Kitra

The Kitra Saga #1

by Gideon Marcus

Stranded in space: no fuel, no way home...and no one coming to help.

Nineteen-year-old Kitra Yilmaz dreams of traveling the galaxy like her Ambassador mother. But soaring in her glider is the closest she can get to touching the stars--until she stakes her inheritance on a salvage Navy spaceship.

On its shakedown cruise, Kitra's ship plunges into hyperspace, stranding Kitra and her crew light years away. Tensions rise between Kitra and her shipmates: the handsome programmer, Fareedh; Marta, biologist and Kitra's ex-girlfriend; Peter, the panicking engineer, and the oddball alien navigator, Pinky.

Now, running low on air and food, it'll take all of them working together to get back home.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy

162 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2020

About the author

Founder of Journey Press, an independent publisher focused on unusual and diverse speculative fiction, three time Hugo Finalist Gideon Marcus also runs the time machine project, Galactic Journey. He is a professional space historian, member of the American Astronautical Society's history committee.

In 2019, he edited Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1958-1963) a seminal anthology of some of the best works of science fiction’s Silver Age. His most recent works, Kitra and Sirena, comprise books one and two of a YA space adventure featuring themes of isolation, teamwork, and hope, and starring a queer protagonist of color.

Gideon lives in San Diego County with his writer/editor wife, Janice, and their polymath artist daughter, Lorelei…along with a cat, a snake, and an immense library. He is currently hard at work on Hyvilma, third book in the Kitra Saga.

Reviews

[JulesGP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but way too long. This would have been an okay introductory novella to start off a series if it had been cut down. No character development, no events, no real dialogue.

Cut this down to a novella and give these characters some substance or add moments of conflict. Give it something. It’s not enough to just get the science in place. 3.25 stars for decent writing and attempts at diversity.

Read an ARC courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Carola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Journey Press and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

First of all I think the cover of the book is beautiful. Kitra is a short but nice story about friendship and working together in order to survive. The pictures in the book were a nice addition to the story.

[Christine Sandquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very nice, easy read! I would recommend it to anyone looking for an optimistic YA book about friends who work together to overcome some major challenges. It had several very cute moments, and the overall tone was light and hopeful. My only complaint is that I didn't feel like I got to know the characters as well as I would have liked. Full review to come!

[Myriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun. It’s nice to read sci-fi that isn’t about saving the galaxy.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather short read, for a Sci-Fi story. The story is refreshingly different for a YA novel, as the focus is on the adventures and the ensuing misadventures of space travel rather than saving the galaxy.

[Elijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read, it was also very refreshing from the high stakes, universe/world altering stakes of most Science Fiction I have read/watched. It felt like a group of friends going on an Adventure, if a bit more stressful of an adventure than intended.

The Characters:
The group dynamics felt well put together and consistent throughout the book with gave the interactions between the characters weight and made the special/tough moments feel real. While the book is a bit short to explore all of the facets of the characters, each of them felt unique, well defined, and unique. My personal favorite of the bunch has to be, in my opinion, the most unique one; oh how the creativity can flow when creating aliens. The care of adding realistic personalities and struggles to the characters was well done as I was able to feel like they were real people (or more exotic beings).

The World:
Another aspect of the book that I quite enjoyed was how reasonable all of the things that happened were. There are a few things that are introduced without explanations for how they work, but that is to be expected when discussion technology that doesn't exist. But for the most part, it felt like the laws of the universe were not being violated. I think a great example of this than the opening to the book, which might I add, I loved. This adherence, if a bit loose (due to futuristic tech), to the laws of the universe we know, gave the stakes to the story backing. There weren't challenges forcefully put in the way of the crew, but rather, something happened and then they had to figure out how to handle the situation with what they had available, it felt natural.
I would have loved more time spent on the descriptions of the worlds and settings, but given the short read, what was given was fantastic. I found myself multiple times during my read having vivid imagined images of where the characters were. We got brief hints at the economic situation of the characters and how the economy works. There were also hints to how some of the more affluent systems operated, though those were much less clear and left lot to wonder at (I look forward to hopefully learning more in future books).

The Art:
I loved the art that was sprinkled throughout the book. It added a lot to the descriptions in the text and how I thought of each of the characters. My favorite piece is the one on page 114, it took what I was trying to imagine, and fail at imagining, and give a beautiful artistic image of it.

