building and deeper conversations between these people. Ceri and Aster 1000% did a warp speed ahead version of a U-Haul relationship. They found a couple things in common like books and TV shows, but never seemed to have a talk about anything of substance besides Aster's work and dealing with her injuries.
Ceri's character had some background (that kinda didn't go anywhere) but the character's personality as a whole was just SO flat. She acted like an android and tbh it would have kinda been better if she was. Especially after having had "upgrades". She never said the wrong thing, never created conflict, never brought any drama or worry...she was just too perfect and didn't seem at all human.

There were some great ideas here but most needed to be much more flushed out for my personal taste.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kosmic Syren Books for this e-ARC so that I may share my honest review.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily. Between 3,75 and 4 stars; I couldn’t decide: 3,75 feels too low, but it’s not really a 4 star for me. So… 3,85/3,90, maybe?

Let me start by saying that I wasn’t expecting much from this: every time I read a book from a new author that hasn’t been recommended to me by someone I trust, I tend to keep my expectations low, because I don’t really know what I’ll find. But I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

The writing is really good; something I really hate is unnecessary over-explanations and weird jumps that don’t make sense, which were nonexistent in this book. There were a few things that did feel like they happened really abruptly and kind of without reason, but I saw more or less where they were coming from. I think.

The characters and world-building were really cute; not exceptionally deep, but sometimes characters don’t need to have more layers than an onion. Some may see a flat character as shallow and boring, but I’d rather see them as simple but solid. A good flat character is surprisingly hard to make, because if done incorrectly they can end up feeling robotic and all the same, but Haberski managed to do it.

The only thing that kinda tripped me at first was the relationship, I just couldn’t feel any connection between Cori and Aster and in some parts, it almost seemed transactional, which is not a good feeling for what’s supposed to be a romantic relationship. It felt really rushed and kinda clunky, and some scenes were really awkward to read with how forced they seemed, almost like Haberski had a vision of what she wanted to happen but then when the story progressed differently she went back and stuffed those scenes where she wanted them to be. Like, 25% into the book and they’re already moving in together? After… less than one day of dating?

It gets better as the book progresses and they actually develop a relationship, though, and by the 40% mark, I was fully invested. They turn out to be a really sweet and cute couple.

A final thing to mention: something that I initially disliked but ended up loving is the direction of the story, mainly the fact that there isn’t an obvious one. Like, there are a few of what feels like minor or secondary plots (that I won’t mention because spoilers) but there’s no build-up to this one major thing. But then I kinda started liking it, just following these two, getting to know them without waiting for this one big thing and then end credits. And then I realized: the direction is their journey together itself, and I think that’s beautiful and really wholesome.

I feel like that’s the entire tone of the book. Weak and kinda odd at first but if you stick with it you end up really liking it, and then kinda falling in love with it a little bit. I can, with all honesty, wholeheartedly recommend it.

Good reading!

PS: I just realized this is a debut novel and… wow. Incredibly solid. Obviously there are things that could be better (as I’ve mentioned), but it’s a really good debut! Want wait for the next book!

[Mae Crowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where Starlight Burns is described as a cozy space opera romance, centering around an accomplished doctor who eagerly takes a posting on one of the most reviled space stations and a sex worker who specializes in providing human company to nonhuman clients. Dr. Cori Nova and Aster Moss's paths collide when Aster quickly becomes one of Cori's most common patients, as other doctors are reluctant to treat her due to the taboo about interspecies sex work and how it risks lowering humans in the eyes of others.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, and the exploration of this world's specific social taboos and how people respond to them was interesting. Cori is very much taking a position in an underprivileged area that's deemed a waste of time and resources by most of society, and that's reflected in her interactions with her coworkers, patients, and the other people she encounters. I love space opera, because it tends to focus on people and social dynamics, and Where the Starlight Burns did lean into this in places.

However, in terms of the romance, I'm not sure this book was for me. Cori and Aster move quite quickly in their relationship, and much of them building their relationship happens between chapters. We go from them meeting, to the expression of interest, to them living together without too many problems. That in itself isn't a problem, but a lot of the actual development of the relationship isn't shown, and how well that part's written usually decides whether or nor I enjoy the romance aspect of a book. Not having any of that felt like I was missing out on the story's main beats, especially as a good chunk of the book centers more on the romance than anything else.

