Tesh’s debut novel grabs you by the throat from the start and doesn’t let go until the very end. Our main character, Kyr, is no hero – she’s certainly the villain. She’s a bully and military-minded super-soldier who has been bred to serve Gaea Station and avenge the destruction of Earth. She’s had her heart set on being assigned to Strike to wreak havoc on the aliens who ravaged Earth and its inhabitants. That is, until she’s assigned to another division entirely – one that will force her to bear children and continue her bloodline on Gaea Station. Hearing that her brother, Magnus, was assigned to Strike instead, she takes matters into her own hands and embarks on a journey she never could’ve foreseen. Abandoning Gaea Station, she travels the stars with the help of Magnus’ friend, encounters one of the Majoda (alien species), and uncovers harsh truths about the world that has shaped her entire way of life.

Tesh tackles a lot of difficult topics: homophobia, xenophobia, colonization, sexual assault, abuse, racism, suicide….the list goes on further (check out StoryGraph for a detailed list of CWs). For the most part, she does this with tact. There are a few instances where the expression of these topics/themes felt cursory, and I wish that Tesh had taken the time to dig in a little deeper instead of ~seemingly~ using these topics to guide Kyr’s character arc (there is a hair-touching scene right at the end of the book that simply did not need to be there at all). This was also marketed as a sapphic book, but for those readers who expect an on-page romance to blossom: I’m here to let you know that any potential romance is not a main focus of the storyline. (Not even for some sapphic pining! There is none! You’ve been warned!)

Besides these couple of complaints, this book is a really thrilling ride! The characters jump off the page (kudos to Sena Bryer who narrated the audiobook!) which makes you love them, hate them, and want to hold them tight when something bad happens to them. All in all, I’d recommend this book to my sci-fi ride-or-die gworlies. The otherworldliness of space exploration and lifelike worlds that Tesh has created are stunning!