Summary:
This was a delightful read and I am very much considering re-reading the book (As a side note, I practically never re-read books so for me that is a pretty big deal). I absolutely look forward to reading (and seeing) more about Kitra and here crew in the future, if I could give 6/5 I would.

[Tabitha Tomala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Kitra

Thank you to Journey Press for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Kitra dreams of traveling the galaxies with her friends and embarking on new adventures. Though her family wishes she would go to college and settle down in a steady job, she knows her calling is among the stars. Kitra takes a chance and buys an old navy ship. To her surprise, the navy didn’t strip out all of its functioning parts. But why would they leave a jump drive behind? Kitra and her friends chalk it up to luck and do all they can to make the ship space-worthy once more. But as they prepare for launch, the unexpected happens. The ship forces them into hyperspace and jumps them into an unknown galaxy.

Kitra is a refreshing science fiction adventure. So many books focus on a greater evil or a villain as the main antagonist for stories. Gideon Marcus instead keys the story's main conflicts around the situations the characters find themselves in. Being unexpectedly jumped to another galaxy has crippling mental effects on the characters as they realize the extent of trouble they find themselves in. Food, water, oxygen levels, etc. have to be considered. Time is ticking down as each day passes and the supplies dwindle. While everyone may be friends, relationships become strained as morale decreases.

Kitra and her crew must use their combined skills and knowledge to find solutions. Each has their own specialty and together they form quite the team. Science fiction novels in the past have severely confused me as they dive into the science side of the genre. This was not the case with Kitra. Gideon Marcus applied science in a way that was easy for me to understand. As Kitra and crew used a combination of science and quick thinking to problem solve, it blended into the narrative and made the story thought-provoking. I couldn't wait to see what new solutions they came up with.

And while I may not be the most versed in science fiction novels, I did enjoy the easter eggs within Kitra. I smiled as I saw references to Lost in Space woven into the character’s dialogue. I have a feeling there may have been even more references that passed me by due to my lack of knowledge. Well done Gideon Marcus, well done!

Kitra is a great science fiction novel for those who enjoy space adventures. Suitable for the younger side of the young adult genre and adults as well. And if you enjoy stories where characters have to think outside of the box to solve their problems with science, this is definitely the book for you. This would also be a wonderful read for those just starting to venture into the science fiction genre.

[Jodie Reneé · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Upbeat Tale Filled With Awe and Wonder

Kitra is a delicate balance of contemporary YA and traditional sci-fi.

Having never been an avid reader of sci-fi, and what I have read being largely dystopian and set here on earth, I was unsure what to expect—though admittedly I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. This light tale follows a young woman, Kitra, as she embarks on a space adventure with a small team of friends.

I am always impressed when an author builds a three dimensional world, but Marcus vividly builds a three-dimensional universe of his own. It is clear he is well-researched in science and space so everything seems plausible, yet he describes his universe so simply that you don’t need to be a super-fan of the genre to be in awe of his universe, and in awe I was. It really made me think about what’s out there and the endless possibilities.

As for the characters, it is great to see how their individual strengths complement one another and fascinating to watch them grow together as they face trials and tribulations.

I am thoroughly looking forward to the next instalment of Kitra. I wonder where her wanderlust will take the crew next?

[Paula Reyes Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of this book.
It was a really enterteining journey.

I liked Kitra the book and the character. It was a story different from what I'm used to, is focused on the adventure and misfortunes of space travel and that was refreshing.
I was super worried but also super interested on how ouer characters would (if) come out of this situation, and I believe that's the main purpose of a story like this.

I recommend it a 100% percent.

[Amanda Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitra is amazing. That's all.

Seriously, the character of Kitra is rounded, full of doubts and yearnings. She feels real as well as everyone, even Pinky (her blob alien best friend). This book is super short, but like a dollop of homemade whipped cream. It gets thicker and more interesting the more you go and yet there's something fresh and new about it.

I can't wait for more of her adventures!

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun start to a new series

What a fun space adventure. Space jumps, peril, daring space flight and navigation, new worlds and best of all friends being friends. This was an absolutely fun read. I look forward to more.

