A new scifi from a favorite author... Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder (Review & #Giveaway)

 

Welcome to my tour stop! Check out my review and the tour giveaway below...

Navigating the Stars
(Sentinels of the Galaxy #1)
By Maria V. Snyder
YA SciFi
Paperback & ebook, 464 Pages
December 1st 2018

Summary

Navigating the Stars is the first book in a new science fiction series.

Terra Cotta Warriors have been discovered on other planets in the Milky Way Galaxy. And Lyra Daniels' parents are the archaeological Experts (yes with a capital E) on the Warriors and have dragged her to the various planets to study them despite the time dilation causing havoc with her social life.

When one of the many Warrior planets goes silent, and looters attack her research base, Lyra becomes involved in discovering why the Warriors were placed on these planets. And, more importantly, by who.

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My Review

NAVIGATING THE STARS is an exciting beginning to this new SciFi series from this bestselling author! The characters are fully drawn and easy to relate to, while the story is compelling from beginning to end. Full of intrigue, danger, family, and romance makes for a perfect story for SciFi YA readers!

I've been a fan of this author since I read POISON STUDY years ago and was excited to see a new release from her. This story did not disappoint. I found the characters interesting. They have their strengths and flaws, making them easy to cheer on and to relate to. I especially loved Lyra's voice and how she felt genuine. I also loved the relationship between her and her parents, and it was enjoyable seeing how her relationship with Niall changes and grows. I also liked seeing how this world was set up, between the different research sites on-planet to the spaceship environment. I found the scifi elements to be really interesting and they also logically worked for me as well. I liked the element of danger and suspense in regards to an alien race and to some other aspects of this story. The ending also had some nice twists, which I also appreciated.

I did have a few things that I would have liked developed more or changed. The romance was a little strong for me (I would have been okay with less detail). I also wanted more backstory or explanation for the looters and for the aliens. Both those plot-lines were very vague. Hopefully there will be more explanation in the following books.

In the end, was it what I wished for? I was pulled into this story from the beginning and loved these characters. An overall suspenseful and romantic SciFi YA that I'd recommend to fans of the author and this genre in general.

Content: Some swearing (a handful of s-words and one f-word), some heavy and detailed making out, some violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from Rockstar Book Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

About the Author

Maria V. Snyder changed from being a meteorologist to a novelist in 1995, when she began writing to keep her sanity while raising two children. Since then, she has published numerous freelance articles in magazines and newspapers, and teaches fiction-writing classes at the local college and area libraries. The classes give her the wonderful opportunity to encourage fellow writers, and to keep improving her craft.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria always had a fascination with big storms. Dreaming of chasing tornados, Maria earned a bachelors of science degree in meteorology at Penn State University. But she discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her skills. In order to chase tornados you had to predict where they might form. Creating fantasy worlds where she has complete control of the weather was more agreeable to her.

Maria's research on food-tasting methods with an expert chocolate taster, her husband, turned out to be a delicious bonus while writing Poison Study.

Maria has a brown belt in Isshinryu Karate, and enjoys playing volleyball and the cello. Traveling in general and via cruise ship in particular are her biggest distractions from writing. Maria has traveled to Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal.

Maria lives with her husband, son, daughter and yellow lab, Hazelnut, in Pennsylvania where she is at work on more LUNA novels. She is also pursuing a master's degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University.

Readers are welcome to contact Maria at the following email address: maria@mariavsnyder.com.


Tour Schedule

Week One:
12/3/2018- Moonlight RendezvousReview
12/4/2018- My Bookish EscapadesReview
12/5/2018- Debbie's World of BooksReview
12/6/2018- a GREAT readReview
12/7/2018- Two Chicks on BooksReview

Week Two:
12/10/2018- Lisa Loves LiteratureReview
12/11/2018- Wishful EndingsReview
12/12/2018- Good Choice ReadingInterview
12/13/2018- Dani Reviews ThingsReview
12/14/2018- Feed Your Fiction AddictionReview

Tour-Wide Giveaway

3 Winners will receive finished copies of NAVIGATING THE STARS, US Only.
2 Winners will receive finished copies of NAVIGATING THE STARS International.

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