I loved Ignite the Stars, but it’s sequel I didn’t love quite as much. Which was disappointing after that twist ending in the first book. This sequel just didn’t feel high stakes to me. It wasn’t bad it just didn’t shine as brightly as it’s predecessor. I did enjoy the humor that was much more present in this book, however. Ignite the Stars is a 4 star read for me, but it’s sequel gets 3 stars.

I really loved the first book in this duology, but starting out with "we kissed and now I don't know if he loves me" is really weird and extremely irritating. I mostly skimmed through this one, and while I respect the author's choice of ending, I'm not particularly happy with it. I'm just pretending everything ended after Ignite the Stars.

I really thought this book had a lot of potential. I liked the plot and how some of that played out, like with the old myths that were somewhat based in fact; I always find that kind of thing interesting. The world building was good, you got a feel for the kind of turmoil going with the government and the refugees; the progression and escalation of the events related to those things all made scary, wonderful sense. The attention to detail in individual settings and to the different ships and planets and things of that nature painted a great picture for the things taking place.

What didn't really click for me though were the characters. All 3 POVs in this series had these really excellent backstories that could have made them into such rich characters, I just didn't care for how it was executed. It was almost like you spent so much time getting acquainted with who these characters were in the past and the things that shaped them that we almost ran out of time to see them turn into what they were ultimately supposed to be. Which is I think why some of their motivations for the things they did didn't really click for me. It also made some of hard-hitting moments feel a bit less intense than I think they were intended. Also, Brinn's entire arc in this book did not make any sense to me at any point.

And I did not care for the ending. Not just because I wish it would have ended differently or whatever (though, I really wish it did) I just didn't understand the why behind it. Like I get that it was tragic and now we've come full circle and all that but it was completely unnecessary. There wasn't a compelling reason of things to end the way they did. But I guess that comes back to my thing about character motivations.

Anyway. It wasn't all bad. I have a tendency for focus on the bad parts and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. It wasn't bad. The world-building aspect was actually really great. Despite my issues with the characters, they had their quirky lovable moments also and I rather enjoyed the banter when everyone wasn't just trying to survive the day.

Huge thank you to Albert Whitman & Company and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

*deep breath*

Where do I begin with this one?

After liking Ignite the Stars, I was really looking forward to reading Eclipse the Skies... Unfortunately it fell even flatter than Ignite the Stars did for me, except this time it was a little harder to ignore the glaring issues with this one. I still didn’t absolutely hate it, but... well, it took me twice as long to finish this one as the first one. Almost a month. That should really tell you all you need to know; if I struggle for a full month to read something, it’s not holding my interest.

Full (spoiler-y) review here: https://wmsreads.tumblr.com/post/187947166452/

Synopsis:

Ia Cōcha never thought she’d be working for the Olympus Commonwealth. But that was before she found out her trusted brother Einn was trying to tear apart the universe. Now, Ia, the Blood Wolf of the Skies, has agreed to help the Royal Star Force on one condition: when she finds him, she gets to kill Einn herself.

Brinn Tarver has just come to terms with her Tawny identity when the public lashes out against her people, crushing her family. At her breaking point, she starts to question everything she believes in—including Ia.

After the death of his mentor, Knives Adams is doing his best to live up to a role he didn’t ask for as Aphelion’s new headmaster. Still, with each new step deeper into war, he feels torn between his duties and the pull of Ia’s radical—sometimes criminal—ideas.

As they fight to keep darkness from eclipsing the skies, their unpredictable choices launch this breathtaking sequel to explosive new heights.

Review:

To tell you the truth, I was craving ramen after I was through Eclipse the Skies. It also left me praying fervently to the book gods that there would be a third book after this one because it was just that awesome!

If you haven’t read Ignite the Stars (which garnered a 5-star rating from me), I recommend doing so before reading Eclipse the Skies though you can still read it as a stand-alone book. Maura Milan’s latest book immediately follows the events that happened in Ignite the Stars, but has a vastly different tone. Eclipse the Skies’ tone is darker and more serious, but I can say that it is appropriate given the context of the story. The story deals with themes such as hope, death, grief, and highlights different issues such as politics and the abuse and maltreatment of refugees.