[Dilek]

I’ve read this via NetGalley. This was a fun book to read, a group of young people having an adventure in space with an old ship named Majera (adventure in Turkish), in distant future. It’s a rather quick-paced story with relatable characters who study science in various departments at school. They have to put their knowledge into practice (and their friendships into test) during their voyage to the limits of the known system.
This book is an example of classic science fiction for YA, as mentioned by the author in the epilogue. It’s about friendship, following your dreams and pushing your limits. Kitra and her friends seem to continue their adventures in the future.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys ... in space! Kitra took me back to my childhood when I would have loved to read stories of young people in sci-fi settings overcoming difficult odds and conquering the universe. In Marcus's own words: "Tales of friendship, ingenuity, and wonder." Take a group of diverse friends (not all human), toss in a bit of gender fluidity, cultural diversity, and conflict, and push them to their limits as they have to work together to overcome an unexpected threat. This YA fiction will thrill any number of budding science fiction fans.

[Bonnie Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the concept of the book—a group of young adults, maybe even teens (not quite sure) buying a spaceship and heading out on a maiden voyage, only to find themselves in a pickle. How they return home while navigating friendships is the basis for the story. The execution was just okay to me. It may appeal more to its intended audience of teens, but the relationships were explored only on the surface and the suspense was lacking, which made a huge difference in its readability. Hopefully this book will find its niche audience!


Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I couldn't help comparing this with my friend Lisa Cohen's Derelict . Youthful crew, led by a young woman, take off in an old military ship and find there's an issue with it that sends it off into space; they have to work together to get home.

It's not very similar to Derelict apart from that premise, though. The Derelict crew don't intend to be a crew, and have a lot more personal and interpersonal issues. Their biggest challenge in getting home is learning to work as a team, not just the bare fact of the situation itself. And the gender distribution of roles is different: in Derelict, the young woman who leads the crew is also an engineer, and the biologist is male, whereas here the technical work is done by the men and the biology (but also the captaining) is done by the women.

The other space opera that this reminds me of is The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet , because the crew is much more at that end of the at-each-other's-throats/working-together-as-a-team spectrum. It isn't as quirky, though, and there's a bit more of a plot.

Kitra gets big points from me for one thing in particular: fuel. In so many space operas, the issue of fuel is completely ignored. The rag-tag crew of outcasts in their battered old spacecraft fly hither and yon around solar systems in remarkably short amounts of time, repeatedly landing on planets and taking off again, and they never seem to need to refuel. That's not the case here; in fact, a shortage of fuel is a major plot driver. I did question whether the capacitors were realistic in terms of energy storage density, but I'm willing to give that a pass, given how well the rest of the story was written.

There are moments of triumph, moments of despair, interpersonal moments (though the flirting never comes to anything), moments of brilliant solutions to seemingly intractable problems, moments of courage in the face of the odds. It's emotionally satisfying without being (too) scientifically implausible. I found it well paced, too, with a good mixture of "everything is going great, we're going to achieve our dreams" and "oh, crap, we're all going to die".

Recommended, and I will be watching for more in the series.

I received a review copy via Netgalley.

[Cressa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that this is billed as a YA but it felt borderline middle grade to me. I enjoyed the storyline. The main character had nice depth. I would read a sequel from this author.

I received an ARC from netgalley.

[Alex Nonymous · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for providing a digital ARC of Kitra in exchange for an honest review.

I love sci-fi, but its no secret that it's one of the most intimidating YA genres. Sci-fi books normally tend towards the longer side, with deep, rich, detailed world building and giant villians that our protagonists need to defeat. I really really enjoy how small of story Kitra is and how well it owns that. The E-copy I read was just over 150 pages because this is a story that only needs 150 pages. Instead of going the route of most modern sci-fi, Kitra throws you into it's plot and crew. It's not a story about detailed, insane science so it doesn't require an insane amount of explanation. This is a fun, fast adventure of friendship and I really enjoyed for everything it was and everything it chose not to be.

[Rachel Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know much about this book going in to it, I had’t read any of the descriptions which is unusual for me. So I was surprised to learn that this book is YA, but not only that, but it reads exactly like a high-school teen drama set on a spaceship. It was definitely unique! It was also really diverse, with BAME, body positive, LGBTQ+ characters, which I loved.

