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A Sacrifice of Blood and Stars #1
A Sacrifice of Blood and Stars: An Astromance: A Sacrifice of Blood and Stars, Book 1
On a distant dwarf planet, a young soldier discovers her mortal enemy is her only tie to the world she left behind, in a high-stakes sci-fi romance.
Two months after her eighteenth birthday, scrappy Hikari Skye is ready to leave her ramshackle mobile home on Earth for icy dwarf planet Ceres and the underground bases that house Space Force. She's trading her dingy trailer park; her baby sister, Bea; and her best friend, Rho, for the excitement of the Proxy Wars and the freedom of the galactic front lines—where her father once deserted his own platoon. And the most appealing part? She's leaving behind Draeden Rache, the cocky, privileged bully who tried to kiss her last year.
Appealing, that is, until Drae and Kari are tied together by the Pairing Ceremony as Sympathetics. Each week, she'll share everything with him and him emotions, fears . . . and the sneaking suspicion that something is very, very wrong. As Kari struggles to survive life in a unit that can only see her as a defector's spawn, Drae and Rho work to solve a mystery of their own back at a futuristic UC Berkeley while their professor is hunted down for daring to teach beyond propaganda.
With the California Federation's proxy war with the Siberian Federation heating up and Raiders creeping closer by the day, Kari and Drae's weekly interactions turn into a race against time, even as their feelings for each other grow. And there's something both Kari's tough drill sergeant and Drae's wealthy father don't want them to know . . .
Fourth Wing meets The Expanse in A Sacrifice of Blood and Stars, the first book of an enemies-to-lovers science fiction series from the New York Times -bestselling author of Stranger Starcourt Mall Escape.
Two months after her eighteenth birthday, scrappy Hikari Skye is ready to leave her ramshackle mobile home on Earth for icy dwarf planet Ceres and the underground bases that house Space Force. She's trading her dingy trailer park; her baby sister, Bea; and her best friend, Rho, for the excitement of the Proxy Wars and the freedom of the galactic front lines—where her father once deserted his own platoon. And the most appealing part? She's leaving behind Draeden Rache, the cocky, privileged bully who tried to kiss her last year.
Appealing, that is, until Drae and Kari are tied together by the Pairing Ceremony as Sympathetics. Each week, she'll share everything with him and him emotions, fears . . . and the sneaking suspicion that something is very, very wrong. As Kari struggles to survive life in a unit that can only see her as a defector's spawn, Drae and Rho work to solve a mystery of their own back at a futuristic UC Berkeley while their professor is hunted down for daring to teach beyond propaganda.
With the California Federation's proxy war with the Siberian Federation heating up and Raiders creeping closer by the day, Kari and Drae's weekly interactions turn into a race against time, even as their feelings for each other grow. And there's something both Kari's tough drill sergeant and Drae's wealthy father don't want them to know . . .
Fourth Wing meets The Expanse in A Sacrifice of Blood and Stars, the first book of an enemies-to-lovers science fiction series from the New York Times -bestselling author of Stranger Starcourt Mall Escape.
Audible Audio
Published September 17, 2024
About the author
Jennifer Brody
19 books220 followersJennifer Brody is a New York Times bestselling author, Scribe Award winner, and Stoker Award finalist who also writes as Vera Strange. Her books include Stranger Things: Starcourt Mall Escape (Netflix/Penguin Random House), the Disney Chills series, the Continuum trilogy, the Sacrifice of Blood and Stars series, and Namaste and Slay. She is a co-author of All Is Found: A Frozen Anthology and Star Wars: Stories of Jedi and Sith. A fan of all things dark, weird, and wonderful, she lives and writes in Austin, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 9, 2026
Originally reviewed on StoryGraph: 3 ⭐️
I really, really liked the concept of this. The idea of Earth coming to an agreement to only fight in space so as to not destroy resources and the implementation of sympathetics was so unique and cool. I don't talk to my husband about every book that I read, but I loved the Sympathetic Program so much that I had to tell him about it.