The pacing of the story is not that fast for the first half of the book, but the second half left me dizzy at its speed, and I appreciate and cry/bemoan those unforeseen events that took me by surprise. (Maura, how can you do this to me??? *sobs uncontrollably*) I feel though that there should be a third book, just to answer some questions in my head and to satisfy the need to see how my favorite characters fared the aftermath of the story. Mostly I’m just not prepared to let go of Ia, Knives and Brinn. 😂

Speaking of, the author has written a cast of quite complex characters and I love the character growth they went through. Ia Cocha is a female kickass character with a terrifying reputation and, ironically, a golden heart. I place her permanently in my drawer of Favorite Female Characters of All-Time because of her audacity, boldness, kindness, and selflessness. It’s pretty difficult to not love her, and I stan young, female leads that are fearless and radical change-makers. I also love the fact that we saw how she remained strong in a time when she is at her weakest, but still manages to go beyond it. Einn, Ia’s chaotic brother who is complicated and layers deep, puzzles me a lot. This crazy dude who coldly tried to kill his sister to tear apart the universe has to have an interesting back story that I wish was elaborated more on in Eclipse the Skies. Knives and Brinn both changed a lot in this book, probably because of the events in their lives that acted as a catalyst for their change and reflection. I can’t say that I totally love the progression of their character development and their decisions, but I will say that I wouldn’t love this book without them.

Other things that I love about Eclipse the Skies:

🚀 Knives’ predilection for mentioning food throughout the story. It’s quite humorous because his name is a tool used in the kitchen.

🚀 References about Ancient Earth, which is technically the current era we are in. It tells us that no matter how much has changed and how much technology has advanced, some things are universal.

🚀 This universe quirky vocabulary like chocofluff, mung, miff, and Deus. Sometimes I find myself mimicking the way they curse while I read. 😂

I’m giving this book a solid 4/5 stars and I highly recommend it to everyone! Will definitely watch out for Maura Milan’s books in the future!

3.5 stars

FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOG

The plot was pretty good I believe. There were a couple of things that I grappled with but added interesting twists and turns to the story. On the contrary, there were other things that I had seen coming miles away. The pacing was moderate which turned out to work in this book’s favor because any faster and things would have flown right over my head. The ending was quite unexpected and it actually took me a minute or two to understand what happened but nevertheless a good even if devastating ending. I mean I still haven’t come to terms with it, I’m in denial.

So here’s the thing, in Ignite The stars I freaking fell in love with each and every character of this story, especially IA and Brinn. The way they were written was absolutely beautiful and their development was amazing. However, when it came to Eclipse The Skies all of them seem to just have scattered apart? But like every time, IA saved the day. I absolutely LOVED her in this book, more so than the last one because we see her being broken down to nothing and the difficult journey she goes through to try and stand up on her own feet and win the battle. She’s forever going to be my favourite badass girl!

I’m kind of conflicted honestly. I’ll never stop screaming about IA and her wonderfully rocky journey in both these books, I honestly live for her. But as much as I want to I can’t just digest some of the things that the side characters did and how a couple of things went down. And again not being an avid sci-fi reader I did dock one star because I got overwhelmed by all the science parts.

FINAL VERDICT: If you love Ignite The Stars and love reading sci-fi books definitely give this book a shot. I’m in the small miniority who didn’t like the book. Maybe you will love how things went with the side characters? Who knows.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

***ARC received from Albert Whitman & Company and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own, even if a little behind. Thank you!***

Once again I am torn just as I was in the last book. There are still a lot of really interesting concepts and idea but it never really fleshes itself out in a full story. There is a lot of repetition, do you like to hear the phrase blood wolf? Cause you better as it comes up all the times and while it makes sense in the context of the story after the third or fourth time hearing it in a single chapter it wears out its welcome.

