September 03, 2018

Review: Ignite The Stars by Maura Milan

Ignite The Stars (Ignite The Stars #1)
Author: Maura Milan
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Pages: 400
Format: Galley/NetGalley

Everyone in the universe knows his name. Everyone in the universe fears him. But no one realizes that notorious outlaw Ia Cocha is a seventeen-year-old girl.

A criminal mastermind and unrivaled pilot, Ia has spent her life terrorizing the Olympus Commonwealth, the imperialist nation that destroyed her home. When the Commonwealth captures her and her true identity is exposed, they see Ia’s age and talent as an opportunity: by forcing her to serve them, they will prove that no one is beyond their control.

Soon, Ia is trapped at the Commonwealth’s military academy, desperately plotting her escape. But new acquaintances—including Brinn, a seemingly average student with a closely-held secret, and their charming Flight Master, Knives—cause Ia to question her own alliances. Can she find a way to escape the Commonwealth’s clutches before these bonds deepen?

In this exhilarating edge-of-your-seat sci-fi adventure—perfect for fans of The Lunar Chronicles—debut author Maura Milan introduces our world to a thrilling new heroine.

Review: I enjoyed this book. It had good pacing and was a nice quick read. It did take a little bit to get the whole plot of the book going, but once it did, things happened really quickly. I also enjoyed the fact we get to see some semblance of current real life issues. On Brinn's planet, there are a lot of refugees, that end up under fire because of being caught helping Ia Cocha. The refugees end up being retaliated against just because they aren't actual citizens and are being fought against to be removed after Ia's capture. Brinn is part of one of those races, so she has to hide that fact about herself and the telltale marks of it to avoid being retaliated against as well, despite actually being a citizen because of her father. It kinda makes you think of how that happens in today's culture. 

Our book and characters revolve around Ia Cocha. She is one of our main characters, but also plays a huge part in our two others as well. As her actions directly affects them. Ia is pretty much one of the Commonwealth's most wanted criminals and she gets captured. She's given two choices, the better of those two to go to the Commonwealth's military academy and fight for them. Ia is not thrilled with this, but it's better than the alternative. Our two other characters, Knives and Brinn end up getting caught up in everything Ia due to being the two who inadvertently end up the closest to her. 

Despite the fact that Ia is a criminal, I understand her motives. The reason she does some of what she's done is because she's trying to protect people. She thinks the Commonwealth is wrong in the way they take over star systems. So she fights back against them. She even tried to save a number of refugees from slavers who also are over taking a number of systems and colonies. She's not overly bad, she's just trying to fight for what she thinks is right. Ia tries incredibly hard to keep her distance from anyone so she doesn't form any bonds. But she inevitably does form a friendship with Brinn (her roommate) after discovering her secret about her heritage and Knives after showing him how to make his jet go faster. I thought her friendships were incredibly important to Ia's growth in the book. We see them transform her from a cold hearted criminal, to a warmer, better version of herself who sees the good in helping those she cares about. She also finds out her bonds of friendship mean more to her than her bond with her brother after its revealed he's made her just an expendable body. 

I thought the plot twists in this book were incredibly interesting. Everything in the first half of the book is mainly about Ia trying to escape and give her brother the info to do so. But in the second half the plot thickens. We see Knives going into a system with his father that was thought to be a myth. And they encounter the slavers and Ia's brother rooting around in there trying to find something. It's no longer about Ia escaping as much as it's about her coming back from her escape to try and save people from the slavers. And even more so, her brother and the slavers aren't even looking for her when they come. They are looking for Brinn because she's got knowledge to help them build something they stole from the Headmaster. Ia just gets blindsided by her brothers betrayal and what he tries to do to her. Despite her being a criminal in the beginning, you really end up feeling for her at the end. 

From the ending, it sounds like this book will have a sequel or companion to go with it. I'll definitely be looking forward to picking it up and reading more of this story!