Still, it was a fun read, and I definitely think it's a good one for people looking for a generally smooth-sailing romance with a little bit of sci-fi underpinnings. Give it a go!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you had told me I was going to read a sci-fi book about a doctor and a sex worker falling in love, and it was going to turn out to be one of the coziest books I’ve ever read, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’d have been so, so wrong.

Where Starlight Burns is the story of Cori Nova, a nonjudgmental doctor who cares about everyone she meets and treats all of her patients with respect. She finds herself developing feelings for Aster Moss, a sex worker who repeatedly comes to her clinic for treatment of injuries sustained in the course of her work, who had become accustomed to being dismissed and treated poorly by Cori’s predecessor.

Cori is a complete delight. She’s got a complex past that includes a rough upbringing on a desolate, war-torn Earth. Despite that (or perhaps because of it) she finds joy in everything she sees and experiences, even the run-down space station where they live. Aster is adventurous but isolated, and she finds a connection with Cori that’s been missing in her life. The side characters are interesting, and for the most part good people (I’d love to see side stories or a return of both Joely and Patrek), which makes for a fun time.

Although there are some happenings that could have changed the feel or tone if they had been followed, they were just events that drove the story in the direction it needed to go without bringing things down. Where Starlight Burns isn’t a story full of adventure and intrigue, or a drama filled angsty tale; it’s a fluffy, feel good sapphic romance between two women who just want to love and be loved.

[Amur Thera · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good
    + The great communication and complete honesty between Cori and Aster
    + Cori's support for Aster and how she never tried to tell her she should quit her job
    + Cori's need to take care of Aster and Aster secretly longing to be taken care of
    + Their mutual trust
    + Cori finding joy in everything she sees
    + Aster making friends
    + Cori treating all her patients equally and never judging them for the way their injuries/illnesses/problems were conceived


The neutral
    o I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. My review remains honest and unbiased
    o That shitty director of the clinic Cori worked in at first never really got reprimanded for what he did


The bad
    - This book was indeed a feel-good cozy read, but it did start dragging about two-thirds in. The book is very long for a story without a real plot, and where not much really happens. Sometimes things would be teased, like the emergence of that anti-alien group, but it didn't really go anywhere. The hate group was just... there, as a plot device, even though the way they impacted Aster's livelihood made me expect a little excitement
    - Cori had an incredibly traumatic past, but she had been to therapy and it was implied that this meant everything was dealt with and left in the past. The way Cori treated her past was almost robotic, and couldn't actually be a healthy coping mechanism. This was not explored further, and even her superhuman enhancements were just there and never brought any excitement to the story
    - Aster's family made her feel guilty for leaving her parents behind. One mother went as far as blaming Aster to her face for causing depression for one of her moms because she left the nest. What the hell? She's their daughter, not their live-in pet or slave. Parents are not supposed to make their children feel bad for spreading their wings and doing what makes them happy


This book was definitely really cozy and there was no angst. While I definitely love very little angst in relationships, the lack of angst or excitement or anything else outside their relationship made the whole book one big ball of fluff. Which is lovely, except this book was a bit too long. At some point, the fluff got repetitive and it got a bit boring that nothing was happening. I would recommend this book if you're looking for something cozy and fluffy, but it's probably best to read it in doses instead of in one long sitting.

[Petri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars.

I received an early reader copy for this book from NetGalley for free.

This was really cute and wholesome. I'm not the biggest fan of cozy stories but this one had enough stakes sprinkled in to keep my interest up. Also I just love seeing happy sapphic relationships. The worldbuilding was decent but not mind-blowingly original.

I also felt that the biggest obstacles for the characters were resolved too early in the story, so that the last 30% of the book was mostly just pure fluff, which is fine but I personally just prefer higher stakes.

Overall reading this made me happy and I will be keeping my eye out for the authors future work.

[Becca Levin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this so badly. I read F/F cozy space opera in the summary and was prepared to build a new shrine to literary goodness and coziness, alongside Becky Chambers and Rebecca Thorne. But unfortunately, this just didn't feel polished enough to make it for me.