Like the previous book the book is told from the perspective of each of the three characters, Ia, Brinn and Knives. In the last book I really found myself disliking Ia, so very much yet in this book I really actually liked her. Unlike the last book, Ia has a little more balance to her. She is more vulnerable having lost all her tech and nearly having been killed by her brother she is a more interesting character. There is a balance between her arrogance and her vulnerability, her interactions with the other characters feels a little more natural. Now Knives, well Knives is just kinda there you could have dropped huge sections of his story and still not missed anything. His sections of story are important to the overall plot but his is weighed down by the responsibilities he has been given. I still liked Knives, he is still an interesting character making the tough decisions between what is right in the moment and what is right for the future.

Now Brinn... I liked Brinn in the first book, I really found her struggle interesting, it just doesn't come through in this book. Most of her actions run counter to who she, we are led to believe that Brinn is run by her logic, it greatly affects her emotions. It just doesn't work in this book, particularly not with Brinn because known of her decision of logical or emotional. They are just plot points to move the book forward. I have a hard time believing that she would make the decision she did. Even if ruled by the emotions at the beginning there would be no reason for her to continue to work with him other than that the plot required it.

This book felt like it was designed to be a trilogy that got forced into a duology. There is a lot of plot the author shoved into this book and I think it would have been a much better series if she had another book to work with as there are so many interesting themes this book dealt with. I also liked the ending, with the themes of life and death it really felt like it was the only way the book could have ended. I appreciate an author that will go there with her ending, builds up to it and follows through.

Sci-fi is one of my favourite genres, so I’m always on the lookout for good YA sci-fi, particularly. When I read Ignite the Stars earlier in the month, I knew I had found some. And Eclipse the Skies is a solid continuation of that.

The story picks up almost exactly from where Ignite the Stars ended, with that epic twist, and everything that comes after. But nothing stays the same for long. Within pages, there’s more action, higher stakes, and some distinct moments that make you wonder whether you’re, in fact, backing the right horse (for all you who love a good sympathetic villain).

What I loved most about book 1, and what I continued to love in this book, was the characters. The book is driven by the characters and their relationships. Sure, there’s action (which I appreciate), but that action is rooted in the characters’ relationships (particularly Ia and her brother Einn). On the whole, those relationships were great. Okay, so the romantic relationships weren’t my cup of tea (ask me about Brinn and Ia’s potential. Ask me), but they were a small enough part of the book that I could just pretend they weren’t happening.

And, like I said, this was a solid continuation of the first book, with lots of action and an epic conclusion (that almost made me cry).

But I just struggled to get fully invested in this book in a way that I didn’t for book 1. The writing as good (but for a few parts where it felt clunky, which I knew would be there after the first book) and the action scenes were great. I just couldn’t get into it so much and I don’t know why.

More than that, though, I wasn’t too keen on the fact that one of the three minor sapphic characters is killed. It’s all very well creating a world where sexuality isn’t a big deal, but then when all your main characters are straight, your relationships are all m/f, and you kill off one of your only non-straight characters? Well, it all feels a bit like lip-service to me. And it was pretty disappointing, in all honesty. Just because you’ve written out homophobia in your world, doesn’t give you a free pass to fall into homophobic tropes.

So, I guess, in the end, that was what made me like the last third of the book less than I might have (especially given how epic an ending it was). Regardless, it was a good book and a great conclusion to the duology. It was just that small part that let me down.

So IGNITE THE STARS was definitely funnier than ECLIPSE THE SKIES. I loved the dark humor, and snark. Unfortunately that’s missing this book. It kind of bummed me out because Ia’s dark wit was one of the highlights of the first book. Although after the ending of IGNITE THE STARS the lack of humor is... understandable.

This book follows the events after the first book. There were a lot of character developments and plot twists here which made for great pacing and page turning action. However, the story lost some of its appeal when the storyline became almost vague on the final part. Unless there is another book to follow the ending felt abrupt and felt incomplete. And I so loved where the characters are in terms of personal development as compared to the first book. Ia and Knives relationship was not handled properly I think. It could have been more!

Thank you to NetGalley, Maura Milan, and publisher Albert Whitman and Company for the opportunity to read Eclipse the Skies in exchange for an honest review. 

