Ia is a rebel, a soldier, the protector of the disenfranchised. She's out to save the world from the corrupt Commonwealth. Her world is very black and white; what she believes to be the right way, and everything else is evil. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to bring down those who go against her.



And then she is captured. Her punishment? To train with the Royal Star Force, the very entity that she has been fighting all these years. And while she attends classes with other students, her world becomes more shades of gray.



Ignite the Stars is a masterful tale of justice, friendship and courage. One of the subplots is that Ia's roommate isn't what she claims to be. She is hiding a secret about her identity that threatens to destroy everything that she has worked so hard to achieve. I think students will connect Brinn's situation with what is currently happening in our own country, and that will lead to some great discussions!



I loved Ignite the Stars, and I think it will appeal to a variety of readers! There is just enough romance to satisfy romance readers. All the girls are kick-ass, which will appeal to readers who like strong girl characters. And there are detailed descriptions of jet fighters and epic battles to appeal to readers of action and adventure! I am definitely purchasing this title for the library, and I think my readers are going to keep it off the shelves!

Ignite the Stars is a fast-paced sci-fi adventure with strong female characters. If you can suspend disbelief to get past the idea that a 17-year-old girl has been the most wanted criminal/rebel in the universe for several years, then this book is a fun ride, with a side of social commentary on immigrants and refugees. It's a strong and very bingeable debut.

Ia Cocha is a "criminal mastermind" and talented pilot who has been hiding both her identity and her compassionate heart. When she allows herself to be captured in order to save the lives of Tawny refugees, she ends up imprisoned at a military academy. She is thrown together with Brinn, a student with her own secret who wants nothing to do with the notoriously brutal Ia. Cue political intrigue, teen drama, and spaceships!

This was a quick read and while it wasn't exactly ground-breaking, it was done pretty well for a YA sci-fi adventure. We've seen characters like this before, and Ia reminds me a little bit of Celeana Sardothian from Throne of Glass, except in space and without the royal heritage. I appreciated some of the snarky dialogue, the focus on female friendship, and the LACK of a love triangle! (And part of me wanted to see a romance develop between Ia and Brinn even though it didn't go that way. Fanfic anyone?)

But probably the best part of this book is the way it handles the othering of refugees and people from minority ethnic backgrounds. It feels very relevant to the world today, and comes with a strong message of accepting who you are and being proud of your heritage, even when people around you are hateful. And that is a great reason to read this.

Overall, while this isn't a perfect book, I enjoyed my time reading this and think it's worth picking up. I agreed to review an early copy of Ignite the Stars received via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I write this review as a high school teacher-librarian.

This book belongs in the hands of students and in classrooms. While I wouldn't use it for a whole class read, this is perfect for books clubs, reading groups and individual reading programs. The action takes off right at the beginning and the characters are engaging.

Perfect teen read.

I am like, at least 99% sure that they updated the synopsis, because when I first came across this book, I swore it said:

"Think Throne of Glass set in space".

Although it definitely succeeded in catching my attention, I also became extremely wary. Throne of Glass? Those are some very big shoes to fill. Never the less, I still try to give this book a chance, because how am I going to pass that up?

I'm going to start off first by saying that I think they made the right decision to get rid of the line comparing it to Throne of Glass, because personally, this book does not live up to that title. Not because this book was bad or not fun to read at any means, just that I cannot find any real similarities between the two on the top of my head. The only one that I can think of immediately is that this book has multiple POVs. That's it.

Setting a work to be one thing when it's not and getting expectations in the wrong place is a perfect formula for failure. It will disappoint the audience even if the work itself is not bad, and I've seen so many books and movies destroyed because of this false marketing. So I'm glad they got rid of it.

But don't leave it! Do not give up on this book now that I said I don't think it's like Throne of Glass at all. 

I was really, really scared this is going to be a bad, or worse, just another mediocre book. I just finished a really good book, and so I was expecting this one to be bad because usually, right after you've hit a jackpot, the next one is not as good (or really bad).

I was (I'm not exaggerating) shocked that this book is actually...good.

Oh my god, this book is actually good.

Aside from how well constructed this science world building was as well as those FANTASTICALLY written character developments (I'll elaborate on those later), I first really need to praise the portrayal of Ia. 

Ia actually seems like who she was supposed to be. Her portrayal actually made it believable that she would be the most wanted criminal (and the best one) in the entire galaxy. I am so surprised about that.

