The Deep Sky is a science fiction thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat with so many theories running through your head only to find out they can all be as right as they are wrong.

Asuka was born in a future America where wild fires have left Californians as refugees and extremest have become mainstream. Hum maybe it isn’t that futuristic after all. Everything seemed not only possible but also likely. Including the plan to send out a deep space ship to colonize a new planet.

Only eighty will go, and at the age of twelve Asuka submits her application to be one of the few. Only now they are living in Japan and she is chosen to represent a country she barely knows.

The Deep Sky takes place both on the ship and in the past. Asuka’s narration is plagued with self doubt and imposter syndrome and it is by looking to the past that we truly get a sense of who she is as a narrator and a character.

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of do much non-binary/trans rep s as well as queer rep and it was normalized. Although that may have just been the space that these kids were allowed to grow up in. Progressive and toxic at the same time.

There are a few items that were not as great. I do not understand why there was a plan to give birth to babies half way through the trip. A reason was given but it fell flat to me. I assume it was to make the characters all be individuals with uteruses. And it made for interesting pregnancy rep in space. You don’t get that a lot. But then again is it really a great idea for eighty people to be pregnant at the same time? Once the babies are born there would be no one left to ruin anything.

Also, the reasoning behind the ending was a bit of a let down. I especially feel this way the more I have sat with it. The actual ending was as expected and played out well. But the reason for the whole mess could have been given a bit more thought or depth IMO.

But mostly I just enjoyed it. The writing was great and the characters were well developed.

The Deep Sky is a fast-paced, engaging locked room mystery set on humanity's last hope for survival—a spaceship carrying a crew that will start the next generation of humans on a new planet. When an explosion sets them off course and kills three crew members the entire ship is thrown into chaos. They have to figure out who did it, why they did it, and how they are going to get back on course because there is no backup plan. The story alternates between past and present timelines in order to give context for the mission and the characters.

Woven throughout this thriller is a stunning exploration of identity and belonging. Our main character Asuka never really feels like she fits in both as an alternate and as a Japanese American selected to represent Japan in the competition for spots on the ship. Her story was incredibly powerful and compelling. I love how her struggle was reflected in both the past and present timelines.

I really love how The Deep Sky approaches the apocalyptic SciFi story. It was incredibly realistic with many issues that reflect contemporary problems and conflicts. The world is ending and the Phoenix is portrayed as humanity's savior. They are going to start humanity over on a new planet. This setup is not a novel concept, however, The Deep Sky takes a very interesting approach by showing the flaws and cracks in that plan. As the story progresses you really begin to question the Phoenix project and the motivations of the people in charge of the project. I really appreciate the nuanced take The Deep Sky has on a very interesting SciFi concept that we have seen in other places.

It was a very fast and engaging read and I would highly recommend The Deep Sky to mystery/thriller readers who are looking for something different or to SciFi readers who are looking for a simpler SciFi story. As an avid reader of weird SciFi, I kept expecting the story to take a turn towards the weird and unhinged explanations. However, The Deep Sky is very much a thriller set in space. I also wished that the author had explored a few of the interesting SciFi concepts and technologies in a bit more depth.

Asuka is a last minute addition to a space ship bound for a new planet. Years into the trip a bomb on the ship kills three of the 80 person crew, a huge loss to the team. Asuka is an alternate, which means she has access to all areas of the ship and can investigate unnoticed.

While there is still communication and influence from Earth, this is a classic closed room mystery ala Agatha Christie. The crew members have been training together since they were children in a program started by a billionaire and subsidies by various world governments. Asuka was one of the last cut from the mission, but is asked back a few months before launch. She does not feel like she belongs on the mission and is insecure about her place on the ship. As a jack of all trades master of none, many crew members do not disabuse her of this notion.

In addition to the mystery the relationships between the crew are explored. The story alternates between a teenaged Asuka at the training school and current day on the ship. She has a very complicated relationship with her mother, who does not want her daughter to leave.

The writing, plot and character development are really excellent. I connected with the characters right away. It's one of my favorite SciFi books in years.

