Light Years
Kass Morgan
Genre: Sci-fi, Young Adult
Rating: 
Reeling from the latest attack by a mysterious enemy, the Quatra Fleet Academy is finally admitting students from every planet in the solar system after centuries of exclusivity.
Hotshot pilot Vesper, an ambitious Tridian citizen, dreams of becoming a captain – but when she loses her spot to a brilliant, wisecracking boy from the wrong side of the asteroid belt, it makes her question everything she thought she knew. Growing up on the toxic planet Deva, Cormak will take any chance he can get to escape his dead-end life and join the Academy – even if he has to steal someone’s identity to do it. Arran was always considered an outsider on icy Chetire, always dreaming of something more than a life working in the mines. Now an incoming cadet, Arran is looking for a place to belong – he just never thought that place would be in the arms of a Tridian boy. And Orelia is hiding a dark secret – she’s infiltrated the Academy to complete a mission, one that threatens the security of everyone there. But if anyone finds out who she really is, it’ll be her life on the line.
These cadets will have to put their differences aside and become a team to defend their world from a cunning enemy – but the danger might be lurking closer to home than they think… – Goodreads.com
The lead up to Light Years was hyped; I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this books. But when it came out I just… didn’t.
And then I forgot about it.
Thankfully, I came across it during my trip to the library just before the COVID-19 social distancing.
What I loved about Light Years
That said, Light Years lives up to the hype! I love military sci-fi (I mean, Stargate and Babylon 5 are two of my favourite TV shows).
Kass Morgan tells such a smooth story, you can’t help but glide through it. I meant to read for only 15 minutes when I first opened it but ended up reading almost half the book in one go. Whoops. And then I read the second half in one sitting the next day. Not sorry.
The world building is nicely set up. The federation of planets is well thought out and we got the right amount of information needed to move through the story with ease. Info dumps were non-existant (yay!). All the information presented happens naturally and not once did I feel overloaded with pointless info.
Characters can make or break a book. Often when I read books that switch between characters there’s always one irritating character who I just hate. Reading their chapters always ends up being a chore. Not here! Each character is set up from the start with their own set of goals and distinct personalities that complement each other.
What I didn’t like about Light Years
I didn’t like how it just sort of… ends. It was kind of a cliffhanger, but not really. It felt a bit too abrupt and unnatural, which made it feel incomplete. I think I would have preferred it to be one long book rather than split up into two books. But I can see how that can be off-putting to some people (and fewer book sales for both the publisher and author, but I digress). So yeah, not what I would have liked, but I get it.
I am definitely going to read the next book, and hopefully soon! Fingers crossed my library orders a copy.
Book Links: Amazon | Book Depository