Now it may seem like "why are you so surprised about that, isn't that something that was just expected?". Here's the thing, the idea of Ia is actually a really common trope. How many young adult books out there are featuring a main character that is "the best in (something) in the (somewhere)"? It's even more common for them to be something like "the best criminal" or the "best assassin", because since these two professions are a bit more aggressive, it'll make them easier grounds for an author to portray a real savage and bad - a** heroine. Also, a lot of people like these tropes, so these books are definitely targeted toward that audience.

But more often than not, none of those characters really live up to their reputation up to a believable level. In other words, the author fails to actually execute the portrayal enough for them to truly be believable. The mannerism may not fit, the attitude and narration tone may also not have lived up. You'll also be surprised that the authors so many times just plain out fail in letting these "masterminds" reach the level of ability that actually makes sense and proves why they're the best. These are all technical character portrayal problems.

There are two things the authors did that aid her in successfully excluding herself from that category of authors. First off, she used the perspective of Ia to its absolute complete filled-to-the-brink potential in letting us understand how her mind works (and in result shows lets us see for ourselves why she was the best). It was actually the first thing I noticed about her narration, and that was how she actually thinks like a criminal. The fact that I felt like her narration and mindset was different than a normal person made me realized how used I was to criminals that are not like criminals like all. It was because this was finally different, finally like a criminal that I noticed. She definitely had the out-of-ordinary precision and the habit to observe and memorize everything in her surroundings that a criminal (should) always have, and her pristine calculations she makes under pressure proves itself why she is the best. 

Another thing that stood out in her narration is her (definitely rightfully earned) arrogance/confidence (depending on your perspective). She was actually confident, and she knows she's good. This truly made me realize how much the other books are lacking this specific tone with their criminals. Those characters are literally legends, and there's a reason why they are so widely known (and most wanted). They should be confident, if not just plain out cocky. It doesn't mean the protagonist is a trash person. Is just that they know they are the absolute best, which they freaking are. 

This also reminded me to mention how the author did a great job in not making all the characters have the exact same tone in their narrations for the different characters. Great job on that too, I can actually tell the difference in the tone and attitude when reading them. That indubiously reflects on superb writing. The multiple switching POVs were also well-constructed and organized, so it did not feel like it was a whole jumbled up mess. Excellent  Job.

The author also nailed her goal in having a complete character arc for three different characters with three different perspectives. She was also smart enough to make it work by intertwining those arcs together so that it can all work, while at the same time it would not have to last too long. 

Everything about this story just screams to me excellent technique and excellent writing. You also know this book is good when this book doesn't even have that good of a hate-love relationship, and I still couldn't put the book down. Because for once, I really enjoyed this book not because of the relationships, but because of its story. 

And this is coming from the person that 9/10 like a book if it has a really good hate-love relationship (because an actual interesting story has been kind of hard to come across these days). SO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THIS IS.

Let's just say that no one can be more surprised than me to how much I actually enjoyed this book (and how good this book is).

I absolutely loved this book. It gave me major Star Wars vibes in the best possible way. Ia Cocha is both fierce and compassionate. I love her moral compass! To me, she is a perfect mixture of Han Solo and Princess Leia – she is fierce, compassionate, a rebel, and a scoundrel! Set in a new galaxy, Ia Cocha brings us with her on her inter-galactic adventures and I am here for it!

On top of such a wonderful hero, Maura Milan also gifts us with two fantastic side-characters who narrate their own sections: Brinn and Knives. I can’t go into too much detail about these characters or their story arcs because I don’t want to give any of the plot away, but I loved both of these characters! In many ways, I really related to both of them and I hope that we see more of them in the sequel.

All in all, this was a beautiful and amazing book and I recommend it to everyone who is a fan of science fiction. I can’t wait to see more of this galaxy and see what’s in store for our three main characters! Fans of The 100 and Illuminae will want to pick this one up!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. (All opinions are my own)

I wanted to like this book, the Throne of Glass in Space had me intrigued...but sadly that's about all that happened there. It was just an ok read. The main heroine was fine, but it lacked in likablility for me. Maybe it was the space setting and the different things thrown in there about that. I adored Throne of Glass, but this book left me not really enjoying it. Overall, it's a fine enough read, just had higher expectations for it.

This was a fun read. The setup was simple enough to get you to crack open the book. The storytelling's pace is definitely enough to motivate you to read in one sitting. If you thought Potterverse needed to deal more with its geopolitical environment, you'll like how this has a bigger picture of its characters' conflicts.