An incredibly thrilling debut novel! Full of twists and turns, sabotage, volatile/ radical political systems, and a very real look at climate change and the ways we are destroying ourselves as people and our planet as a whole. With an extremely strong female lead, and cast of characters, a dual timeline and a scoop of mom issues on the side, it adds up to a gripping page turner and I am glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for the advanced copy, I was happy to review, and my opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

Overall, I enjoyed this book! I loved to see Asuka’s character development from start to finish, and even from the flashbacks to the current time chapters. The environment and tension between characters seemed to be really well written; it was easy to imagine that they were hurdling through space getting further and further from Earth everyday. There were a few small things that I didn’t like as much: the strange emphasis on pregnancy that didn’t seem to further the plot too much, some slow parts, and the ending that just seemed a tad bit rushed to me. I feel like the ending left me wanting a few more things answered, but I overall enjoyed this sci-fi read!

A book cannot often deftly intertwine themes of space exploration, climate crisis, cultural identity, and human nature with such finesse. Yume Kitasei’s debut, The Deep Sky, accomplishes just this, proving that even the vast expanse of the cosmos isn't immune to the intriguing complexities of human emotion.

In The Deep Sky, Kitasei takes us aboard The Phoenix, a ship hurtling through the great unknown to save the remnants of humanity from Earth's environmental collapse. The tension starts to simmer immediately, and as it continues, it steadily intensifies to a fever pitch that grips you until the very end. Indeed, the relentless pacing of this novel is comparable to a cosmic thriller, leaving you, at times, quite literally breathless.

The most remarkable aspect of The Deep Sky is its diverse cast of characters, especially the protagonist, Asuka. Asuka, a half-Japanese girl raised in America, is a last-minute addition to the mission and brings a rich layer of character depth to the table. Her struggles with imposter syndrome, disconnected cultural identity, and gnawing fear of being perceived as a suspect make Asuka an unusually compelling figure. Through her eyes, we witness the chaotic beauty of space and the unraveling of human bonds under duress.

The characters' background, upbringing, and how these factors play into their reactions and decisions on the ship add an additional layer of intrigue to the story. The backstory is not just there to fill pages but serves as an essential part of the narrative, revealing the subtle and overt ways that our pasts shape our present actions, particularly in situations of high stress.

However, The Deep Sky is not just about the suspense and the thrill of a deadly mission. The soul of this book lies in its exploration of the human spirit - the will to survive, the need to trust, and the courage to seek the truth, even when the cost might be one's own life. These aspects make the book stand out from the genre and affirm Yume Kitasei’s prowess as a storyteller.

In conclusion, The Deep Sky is an edge-of-your-seat thriller with a perfectly calibrated mix of suspense, interpersonal drama, and deep dives into the human psyche. It is a captivating examination of what it means to be human, even when humanity is millions of miles away. This book is a must-read for all sci-fi enthusiasts, who will surely appreciate its nuanced narrative and the refreshing perspective it brings to the genre. It is certainly an impressive debut, and Yume Kitasei is an author to watch out for.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for providing an e-Arc of The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei for my review.

The Deep Sky has all the gripping tension of a great mystery with the captivating world building of an imaginative sci-fi. This book kept me up well past my bed time on a work night and I regret absolutely nothing.

Our main character Asuka is one of 80 crew members aboard The Phoenix, a spaceship bound for another planet. As the ship's only "alternate," a sort of jack of all trades, master of none role, Asuka often feels like a bit of an imposter. Furthermore, she was chosen as a delegate for Japan, a country she feels she has little claim to after living in America for most of her life.

The catalyst of this story is an explosion. Asuka, as the only living witness to the event, is tasked with figuring out what happened. Not only is there potentially a traitor on board, but their ship has been knocked off course and they only have a small window of time to correct before the crew is doomed to forever float through space until life support fails.

This novel, while bleak at times, has such a hopeful streak running through it. I was cheering Asuka on SO hard as she was sleuthing through the ship in the present-day scenes and fighting for her spot on the crew during the flashbacks. Her feelings of inadequacy are painfully relatable, but she proves to be incredibly capable time and time again. She was a great protagonist and I really enjoyed joining her for the ride through this story.

I also love how approachable the sci-fi elements of this book were. I'm still pretty new to the genre, and a lot of the time it feels like I have to strain my brain to comprehend the jargon. Give me convoluted magic systems any day and I'm fine, but when the sciencey stuff breaks out, I start sweating. The Deep Sky felt like such an elegant extension of technology that I'm already familiar with, though. For example, a large component of this book deals with an augmented reality system that is tailored uniquely to each crew member. This could have become confusing quickly, but Kitasei's handling of the prose was masterfully clear and cinematic. It was really interesting to get a glimpse into this world and experience how realistic this speculated future felt.

