Amid Stars and Darkness
Chani Lynn Feener
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: July 18th 2017
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Delaney’s entire world is thrown into chaos after she is mistaken for Lissa Olena, an alien princess hiding out on Earth in order to escape an arranged marriage.
Kidnapped by the princess’s head bodyguard, Ruckus, and imprisoned in an alien palace, Delaney is forced to impersonate the princess until Olena can be found. If she fails, it will lead to an alien war and the eventual enslavement of the entire human race.
No pressure or anything.
Factor in Trystan, the princess’s terrifying betrothed who is intent on unraveling all her secrets, and her own growing feelings for Ruckus, and Delaney is in way over her head.
Get lost Amid Stars and Darkness, in this YA sci-fi romance from debut author Chani Lynn Feener.
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I really enjoyed Amid Stars and Darkness. When Delaney is accidentally kidnapped and taken to an alien home planet, she's understandably confused, frightened, and wondering how she's going to get back home. When she finds out she has to pretend to be the alien princess, well, she doesn't take that too well. But that's not all (of course) the princess is supposed to get married soon to seal an alliance for peace, and Delaney needs to convince the world, the court, and "her" fiance that she's really Princess Olena or the whole alliance could fall apart. No pressure or anything.
The set up was great, most of the characters were great. I wanted to see more of the alien court, the kind and queen, the guards, the nobles (if they had them). I understood keeping Delaney isolated to make her impersonation easier, but it left the alien world feeling a little flat. I also couldn't keep the various factions and alien terms straight - and they played an important part at times. There were not many, but the important ones were introduced all at once so they kept getting switched around in my head.
Ruckus, the princess's bodyguard, and leading male character was amazing. A bit of the strong silent type, he played off Delaney's talkative and bold characteristics very well. Their romance was a bit underplayed though. I wanted to see more bonding in some way.
A great story, it's perfect for people who like a little bit of light sci-fi in their stories, but there's just enough for more hardcore sci-fi fans to get into as well.
Author Bio:
Chani Lynn Feener has wanted to be a writer since the age of ten during fifth grade story time. She majored in Creative Writing at Johnson State College in Vermont, and graduated in 2012. To pay her bills, she has worked many odd jobs, including, but not limited to, telemarketing, order picking in a warehouse, and filling ink cartridges. When she isn’t writing, she’s binging TV shows, drawing, or frequenting zoos/aquariums. Chani is the author of Amid Stars and Darkness and the teen paranormal series the Underworld Saga, originally written under the penname Tempest C. Avery. She currently resides in Connecticut, but lives on Goodreads.com.
Great review! This sounds like a fun, entertaining read! Glad you liked it! :)
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