Well, that was incredibly disappointing.

This book had just a promising premise (and such an appealing book cover), but it did not live up to the expectations at all. This book fell into an awkward position where it was not "bad" bad, but at the same time I found myself having to force myself to continue reading the book.

So yeah, underwhelming. That's the word to describe it.

3.5 stars.

I requested this ARC to ward off my impending post-<i>Wayfarers</i> book hangover, since I just could not get enough of queer characters in space; <i>Of Kindred and Stardust</i> turned out to be totally different, an interesting reading experience in its own right.

There are some really great quotable passages; some readers might find them a bit much, but I felt they were well incorporated into the narrative flow and beautifully written.

I also appreciated the representation [listed below, under a spoiler tag] which is not at all mainstream. I hadn't been expecting the pagan elements to be as prominent as they were; while I can't speak to their integrity, I found them really interesting, and they added some more dimension to the characters. (On the other hand, I was aware of and excited for the polyam representation — I've always loved that the fantasy setting means that cis-het-monogamous doesn't have to be treated as the default.)

At times Dath's narration (and the chapter titles) are reminiscent of Percy Jackson — if he were older and swore like a <s>sailor</s> astrobiologist. It's sarcastic, slightly self-loathing ... and if I'm being honest, a bit cheesy in parts.

Unfortunately the POV switches felt a little unbalanced: somewhere between a primary POV supplemented by others, and a traditional split-POV. This made it a little difficult to connect with the characters and took some of the suspense out of the story, but it hardly ruined the narrative.

Finally, I found the resolution a bit abrupt/choppy. Actually the plot in general wasn't as compelling as I had hoped, especially considering my love for second-chance romances and, again, my appreciation for the diverse characters and relationships. There's a lot of emotion flying around, but I just wanted more out of this book.

Of Kindred and Stardust sounded like it had a lot of appeal to me when I requested it on Netgalley. However, I unfortunately had to put this one down at about 30% for now. I am coming to learn that I really don’t like second chance romances, and this book for the most part seemed to center around that. For such a short story with science fiction elements, I thought that maybe it shouldn’t hinge on characters that have history.

There was also some really clunky world-building. For example, out of nowhere the author writes:
“I'd checked in with the rest of my mission crew, all of us unceremoniously dropping our work shit in the RED department's office and running like another one of those damned flesh-eating bugs from P2748-A was after us.”

What is the RED department? Flesh-eating bugs? P2748-A? This information means nothing to me and doesn’t help me better understand the world.

This story is also set in 2099, yet still uses language that contemporary books use like: “Le freaking sigh.” and “Damn, guess shit really is that bad.” I know that seems very nit-picky, but surely language would change in 50+ years from now? Consequently even the smallest of statements feel out of place to me and I don't think it helps create a unique world. (Also, they are too colloquial for my liking.)

If you like short science fiction, second chance romance and slice of life style narration, you might enjoy Of Kindred and Stardust.

Unfortunately I was missing something.
The premise sounded great and I liked the LGBTQ+ and pagan elements in it.
My biggest issue was the romance part. It felt for me like the "problem" wasn't a real problem worthy of such behavior. I believe this is the first time I wanted more drama instead of less.
Altogether a fairly quick read and I can recommend this to readers who like a open-minded LGBTQ+ sci-fi novella with pagan elements.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

This was a wonderful surprise! I really enjoyed it and I'd love to see more of these characters. In fact if I had any complaint it would be that there just isn't enough of it! It reminded me of the Wayfarer's trilogy by Becky Chambers as well as the Paradox trilogy by Rachel Bach which are two of my all time favorite sci-fi series. If you enjoyed those series or you just like good fun space faring sci-fi with a romance element definitely give this a go.

I found this one difficult to follow. Some sections seemed pure Sci-Fi and others were a sort of lackluster romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for ARC. All opinions are my own.

Firstly, thank you Netgalley and Less Than Three for the ARC.

I wish I could have loved this book more.. It had all the details needed for an immersive and potentially breathtaking sci-fi novel, but it failed to deliver on any of its promises. It is, at its heart, a pure romance with all the trappings of sci-fi. Which can be done well! Don't get me wrong. This book just felt lukewarm.

There's Mack, Dath and Kytzia, three individuals trying to figure out their relationship, in the past and in the present. The real issue for me was that there was no tension here. No reason for me to really cheer for the characters. No hurdle that made me feel like the characters worked for their progression, development and happy ending.

