It may have taken me a while to get to this book, but I enjoyed the futuristic adventure it contained.
Well blended sci-fi and romantic elements crafted an easy to read, technological world.
Mid paced.

The Star Host by F.T. Lukens has been on my TBR for far too long (I’m so sorry!). This is a sci-fi adventure in which young Ren discovers that he has technopath powers – which he’d not even known were a possibility. Because of this, he ends up a prisoner, as he is deemed too dangerous to be left free. Desperate to escape confinement and avoid being used, he bonds with his cell-neighbour Asher, and they hatch an escape plan, making the second half of the book a traditional sci-fi romp through space. It is a fun read, compelling and I loved the tender slow-burn relationship between Ren and Asher. But it also doesn’t really do anything new, and I felt like I’ve read this before. Thus, it ended up not really standing out for me, even though I enjoyed my reading experience.

This book, as much as I wanted to love it. I just didn't. The writing didn't resonate with me to be completely honest. DNF'ed at around 25%, unfortunately.

A charming tale with a sweet main character. It was a quick read that I simply couldn't put down. It's an ideal LGBTQ read.

Huge thank you to Interlude Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

My rating for this would actually be 3.5 stars but I decided to round up to 4 because I liked it more than I didn't. It was one of those books that seemed to have a lot of potential and then was unfortunately held back a little by certain aspects.

Full (spoiler-y) review here: http://wmsreads.tumblr.com/post/181237242972/

To start off, the main character in this story is gay. A member of my family is gay too so reading this book was eye opening. I’m glad that there are more books like this these days that have lgbt characters in them. As for the plot itself, meh. It wasn’t fantastic but it wasn’t boring. I read it relatively quickly and actually skimmed over some of it. I liked Asher for the most part although he seemed to good to be true. Ren’s technopathic ability was interesting to read about. I probably won’t read more of the series but you never know.

This book felt a bit like a novella to me. Not because of its actual length but because it felt like not enough time was spent on anything which is something I see a lot in novellas. I wish the events and characters had been developed more because this was a fun adventure that mixed Sci fi with magic. It's about Ren, who lives on a small out of the way planet who gets captured by the tyrant who wants to rule the planet. He gets put in a cell, realises he has magical powers like in the stories his mother told him and falls in love with the guy in the cell beside him and they try to escape off-planet together. Which all sounds awesome? But it ran through everything so quickly I just couldn't get my teeth into it. It is the start of a series (the final book has just been released) so maybe the others go into things in more depth. The idea of star hosts and the magic systems were really interesting and I would recommend this as a fast, fun YA Sci fi but to me it lacked depth.

A sweet Sci fi tale that was very enjoyable to read.

This is a perfect example of genre fiction and promises to be a start to a interesting series (I assume its to be a series as there were hints at the end).
A boy with strange powers leaves his simple village and has adventures! It's a sci-fi spin on the classic genre and plot we see in so many fantasy novels, but it does it well - this boy can interface with machines, with tech. He's a technopath, and the application of his power in the wider sense is expertly deployed.

This isn't an epic, world changing book, but I happily read it in an afternoon and would read another by the author.

Loved the fact that the love interest was lgbt, makes a major difference instead of the usual hetero fare.

There were some really fantastic things about The Star Host. I loved Ren and Asher. They were friendship into relationship goals, y'all. They are sweet and kind and driven. As characters, they both care about saving other people and protecting each other. It has a diverse cast of characters both in skin color and sexuality, without ever making diversity the focal point.

The idea behind Host is clever. You've heard it said we're made from dust. You've also heard it said we're made from stardust. And this is the basis of the story. Some people become true hosts to the specks of old, exploded stars and those stars manifest in the humans as powers. Ren is a technopath, and his humanity is at risk.

Unfortunately, the novel only truly picked up and became interesting in the last quarter. It sat at a solid three stars (great, with some things lacking) that I had to give this the average rating.

If you want to read about diverse characters, if you've missed having a male protagonist in YA sci-fi, if you want a clever idea and a simple, quick read: this one is for you. If you want brilliant world-building and deep character development, this one won't fulfill those requirements. In all, it was good, but not great. I enjoyed the read, and hope that the next book in the story grows.

Thank you to NetGalley, F.T. Lukens, and Interlude Press for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Ren finds companionship in the occupant of the cell next to his, a drifter named Asher. A member of the Phoenix Corps, Asher is mysterious, charming, and exactly the person Ren needs to anchor him as his sudden technopathic ability threatens to consume him. Ren doesn’t mean to become attached, but after a daring escape, a trek across the planet, and an eventful ride on a merchant ship, Asher is the only thing that reminds Ren of home. Together, they must warn the drifts of the Baron’s plans, master Ren’s growing power, and try to save their friends while navigating the growing attraction between them."

It is completely my fault for not reading the last line of the description and not realizing this was a MM romance. Not exactly the book for me, but no doubt others will enjoy this. It is a solidly well written book.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect with this book when I started but I’m happy to say it was a nice surprise!

“Star Host” tells the story of Ren a young man who has eyes on the stars and dreams of a life where he can explore what’s beyond his planet when he comes face to face with those looking to control the galaxy. Upon his capture he uncovers a secret that can help set him free or make him the perfect weapon for the enemy and with the help of new allies and old friends he sets off to find his strength and save those he loves before it’s too late.

This is a fast paced sci-fi adventure that takes off during the first chapter and doesn’t let up until the last. The mythology in this book is interesting in that it offers a bit of both human and supernatural type lore with that of seers to people who share a connection or soul to that of stars and the effect that has on humanity.

The politics the world are a little vague or underdeveloped but seeing as this is book one of a series I’d imagine that it gets fleshed out later as loose ends from this book are carried through to a resolution later on. Also we have a bisexual main character which is always appreciated to have stated in canon though it’s sort of glossed over there is a small recognition to confirm that sexuality and I really love the relationship between Asher and Ren as they go from cellmates to something else over the course of the book and how despite their horrible conditions and the high stress environment they manage to find some sort of peace with each other.

I’m looking forward to the next two books and seeing where this crew finds themselves next and what new secrets will be uncovered as they move forward!

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!**

I received this from net galley for an honest review. I gave this book a 3.5/5 stars I would love to continue with this series and see if my views change or it improves on me but although I enjoyed the book I didn't feel as though it was right for me. I had a problem with a few things and just didn't love the plot line like I though I would. I didn't connect with the characters but I did over all enjoy the story and wished I had connected more. That being said I do recommend to those who like novels like this more than me.

*~~*ARC kindly provided to me for an honest review *~~*

- Review to come

Review originally posted on my blog with added content on Mikku-chan / A world full of words