I have a minor issue with the use of names like "Macross" and "All Black" because of real world copyrights, but that wasn't enough to get in the way of enjoying the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of "Ignite the Stars" by Maura Milan. I have noticed in recent years that YA Science Fiction has started to blend. Most of the characters and plot are the same but not with this book. It feels fresh and exciting. The book does read more for a teen audience rather than a crossover for adult and that is the only reason I didn't personally feel connected but I know teens will. I will be purchasing this book for the library that I work at.

The following really be posted on my blog on June 5, 2018.
I can’t give a number on how many stories I have read that involves space, but a criminal mastermind in space was something new. Stories in space in general have always been a weird topic for me because I’ll either like it or I won’t like it. Ignite the Stars fell in the middle.

Although Ignite the Stars is a good debut book, I was constantly feeling that something was missing. I kept wanting something to happen and never received it. In the beginning, it seemed a bit slow for me and I was always waiting for something to happen to set everything off. Perhaps I wanted a secret to be revealed, or a fight to come out to set the tension. Instead, nothing came to set anything. All it left me was time spent waiting.

As I continue to read the story, things finally picked up at a little past halfway, but nothing dramatic still hasn’t happened. I expected there would have been some twist by now to make me want to keep reading. We’re reading about a space criminal mastermind, there has to be a twist somewhere. I couldn’t even predict or produce a single thought on which direction the story was going or how the story was even going to end.

The only twist that happened occurred during right before last quarter of the story. It was shocking, but I thought it could have been better. Did I see it coming? No, not really. Could it been expected? Probably. Along with the story, every piece of detail could have been executed better, but still stands at being a good debut novel. I have hopes that the next book will be better, but I am currently unsure if I would like to continue onto the next book.

At end, if you like space stories, criminal masterminds, military academies, then this could be the story for you. If you’re seeking a thrill ride, with twists left and right, you may still want to read it, but lower you expectations. The story is overall good, but could use some improvements.

IGNITE THE STARS was a wild book from start to finish. My only complaint is that it felt like too much with the three POVs in the beginning, but later on, they just made the book. The VOICE, guys, oh my gosh, it was so real and so good. I can't wait for book 2!

While sci-fi is not my go-to genre, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I found this book to be a fantastic read. As previous reviews may have mentioned, fans of Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles will certainly find an appreciation for this story in not only the riveting storytelling, but the representation reflected in it as well.

Fantastic YA sci-fi - great premise with flawed characters (in a good way!) with loads of action and adventure. Highly recommended if you like YA like The Lunar Chronicles.

This is a space adventure packed with action, tension, mystery, intrigue and a main character who packs a huge punch. In other words, this was a thrill to read!

Ia Coche is the most feared name in the galaxy, one everyone knows and fears. When Ia Coche is finally captured, no one can believe the most dangerous rebel is a seventeen-year-old girl. The Commonwealth gives her two options: life-long sentence in a hellish prison or enrollment at the highly elicit Military Academy. When she walks into the academy, no one is ready for her, but then, she isn't there to deal with any of them. Determined to escape, she starts to work on a plan, but as the layers of intrigue behind her capture, and the real reason she's been enrolled into the school unfold, everything she ever believed comes into question. Still, she is Ia Coche, and all who stand against her will learn the real meaning of fear.

This book captures and shoots off with pure adventure into the stars. Ia Coche is a true space rogue and adventurer. She is tough and will not let anyone get in her way. Her past is violent, and she has tons of blood on her hands. But even in the first chapter it's clear, she's fighting a war for those who can't fight on their own. This lone hero against all odds makes her very easy to cheer for and like, although her personality definitely has its fill of rough edges.

While this story centers around Ia Coche, the other characters have their own personal tales, challenges, desires and obstacles. The books is written from several points of view, allowing each of these subplots to mold and develop as they carefully weave with Ia Coche's. There are characters to love, some to hate, and some who rock back and forth. It gives the story richness and depth, making each character grow on the reader along the way.

Action is key followed closely by intrigue. Ia Coche is a teenager placed in an academy, but this is not the average teenage drama tale. There are friendships, a very light dusting of something which might be considered romance, and rivalries, but this only helps to make the academy scene more realistic. Ia Coche's battle to discover her true enemies and uncover a web of intrigue, while fighting for her freedom remain at the center of the tale—bright and clear. There are emotional moments, ones which get under the skin and make Ia Coche and the others more realistic, but they perfectly balance with high tension and exciting scenes. There is never a boring or slow moment in these pages.