However despite all this, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me when it came to the characters. I found the characters likeable and engaging, and very funny at points. Pinky’s puns were my favourite part of this book. However there was little to no character development in all but one member of the team, which made the book fall a little flat for me, as a strong character arc is something I like. I just felt like it was missing some of the depth that I look for when I am reading, I want to feel and learn and grow alongside the characters. And I want to watch their relationships change and develop too, but they were in the same place at the end of the book as they were at the start.

However if you are looking for a light-hearted, fun and hopeful read, this book is for you! I felt like it took a little while for the story to really kick in, but once it did it was thrilling and I flew through the rest of the book. And it’s pretty short too at only 161 pages.

The plot was exciting, claustrophobic and a little scary at some points, I found myself rooting for the characters to pull through their situation. It was also nice to read something different, most YA books are all about saving the galaxy or good vs. evil, so it was refreshing to read something that was just about a group of friends, trying to save themselves.

On another note I also appreciated that there were a couple of illustrations in this book as well, which I thought was a cute addition.

SUMMARY

This was a light, refreshing read. The characters were interesting, diverse and funny. And although I was wishing for more character development, there were some cute moments between the team, and by the last half of the book I found the plot very thrilling and engaging which carried me through my doubts about the depth of characterisation in this book. Overall, this was a fun book to read, and at only 161 pages I felt like Gideon packed a lot into this little story.

[Lawral · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Kitra decided to sell her stuff and blow her savings on a ship, she did not expect that ship to go on irreversible autopilot to the middle of nowhere. If she had, she might have brought more fuel! Instead, she, her bff/ex-girlfriend Marta, Marta's boyfriend Peter, Kitra's childhood friend (and token alien) Pinky, and cute newcomer to the group Fareedh are stuck in subspace for a week with no guess as to their destination.
Harrowing set-up aside, Kitra definitely falls into one of my genre favorites: Happy Science Fiction! Our 5 intrepid and accidental explorers are buds of the best sort. Even while hurtling through subspace, they joke, judge each others' coffee preferences, have crushes and make eyes at their ex's, and create a game that is not quite Risk, not quite D&D, and definitely days long. Sure they might starve to death or run out of air. But they also might MacGyver together something that will save them all and earn them college credit for this summer jaunt.
Fans of Firefly/Serenity and The Wayfarers Series will find lots to love in Kitra, whose adventures will surely be continuing in a series of her own. And readers who aren't into "hardcore" sci-fi will find a lot to love in this chosen family story.

Ebook provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Steve Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic YA space adventure, updated for the 21st century

I can't really pass for a young adult any more, but my memory is still good, and I recall the thrill of being introduced to SF through standard classics like Andre Norton and Robert Heinlein. So this one gave me that good old nostalgia vibe - while also being bang up to date for the modern reader, with a pleasantly diverse crew of actual characters (rather than the exposition-delivering cardboard shutouts that I remember from too many of those classics from my youth.)

The story itself is fairly straightforward - Kitra, a young woman with a passion for flying, expendable most of her resources buying an old but still functional star ship, and invites (or dragons) four friends into acting as crew on an in-system shakedown cruise. Then an unexpected development puts them all in serious trouble, and - in that good old YA SF tradition - they have to push their skills to the limit and grow as people in order to get out of it. There are some excellent tense action sequences, but what makes the book, for me, is the enthusiasm and the romance of space travel. Kitra's passion is contagious, it seems - and I hope it will infect a new generation with the SF bug that's given me so much enjoyment over the years!

[Acacia Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story of a group of friends coming together to find themselves. I especially adore the way the characters are written (Kitra, Pinky, and Marta are my favorites; I just love them), they feel like real people I would want to spend time with. Kitra herself is especially relatable — the first-person writing doesn’t get too “cringy” as if often the case in YA novels, but simply feels like a natural inner monologue. There’s also an excellent range of diversity in these characters, in terms of race, heritage, personality, and orientation that I really appreciate since it ends up feeling so natural.

The story is simple, but these characters come together to problem-solve really effectively (even with Peter being super stubborn). While reading the middle of the book during my breaks at work, I struggled to tear myself away from it to get back to my shift in a way very few YA novels have done for me lately. It also doesn’t take very long to establish the world of the novel (no long info-dumps, a win in my book) and doesn’t talk down to its audience.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this work and can’t wait for more in the future! 5/5

[Booker Thibeaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for kids, and it makes me very eager to continue the series.