This is a super strong debut and I can't wait to see what Yume Kitasei does next!

“The Deep Sky” is a debut novel by Yuma Kitasei. And if there is one thing I love in this World is debut novels! And after reading about ten novels in a row about serial killers and cheating spouses in “That Unputdownable book with a twist you won’t believe” books I was REALLY looking forward to a good old fashioned ScyFi book.

The synopsis of this book is fantastic. We have a female MC named Asuka who is one of 80 females are on a long range ship to another planet looking to save humankind. Mainly by having children….. But along the way, while Asuka was on a space walk a bomb goes off killing three of them. That sets this book in motion as Asuka is tasked with finding out who was responsible for the attack on their ship.

What follows is a great ScyFi thriller/horror/drama book. It flashes back to Earth when Asuka is in a competition to be one of the 80 to be chosen on this mission to the present day. A great cast of flawed characters joins Asuka on her journey.

It’s not a perfect book……. There are some slow parts but on the whole this is a solid ScyFi book which I highly recommend.

I really appreciate Flatiron books for giving me the opportunity to review this book for free for a honest review and it has a publication date of July 18, 2023.

"The Deep Sky"—the debut novel by Yumi Kitasei—in which, a crew of female astronauts must solve a few mysteries abroad their spaceship lightyears away from Earth. EvenStar has one shot for the mission to Planet X to be successful. After an explosion, the protagonist and the rest of the survivors have one shot to get the spaceship back on course to Planet X.

"The Deep Sky" is an excellent space thriller which bends both contemporary issues that could (more like will) lead to a similar scenario happening in the near future with the “reality” of space travel. Yume Kitasei presents an essential story in her debut novel with strong characters, a topical conflict, and an essential narrative style which allows a full comprehension of the events of the past and the present from 2 different settings.

This science fiction thriller mainly takes place on a deep space flight, which is where the title comes from. The main character is Asuka, a young American-Japanese woman who has never felt settled in her identity. The Earth is in a state of environmental collapse, and the mission of the Phoenix is an attempt to ensure the survival of the human race by establishing a colony on a distant Earth-like planet.

The story opens with what appears to be a routine event: a spacewalk to examine an anomaly on the ship's hull. Suddenly there is an explosion, and everything about the mission changes in an instant. Several crew members die (including the ship's captain), and Asuka is almost lost, unable to get back into the airlock. In the aftermath the crew regroups, and Asuka is assigned to investigate the incident. Was it an accident, or sabotage?

As she goes about her detective work there are numerous flashback chapters. They explain how Asuka came to be on the flight, her relationships with her shipmates and her mother, and the environmental and social changes that led to the Phoenix's mission. The social commentary gives the story resonance with contemporary events and a dystopian vision of how the near future might go.

In the end the crew figures out what was happening in time to save themselves. Asuka even makes peace with her mother, although it is unclear whether her mother will ever receive her message. The conclusion is open-ended: not entirely satisfying, but leaving the possibility of a hopeful future for the ship and its mission. There could even be a sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy.

Asuka is one of the elite few chosen for a one-way deep space mission to colonize another planet. (Or, she’s sort of one of the elite few. She was an alternate, chosen because someone else dropped out, a fact that niggles at her constantly.) When there’s an explosion on board the ship, sabotage is suspected, and Asuka is tapped to investigate. With the mission past the point of no return, the ship knocked off course, and the suspicious crew turning on each other, Asuka must discover and stop the saboteur before they strike again.

I absolutely loved this book! The plot is fast-paced and entertaining with a story that packs an emotional punch, the worldbuilding involved in the technology is solid, the descriptions are vivid, and the characters are diverse and compelling. For repopulation reasons, the crew of the ship is entirely made up of people able to bear children, to be impregnated by donor sperm sent along for the journey. That means this book has almost no cisgender men in it – the ones who do appear are all in flashback. If that bothers you, don’t read it, simple as that. Personally, I think if they make this book into a movie (it would make a fantastic movie), the crew of the ship should be a cast entirely made up of women, trans men, and nonbinary actors. I don’t know about you, but I would watch the shit out of that movie.

