Review: Where Starlight Burns by Alicia Haberski

Where Starlight Burns (Nova Moss Chronicles #1)
by Alicia Haberski

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Cozy Science Fiction Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: FF

Blurb:
Perfect for fans of f/f romance and feel-good sci-fi, this cozy space opera follows two women whose lives change after they cross paths in one of the galaxy’s most notorious places.

After living only on planets, including the desolate war-torn world of her youth, Dr. Cori Nova is eager to begin a new life and career in space. Victory Station doesn’t have the best reputation, but she couldn’t be more excited to be there. On her first shift at the clinic, she meets Aster, a well-traveled woman with fascinating tattoos . . . who quickly turns out to be Cori’s most frequently injured patient.

Spaceborn and adventurous, Aster Moss has been station-hopping for years, until she got stuck with a colossal load of debt. She’s working it off by engaging in one of the most dangerous (and taboo) occupations in the galaxy, so she needs to be patched up pretty often. Stuck on dull, grimy Victory, Aster’s appointments with Dr. Nova become the single bright spot in her life. But the friendly doctor has a much more complicated past than Aster realizes, and in each other, they’ll discover a powerful connection like neither has ever known—and a love worth fighting for.

From debut author Alicia Haberski, Where Starlight Burns offers an indulgent, unforgettable sci-fi adventure with a tender heart. The first installment in the Nova Moss Chronicles, this new series is sure to delight fans of Chronicles of Alsea, the Wayfarers series, and the Murderbot Diaries.

My Review

I received a free copy from the author through Netgalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This book caught my eye when I saw it on Netgalley and the blurb convinced me to give it a chance. I decided to read it when I was in the mood for a scifi romance book and dove right in. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book and it took me some time to get into it, but luckily after a while I grew more familiar with the writing and book. I ended up really enjoying this book and was sad to see it end and I am excited for more books in this series.

Where Starlight Burns is a f/f science fiction romance book set mostly on space stations. It has a very cozy daily life/ slice of life vibe, which I am not accustomed to seeing in this genre. It’s low on drama and angst and the couple gets together relatively early in the book and the rest of the book they are together and facing whatever life throws at them together. I enjoyed this book and reading about these two women and their lives.

The writing style took some getting used to and some scenes lacked a bit of impact, but I felt this got better once I had gotten used to the writing style. One of the reasons I struggled to get into this book at first is that this book doesn’t follow a lot of those expectations and tropes that are typical for this genre and books in general. And that’s also one of the things that made me grow so fond of this book. It felt fresh and unique. And in a very cozy and comfortable way. I liked how this book had that slice of life vibe and it’s set aboard a space station and there are all these unique alien creatures as well.

I really enjoyed following Cori and Aster and seeing how they dealt with things. I liked both characters and seeing how they dealt with things. Cori was so accepting of Aster and her job, which surprised me as I had expected that to be a major conflict point. Instead the whole book didn’t have any romance drama, angst or conflict at all. And it was very comfortable to read about a couple being together and facing things together instead of conflict between them. I thought both were interesting characters that both had to face and still have to face some tough situations. I felt bad for Aster and what she had to do to get money, but I thought it was interesting how matter-of-fact her attitude seemed and she knew this is what she had to do and she handled it as well as she could. And Cori was supportive and accepting of Aster and the decision she made to do this work. Cori has some interesting backstory too that comes to light later in the book. I was happy for these two that they found each other. The last chapter was a great ending and ends things in a good place.

To summarize: While it took me some time to get into this book once I had gotten used to the writing style and the vibe of this book I ended up really enjoying this book. It’s unique and fresh in a way I don’t see often and I loved that about this book. The book doesn’t follow a lot of tropes and typical story plot scenarios. Instead it’s a very cozy slice of life style story about two women who meet, fall in love and then face daily life together. The romance has no drama, angst or conflict and I really liked how straightforward it was. I enjoyed reading about Cori and Aster. They were both interesting characters and I liked how accepting Cori was of Aster and her work. Seeing them together and how much they care about the other was great to see and I enjoyed reading about their lives and was curious to see what was next for them. The setting is mostly aboard space stations and I really liked this and how the author brought the various space stations to life with all their own vibe. All in all I had a great time reading this book and I look forward to more of this author’s books in the future!

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.