While I didn't quite enjoy this book as much as the amazing first installment, Ignite the Stars, this was still a fun, fast-paced read full of dramatic action in space, as well as a relatively satisfying end to the duology that I wasn't quite expecting!

As in the first book, this book follows three third-person limited perspectives: Ia Cōcha, Brinn Tarver, and Knives Adams.

With the appearance of Ia's brother, Einn, the universe is falling to chaos. With the death of the previous Aphelion headmaster, a man who was looking into wormhole science for the sake of jumping places more quickly and efficiently, the knowledge now falls to Brinn. Between the death of her family members, Einn's promises, and Ia's knack for dishonesty for her own gains, Brinn has a tough choice to make. Ultimately, she follows Einn, a warrenter of freedom at the rise of chaos. This is probably the only part of the book I truly disliked. While I found it interesting that Brinn would take this stance, as well as plausible, it just wasn't 100% believable enough that the motive was powerful enough for her to do this. If anything, I feel like she would have gone to Knives. But of well.

Einn wants Ia dead and Ia wants Einn dead. When Einn commands mutual friend Goner to kill Ia, he nearly succeeds. Einn and Brinn think Ia is dead while Knives and Ia's ee help her recover from a fatal gunshot wound.

Together Knives and Ia must figure out some way to take on Einn. With Brinn on his side, the power of science will be in his favor. The power to travel through and pull from other universes. Ia follows a myth to find the only way she can think of to bring her brother down, but perhaps what she needed was within all along.

Did I mention there is a black hole? We know what black holes out in space do, right?

I enjoyed the science in this novel, though it did feel a bit out of place on occasion. I enjoyed the ship race that Knives entered. It has a very visual Star Wars or Outlaw Star feel to it. As much as I loved Ia as a character in the first novel, I felt a bit disconnected from her in this novel. I also thought Brinn was downplayed a bit and could have done much more for her part. Einn had his moments, but he was also rather blah. The end was interesting. I neither like nor dislike what happens to the main players in this story. Overall, the end was satisfactory.

Like I said, not the same excitement I had as with the first book (in which I could not shut up to friends or social media about it), but still a quick, fun read with a great deal of fighting action in space and decent dramatic buildup to the end of this duology. What's next, Maura? :)

Maura Milan packs the punches and sends readers on a thrilling adventure through space in ‘Eclipse the Skies’!

Is there ever a clear side to choose from when a war begins? Maura Milan takes readers inside the minds of her characters to answer this question.

'Eclipse the Skies' begins right where 'Ignite the Stars' left off. After her brother tried to kill her, Ia is now fighting with the Olympus Commonwealth to take him down. Brinn is loyally by her side and Knives has just been appointed as the headmaster of Aphelion. All three of their lives have completely changed. They’re filled with both anger and grief for the people they once were.

The plot moves at a slow pace but this allows readers to dive deep into the motivations of each character. Ia, Brinn, and Knives are the best part of this series and Maura Milan develops them so well in 'Eclipse the Skies'. Without giving away spoilers I will say that they each end up broken in different ways. And when they are at their lowest they start questioning whether any of this is worth the pain. How large of a role do they play in this war? Do they believe in what they’re fighting for? Ultimately, they each fight for themselves, hoping they’ll save their people along the way.

It’s inspiring to read through each of their POV’s, and readers are sure to relate to one of them. Especially considering the way the plot and politics correlate with our own world. This made 'Eclipse the Skies' intriguing to read, as well as a bit heartbreaking when things hit too close to home. I applaud Maura Milan for exploring these topics, though.

This book is a lot darker than the previous one. I was somewhat disappointed because it’s missing that spark that made Ignite the Stars different from other sci-fi books. But, after finishing it, it made perfect sense why Maura Milan chose to tell the story in a different way this time around. With the slower plot it became a more character-driven story and everyone was well written — even the ones deemed evil.

'Eclipse the Skies' will take readers on a gripping adventure! There are many twists sprinkled throughout to enjoy and the final act of this book is all action, which was a lot of fun to read. I’m personally torn on the ending of this series and I think a lot of readers will be as well. It’s gut wrenching and beautiful at the same time. Prepare your heart for a great conclusion to this fantastic series!

