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.