Summed up, this is a fantastic science fiction read with a heroine to root for. Friends of space adventure, tension, political intrigue, evil plots and a heroine to take on all of them, are going to enjoy this one from beginning to end.

Can we please appreciate the cover first? Because not only do I really like it colour-wise, but there is a POC on the cover. All the thumbs up for that.
But now, let’s get to the story. Even though I needed quite a long time to get into it, I just read 3/4 of the book in one sitting because… wow. What took me so long in the beginning was that the story is told in three POVs and that each chapter is another character. That made it hard for me to get really into that character in the beginning. But the more the plot developed, the more I got to know the characters and because they all interacted with each other, it was then easy to follow their stories.

Ia certainly is one fierce character. Even though she is never described as being of Asian heritage (at least I think so?), I always imagined her that way, thanks to the cover. In the beginning we already get to know her as a killer with a good heart, even though most people only see the killer and not the good heart. When she is captured and brought to Aphelion, her enemies’ military academy, she tries everything to escape at first. But her brother convinces her to stay and get informations. So she stays but things do not go as planned: she finds friendship and also something more.
What I liked about Ia’s chapters was her development and how she herself felt it and described it. How she went from not-caring to caring-very-much. But she stays herself through it all: sassy and brave, smart and quick.

The second POV is from Brinn, Ia’s roommate in Aphelion. She is not exactly happy about this, but she soon finds, that it isn’t all that bad, especially when Ia discovers Brinn’s secret. Slowly trust and friendship blossom between the two girls and even though this friendship has its ups and downs, it is a wonderful one. Brinn is extremely clever and so the two make a great team: Brinn the mind, Ia the fighter. Where Ia is hotheaded and talks with fists rather than her mouth, Brinn is more calm and analytical.
Brinn also gets a great character development: from being insecure, she learns and accepts who she is.

The third protagonist is knives, the Flight Master of the academy and son to a powerful General. Who is also the general who captured Ia. He does not take any shit from Ia and knows just as well where to put a fist, if necessary. Even though the two of them are constantly at each other’s throats, they too, slowly grow together. I liked his character instantly because I liked the way he thinks and the motives that get him going.

But not only the characters were amazing, the plot was as well. Even though I still have not completely understood why Ia has to attend Aphelion, I am glad she did. Because so many components come together to form their story around Ia and her associates. And those plot twists? Damn. They really got to me.
The whole book was fast paced, but especially the last 100 pages were intense and I could not get my eyes away from the pages. So much happened. I just wish I could read how the story goes on right now.

The only thing I would have liked to see more of is the general world building. The essentials were there, but I would really like to know more about how the Commonwealth works, how they treat their colonies, who and what the slaver nations are and who exactly are the criminal associates of Ia’s? And how Dark Space and normal space are interwined and work together or not?

Apart from this, I just loved everything. Even though this is a debut, it did not feel like it. The writing was great and easy to read and understand. The characters were wonderful and so was the plot. What a furious debut. Just… give me more of this.

Sigh. This book...my feelings are still sort of mixed on it. I think the reason for that is the whole time I was reading it felt more like I was reading a middle novel, not a starter book. So I wanted to know and love these characters and this world but I kept getting the sense like I was already supposed to know them, as if I was missing something. This book had so much potential, I just feel it didn't quite live up to it.

The world the author was trying to create is an intriguing one, and I wish that I would've been able to imagine it, but honestly the descriptions were sorely lacking. I felt lost a lot of the time, trying to grasp a hold of time, place and setting not really getting where or what all was going on. Again, I think it's because the whole book read like a middle piece and not like a beginning. There was no exposition. No setting up of the initial story or how this world came to be. You get the impression this is a future version of our current world but no real idea of how it got that way, how the new politics work, the new culture, the language idioms. Things are mixed together in a way that just don't quite fit. I did enjoy the futuristic space/greco-roman vibe everything had going, but would've loved more depth to it all so I could understand it.

The characters had the same problem, not enough depth. There were glimpses but not enough exploration. No true delving into backstories at all. Again, it seemed like you were already supposed to know them from the get-go. And I can officially say that Ia is the first heroine I've read who I've hated and rooted for at the same time. While I wanted her to succeed at certain points because I admired her tenacity and unwilingness to give up, I also disliked her mean-sprited, self-absorbed personality that near the end was bordering on psychotic with her willingness to harm others. Plus, the idea that as 17-year-old girl she could battle and kill so many people almost singlehandedly seemed beyond even fantastical stretching. She is not an easy to like heroine to say the least. Honestly I would call Brinn more of the heroine for this book than Ia. She had more of a transformation and growth process, along with a defined personality change that was meaningful. And her romantic plot-line was very sweet and understated.

