A sci-fi told in the vein of a fantasy novel, Kartega throws us onto Sid's ship right as it's breaking down, again, and she's trying to fix it. Sid has been on a space ship alone for as long as she can remember, her only interaction with another person being the father figure she calls Colton. I instantly loved Sid and her attempts to make plants and technology her family on her ship. The first chapters on the ship reminded me strongly of Kristoff and Kaufman, who are well known for their strong, quirky characters that make friends and enemies of technology.

When Sid lands on Neostar the story does take a moment to find it's feet, much like Sid does. As a result Sid can come across as too juvenile for a Young Adult book, but it quickly got going and found it's rhythm, giving us an action packed story that barely pauses for breath, while still masterfully describing the various settlements and people that live on Kartega.

I was worried, at the start, that this would devolve into an insta-love romance but the author really flipped the script on me and gave me no full on romantic moments whatsoever, this book focuses solely on Sid finding her people, discovering her magic, taking down the ruling class and bonding with her friends who become a misfit family of sorts. It was an amazing start and I can't wait for the next book.