The neural implants were also very interesting and I thought the way they were used was well thought out and made me want to see how they'd play a role in the story. They may have been a little under utilized in my opinion, but based on what it did in the book, maybe that's all it could do in the story. Rho's hair implants were rad also. I wouldn't want people to know my emotions, but it seemed to work for her character that she just didn't give a fuck, which I respect.
I pretty much clocked right away that Drae was going to be Kari's sympathetic, even before we got his POV. But the pairing happens pretty quickly and I don't think the author was trying to have it be a huge twist. When we did get his first POV chapter and I figured he was going to be the love interest as well as her sympathetic, I was so sat and excited to see how their relationship progressed. I was especially excited when we learn that he already likes Kari. It added another layer to their situation and made it even more tragic that she was leaving.
There were a few twists in this book that kept me invested. I was sure we'd see Kari's dad and get his perspective of the attack and aftermath, but wasn't sure when he'd show up or in what context. I actually thought that the Golden Gate Bridge attack was an inside job staged to increase recruitment numbers. I didn't guess at all that it was aliens, so I was pleasantly surprised by that plot point. I also thought that the real job of the sympathetics was to rat on the guardians if they said anything against the Space Force or republic, but that was just my conspiracy theorist coming out.
I don't think the passage of time came across very clearly. Even in the beginning, we go right from the Pairing Ceremony to Kari getting ready to board the ship. We didn't get to see her going home or her last morning on Earth with her family. It felt really weird that for how supposedly close Kari is with her sister, there wasn't even a goodbye scene. We just got a single line later in the chapter about how she wished her sister and mother tearful goodbyes. I actually thought they were leaving right after the ceremony until then.
While Kari's in space and Drae's in college, I had no clue what the timeline was. I didn't know if we were getting their POV every day, every week, or somewhere in between. About halfway through the book, Drae talks about how his heart had been aching for Kari for the whole year, but he was still trying to get into the secret society which he'd only done the first test for at this point. Then on the next page, he says that Kari isn't coming home for 4 years which is the total time she'll be away. Finally at 50%, we learn it's been 4 weeks. It was just really distracting and annoying trying to figure out how much time was passing between the chapters and in the book overall.
I really liked the romance dynamic in the beginning, even though I was concerned how they were going to deepen their relationship only talking at each other once a week, but I was willing to give it a shot. Unfortunately, it ended up being my least favorite part of the book. And not just the relationship between Kari and Drae, also between Drae and Rho. It was so disgusting and confusing. Drae talks about how obsessed with Kari he is and how she's his gravity, but yet a third of the way through the book, he's talking about having feelings for Rho. EVEN AFTER HE TELLS RHO HE'S IN LOVE WITH KARI, HE STILL HAS A CRUSH ON HER. No, I'm sorry. I do not want to read that. It was even weirder because both Kari and Rho didn't like him and he ended up having feelings for both. It gave me the feeling that he only crushed on girls that didn't like him which is just really weird. I got icked out every single time Drae talked about liking Rho. It also felt like it really went nowhere almost like the author wanted to do something more but forgot or to add unnecessary drama. It would just be randomly sprinkled in throughout the book that he liked Rho and he only stopped liking her when she said he wasn't her type. Then it was never mentioned again. I would've much rather Drae figure out he didn't actually have a crush on Rho or for him to decide to focus on Kari since he's supposedly in love with her.
The relationship progression between Kari and Drae didn't feel organic at all. They start out with Drae liking her and her basically hating him. By the second transmission in which they just talk at each other for 10 minutes, they're not even having a conversation, Kari already likes Drae, then realizes she loves him after the third (I think) which we don't even see. It just didn't make sense from where they started and there wasn't enough time for me to buy into the growth. I thought the transmissions between them were going to be more frequent and take up more of the story. Even from Drae's perspective, he says he loves her after 2 transmissions and talks about how he needs her more than he needs to breathe. It felt way too dramatic for what we saw of the relationship. It's like the author wanted the relationship to progress to being in love but without putting in the effort to show how they got there. Then when Rho and Drae disappear, Kari worries they ran away together, but thinks that Rho would never betray her like that, but Rho doesn't even know Kari has feelings for Drae, so that thought makes no sense. Also weird that Kari doesn't know her best friend's taste in romantic partners. If anything, it would make Drae a piece of garbage for running away with Rho after confessing his feelings for Kari, but sure, blame Rho for betraying you.
