I absolutely loved this book. It has everything a good sci-fi needs: a derelict ship with a group of outcasts for a crew, a space government conspiracy, space pirates and two young adults running away from the government and those space pirates. Fans of the TV show Firefly will love this book, and while it has many similarities, the actual story is very different.
The protagonist of the book, Solara Brooks, will do pretty much anything to get on board a ship that will bring her to one of the new colonies, on the outskirts of space. And that includes becoming a servant for Doran Spaulding, her high school bully and nemesis. Their servant/master relationship doesn't last very long as Solara cons her way out of it, in a very genius way. Solara is very clever and mechanically proficient, so fans of Firefly will compare her to Kaylee. As an orphan, she really didn't have many chances in life, and when she was just about to graduate from high school, she got into trouble and convicted for crimes she helped commit. In this world, every felon gets tattoos on their hands, advertising their crime and making it very difficult to find a job or be trusted. Solara hides her hands out of shame but the crew members of the Banshee slowly start to trust her, despite their knowledge of her shady past.
Solara is a survivor and a fighter. She will do just about anything to succeed in life, and she's not afraid to take chances. Doran Spaulding was born into an easy life. His father owns a very wealthy oil company and he's always taken advantage of his status to get what he wants. Solara turns his life upside down, and honestly, it's probably the best thing that's ever happened to him. Especially now that he's wanted by the government, Solara's street smarts come in handy quite a few times. Solara and Doran are the most unconventional pair, but for some reason, they work well together. They started off as enemies, became "cohorts" (their word, not mine) and then developed strong romantic feelings.
Honestly, the world the author created isn't crazy original. There are no alien life-forms--just humans traveling in space. However, the way it was executed was genius. Her story, the action and her amazing characters make Starflight stand out from the crowd. I really enjoyed the slow build and the fact the details were only revealed when they were absolutely necessary.
Fans of science-fiction will surely enjoy this one. It's an easy novel to read and it has just enough romance, action and science to make it a well rounded novel. The author will surely explore her universe a little bit more since she left quite a few questions unanswered. In the few hours that I spent reading Starflight, I fell in love with these characters so I definitely want to know what happens next.
OOoh nice! I need to read this one!! Sounds like a fun read! Glad to hear you enjoyed it too! Great review!
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