An unreserved five stars for this one. Go read it!

Representation: POC characters (including main character), nonbinary and transgender characters, characters with disabilities

CW: miscarriage, fertility issues, terrorism, death of a child, racism, gore, strong language

The Deep Sky is an unusual novel, with no male characters and the kind of immersive setting that breathes life into a scifi story.

The plot borrows from the thriller/ mystery genre and the combination of scifi and thriller is seamless—the flashbacks into Asuka’s life adding wonderful layers. It all feels familiar yet foreign, the magic ingredient that makes a novel the darling of the masses and critics alike.

The ease and fluidity of the narrative never lets up—I read the entire novel in two sittings, and enjoyed every minute of my journey with Asuka. If you’d like a locked room mystery in space, with elements of dystopia and a truly diverse caste of characters, pick up Kitasei’s debut. You won’t regret it. If you’re like me, you’d be pressing copies of it into the hands of friends.

The Deep Sky is such a suspenseful, exciting mix of genres! I mean obviously, you have the sci-fi element of a colony ship in deep space, which is awesome. But you also have a lot of mystery and thriller elements, which makes it that much more entertaining. Frankly, I could not put the thing down.
So we catch up with the crew of the Phoenix, headed to a far-flung planet that should sustain life. They're supposed to have space babies, and kind of populate from there. Anyway, as we meet Asuka, the main character, she's about to go take a space walk to fix some space junk with a pal when... boom. Now, how is there an explosion in deep space? Well, there's your first mystery! The who, why, when, etc, they'll come too, but there are a lot of questions, and a lot of distrust, as you can imagine. Not only did the explosion kill Asuka's space buddy, but it also killed the ship's captain and another one of the crew.

In telling the story, we're privy to the current events as Asuka is living them, but we also take a look into her past and how she ended up on this space trip, and what that means to the story. Not only do we get a look at Asuka's personal story, but we get to see what brought society to the point where we catch up with it: dying, and sending colonies to set up shop elsewhere.

I loved every bit of this story, from the characters and their very complex relationships, to the worldbuilding, to the excitement and mystery of the plot. I don't want to give too much away because truly, you need to unravel these clues for yourself. And so many clues there are! In fact, I want to reread it so I can see for myself exactly all the breadcrumbs that the author left along the way. Also, I really really would love a sequel, if anyone wants to grant wishes?

Bottom Line: As soon as I finished this book, I added it to my wishlist, so that's really all you need to know.

We love to see biracial rep and in The Deep Sky it is done so beautifully. Kitasei examines the ways the world seeks to put people into a box. All the ways we can feel like an Imposter, the ways the world can make us feel that way. It's incredibly timely considering the questions of allegiance we hear about for the Olympics, and this is just on an even bigger scale. Reading The Deep Sky I loved the way this Science Fiction Thriller/Mystery was able to examine identity and friendship in this high paced setting.

I was initially drawn to this book by that stunning cover—it has to be one of the most gorgeous ones I've seen this year—and was then hooked by the summary. It seemed to promise elements of mystery, science fiction, cli-fi, and more. Although some of these elements were overshadowed by things I didn't expect (and didn't necessarily like), the book came together in the end in a very satisfying way.

Content Warnings:
- lots and lots of pregnancy
- suicide mention

Representation
- the MC is a Japanese American girl
- many of the secondary characters are diverse (a Black sapphic woman, an Israeli sapphic woman, a Chinese woman, and others)

Asuka, one of eighty crewmembers aboard a ship on a journey to faraway Planet X to help save humanity from climate disaster, is out on a spacewalk when a bomb goes off and kills three crewmembers. It also knocks them off course. The captain orders Asuka to find the culprit while everyone else on the ship tries to find a way to get themselves back on course to Planet X. But their levels of oxygen were only meant to last for the trip to the planet, and if they don't course correct in time, they'll suffocate. That is, if the bomber doesn't make another move—or if the crew doesn't end up killing each other first.

Despite all of the wonderful things this book promised, it took a while for me to warm up to it. Until the second half, the story's strange emphasis on pregnancy, the almost "teen drama-esque" fighting between characters, and the humor that really wasn't my thing and felt out of place considering what the characters were going through sapped a lot of my desire to keep reading. But ultimately, I'm glad I kept with it. Toward the end, things finally began to pick up, and the last couple chapters wrapped things up very well.