E-galley provided by Netgalley and Albert Whitman & Company in exchange for an honest review. All quotations and opinions are based an uncorrected proof

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"All legends originated from seeds of truth. And this was her truth. In the beginning, she was just one name. She was Ia Cōcha. She had gotten this far because of her skill, her guts, and her self."

So this book is essentially everything I said about the last book 100x. I really felt like this book was everything I wanted more of from the first book. All the characters, the stakes, the action...etc. It was full on awesome.

The Story: The first book was a series of ups and downs, fasts and slows that keep you on edge. The second book is more all fast never slow the whole time. Yes, it did slow down sometimes, but the intensity never let up. The stakes of this book were drastically raised, I occasionally couldn't believe that it was the same series. This book also has some really weird things I never could have expected. Like- just weird. It was awesome. The villain was able to really come into play and it was absolutely insane.

Villains are tricky for me, I'm never a big villain person and its really hard to get me invested in one. However the villain of this book,(view spoiler) was so interesting to read. Especially from Brinn's point of view. I am a sucker for a villain who runs on chaos and also those who are just really manipulative, but really good at it. There was definitely a scary level of chaos in this book that kept me constantly on my toes. It was also very interesting to think about.

Speaking of Brinn, I have had a weird opinion on her, but this book really made her amazingly complex. The way she is driven to extreme forms of herself by the villain, but also just by the injustice of the world she lives in. Brinn is easily the character with the most development over the course of the series and its written so well that I was super invested in every second of it. Honestly, if nothing else her character development alone made the book super worth the read.

Knives as well was amazing to read. Everything about his character got developed and he really had a lot of development as well. You really get a chance to understand how everyone who he's cared about in his life has changed who he is as a person.

And as for Ia....well she was my most favorite part of all of it. Everything about this book just really showed off what makes her such an incredible and compelling character. She was hope, in every way a hero can be. She was funny, charismatic, brutal, intense, compassionate, and determined. I know that I'm repeating myself by saying this book pushed her to her brink, but yeah it did. Ia was especially difficult to read, but it also just the most impact.

TL;DR Look, this book is absolutely the epic conclusion you're hoping for. It's thoughtful, intense, full of action and heart. Most of all the ending will leave you blubbering and needing so much more.

Maura Milian's second installment to the Ignite the Stars series is all about the moving pieces to get everyone and everything in their place for what is sure to be an epic part three! Split into three POVs once again, you really get the sense - through Maura's writing - that she knows these characters and what she wants for each of them. The journey thus far has been a fun one, but Eclipse the Skies takes kind of a pause to really dig deeper into each character. I've heard "soul searching" used to describe the overall theme of the story and I would absolutely agree. I continue to love this and can't wait for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Albert Whitman & Company for the eARC if Eclipse the Skies. All thoughts are my own.

Wow! What a sequel to Ignite the Stars. I was in love with the first book, and could not wait to get my hands on the second installment. It did not disappoint. Maura Milan took me on a journey of hope and pain. The ending was devastating, yet beautiful. I’m sad to have reached the end.

We return to where the story left off in Ignite the Stars and see the same characters try and move towards peace among space. The character development continued with each character, and I enjoyed following them through set backs, losses, and finding inner strength.

I did feel like the book was too short. To me, it seemed like something was missing, and the timing went by too quickly. But overall, I truly enjoyed Eclipse the Skies and am sad to see the story end. If you have not read this series yet, I would recommend it for a fun YA read.

3.5 stars

Eclipse the Skies was a satisfying conclusion to the Ignite the Stars duology. I loved seeing my favourite characters again and the growth they went through over the course of the book.

Eclipse the Skies had a great plot, lots of development and an ending I didn’t see coming.

I loved reading all the different POVs, and certain characters really took a different path to what I thought they would, so I loved being surprised in that respect.