The romance was very underdeveloped and didn't have a clear progression of feelings or even a reason for them to fall in love. It was very insta-love/love at first sight 'I just need to see her again for some reason.' Which can be fine in some instances but just didn't seem to work here because of all the other issues I had with the story structure. The sex scenes were a weird middle ground between fade to black and the more explicit scenes I usually see in adult SFF and unfortunately it felt like the worst of both worlds to me. It's too explicit to give a younger reader or someone who's looking for clean fiction but light on the detail that most smut readers are usually looking for. Only one or two intimate scenes lasted longer than a page (in my iPhone Kindle app). It also seemed incredibly unrealistic that the first time Cori ever gives anyone oral she has Aster climaxing within minutes without any feedback or communication. I would have preferred to see some more realistic fumbling and showing each other what they like rather than the virgin-masters-sexual-pleasure-in-30-seconds, even if she did read about the theory beforehand.

I wish the book had started with the flashbacks to Cori's past as a child soldier and showed us a little more of the trauma she experienced during that period of her life because she seemed too well adjusted and too optimistic as an adult to have gone through what is implied to be devastating interplanetary war between human settlements. Then the author could have taken more time showing us how Cori became so passionate about medicine and how she accepted the ghosts of her past so that her present day adult attitude made more sense. Without any of that backstory, she just seems like a one dimensional, robotic, optimism machine.

Later in the book, Aster is gifted money to help pay off her debt by two different people who barely got any page time and we didn't get to see any significant relationship building between those friends. I would have liked to see a little more time devoted to Aster building a community of friends and see them sharing about their backgrounds and dreams and goals to make that gift feel a little more impactful and emotional.

I did really enjoy the middle part of the book on Ascension station because I thought the way the lizard pet club was written was really well done. It feels like something I haven't really seen before where an alien species has a surprisingly innocent obsession with humans and they actually take really good care of the humans they hire for the night. I particularly appreciated the scene where one alien hits their human pet and the rest of the club immediately drops what they're doing, tosses the offender out, and gives all the other humans the night off to take care of their friend. It made me really curious about what their home planet is like and how their society operates.

I also really enjoyed the end of the book and getting to meet Aster's moms. It's always a great feeling to see positive portrayals of queer polyamorous relationships and I wish we could have had more time with Aster's family or some flashbacks of her childhood because that felt like the coziest part of the book.

Overall, the book was cute but felt like an early draft. It could have benefited from some reorganizing of the timeline, expanding several sections, and tying up some loose ends, like the Humanity First group, which pops up briefly for shock value a few times but then is completely irrelevant once Aster and Cori go back to Aster's childhood home where it's almost 100% humans.

I hope the author continues writing because I think her passion for writing in this niche will carry her far and I think her books will only improve over time. Write more and write often!

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the author through Netgalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This book caught my eye when I saw it on Netgalley and the blurb convinced me to give it a chance. I decided to read it when I was in the mood for a scifi romance book and dove right in. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and it took me some time to get into it, but luckily after a while I grew more familiar with the writing and book. I ended up really enjoying this book and was sad to see it end and I am excited for more books in this series.

Where Starlight Burns is a f/f science fiction romance book set mostly on space stations. It has a very cozy daily life/ slice of life vibe, which I am not accustomed to seeing in this genre. It's low on drama and angst and the couple gets together relatively early in the book and the rest of the book they are together and facing whatever life throws at them together. I enjoyed this book and reading about these two women and their lives.

The writing style took some getting used to and some scenes lacked a bit of impact, but I felt this got better once I had gotten used to the writing style. One of the reasons I struggled to get into this book at first is that this book doesn't follow a lot of those expectations and tropes that are typical for this genre and books in general. And that's also one of the things that made me grow so fond of this book. It felt fresh and unique. And in a very cozy and comfortable way. I liked how this book had that slice of life vibe and it's set aboard a space station and there are all these unique alien creatures as well.

I really enjoyed following Cori and Aster and seeing how they dealt with things. I liked both characters and seeing how they dealt with things. Cori was so accepting of Aster and her job, which surprised me as I had expected that to be a major conflict point. Instead the whole book didn't have any romance drama, angst or conflict at all. And it was very comfortable to read about a couple being together and facing things together instead of conflict between them. I thought both were interesting characters that both had to face and still have to face some tough situations. I felt bad for Aster and what she had to do to get money, but I thought it was interesting how matter-of-fact her attitude seemed and she knew this is what she had to do and she handled it as well as she could. And Cori was supportive and accepting of Aster and the decision she made to do this work. Cori has some interesting backstory too that comes to light later in the book. I was happy for these two that they found each other. The last chapter was a great ending and ends things in a good place.

