Friday YA: Eclipse the Skies (Ignite the Stars #1) by Maura Milan

At the end of Ignite the Stars, our three heroes found their lives changed in ways that made them question all they’d known previously. Eclipse the Skies is the story of how Ia, Brinn, and Knives rediscover their reason to fight for their beliefs, even if it’s hard to see the path to enlightenment.

Ia, the Blood Wolf of the Skies, lives for the day when she and her brother will come face to face, knowing only one of them will be left alive. Brinn embraces her heritage just as the world wants to demolish that same heritage. Knives finds out his father is not the ogre he thought just as he is about to lose the chance to make amends. Needless to say, Eclipse the Skies definitely takes a turn to the dark side, as our characters fight to overcome adversity.

I will admit, I did miss the more swashbuckling adventure the first novel set into play. It was a little harder for me to lose myself in this world without the interaction between these characters. They were separated through most of the book and all three of their storylines were pretty gloomy. The story picked back up when they started interacting with each other again and that’s when my enjoyment of the book ratcheted up.

This was a good sequel to Ignite the Stars, but beware, the pace is a little slower and the plot a little gloomier. My favorite character, Brinn, really took a turn to the dark side and I’m still recovering from that momentary panic that she wouldn’t return to the light. If you’re a fan of young adult and would like to give this sci-fi series a try, please read the books in order as this novel is a continuation of the previous plot. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase!* Eclipse the Skies (2) (Ignite the Stars)

Copyright Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

Friday YA: Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan

For those of you who love swashbuckling action, you’ll LOVE Ignite the Stars! Ia Cocha is the scourge of the stars. Fighting against the Olympus Commonwealth, Ia is part terrorist, part Robin Hood. When the story starts she is trapped on a Tawny ship and is being taken captive. When it is found out that she is just a 17 year old girl and not an adult man, it’s determined that it would be better to bury her in an Academy of students in an unknown location than to put her on trial and kill her. That would look bad, I guess? When she gets to the Academy she is a prisoner of sorts, but able to roam free. She is kept from flying but her mind is always looking for an escape.

Brinn, Ia’s roommate, has a secret. One that she is desperate to keep, but Ia figures her out pretty quickly and blackmails her into doing something for her. Through the sharing of this secret Ia and Brinn develop a friendship of sorts. Brinn, who is kind of prickly because she doesn’t let herself get close to anyone, can let Ia close because she knows her secret. It is this friendship that drives the book. We learn that no one is who we think they are. Ia the terrorist actually has empathy and fights for the underdogs and Brinn the loner comes face to face with her heritage and embraces it. When it finally happens, these two are a powerful team.

There are a whole other cast of characters in this novel. Heroic figures and villainous ones fill the classrooms. Flight Master Knives, just out of school himself, is Ia’s jailer and love interest. Not as gruesome as that sounds, I swear! He has his own issues with the Olympus Commonwealth, most notably his father who is an Admiral and a not so nice character. This love connection between he and Ia is PG rated, but it does allow both of their characters to show another side. 

I love a fast moving plot and Ignite the Stars was quick, emotional, and fun. It’s hard to believe this was Maura Milan’s debut novel. It seemed like every character had their own hidden battle they were fighting. I’ll admit that Brinn was probably my favorite character, but Ia was a close second. They were both underdogs, and I do like to root for the underdog. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“I’ve been looking for a book to appease by craving for more sci-fi adventure after I finished Obsidio, and let me tell you that Ignite the Stars did the trick! You’re dropped right into the action, and it doesn’t stop until the very end. I fell absolutely in love with our cast of characters and adored how each had their own unique story that eventually intertwined.” A Myriad of Books

“For all its shortcomings, Ignite the Stars was a decent, easy read. Knives and Brinn are strong deuteragonists, and Maura Milan has a good deal of fun with the supporting cast. As socially conscious YA, the story integrates a timely if heavy-handed political message on the refugee crisis. As a space opera…eh.” Serendipitous Reads

Click this link to purchase!* Ignite the Stars

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate