I think the only thing keeping this from being a full five stars is the fact that it was nearly 600 pages and I'm not sure it needed to be that long. Although saying that, I enjoyed every second of the book.

I read this book in one day, and have zero regrets about it. I was completely sucked in from page one. I haven't read Les Miserables (aside from the first 150 mind-numbing pages. I really want to go back to it someday, but I think I'll listen to it on audio, and there is no chance I re-read the portion I already read.) but I do know the foundation of the story and have seen the movie adaptations, so I know the main cast of characters. I enjoyed picking out the nods to the source material. Les Miserables in space makes so much sense to me, I'm surprised it hasn't been done before (although, it probably has and I just don't know about it.) I thought the authors did a nice job staying true to the source material while creating a wholly unique and interesting world.

This first book is absolutely a foundational book. I don't say that as a criticism, just a statement of fact. We are introduced to the characters, the world(s), the social structure, and the political intrigue. I really enjoyed all of those aspects, but if you are someone who needs a lot of action in your YA sci-fi, I could see how this might not quite fit for you. I do think that subsequent books will be more plot-driven, as this book did begin to ramp up in the last third or so.

As I previously stated, I can see people being put off by the length of this book, but I would urge you if you're at all intrigued to pick it up and try a couple of chapters, because this book flies by.