Amid Stars and Darkness

June 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-In the future, aliens from the planet Xenith have made contact with Earth and live among us. Mistaken for an alien princess, Delaney Grace is kidnapped by Ruckus, an alien soldier. Through alien technology, Delaney's appearance has been altered so that she looks exactly like Lissa Olena, a princess of the Vakar people. In an effort to escape an arranged marriage, selfish Lissa hides on Earth while Delaney assumes her identity to prevent war between the two factions on Xenith: the Vakar and the Kint. During her time on Xenith, Delaney must undertake royal duties; fool Olena's fiance, Trystan, into believing she is Olena; deal with her growing feelings for her guard Ruckus; and survive multiple assassination attempts. Feener's world-building is excellent, and readers will feel engulfed in the culture, politics, and technology. The romance between Delaney and Ruckus develops slowly and satisfyingly. Delaney's insecurities about Ruckus not being able to see her true face are believable and add vulnerability to her character. There is plenty of action to keep teens engaged and wanting more. Sexual content makes this book suitable for more mature readers. A cliff-hanger ending will leave readers anxious for a sequel. VERDICT Give to fans of Melissa Landers's Alienated and Ally Condie's Matched. Purchase where sci-fi is popular.-Ashley Leffel, Griffin Middle School, Frisco, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 It's been three years since aliens came out, revealing themselves as frequent visitors to our planet. People on Earth have made great strides to accept them; there are even human-alien dating apps and mixers for those who want to take a walk on the extraterrestrial side. Delaney, who accompanies her space-obsessed friend Mariana to a club for just such an event, doesn't see the appeal in these visitorsespecially when they kidnap her. Delaney is apparently a dead ringer for alien princess Lissa Olena, betrothed to a violent prince, and while her alien doppelganger hides out on Earth, Delaney is stuck on a ship and guarded by a muscle-bound soldier called Ruckus. In order to survive, Delaney must fool the prince and the entire alien delegation into believing she's the princess, all while falling for her guard. This is a romance wrapped up in the trappings of science fiction, and it relies on familiar tropes. There's nothing really new here, but this debut still makes for fun, fluffy reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2018
Human teen Delany looks exactly like alien princess Lissa Olena, who's set to return to planet Xenith and marry another alien royal to form an alliance. But Lissa has gone MIA, so Delaney is taken in her place. A literary whirlwind of war, politics, and much romance ensues in a well-executed sci-fi plot with intriguing drama that should keep genre fans turning the pages.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)