Review: Starlight and Space Between by Alicia Haberski

Starlight and Space Between (Nova Moss Chronicles #2)
by Alicia Haberski

My Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Scifi Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: f/f

Blurb:
A dark, frozen world. An old secret. A misbehaving meteorite. Life among the stars can change in an instant.

In the second installment of this cozy f/f space opera, Cori and Aster find themselves at a crossroads unlike anything they’ve faced before.

Five years after the events of Where Starlight Burns, doctor Cori Nova and botanist Aster Moss are enjoying married life on the beautiful Centauride Station. Cori has an exciting venture on the horizon—she’s one of two physicians accompanying a team of scientific researchers on a new mission to the ice planet Nephele, which the station orbits.

It’s an expedition that will make history . . . in more ways than one.

Two decades ago, Cori was rescued from a dying Earth as a former Terran military conscript. One of many biomechanically enhanced refugees, she prefers not to discuss her origins much. But now, through a dizzying chain of events, her past comes back to haunt her in a way she never expected. Thrust into an uncomfortable spotlight, Aster helps her wife chart a path forward, grappling with the knowledge that their lives may never be the same.

From author Alicia Haberski, Starlight and Space Between is the second book in the Nova Moss Chronicles and offers a cozy yet gripping read, perfect for fans of sci-fi romance.

My Review

I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I really enjoyed book 1 and was so excited to get book 2 for review as well. I am going through a stressful time and was in the mood for a cozy read when I picked this up. Unfortunately this book didn’t feel as cozy as the first book and due to that being what I was in the mood for I struggled a bit with this one. It took a while to get used to the difference in tone, but I did end up enjoying the book more later on and the ending was great.

Where book 1 has this quirky cozy vibe this book felt a lot more serious and epic in tone. I liked how the focus stays on Cori and Aster and their relationship, but this time they have to deal with being apart a lot as Cori goes on an expedition to the ice planet Nephele. I was a bit sad to see them spend less time together, but it was interesting seeing how the distance made them realize even more how much they cared for the other. They have to deal that as well as some big events happening that change their lives.

This book didn’t quite have the tone I had expected and I felt the tone was a bit too epic with this big mission and all the media attention and how suddenly Cori and Aster become well known on Centauride and then all the events that happen after the mission were so sad. I struggled a bit with that part and had to set the book aside for a bit. When I came back I finished it and I enjoyed how the book ended and everything got wrapped up. There was a part toward the end that hit me hard emotionally with what I am currently going through with moving, but it was also interesting to see how the character dealt with it and I do think it helped me reading about the characters dealing with that situation.

I really like reading about both Cori and Aster, they make for such a great couple and I like seeing them work through their emotions and what’s happening to them. And how they grow even closer and come out of this all closer than before. I really like seeing how they deal with everything and while not everything goes smoothly and there is some conflict I liked seeing how it all got resolved.

To summarize: This book was quite different in tone compared to the first book which I struggled with. I was reading this during a stressful time, so that made it more difficult to adjust to the different vibe. This book felt a bit more epic in scope and the couple gets in the spotlight with what they’re going through in this book. I liked the ending and the way things got resolved toward the end. I really liked reading about Cori and Aster and seeing them grow even closer and get out of this whole ordeal even closer than before. They are both great characters and I liked seeing how they handle everything. I hope the author decides to write more books in this world!

Links:
– Goodreads
– Amazon

You can also read my review on Goodreads.