IGNITE THE STARS

A 17-year-old girl is the universe’s most wanted criminal in Milan’s exhilarating debut.

After surrendering herself to the imperialist Olympus Commonwealth that is responsible for her home planet’s destruction, golden-skinned, black-haired Ia Cocha is forced to join the Royal Star Force Academy on Aphelion. Upon arrival, the notorious expert pilot is feared by her peers and immediately plots her escape. Naturally blue-haired Brinn Tarver, a Commonwealth citizen who conceals her half-Tawny heritage out of fear, enrolls in the Academy and is devastated to discover that her roommate is Ia. Meanwhile, blond-haired and blue-eyed Flight Master Knives has lost faith in the Royal Star Force after his sister died on a mission and receives a remote control for a device implanted on Ia’s heart. All three protagonists’ alliances come under question as they begin to empathize with one another and dissect their political beliefs surrounding the treatment of refugee groups. Meanwhile, a slaving nation known as the Armada drives the plot forward as it takes over Ia’s turf in Dead Space. Ia is a kick-ass fighter and complex heroine whose hot-and-cold attitude is often aimed at introspective Brinn, who has the greatest potential for growth. Knives comes close to being just a convenient love interest, but a future installment may redeem him.

Fast-paced and gripping—a stellar opening to a new sci-fi adventure series focused on social justice.