I liked the story and I think it had some really great concepts, but I didn't root for the main couple at all and it made my reading experience go down a bit. I won't be reading the rest of the series since I don't really care how their relationship progresses and even though I liked the storyline, I'm not invested enough to read more. I might read another book by this author, but I wouldn't do another long distance couple, she might write better if the couple had real conversations and met up in person. I wouldn't recommend this book as I think there are better sci-fi books with better romance.
I really, really liked the concept of this. The idea of Earth coming to an agreement to only fight in space so as to not destroy resources and the implementation of sympathetics was so unique and cool. I don't talk to my husband about every book that I read, but I loved the Sympathetic Program so much that I had to tell him about it.
The neural implants were also very interesting and I thought the way they were used was well thought out and made me want to see how they'd play a role in the story. They may have been a little under utilized in my opinion, but based on what it did in the book, maybe that's all it could do in the story. Rho's hair implants were rad also. I wouldn't want people to know my emotions, but it seemed to work for her character that she just didn't give a fuck, which I respect.
I pretty much clocked right away that Drae was going to be Kari's sympathetic, even before we got his POV. But the pairing happens pretty quickly and I don't think the author was trying to have it be a huge twist. When we did get his first POV chapter and I figured he was going to be the love interest as well as her sympathetic, I was so sat and excited to see how their relationship progressed. I was especially excited when we learn that he already likes Kari. It added another layer to their situation and made it even more tragic that she was leaving.
There were a few twists in this book that kept me invested. I was sure we'd see Kari's dad and get his perspective of the attack and aftermath, but wasn't sure when he'd show up or in what context. I actually thought that the Golden Gate Bridge attack was an inside job staged to increase recruitment numbers. I didn't guess at all that it was aliens, so I was pleasantly surprised by that plot point. I also thought that the real job of the sympathetics was to rat on the guardians if they said anything against the Space Force or republic, but that was just my conspiracy theorist coming out.
I don't think the passage of time came across very clearly. Even in the beginning, we go right from the Pairing Ceremony to Kari getting ready to board the ship. We didn't get to see her going home or her last morning on Earth with her family. It felt really weird that for how supposedly close Kari is with her sister, there wasn't even a goodbye scene. We just got a single line later in the chapter about how she wished her sister and mother tearful goodbyes. I actually thought they were leaving right after the ceremony until then.
While Kari's in space and Drae's in college, I had no clue what the timeline was. I didn't know if we were getting their POV every day, every week, or somewhere in between. About halfway through the book, Drae talks about how his heart had been aching for Kari for the whole year, but he was still trying to get into the secret society which he'd only done the first test for at this point. Then on the next page, he says that Kari isn't coming home for 4 years which is the total time she'll be away. Finally at 50%, we learn it's been 4 weeks. It was just really distracting and annoying trying to figure out how much time was passing between the chapters and in the book overall.
I really liked the romance dynamic in the beginning, even though I was concerned how they were going to deepen their relationship only talking at each other once a week, but I was willing to give it a shot. Unfortunately, it ended up being my least favorite part of the book. And not just the relationship between Kari and Drae, also between Drae and Rho. It was so disgusting and confusing. Drae talks about how obsessed with Kari he is and how she's his gravity, but yet a third of the way through the book, he's talking about having feelings for Rho. EVEN AFTER HE TELLS RHO HE'S IN LOVE WITH KARI, HE STILL HAS A CRUSH ON HER. No, I'm sorry. I do not want to read that. It was even weirder because both Kari and Rho didn't like him and he ended up having feelings for both. It gave me the feeling that he only crushed on girls that didn't like him which is just really weird. I got icked out every single time Drae talked about liking Rho. It also felt like it really went nowhere almost like the author wanted to do something more but forgot or to add unnecessary drama. It would just be randomly sprinkled in throughout the book that he liked Rho and he only stopped liking her when she said he wasn't her type. Then it was never mentioned again. I would've much rather Drae figure out he didn't actually have a crush on Rho or for him to decide to focus on Kari since he's supposedly in love with her.
