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ejpass 's review for:
Hunt the Stars
by Jessie Mihalik
5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: sci-fi, space opera, aliens, enemies to lovers, adventure
I love space adventures and definitely don't read enough of them, so I was excited to come into this book.
A good portion of it is spent in space on the ship Starlight's Shadow, which I liked. The rest of the book is spent on Valovia, an 'alien' planet, though we don't get to see much of it. Mihalik includes a good amount about the history of the characters and the world the book is set in, which I think is essential since we really only get to see two settings, and that background is integral to understanding some of the actions they take when traveling from Point A to Point B.
I found the concept of the Valoffs to be very intriguing. They're a humanoid telepathic species, with each Voloff having an additional power (i.e., healing, telekinesis, etc.). The general human populace doesn't know a ton about them due to a long war that was fought between the two groups for control over wormhole access, and so both Tavi and the readers get to learn some things about them during the course of the book.
Tavi is headstrong, but intensely loyal to her crew and hides a soft heart. I like that she kept her harder exterior on for at least the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the book. She was a captain in the war and faced Valoffs on the battlefield, which no amount of money can easily fix (especially without a common understanding). Her main goal is to help her crew and keep them safe, and that is reflected in her decision making. At the same time, she's also able to warm to the Valoffs once enough time has passed, which shows she is able amend her previous schemas. I also liked Luna, Tavi's Valovian 'pet.' I thought it was a cute addition to the story.
Kee is one of Tavi's crewmembers, and one of the three surviving members of her unit from the war, and is a bubbly, softer personality. Kee definitely cuts some of the tension on the ship by being someone who easily befriends nearly everyone, and I appreciated the mitigating effect she had at times.
Eli is Tavi's other crewmember and also one of the surviving members of their unit. Like the other two on his team, he's caring and loyal, but unlike the other two he's a little faster to jump to antagonism with strangers. He did cause some conflict at times, but like the others he does eventually warm up.
Torran is a gruff, hard-to-read wall when he's first introduced. It's hard to figure him out at first because he stays relatively quiet, but it's clear there's some level of violence simmering under his skin. He's quick to jump to conclusions in the beginning, but once he's a bit more comfortable in Starlight's Shadow, he becomes more relaxed.
Havil is the main member of Torran's group that we see in this book, with him being the healer. He's gentle and kind-hearted, willing to help those in need. While more mellow than Kee, he's another one who can befriend just about anyone.
Despite the short time period over which the book takes place, I felt that Tavi and Torran's transition from enemies to friends, then to lovers, was natural. There's enough wariness and slow building of trust for it to feel real when they finally begin relaxing in one another and at least somewhat confiding in each other. Likewise, there's enough sexual tension between the two before they finally commit and give in that it didn't feel rushed (even though I'm pretty sure the book takes place over the course of 3 weeks).
There's a lot of subterfuge going on in this book, from pretty much all sides. There's Torran, who refuses to inform the crew of what exactly they're searching for until they figure it out themselves, and then who refuses information on several more accounts. Then there's the people behind all of this, who are attempting to obfuscate and remain hidden for obvious reasons. I'm also pretty sure Lexi (another of Tavi's unit members who joins the group a bit later in the book) is hiding stuff of her own.
I liked that the initial quest led into something larger, and that it flowed nicely from one thing to the next instead of feeling like the perpetrators were randomly thrown in to push the series in a specific direction.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and the background on the world it takes place in. Despite the short period of time the events take place in, I felt that the transitions from enemies to friends to (for Tavi and Torran) lovers was natural. I'm looking forward to the next book!
Recommended for people who like: sci-fi, space opera, aliens, enemies to lovers, adventure
I love space adventures and definitely don't read enough of them, so I was excited to come into this book.
A good portion of it is spent in space on the ship Starlight's Shadow, which I liked. The rest of the book is spent on Valovia, an 'alien' planet, though we don't get to see much of it. Mihalik includes a good amount about the history of the characters and the world the book is set in, which I think is essential since we really only get to see two settings, and that background is integral to understanding some of the actions they take when traveling from Point A to Point B.
I found the concept of the Valoffs to be very intriguing. They're a humanoid telepathic species, with each Voloff having an additional power (i.e., healing, telekinesis, etc.). The general human populace doesn't know a ton about them due to a long war that was fought between the two groups for control over wormhole access, and so both Tavi and the readers get to learn some things about them during the course of the book.
Tavi is headstrong, but intensely loyal to her crew and hides a soft heart. I like that she kept her harder exterior on for at least the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the book. She was a captain in the war and faced Valoffs on the battlefield, which no amount of money can easily fix (especially without a common understanding). Her main goal is to help her crew and keep them safe, and that is reflected in her decision making. At the same time, she's also able to warm to the Valoffs once enough time has passed, which shows she is able amend her previous schemas. I also liked Luna, Tavi's Valovian 'pet.' I thought it was a cute addition to the story.
Kee is one of Tavi's crewmembers, and one of the three surviving members of her unit from the war, and is a bubbly, softer personality. Kee definitely cuts some of the tension on the ship by being someone who easily befriends nearly everyone, and I appreciated the mitigating effect she had at times.
Eli is Tavi's other crewmember and also one of the surviving members of their unit. Like the other two on his team, he's caring and loyal, but unlike the other two he's a little faster to jump to antagonism with strangers. He did cause some conflict at times, but like the others he does eventually warm up.
Torran is a gruff, hard-to-read wall when he's first introduced. It's hard to figure him out at first because he stays relatively quiet, but it's clear there's some level of violence simmering under his skin. He's quick to jump to conclusions in the beginning, but once he's a bit more comfortable in Starlight's Shadow, he becomes more relaxed.
Havil is the main member of Torran's group that we see in this book, with him being the healer. He's gentle and kind-hearted, willing to help those in need. While more mellow than Kee, he's another one who can befriend just about anyone.
Despite the short time period over which the book takes place, I felt that Tavi and Torran's transition from enemies to friends, then to lovers, was natural. There's enough wariness and slow building of trust for it to feel real when they finally begin relaxing in one another and at least somewhat confiding in each other. Likewise, there's enough sexual tension between the two before they finally commit and give in that it didn't feel rushed (even though I'm pretty sure the book takes place over the course of 3 weeks).
There's a lot of subterfuge going on in this book, from pretty much all sides. There's Torran, who refuses to inform the crew of what exactly they're searching for until they figure it out themselves, and then who refuses information on several more accounts. Then there's the people behind all of this, who are attempting to obfuscate and remain hidden for obvious reasons. I'm also pretty sure Lexi (another of Tavi's unit members who joins the group a bit later in the book) is hiding stuff of her own.
I liked that the initial quest led into something larger, and that it flowed nicely from one thing to the next instead of feeling like the perpetrators were randomly thrown in to push the series in a specific direction.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and the background on the world it takes place in. Despite the short period of time the events take place in, I felt that the transitions from enemies to friends to (for Tavi and Torran) lovers was natural. I'm looking forward to the next book!