To summarize: While it took me some time to get into this book once I had gotten used to the writing style and the vibe of this book I ended up really enjoying this book. It's unique and fresh in a way I don't see often and I loved that about this book. The book doesn't follow a lot of tropes and typical story plot scenarios. Instead it's a very cozy slice of life style story about two women who meet, fall in love and then face daily life together. The romance has no drama, angst or conflict and I really liked how straightforward it was. I enjoyed reading about Cori and Aster. They were both interesting characters and I liked how accepting Cori was of Aster and her work. Seeing them together and how much they care about the other was great to see and I enjoyed reading about their lives and was curious to see what was next for them. The setting is mostly aboard space stations and I really liked this and how the author brought the various space stations to life with all their own vibe. All in all I had a great time reading this book and I look forward to more of this author's books in the future!

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This is one of those books where the message is so important to the author that story, plot, characterization, and flow all suffer. At its heart, the book is about unconditional acceptance (a very important concern for the lgbqt+ community, to be sure). But here, the topic is pigeonhole so hard as to be unrealistic, unconscionable, and even foolish. The romance is bland, milieu wasted, characterization stilted, and dialogue completely unbelievable.

Story: Dr. Cori Nova runs a clinic in a small backwater-type of station. When a young woman comes in with severe injuries that the other staff refuse to treat, Cori finds a deep seated prejudice against sex works whose customers are aliens. It is dangerous, if not illegal, work for Aster but massive debt has made her desperate. As the two women come to know each other better through Aster's frequent visits for help, they form a relationship.

Aster's work with aliens means unpredictable and very deadly physical harm. In more than three situations, she would have died had Cori not been the doctor treating her. Cori does not attempt to dissuade her or find her alternate means of employment; instead, she ignores the danger and when an injured and half dead Aster shows up, patches her up. This was problematic for me: akin to giving drunk drivers keys to their car so you don't appear pushy or judgmental, Cori doing nothing to help Aster was quizzical (especially considering Cori could have supported Aster while she found other employment). Even more inexplicable, Aster would take money from strangers to get out of debt but never asked Cori.

The above was one huge problem for me but also that the book had the most robotic dialogue and actions. It felt like both women were being written by aliens who had used a monstrous deflavorizing dialogue generator in an attempt to guess how humans sound. Honestly, it was only a few steps elevated from "Spot is a dog. Spot likes to bark" complexity. None of the characters' backgrounds explained this very Stepford Wives type of interaction.

This is a 'cozy' type of romance with no conflicts other than Aster's choice of employment. Because the dialogue is so facile, it is really hard to see the romance (which is 99% of the book's focus) as organic or even interesting. The whole idea of a sci fi setting was completely wasted and fairly unrelated to the characters. Cori has a bit of backstory that sounds sci fi but we don't really see the consequences of a dire existence in her personality (other than to sound/act like a robot).

There wasn't a lot here to grab my attention. The romance was tepid and instaluv, every action required a verbal consent/acceptance first, not much happened with a lot of the injuries Aster sustained being done off screen so there was little fear of death or tension. It made for a very unsatisfying read. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Ashlee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cori is a new doctor heading up the smallest clinic on Victory station when she meets Aster. Aster is a frequent patient at the clinic, always coming in with various unusual injuries due to her dangerous and taboo occupation as an escort catering to aliens. As they get to know each other a bit through Aster's frequent visits their relationship turns into something more.
Unfortunately this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I was hoping for some more adventure as it is set in space but it felt more like a romance that just had a unique setting. Both MC's seem to have good outlines for a backstory but the details here are a bit vague and all the interesting parts of that have already happened. There are a few flashbacks for each but they are pretty mundane scenes and just didn't add the adventure I was hoping for. Aster's family is interesting and I liked bits of their scenes together but there were some that seemed overly dramatic or at least not detailed enough to explain the dynamic.
There are a couple of openings for some more interesting side plots with Cori's vague background on Earth and the terrorists but the drama on both counts was kept to a minimum and ended up more footnotes than part of the plot. I'd have liked to see one of these become a larger part of the story that could have led to new books in the series but I am not sure exactly where this story will go as it seems to have a finality to the ending that I wasn't expecting.
I also had a hard time connecting with the characters a bit. They weren't quite developed enough for me to really understand either of them or why they are so attached to each other. They end up u-hauling it right after they each reveal they want a romantic relationship and it all just felt a bit too easy. On top of that there are some things that were a bit puzzling, mostly related to the debt that Aster holds and how she pays it off and why Cori isn't able to help more herself.
Overall this was a cute romance with a few holes but if you're looking for more space adventure then this may not be quite the right pick.