Before I begin, I want to mention just how different this book is. We have a hyperfocus on trauma in our media- we're all becoming aware of how things have gone very wrong, and learning how that impacts our development as a people. Great. But also-- that leads to a tendency to ruminate on the dark.

The author has mentioned the oversaturation of dystopia in YA and for people who've been steeped in complex, backstabby, grueling narrative-- well, this is just a breath of fresh air. As the jacket says, it is a straight-forward story about friends who get lost in space, work together, and save the day. As a Space Historian, Marcus obviously knows what he's writing-- I know there are kids who will be deeply excited to gobble all of this up. I would have, back then. I mean, I did now.

The characters were so great, and funny, and charming. And they actually like and care about each other? Bananas.

My one complaint with Kitra is that it's only one story. Give me more. I'm really excited to continue with Sirena and see how the universe expands, and what new characters will add.

[Freki Shewolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good crunchy hard YA Sci-Fi!
I like my sci fi pretty hard, and for YA stuff, you could tap this with a wrench. Lots of physics and logistics, clever technical workarounds, little details like recycled air smelling of body odor and farts after a while (submariner cousin told me about that)

Also the description of a handful of scared people trapped in a small space during a crisis, trying not to get on each other's nerves, is evocative. I am a soft touch for that, these days, though.

The characters are nicely diverse in many ways: gender, orientation, ethnic background, species, and personality. I am partial to Peter, described as "the panicky engineer", who has an implied rough childhood and a nicely complex character arc.

The story promises to continue in further books, and I look forward to them.

[Si Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Martian meets Victories Greater Than Death in this debut novel.

Kitra has finally saved up enough money to make her dream a reality: a ship of her own. She gathers her friends together to take it out for a quick spin – which doesn't go quite to plan.


This YA space opera is full of casual diversity and found family. It's a short easy read involving a group of young adults working together to think their way out of an insurmountable problem.

My one complaint is that the character of Pinky wasn't as fully fleshed out as he could have been. Hopefully that's rectified later in the series.

[Eel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. These college-age space students are written like dramatic teenagers, and the “adventure” they go on is nothing special with an open ending. I don’t like sci-fi but I thought this would be good because it won an award. Yawn.

[Robin Rose Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read! Realistic friend group. Pinky, the blob alien is definitely my favorite character! Overall, makes me think of a road trip in space

[Eekind · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that sets low aspirations for itself and hits them

I was bewildered to finish this audiobook and have the authors end note be about wanting to go back to midcentury sci fi that doesn’t revolve around world ending conflicts or overthrowing a corrupt government…but this isn’t a well executed version of a low stakes book like that

My issues mostly circle around just how little stakes are introduced or grounded throughout the story. Kitra and there crew are spat out into uninhabited space after a week of going stir crazy waiting for their century old ship to fall out of hyperspace, and the resolution is they have to fly around outer space Jupiter to turn its atmosphere into fuel and then use their battery backup to super charge their core engine to go back to their home planet of Vata. This is a perfectly serviceable plot but you as the reader are subjected to exposition dump after exposition dump from Kitra about how people have acted, how things have happened until you’re blue in the face. It’s just such an ineffective way to bring me into the fold and add unnecessary page count to a book that otherwise seems to have a decent handle on the voices of Peter Pinkie Marta and Fareed. So many of these scenes could have just been discussed between characters where we could see them grow and change during this traumatic event. They could all very well die in space from lack of oxygen or starvation but those stakes or only ever dropped on us like a sack of narrative potatoes, we don’t get to wrestle with how the increasingly slim odds are impacting the crew.

For a book that’s being marketed as queer you get basically nothing other than Kitra having dated Marta, Kitra crushing on Fareed and Kitra Peter and Marta having weird ex energy that doesn’t even really add to the stakes of the book

Also Why is the squid alien being called slurs. Pinkie having to do this class clown act while also holding their body in place in a very uncomfortable form felt very drag humor adjacent.So it sucked they kept getting mocked worse by the whole coffee shop and had to make themselves the butt of the joke

- - - - - -

perfunctory (adjective) characterized by routine or superficiality : Mechanical

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world of Kitra is rich and lively, filled with small moments that matter. The cast comes together to solve problems with the creativity of people who have to work around limited means. (Imagine being college students going on a roadtrip, and getting extra credit if the RV they retrofitted can make it through the whole adventure - then add the perils of space!)