The relationship progression between Kari and Drae didn't feel organic at all. They start out with Drae liking her and her basically hating him. By the second transmission in which they just talk at each other for 10 minutes, they're not even having a conversation, Kari already likes Drae, then realizes she loves him after the third (I think) which we don't even see. It just didn't make sense from where they started and there wasn't enough time for me to buy into the growth. I thought the transmissions between them were going to be more frequent and take up more of the story. Even from Drae's perspective, he says he loves her after 2 transmissions and talks about how he needs her more than he needs to breathe. It felt way too dramatic for what we saw of the relationship. It's like the author wanted the relationship to progress to being in love but without putting in the effort to show how they got there. Then when Rho and Drae disappear, Kari worries they ran away together, but thinks that Rho would never betray her like that, but Rho doesn't even know Kari has feelings for Drae, so that thought makes no sense. Also weird that Kari doesn't know her best friend's taste in romantic partners. If anything, it would make Drae a piece of garbage for running away with Rho after confessing his feelings for Kari, but sure, blame Rho for betraying you.
I liked the story and I think it had some really great concepts, but I didn't root for the main couple at all and it made my reading experience go down a bit. I won't be reading the rest of the series since I don't really care how their relationship progresses and even though I liked the storyline, I'm not invested enough to read more. I might read another book by this author, but I wouldn't do another long distance couple, she might write better if the couple had real conversations and met up in person. I wouldn't recommend this book as I think there are better sci-fi books with better romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2024
Kari is worried about finding out who her sympathetic is, the person that she will be bonded to for as long as she is in the military. When she finds out it’s Drae, a massive bully from her high school, she thinks that nothing could be worse. But as she goes through basic training and Drae goes through school, their relationship grows. But war is brewing and it may bring them closer together than ever.
The characters in this book were really well written. I really liked the way that different backgrounds were explored and how a militarized government affects characters. The one thing that I didn’t like about the characters was the romance. I just didn’t think it developed enough on the page.
The world-building was done amazingly. I thought that it was amazing the way that the world-building was sprinkled throughout was really well done. It was just really great. Except for the twist but I don’t want to spoil it.
The plot of the book was very reminiscent of Starship Troopers but more contemporary and with romance. But that changed in the last 100 pages. It was really disappointing and I’m not sure that I want to keep reading the series based on the twist.
Overall, an extremely well-crafted world with an underdeveloped romance and, for me, an aggravating twist. If you enjoy science fiction with alternate history and some romance, this book is probably for you.
The characters in this book were really well written. I really liked the way that different backgrounds were explored and how a militarized government affects characters. The one thing that I didn’t like about the characters was the romance. I just didn’t think it developed enough on the page.
The world-building was done amazingly. I thought that it was amazing the way that the world-building was sprinkled throughout was really well done. It was just really great. Except for the twist but I don’t want to spoil it.
The plot of the book was very reminiscent of Starship Troopers but more contemporary and with romance. But that changed in the last 100 pages. It was really disappointing and I’m not sure that I want to keep reading the series based on the twist.
Overall, an extremely well-crafted world with an underdeveloped romance and, for me, an aggravating twist. If you enjoy science fiction with alternate history and some romance, this book is probably for you.
October 2, 2024
A phenomenal read!
I learned more about the Art of War in this book than any other references. Prepare for a militarized dystopian society where the young and underprivileged are shipped off to space to fight skirmishes with the other Earth governments rather than engaging in war on Earth ever again. Kari, once a privileged child, but now the daughter of a deserter has signed up for an eight-year stint in the Space Force. As part of the program, she is assigned an Earthside sympathetic to exchange thoughts and emotions with during her deployment. The problem? Kari sees Drae as her ultimate enemy. He's privileged and a member of a gang of bullies. All preconceived notions aside, these two are perfect for each other. While Kari is off Earth doing training, Drae is settling into college with Kari's best friend. Things are interesting on both ends and make this story evolve wonderfully. By the end, I couldn't wait to see where this epic tale would take us. It seems it will be a bit of a wait until book 2 will be available. I'll be waiting.