[Esmari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book because the concept is great. Unfortunately, the execution falls flat, in my opinion.

First and foremost, the writing style has too much narrative distance for me, especially for a romance. It felt like a narrator was telling me about the actions of two people falling in love, where what I really like in a romance is to be in the characters' heads and bodies, feeling what they feel along with them. That element is definitely a matter of taste, so I tried to get past it and just enjoy the story as it was being told.

Unfortunately, that's where my second major issue comes in. Even romances need conflict, but at every potential obstacle the author introduced--and there were MANY great potential conflicts, from social snobbery to violent gangs and terroristic threats--Haberski lifts the lovers over each hurdle with ease or has them go around it entirely. At one point I checked to see how far into the book I was because it felt like it was getting awfully late to introduce a "main conflict". I was surprised to find that I was already halfway through. I suppose there are authors like Becky Chambers who manage to pull off great stories that have little to no conflict, but they still have tension of some sort that keeps the reader on the hook. Haberski's lovers are so tension-free despite the tension of their surroundings, their relationship almost feels like a caricature of the lesbian stereotype of extremely fast commitment.

Perhaps there are readers who want low-tension, low-stakes, "cozy" space operas with moderately spicy sex scenes. I hope Haberski finds her audience, but I'm afraid it's just not me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author's self-pulishing imprint Kosmic Syren for access to an Advance Reading Copy in exchange for this honest review.

[Honey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found myself disappointed by Where Starlight Burns. Within the first few chapters the writing seemed amateur, I felt like I was reading a first draft based off a list of bullet points. In this book the writing serves the plot in an unfortunate manner, I feel that instead of allowing the story to take shape and develop through the writing process the author tried to stick too closely to their original plans.

The characters were well developed, I felt I had an understanding of their motivations, all their actions and choices were believable given their life history. Astor and Nova make sense as a couple and it’s clear that they feel for each other, but the entry into the relationship itself was clunky and unpolished. As a final note on character development I feel despite discovering a lot of Novas back story I feel there’s a lot more to be learned, which I expect will come into play in book two.

This book has a lot of potential, at its core the story and characters show great promise, but lack execution.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Kosmic Syren Books for the digital galley of this book.

Dr. Cori Nova embarks on her career in space after a lifetime of just living on planets. Victory Station’s reputation isn’t the greatest, but Cori is excited; she wants to help people and make a difference. On her first day, she meets Aster Moss, who quickly becomes her most frequent patient. Aster station hopped for years until she got in a massive amount of debt. Now, she serves as an independent escort to all manner of species, which lands her in the clinic pretty often. Facing prejudice from everyone except Cori, the two begin a tentative friendship that could potentially grow to more. With both of their pasts and Aster’s looming debt, could they build anything more than friendship?

I really enjoyed this book and tore through it quickly. It’s almost a cozy Sci-Fi/romance with some darker elements thrown in. I loved Cori and Aster’s friends to lovers story, and the people Aster meets in her exploits are a lot of fun. It’s a feel-good story all around, and it was a bright spot in my week.

[Invincibleink]

So cozy! The plot was surprisingly mild with things going more and more smoothly as the book went on. I have seen that in certain kinds of "young woman with cupcake shop" romances, and it's nice to see it in sci fi too. I appreciated that kind of pastoral feeling. There was a certain amount of "fade to black" in the romace, but I was expecting either more fading or more description. I'm not sure it would work for folks who want a clean romance, but it's mild enough that others might find it too mild. I found myself wanting more, just a bit more character development, world building, plot, something to match the tension of the premise. I would recommend for fans of Becky Chambers and Ann Agguire. A fun way to spend some time.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.25 stars

And thus begins a love story spanning two space stations and a planet in a pleasant, slice-of-life love story between Cori and Aster. This is the first book in the Nova Moss Chronicles, a world in which Earth was destroyed by aliens, human separatists perform terrorist attacks on alien shops and areas, and Cori and Aster make soup, have long talks about books, and fall in love with one another.

