I liked the idea of this overall, and I liked all of the representation for sure! I don't know that I totally understood how Kindreds work, and I think the world-building could have been built even more because what I saw I really enjoyed. I also wasn't expecting the link to Sound of Stars--clever, but I don't know if this should have been the first one or not.

Love a romance that's also set against a sci-fi world with a complex class system that actually dissects societal issues at the same time. Plus, there's also adventure and tons of emotion as these characters discover themselves, craft friendships, and fall in love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

There’s no lack of things I loved about The Kindred. First of all, I have so much admiration for what Alechia Dow has done with the world building. It’s one of those settings or world building kernels where I’d spend days inside. There’s a sense of history, of thought, and attention to detail. From every moment whether it be the social structure or the past, Alechia Dow’s world blooms in front of you. Secondly, the characters, Felix and Joy, are so fully dimensional, quirky, and charming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this DRC.
I enjoyed Kindred, especially this science fiction elements.
#TheKindred #NetGalley

Alechia Dow writes some of my favorite YA scifi and The Kindred was no exception. It's smart, engaging, and has good positive fat rep, which is desperately needed in sff spaces.

This was my first Alechia Dow book and it was really fun! I absolutely would have loved this as a teen. As an adult, it was a little cheesy and predictable - but I did definitely still enjoy it.

The vibes when they came to Earth were really fun, and I loved the social commentary and self-acceptance aspects!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and enjoy.

I loved Alechia Dow's novel so I was quick to pick this one up. This one felt a lot more like contemporary YA with a bit of sci fi thrown in - I loved what she included, particularly the idea of kindreds and mind links, but I wished she had leaned into the sci-fi more. This hits all the other boxes with plus size rep and addressing racism, strong, likable characters, As Joy and Felix moved from their home planet to Earth, it felt like a switch was thrown and we went from sci fi to more standard YA and we lost a bit of what they were escaping from as they dealt with Earth issues.

Despite that, I really enjoyed it and the characters. It was fast paced and fun.

I have finally come to the conclusion that I’m just not a sci-fi girly, even though I’ve tried to read the genre many times. The main characters were annoying and childish and honestly I preferred the side characters more. I couldn’t get into this book and it was a huge disappointment to me after hearing great things about this book. It might be an amazing read to some people but it just wasn’t for me.

I will be completely honest here: this book did not manage to pull me in at all and I did not even finish it.

This book is one with a lot of heart and cute moments! I liked reading about Joy and Felix and them working together! I did find the execution a bit lacking though, I expected more from the sci-fi setting.

A swoon worthy scifi! Just can't go wrong with that. It is more niche than fantasy romance but this a quality addition to the genre. Also the cover is pure art! High rec where this genre is popular!

This book started out a little slow and a bit all over the place, but once you really get to know the characters, you really start to love this book. There were a few confusing bits in terms of the world and what the aliens did and didn't know once getting to earth, but it was fun to have perspective from the aliens, rather than from the people of earth. 3.5 rounded up.

This review is based on an advanced reader's copy.

I loved this book and wanted to be a kindred. How cool does that sound? Being linked with someone who knows you inside and out with little to no effort. Sign me up. An original take on star crossed lovers and being the "wrong" person for each other.

I really enjoyed this book and I really can't wait to read more books from this author in the future. The writing was really great.

I really liked the premise. I really liked the introduction and the lead up to the action. I really liked the two leads, who felt real, even in all their teenage mess of hormones. There could have been more world building, but it’s a hard balance with YA. But then our alien friends went to Earth, where they had to deal with racism against Black and Middle Eastern, and shopping for plus size clothing (since our lead is described over and over as “round”). This carries on for a huge portion of the book. This was selected as more important than the pending galaxy war, than the potential murder of their parents, or anything else that the story could have brought forward.

To sum up, it’s a good story that many of our kids will relate to and deals with important issues. I just had such high hopes for a book written by an emerging Black female author about aliens with links in their heads, that it wasn’t going to feel preachy about how much racism sucks and that it was going to be different from the others that have been released recently by Black authors. Unfortunately it was more of the same, which is fair, because racism is awful and racism still exists and Black people have been mistreated for decades. This is what she knows, so this is what she writes about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC.

The Kindred was absolutely adorable. I loved the plot and the characters. The fact that earth was like our Mars was a fun twist to the story. The friends that they meet on Earth added to the story by a lot. It wasn't just a story set in space but also included familiar things. The romance between Joy and Felix was pure. My only negative note was that certain aspects were repetitive. For example, they mentioned Joy's weight all the way through the book, it got redundant. It's amazing to have a plus size character but we get it. I will definitely reccommend the Kindred.

I spotlighted The Kindred as book of the day and included it in my weekly and monthly roundups of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction platforms.

On the distant planet of Hali, Kindreds are mind-pairings that connect two people throughout their lives, whether they are rich or poor. Joy Abara is an ordinary girl, but she’s known for being the Kindred of Duke Felix Hamdi. They are closer than two people can be. Some people marry their Kindred, but Joy and Felix can’t marry since he’s from a noble family. Despite that, they still want to meet and continue their close relationship. However, when the royal family is assassinated, Felix is next in line for the throne and he is also the prime suspect. Joy is also a target since she is so close to Felix. He finds Joy and they escape to a distant planet called Earth. They have to navigate Earth while also fleeing from the those hunting for them and learning to love each other.

This was a fun science fiction story. The idea of Kindreds was exciting and terrifying. The Kindreds had a special and unique bond. They experienced everything together, even if they had never met. They could hear each other’s thoughts and feel each other’s feelings. The downside is that they can feel each other’s pain, and potentially die if their Kindred dies. This made Joy vulnerable when Felix was in trouble and created a lot of conflict and tension.

Music was an important part of this story, just like it was in Alechia Dow’s novel The Sound of Stars. This story also featured some of the same musicians that were in that book, so they were set in the same world. I love it when there are subtle connections between books like that. The ending of this book was also open to a continuation, so I hope there will be more books set in this world.

The Kindred is an exciting new story!

Thank you HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book.