I do have to say another word on the issue of pregnancy, though. I thought it was a very wasted opportunity to have an entire crew made up of people who could give birth—which includes trans men!—and not have a trans man be one of the main or secondary characters. Asuka struggles to accept that she might not be able to conceive, but these trans men don't seem to have any issues with their own bodies or even have any thoughts related to giving birth themselves? That could have been wonderful character exploration. That's just my two cents as a gender fluid person, though.

Speaking of character exploration, I do wish that these characters were a little more well rounded. I'm well aware that it's difficult to do with such a large cast, but what we're left with seems to be characters defined by one or two traits. However, I loved that Asuka has a great love for birds—and that her interest in them comes into play in the actual plot. That doesn't happen often, and though the hints were a little bit obvious, it was very fun.

My favorite parts of the book were Asuka's relationship with her mom and a specific conversation Asuka has with two other crewmembers in space regarding the grueling competitive program they had to go through to get where they are now. I wish that the book didn't alternate each chapter with flashbacks to that competitive program, because it seemed to slow down the book's pace and put a stop to any tension it was building throughout the chapter. But in the end, it got to a satisfactory ending. It didn't resolve every issue it opened, but I was very happy with how it ended, and I stayed up pretty late to finish it. I'm excited to see where this author goes in the future!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for letting me read a copy of this book!

I got about 10% and I was bored and kind of disappointed. After making myself finish it, I realized that I just wasn't the right reader for it. I can see how this was appealing to those who are deeply interested in space and the exploration of the unknown and how it relates to the exploration of the self, but the character development for me was lacking in a way that I couldn't quite grasp anything with meaning.

Asuka was written interestingly in the beginning, but ultimately she was kind of one-note. Snarky and with a bit of a chip on her shoulder, there's something I can't put my finger on that turns me off of her. That being said, I may revisit it later on and see if my mind is changed by time.

I love a good dystopian space story - where some subset of Earthlings are out there looking for a new planet to inhabit. The Deep Sky delivers adventure, mystery, and social commentary - it's all packed into this debut novel. There is a large cast of characters, jumping between the back story and the present dilemma, so you may need a strategy to keep track of them all. I used my Kindle search tool a fair bit. The ship's AI substory was underdeveloped, IMO, and some of the science could be more robust. The quantum communicator, for example, fills a story need but, otherwise, is just plopped in there with little explanation). Bottom line: The Deep Sky was a solid space-mystery with a strong character focus.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for a review.

This book is absolutely beautiful. This is something that was created with the utmost care and love, and I will not be forgetting this anytime soon.

This book deals with so many real issues in such a real way. I'm just absolutely blown away by the impact this had had on me. It's something very relatable, and I definitely recommend this!

Out July 18, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

They left Earth to save humanity. They’ll have to save themselves first.

It is the eve of Earth’s environmental collapse. A single ship carries humanity’s last hope: eighty elite graduates of a competitive program, who will give birth to a generation of children in deep space. But halfway to a distant but livable planet, a lethal bomb kills three of the crew and knocks The Phoenix off course. Asuka, the only surviving witness, is an immediate suspect.

A space thriller set on a generation ship whose mission is to ensure the future of humanity in the stars. Earth's environment has deteriorated so badly that survival for the species is no longer guaranteed, so the best and brightest of the world went through a competitive screening process to earn a spot on The Phoenix. Asuka, our protagonist, is on what seems to be an only slightly abnormal spacewalk to investigate an anomaly when a bomb goes off and shatters the illusion of cooperation and harmony that the crew had been operating under since launch.

As Asuka is tasked with investigating the explosion due to her proven innocence from her almost being blown into space, she discovers unwelcome secrets and frightening glitches which could threaten the lives of everyone on the crew and spell doom for their mission.

I greatly enjoyed The Deep Sky, and found myself very invested in the characters. What I was most surprised about was how fascinated I was when the story took time to flashback to Earth. I loved the horrifying snapshots of a planet on the edge of collapse, the political movements and conspiracy theories that emerge in response to the situation, and the depiction of the pressures that the people trying to do something about it are facing.

An easy recommendation for sci-fi fans.