Navigating The Stars Paperback – 19 Nov 2018

A quarter of the way into this book our heroine asks seventeen year old Niall "Have you ever lived planetside?" and the boy answers, "No. I was born on a ship and will die on one."
So follow my train of logic and you'll see why I'm baffled. In this universe space travel has a time dilation effect which means that a space ship travels for three months but arrives forty-five years after it departs. As a consequence our heroine when we first meet her is both seventeen (physical age) and one hundred and thirty+ (elapsed years since she was born.) Okay. I can deal with that. It's an interesting twist and Snyder does some interesting things with it. But at the outset of the book, space travel has been around for about four hundred years. So if you assume a space ship is active a moderate 50% of each year with maybe ninety years elapsing for each year (2 x 3month voyages as per the journey in the book) then for Niall to have been born and lived seventeen years on a ship - and never lived planetside - he would need to have been born 17 times ninety years in the past - that's about 1500 years plus change. Around the time of William the Conqueror!
And then there's the economics of running a space fleet which gives you a couple of good commutes per ship per century!
And when our heroine is injured and subsequently has to catch-up with her school work there's no reference to the impact of a forty-five year jump in curriculum content. And the character who left home at 18 to go to Earth and will arrive 95 years later... Is that the equivalent of someone who graduated high-school in 1923 rocking up to attend 2018 university?
And while I'm nit-picking, where does the food and water come from? Forty-five years from re-supply you'd think it would be an issue.
This book drove me crazy for the better part of a day. I don't mind suspending belief but it's hard to suspend basic arithmetic.
On the other hand I finished it because the story is well-paced and I liked the characters and I love the idea of a galaxy being guarded by terracotta warriors.

Where to start?

I should probably tell you I've been a huge fan of the author since I've read and LOVED The Healer trilogy. So when the news came out about her new sci-fi series? Saying I was ecstatic is an understatement.

Navigating the Stars is a perfect blend of action, mystery, romance and humor. I admit the beginning was a tad confusing for me. Terracotta Warriors say what now? I had no idea what the heck they were talking about. I mean clay people?! And reading further just proved how much I don't understand. Lol. Kidding. Sort of. No but in all honesty, I really appreciate how the book isn't too heavy on the science. If that makes sense? I mean there was the... science stuff but there were so many more elements that made up the story and I just love how balanced everything was. The history behind the Warriors is one I hope would be explored more in the coming books. And what is up with those shadow thingies?

If I'm not making sense right now it'll probably be true for the rest of this review. I'm horrible at reviewing books I love. But I should tell you just how much I adore Lyra. I love her sass, her sense of loyalty and mindful recklessness. She reminds me of Cat (This Mortal Coil). They have the same tenacity and the natural penchant to get in trouble because of their drive to help and do good. They're also both badass hackers. (Assuming I'm right that worming is not unlike hacking. Otherwise, I'm a really terrible reader.)

I think one of the things readers would very much appreciate is Lyra's relationship with her parents. It was far from perfect. They fight, they argue, they grate on each other's nerves. But always ready to put the other's welfare first. Not so different from real life.

This may sound weird and morbid? But this was the very first note I made for my review and I can't not say it. I really like the idea of the "funerals". It's sad but in a there-are-people-who-would-miss-me-when-I'm-gone way. Knowing you've been appreciated and there are people who genuinely cares for you is a great feeling to have.

Romance lovers like me rejoice! The chemistry between Lyra and Niall felt authentic and believable. The banter was swoony. There were a few super cheesy, cringeworthy lines but not enough to stop my OTP-ing of Lyra and Niall. I also may have pretended those lines didn't exist. To each her own I guess.

Overall, I love the writing. Love the humor. Love the romance. Love the science. Love the twists. Love the worldbuilding.

Looking forward to book 2! It feels like we barely even scratched the surface of what's really going on. The shadows blobs, the Warriors, the looters, DES, everything. It's one huge mystery and I'd love to find out what it is. Can't wait to see where the author takes us next! Must-read!