Thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours for letting me be apart of this tour and the publisher for the eARC!
You can find the tour schedule with all the other participants here!
Summary
An epic sci-fi graphic novel romance between two non-binary characters as they find one another through time, distance, and war. An amazing story that explores the complexity of human nature and what brings us together.
When they were kids, Fassen’s fighter spaceship crash-landed on a planet that Lu’s survey force was exploring. It was a forbidden meeting between a kid from a war-focused resistance movement and a kid whose community and planet are dedicated to peace and secrecy.
Lu and Fassen are from different worlds and separate solar systems. But their friendship keeps them in each other’s orbit as they grow up. They stay in contact in secret as their communities are increasingly threatened by the omnipresent, ever-expanding empire.
As the empire begins a new attack against Fassen’s people–and discovers Lu’s in the process–the two of them have the chance to reunite at last. They finally are able to be together…but at what cost?
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an epic science fiction romance between two non-binary characters as they find one another through time, distance, and war.
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction, Graphic Novel
Publishing Date: February 8, 2022
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My Review
Let’s start the review like this, this isn’t a romance. I have to assume something happened in the marketing department because the graphic novel is very explicit that these two are just friends and very happy only being friends.
With that out of the way, I really liked this book! It’s a harder type of sci-fi than I’m used to in a graphic novel format, which I appreciated! This isn’t the kind of book you can just flip though the gorgeous art work (although the art is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong). You do have to pay attention to explanations of technology in this universe to see how everything ties up together by the end, but it’s definitely worth it. It’s also easy to understand, so don’t get intimidated.
My one main criticism is it was sometimes hard to tell how much time has passed and in what context. Like, a panel would change and I wasn’t really
This graphic novel does an excellent job at easily integrating a wide variety of body types and gender expressions. Fassen and Lu are both enby but their gender presentation is very different, there are other trans and gender non-conforming characters, queer relationships, etc.
I love how you can see how the character’s upbringing affections their outlook on life. Lu and Fassen have been talking for years, but grew up in very different situations and that makes itself very clear in their words and actions.
Speaking of, I love that this graphic novel really flips the “teenager in a soldier position in the Rebellion” trope on its head. It’s such a given in YA fiction, but this graphic novel really makes you sit with it and go “wait a minute.”
I rated this graphic novel 3.75 stars! It had gorgeous art and an interesting plot line! I’d definitely pick up more from this author!
About the Author
Blue Delliquanti (they/them) is a comic artist and writer based in Minneapolis, MN.
From 2012 to 2020 Blue drew and serialized the Prism Award-winning science fiction comic O Human Star at ohumanstar.com. Blue is also the co-creator of the graphic novel Meal (with Soleil Ho), published through Iron Circus Comics, and The ‘Stan (with David Axe and Kevin Knodell), published through Dead Reckoning. They teach comics courses at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Blue is represented by Jen Linnan of Linnan Literary Management LLC.
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