In the end, this is a quick read and decently written, however there was not enough real plot and a meandering pace.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

This book had a lot of strong points, including the world building and the previously established relationships. I loved learning about all the different stations and planets our main characters visited and they felt very real and fleshed out. I also enjoyed how Aster interacted with her mothers.

However, I wish we truly got to see Aster and Cori bond. We were told about encounters they had and how long they’d known each other but their romance felt stiff and I wasn’t as engaged in it as I was in them as individuals. It felt a little too insta love-y for me. I wish we actually saw them draw closer than being told it but overall I enjoyed reading the book.

*I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

[Alicia Haberski · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adage all writers have heard goes, "Write the book you want to read." I can confidently say I've done just that with Where Starlight Burns, my first novel. If you're the type of person who devours far-future space operas and thinks, "That was really cool, but gosh would I love to see a soft gay romance in that setting," I completely agree—and this book is for you/me/us. Yes, it's sugar-sweet, but so is a red velvet cupcake (yum). That's what I hope this book feels like for readers: dessert. It's also the first in a series, so Cori and Aster's journey does not end here! My sincere gratitude to everyone who comes along for the ride.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for an easy cozy Sapphic sci-fi then this is not a bad choice.

I personally would have liked to see more world building, without it was hard for me to really immerse myself in the story. Same with the at time clunky dialogue.

As for the characters, there were times that the characters had qualities that felt unexplored. The backstory's and unique nature of where they came from felt like an after thought and I wasn't sure added to the story.

That is not to say I didn't enjoy the book, the relationship between the two main characters was sweet. I did laugh with the way they Space u-hauled.

Thank you NetGalley and Kosmic Syren for the advanced copy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you BookSirens and Alicia Haberski, for the ARC.

I thought it was a great book. It was easy to get into the world. Sometimes, I have difficulty visualizing the world with SciFi, and Alicia did a fantastic job with this. She talks about critical topics. Especially with accepting people's circumstances and understanding they did what they had to do.

The characters needed a bit more development. They felt a little two-dimensional to me.

I recommend reading this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jessica Rush · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with Sci-Fi books is that you have to do a lot of world building to get the reader interested in what is happening around the central characters. I believe the author tried, but didn't quite get there. This book had lots of potential to become the next big sci-fi sapphic book, but I really just saw it as a sapphic book that happened to be set in space.

The romance was great - the way that Cori cared for Aster and didn't judge her for what she did to make money made my heart flutter. The spicy scenes were 3 peppers. And I loved the happy ending.

[Julee (overbookedwithjulee) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Aster and Cori's story was so sweet. I liked hearing the story from both points of view. I really liked the Sci fi elements of the story as well. Their back stories fit in well with the story and gave explanation as to how they got where they are now. The descriptions of the world were very well done, it was easy to picture what was being explained. This was my first space opera and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to see where the series takes us next.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I really enjoyed this book. I haven’t read any f/f romance and this was a great book to get into it. It was a unique plot and the character development was good with some flashbacks to help us understand them better. The romance was adorable although I found it a bit fast paced to be fully believable but it was still nice. Overall, an enjoyable, relatively quick read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys cute f/f romance with a sci-fi twist.

[Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cozy space-faring story about sapphic love, and their adventures together. It felt like reading a warm hug, with a dash of drama, if that makes sense? I would like to note that this does not follow the traditional romance novel structure, which was a little surprising. However, the characters are loveable and the world the author built is absolutely fascinating!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am happy to leave this review voluntarily!

[Doreen HOWARD · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The concept of this novel was good, however, the execution of the plot left me confused from time to time. The descriptive writing brought me as the reader into the world-building but sometimes I was left wondering how some things would work, such as the healing lamps. As a first novel, I think there is hope but room for improvement.

[Looby Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a weird mixture of cute and tough subjects meshing together to form a lovely story. Astrid’s work was dangerous and looked down upon. Cori as her doctor saw through all the stigma and stereotypes to see the real Astrid. What follows is a tale across the galaxies as we follow them and their voyage to a happy ever after.
Cute first book in a series to follow.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.