The romance in this book isn't the main focus, but I liked it that way. This book seemed to focus more on the bonds of genuine relationship and trust, which Ia had never experienced and so her relationship with Brinn as a friend took more focus than her romantic relationship. But the chemistry between Ia and Knives develops slowly in the moments they do share together, leading to a romance that could be a really good one if it gets even more development. Knives (despite his unfortunate name) was a good character on his own, although sometimes the way he talked about his sister made me cringe a little. If there's one character I would've liked to have seen more of, it's him. His and Ia's interactions were usually funny and interesting and were the only times when most of the interesting or meaningful things would happen out so I really did enjoy those moments in the book.

I was surprised that this book also contained a fair bit of unnecessary cursing. Of course it was "veiled" using the books different language so the word "mif" comes up a lot. Which is just a blanket for multiple versions of our cuss words. To be honest I just don't think that cursing adds a lot, or anything, to the text. There are so many ways for characters to express frustration, disappointment, surprise, anger, so it doesn't need to be used.

Overall I still think this book has a lot of potential and I'm hoping that maybe the next book in the series will improve upon this first one. With some extra character development and greater world building I could really see this being a great series. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Great read, fun protagonist, and wonderful setting. Would recommend.

I was only a few pages into Ignite the Stars when I got the sinking feeling that I knew this story. Ignite the Starsis a very average young adult science-fiction story with a lot of familiar elements. And I mean ‘a lot.’

Do you recognise any of these tropes and traits: a prickly, mercenary female character, caught and imprisoned and given a chance to redeem herself? A school-like environment built upon competition? An inappropriate love-interest that becomes an insta-love situation when said female character shows amazing skills that others don’t have? Roommates who can’t stand each other?

They’re all in here, plus more. And they’re not bad things to include in a story - it just felt like it has all been done before and there wasn’t sufficient depth or exploration of any of them to make me feel like I was invested in the story, or the characters.

If we want to get technical, there’s nothing wrong with the story or the writing style - it’s alright. It’s easy to read and I’m sure there will people out there who really enjoy this story, especially if you're fans of Throne of Glass or Zenith. It just wasn’t what I was after in a science-fiction story and so I was left disappointed.

Ignite the Stars is due to be released early September, 2018.

" She was a dark star, a black hole in the endless sky, and if he got too close, he would surely disappear"

I could think for hours and write a 10 pages review, I think it would not be enough to say how much I loved this book. I am not a sci-fi girl, or more, I didn't use to be. Then, the Illuminae files happened and I gave the genre a chance. It is books like Ignite the stars that make it worth it.
After only a few pages, I was hooked. There is no break or slow time in this book, something is always happening. You can't get bored reading it, you will just want more and more til the last page is turned!
The world building itself is pretty good too, even if I would have loved even more space description: there is a rich vocabulary, technological tools we can only dream ( or be afraid) of, spaceships, darkness...well everything you want to read in sci fi!
Now for the characters! Ia Cocha is a great main character and her sidekicks are just as interesting! They are all a bit infuriating time to time, but it is with that you recognize good characters! Because they will make you feel with them! They just grow in depth with every page, becoming more and more complex with time.
Speaking of complexity, can we talk about how this book will turn your mind? There is no good or bad side here, only shades of grey. You think you have it right, you think you know who to trust and then... you discover that it is not as simple as just having the good ones fighting the bad guys. So in the end, who can you trust?
I will finally speak of another aspect I loved about this book: how relevant it is to what we are living right now with immigration issues and the way immigrants are treated. Diversity is there, and people can be racist, even in space!
So yes, this book will bring you thrills, emotions and much more! GO READ IT !


Review coming on my blog on March 23rd!

Sci fi books its always a surprise for me, I never know what kind of book I´ll read when I start a sci fi one.



I love the genre, but not everyone knows how to write a sci fi story. Its a chalenge in itself.



But Maura was up to the chalenge and this one was a good book.



I think the beginning was a little slow, but it gets better, and its really fast paced.

Think Throne of Glass in space, with a hint of Divergent mixed in. I adored this book,it has everything i could have wanted: a kick ass heroin, explosive action and great character development. This is one to add to your must read lists.