My overall rating is really based off my own personal feelings about the ending of the book. The entire book I really enjoyed because it had everything I love about a sci-fi adventure, but the ending was not something I enjoyed personally. If I wasn’t so picky it would definitely be a lot higher and I know other readers who enjoyed Ignite the Stars will really like this book too.

The thing that I enjoyed most though was the character development. I felt that it was a key feature for many of the characters and it didn’t detract from the main plot, which was great! So often you read a book that develops characters but sacrifices the story, and thankfully this was not the case in Eclipse the Skies.

If you enjoy sci-fi adventures with multiple POVs then this book and Ignite the Stars is something you should try!

Eclipse the Skies is an enthralling and action-packed series ender.

Eclipse the Skies started where it left off in the first book, Ignite the Stars. Here, we get to follow what happened after IA discovered what her brother did, and what the other characters are up to. Also, we still have the three POVs from IA, Brinn, and Knives. Having their own POV really helped because I was able to get to know the reasoning behind every decision they made and chose. The plot is great, and the story consists of both slow and fast-paced narration. I liked the flow more when I reached halfway to the end.

The story also touches some topics like protests of the refugees, discrimination against the refugees, war, sibling relationship, friendship, family, LGBTQ characters (the two queens and Eve), power/authority, violence, and death. It also has characters which you will like and hate. And, of all the characters, I’m also interested in some of the minor characters like Goner and Kami. I kind of remembered Klaus in Goner in some ways and I find him irritatingly funny.

IA Cōcha. In this book, I witnessed the weaker side of her – how she lost hope and have it back again. And how she grows as a person is amazingly good to see. Her journey since the start is not easy, but she was still able to break down the walls that tried to stop her. And I find her inspiring for not giving up, and continuing to fight, no matter how scary what’s in front of her.

Brinn Tarver. I hate her. She became irrational, and I hate how she reasoned out to herself why she was doing this and that. But, I somehow understand her because what she had been through was hard, especially when it has something to do with her family.

Knives Adams. I see him developed too as a character. He became stronger and courageous to face whatever they encounter. He still tries something, even if it seems impossible, hopeless, or difficult.

Overall, I’m giving this five cups for being one of my favorite YA sci-fi and for letting me get introduced to the characters and their life in the future. I’m recommending this to everyone who wants to read a book set in space, and to those who would like some action-packed and exciting story.

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader’s copy via Caffeine Book Tours.

First off, this book DESTROYED ME. How dare Maura Milan do this to me?? Can someone tell me if there will be another book ASAP?

I just can’t take it. Milan’s writing has improved so much and I was thoroughly engrossed in the second instalment of this series. Eclipse the Skies is a wonder of a book. We get a little more world-building, more character development and deeper writing.

I really loved this book, except for the ending of course, but no spoilers.

The characters are really what drives this story. So much happened in terms of the plot, but I greatly enjoyed the journeys each character went on. They were so different and so poignant, there’s really something that everyone can identify with.

Once again my favourite character was Brinn. She’s more the morally grey character that I can identify with, and I can totally understand her reasonings and her motivations. I loved watching her grow and come into her own, even though there are a few bumps in the road.

I do wish we had more time between her and Ia, to mend their broken friendship a bit, but I guess that just makes the ending bittersweet.

Ia had more of an emotional journey to take in this book, and I loved every part of it. I did miss her snark and the banter between her and Knives, but this book has some dire situations.

I also liked the lack of a love story between her and Knives, it’s there, they care, but it’s not at the forefront of the book. The growth of the characters was more important and I enjoyed that.

This is such a fun sci-fi adventure book with a cliff hanger that makes me want more! While I think it was a slower pace book because of its storyline, it still packed some punch. I missed the same amount of witty banter from the first but my favorite characters go through tough circumstances that make them so much stronger. I enjoyed the twists and turns, betrayals, and surprises. Great diverse space opera that stands out in the genre for its suspense, cast of characters, and ethical dilemmas concerning corporations, military, refugees, chaos, power, and so much more

I loved the first book in this series but I couldn't get into this one. I found it confusing and all over the place. I'm not one to DNF books but I made it about 75% in before I realized that I didn't care about the characters and the plot.