Hi fellow booklovers! I have my review for IGNITE THE STARS BY MAURA MILAN and if you love sci-fi and wonderful character-driven story with all the FEELS, then you must add this series on your TBR. This book is absolutely precious and so awesome! I don’t know why it took me almost a year to get to this book (aside from being behind my Netgalley TBR list), but I’m so glad I finally picked it up. Even though the reason I did was because I’m part of a blog tour for the second book and I obviously had to read this first… But anyway, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book.

Published: September 4, 2018

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Genre(s): Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages

AMAZON – BARNES & NOBLE – GOOGLEPLAY – BOOK DEPOSITORY

Everyone in the universe knows his name. Everyone in the universe fears him. But no one realizes that notorious outlaw Ia Cōcha 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?

A Bold, Intoxicating, and Absolutely Dazzling Space Adventure 

What a gem!! Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan is a bold, intoxicating and absolutely dazzling sci-fi story that had me holding my breath the entire time. I enjoyed every thrilling moment and all the achingly wonderful feels in this book. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year and I’m really excited to have new heroes I adore with all my heart.

Ia Cōcha is a brilliant pilot, a rebel, an outlaw, and to some… a protector. With a long history of causing chaos, destruction and death, Ia is not only well-known, but also extremely feared by everyone across the universe. When the imperialist nation Ia wants to destroy, Olympus Commonwealth, finally captures her, everyone is surprised to see that one of the most wanted criminal is just a seventeen year old girl.

Trapped inside the Commonwealth’s military academy and forced to be one of them, Ia never expected to see things differently from what she’s known all her life. Ia also didn’t plan on having acquaintances, let alone friends while plotting her escape. She begins to care about Brinn, a fellow student who’s hiding a secret, Geoff and Aaron, her guards who she seems to like, and Knives, the flight master who holds more than her freedom. Will Ia have a change of heart after getting to know her new friends, or will she find a way to escape and continue to avenge those mistreated by the Commonwealth?

This addictive and breathtaking space adventure has stolen a piece of my heart and to say that I LOVE this book is an understatement. The setting is gorgeously illustrated with vivid and detailed descriptions. I think the world-building is creatively unique, stunning, and utterly fascinating. The writing is effortlessly compelling and engaging. With plenty of edge-of-your-seat action, achingly touching scenes, a few light and hilarious dialogues, some really sweet moments, and shocking twist and turns, there’s never a dull moment in this book. I do have to say – I didn’t really expect to have such a strong emotional connection with the story or the characters, but I do and I love it. The last few chapters are so intense and affecting that by the end, I definitely shed some tears. Brimming with all the feels I always crave in stories, this amazing story truly shines from start to finish and I’m so in love with all the excitement, the anticipation, the swoons, and everything else in between.

Milan creates such interesting, wonderful and perfectly flawed characters with very real and relatable insecurities, fears, dreams, and personalities. Ia is reckless, stubborn and manipulative, but also smart, resourceful, brave, and selfless. Brinn is simply amazing and I will protect her at all costs. I’m quite smitten with Knives. He seems tough and all rough edges, but he definitely has a sweet side. I wholeheartedly adore these characters and really loved seeing them change, grow, and learn from each other.

A fantastic and enthralling debut novel from a talented and brilliant new voice, Ignite the Stars is such an emotionally stirring sci-fi story packed with plenty of thrills, surprises, twists, and all the feels I love. I enjoyed the writing, felt excited and engaged throughout the story, loved the characters, and swooned over the amazingly slow burn romance. This book kept me up long past my bedtime, had me tearing up a few times, and desperately left me wanting more. Maura Milan is an author to watch out for and I honestly cannot rave about this book enough.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Maura Milan currently resides in Los Angeles, where she can be found hanging out in cafes and drinking matcha lattes. In her free time, Maura enjoys watching Korean dramas and hanging out with her schipperke, Thor, who she believes should become a professional comedian. 

To this day, Gilbert Blythe is her ultimate boy crush.

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What are some of your favorite sci-fi book/series? Have you read this book? What did you think?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading thsi review and get the chance to meet Ia, Brinn and Knives.

Stay tuned for my review of ECLIPSE THE SKIES which will be posted in a few hours. 

Have a lovely day everyone!!