Review copy provided by the publisher.
It sure is a good thing that galaxies stay saved once you save them, right? Right?
Uh-oh.
The characters from Victories Greater Than Death are back, and they’re pursuing the heck out of their dreams…mostly. Those of them who can. Those of them who are not recovering from the total ass-whupping it was to save the galaxy. Because it turns out that saving the galaxy takes a whole heck of a lot out of you, and sometimes you do not bounce back in exactly the same shape as you were before. Sometimes you are literally larger and more purple. Sometimes figuratively…well. There’s a lot to come back from, is what I’m saying. And that’s before you learn that the villain you vanquished has not been as thoroughly caged and the ground (space?) around him as thoroughly salted as you might have hoped.
Yikes.
So yeah, this is a middle book with the volume turned up to eleven. This is so very middle book of a trilogy. I love middle books. The stakes are set, the complications set in, the characters’ decisions ramify and come back to bite them. In this case, Tina’s story is allowed to spread to give Rachael, Elza, and the others more focal time and perspective, and I am entirely here for it.
And there is a lot of room for more alien species, more cultural stuff–alien video games! alien snacks! alien pop culture jokes!–and generally room to move around in the universe Anders has built and see how it fits. And how it falls apart under pressure, and who it fails. What dreams it offers. What heartbreak. The emotions are all turned up to eleven here, and that’s what YA is best at. That’s one of my favorite things to read YA for. I could immediately think of at least three teens and two adults who would be enthralled with this series. I can’t wait for the stunning conclusion.