I know that's a personal preference. I think if you're looking for a cuddly, and fluffy novel (novella?) this book is for you. Personally, I found it lacklustre.

Title: Of Kindred and Stardust

Publisher: Less Than Three Press

Author: Archer Kay Leah

Pages: 119pp

Price: $8.99 / $4.99

After four years stomping across the alien worlds of the Alpha Centauri system collecting plants -- and trying to avoid being infected, maimed, or eaten by the flora and fauna -- Dath Bellin is finally home. Well, almost. He's at Crosspoint Station in Martian orbit, finishing up a few last tasks before he can head back to Earth and rejoin his family and Druid grove just in time to celebrate Imbolc. Unfortunately, he had not realized that both of his ex-lovers were still at Crosspoint. And that they were together. And that they wanted him to join them ....

Of Kindred and Stardust is exactly the reason I started this blog. Pagan-friendly books are all well and good. But actual, explicit, hey-look-at-this-character-set-up-his-altar-and-pray-to-Brigit books are the titles I really want to highlight. People need to know about these books.

So, here you go. An explicitly polytheist science fiction romance. And not only polytheist but multi-trad. As Dath notes at one point:

To say there was a lot of Pagan in our family was an understatement. Growing up, there'd always been plenty of gods and goddesses in our household, all meeting around our family altar without much fight. Then again, Mom and Dad constantly offered up high quality mead and the good food to keep the peace, so maybe everyone was merely sated and jovial, I didn't know. [...] everyone chose their own way, especially if we were the ones being chosen. Because, shit, saying no to the likes of Thor, Hekate, or Bast when they came knocking? Around us, that was better known as just don't do it.

And, at another point in the story, Dath reflects on the fact that he was technically raised Heathen (" ... Loki and Odin had always loved dancing around my family like a Heathen binary star ..."), and both his mother and his sister are highly skilled in seidr. But as a teenager, he felt the pull of the Celtic pantheon. And so now, when he finds himself struggling to define a new path for himself, he offers up prays to Aengus, Caer Ibormeith, Brigit, the Morrigan, Danu, and many others.

Dath lives his faith, every day. His faith is not something quirky or odd, something to be held up as weird, or made fun of; not by the other characters, not by the reader, and not by the author. Leah actually makes a point of dedicating the story "to the Pagan community" and "our beloved grove family, Daoine dhen Tamais."

(Seeing that dedication when I opened the book made me irrationally happy. I actually squealed.)

Okay, beyond just the Pagan bits, there are plenty of other reasons to recommend Of Kindred and Stars. First, the characters. Dath, Mack, and Kytzia are all terrific. One of the dangers with polyamorous romances is that one (or more) of the characters could come across as flat or not nearly as interesting as the others; and so the reader ends up rooting for a monogamous happily ever after instead of a polyamorous happily ever after. That is not the case here. Archer spends plenty of time developing all three of them, showing us the internal landscapes (faults and all) of Dath, Mack, and Kytzia. By the end, the reader is completely convinced that they all belong together.

Second, Of Kindred and Stardust is LGBTQ+ positive. Not just friendly, but positive. Dath describes himself as demi-sexual: happy without sex, focused on deep emotional connections; but, in a few rare cases, desiring a physical side to the relationship, as well. Mack is genderqueer, preferring xe and xir; when xe came out as a teenager, xir grandfather disowned xir, though the rest of the family stood with xir (so much so that, when xir sister died, xe adopted and raised her two children). Kytzia never explicitly identifies her sexuality, preferring to just love -- and love fiercely -- the two people who mean the most to her in the world. (And wow is she fierce; never tick off an expert hacker.)

This an emotionally rich and deep romance. There is plenty of science fiction, but not of the alien-invasion-epic-space-battles-and-explosions type. Instead, there is advanced technology, alien vistas, an alien bug (microscopic), a cute lizard robot, and the strain of maintaining familial and romantic ties across the vast distances of space. The science fiction elements do not overwhelm the romance in the story; rather, they are effectively woven through it to make the romance that much more engaging and satisfying.

Of Kindred and Stardust is a terrific romance filled with wonderful characters who deserve their happily ever after. Highly recommended to fans of science fiction romance, as well as fans of Effie Calvin's Tales of Inthya series, A Stirring in the Bones by Jennifer Lyn Parsons, Ilona Andrews' Questing Beast, Threads of Fate by Joey W. Hill, Wreck of the Nebula Dream by Veronica Scott, and Prophesied by Liz Craven.

Will begin to read in the month of July. And will come back to write proper review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*