The detail that goes into the ship and flying are engaging without over-wordy explanations. I was left curious to know more, but not confused or wondering if I missed something.

Kitra has strong opinions on coffee, and immense drive. She has worked to make her dreams a reality, and so long as her friends are onboard, those plans are on track. I fell in love with Pinky, an alien who lives among humans, best friend to Kitra. He handles being different with humor and good grace, and balances out his friends when they get too stressed. Marta and Kitra are dear friends, and used to be together, which adds friction now that Marta and Peter are a pair. Fareedh takes on the computing systems while Peter works on physical engineering, and Marta's biology skills are key for the air scrubbers. Kitra wants to - maybe - romance Fareedh (and I want to borrow his fashion)

The book plays with sci-fi concepts in a genre-saavy and affectionate way, exploring some commonly appearing things from a less common angle.
The crew use the material printer in the best of ways, because really, if you can recycle matter, why not enjoy a colorful outfit? Have you ever been irritated by the lack of seatbelts on a spaceship, or wanted the pilot to not be shaken out of their chair by turbulence when there's artificial gravity? "Kitra" nudges the genre conventions in a way that only an author who loves and is deeply familiar with the source can do.
There's also a lovely (and refreshing!) inclusion of various cultures and languages. Humanity isn't homogenized into one unit. This helps to build up the world, and enhances the ways tech and development are influenced by the cultures they grew from.

"Kitra" includes illustrations, one of my favorite being where we first see Kitra, Pinky, Fareedh, Marta, and Peter.

[Andi Dukleth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitra is a great book to enjoy if you're looking for quick fun adventure through outer space.

With a lot of YA and Sci Fi genres centering around dystopian societies, usually with a gratuitous romance plot wedged in, it's refreshing to go back to good old fashioned space exploration.

The one thing I really appreciate about this story is how the conflict and resolution is organic. There is no deus ex machina to bail them out, nor is there a "the power was in us the whole time" cop out. The danger they face feels real which makes their problem solving all the more authentic. Anything that comes in handy in their moment of need is properly set up.

Another thing I like about the plot was that it kept you guessing. The sequence of events had it's logical cause and effect, but at no point did I feel like the plot was certain to go in a cliché direction. There's no "plot armor" on any of the characters and nothing felt guaranteed to be hunky dory by the end of the book.

I'll admit, I did struggle to get into the story in the beginning. Maybe it's because I'm not a big Sci Fi reader, but a lot of the setting was hard for me to conceptualize. However, once I did get a good sense of what Vatan and the Majera was like, I really enjoyed what it had to offer.
With the writing, there were moments where I felt like it could have been condensed a bit more, but it wasn't anything that detracted from the overall experience.

Lastly, as far as romance goes, I appreciate that the tension between the characters was a slow burn and didn't take over the plot. There were some cute moments here and there, but they were minor side plot, not the feature, of their adventure.

Ultimately, I had a lot of fun reading this, especially since I haven't read a lot of SciFi. You'll laugh, you'll go "Oh no!", you'll go "Oh, that Pinky...", and in the end you'll think "that was so wholesome".

Given how nuts the world is right now, I think we can all use a bit more wholesome space adventures.

[Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed to read something that wasn't Fantasy and Kitra fit that criteria. A few months ago, the author reached out to me for a review and for one reason or another, it kept getting put off. This year has been a weird one for everyone. Anyway, I finally picked it. And I'm glad I did. At just under 200 pages, it's a quick read. We follow Kitra as she decided to buy an old spaceship. Along with her friends (3 humans and Spongebob the alien whose actually name is Pinky), as a crew, fix it up and take it for a test run across the galaxy. Of course, it doesn't go as planned.

Kitra took a little bit to get going but about a quarter in, the story takes off. Literally. After that, I couldn't put it down. I was hoping for more to the mystery. That I won't spoil. But it was a bit anticlimactic. Also, because I'm one of those people who want romance in most stories, wanted to see the foreshadowing go somewhere. At the end of the book the author does say more stories are planned so my fingers are crossed for the future. I love that no labels are used in this universe and sexuality seems pretty fluid. I'm very interested in finding more out about Fareedh. I adored the too few illustrations.

If you like The 100 and/or Starflight then I think you will definitely enjoy this book. 💫