I learned more about the Art of War in this book than any other references. Prepare for a militarized dystopian society where the young and underprivileged are shipped off to space to fight skirmishes with the other Earth governments rather than engaging in war on Earth ever again. Kari, once a privileged child, but now the daughter of a deserter has signed up for an eight-year stint in the Space Force. As part of the program, she is assigned an Earthside sympathetic to exchange thoughts and emotions with during her deployment. The problem? Kari sees Drae as her ultimate enemy. He's privileged and a member of a gang of bullies. All preconceived notions aside, these two are perfect for each other. While Kari is off Earth doing training, Drae is settling into college with Kari's best friend. Things are interesting on both ends and make this story evolve wonderfully. By the end, I couldn't wait to see where this epic tale would take us. It seems it will be a bit of a wait until book 2 will be available. I'll be waiting.
December 19, 2024
At the start of A Sacrifice of Blood and Stars, Kari is ready to leave her life behind, joining the Space Force and redeeming her family name in the process. She's especially happy to get away from Draeden, a classmate she despises. However, their fates are intertwined when he becomes her Sympathetic, and they are forced to share everything, thoughts and feelings included. Hopefully they can figure out a way to get along, as they have an important role to play in the future of their world.
This futuristic version of Earth was an interesting setting to explore. Not one I would want to be a part of, but it does draw you in. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers romance between Kari and Drae and how the story followed both Kari at basic training and Drae at his first year of college. The plot kept my interest and I happily await the next installment.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This futuristic version of Earth was an interesting setting to explore. Not one I would want to be a part of, but it does draw you in. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers romance between Kari and Drae and how the story followed both Kari at basic training and Drae at his first year of college. The plot kept my interest and I happily await the next installment.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 1, 2025
4 1/2 stars - This entertaining story is about of two childhood enemies, Hikari Skye and Draeden Rache, having to work together as they're paired up. While having to express and discuss what they experience during the week, they also have a mystery to solve as they find themselves growing closer. Loved the flipped coin as Hikari was poor and looking forward to getting a better life in the Space Force which her father was accused as a deserter and Draeden Rache was a rich kid from important parents wanting to be recognized by his own merits as he goes to college. I'd volunteer to read and review this copy I'd received.
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May 25, 2025Enjoyed it! A well written well edited indie book with relatable New Adult characters and fun sci fi world building.
See full review on my SCIENCE FICTION WITH HEART blog
See full review on my SCIENCE FICTION WITH HEART blog
June 20, 2025
I enjoyed this book. The originality and thought put into the world and tech and characters and politics was admirable. I was able to fall right in and care pretty quickly. I was pleased with the end, but hope to see Kari again! Seems possible...
i won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!
i won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!
October 13, 2024
Wow. This book was utterly amazing. The “Art of War” references compelled me to purchase that book too. I absolutely cannot wait for the second book. Such a great read. Truly. 🌎🤍✨
May 28, 2025
Thank you to Podium Entertainment for the audiobook. All opinions are my own.
This was a fun space drama. It had hints of Divergent when it comes to the basic training. There are a lot of tropes wrapped up in this sci-fi, like war college, academia, he falls first, forced "proximity," and found family. I wish we had gotten more of the neural-link sessions because it would have built a better foundation for the main character's love story. The story kept me entertained right from the start and had great pacing. I'm excited to read the next book, A Sacrifice of Flesh and Fury
This was a fun space drama. It had hints of Divergent when it comes to the basic training. There are a lot of tropes wrapped up in this sci-fi, like war college, academia, he falls first, forced "proximity," and found family. I wish we had gotten more of the neural-link sessions because it would have built a better foundation for the main character's love story. The story kept me entertained right from the start and had great pacing. I'm excited to read the next book, A Sacrifice of Flesh and Fury
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews