I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

Okay, so I used to be a huge sci-fi reader as a teen, and this book was absolutely nostalgic, like the science fiction part, very well written, well thought, and thorough. I adored it, definitely a pleasure to read.

The characters, obviously my favourites were Ava and Shane, I am sorry but they were the best, and I loved their adventures, it was so much fun to read their parts. I wasn't that invested in Cyrus' story and his parts, he felt a bit unpolished, and I didn't really care for him for most of the book (I did in the end, but it was a hard time to get there).

I did have tears and got my heart broken, and I respect the author for so many things in this book, so I would definitely recommend this book if you want to read something that would break your heart and take you on an adventure between planets.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.75 | 😘=3(🙅‍♀️) | 🤬=2.75 | ⚔️=5 | 14/15+

Made of Stars follows two teenage outlaws, Ava and Shane––our Bonnie and Clyde––on the run from the law, and Cyrus, this guy who just graduated from one of those Space Teenager Academies that seems to exist as the inciting incident in at least 80% of YA Sci-Fi novels. shenanigans ensue, spaceships are stolen, evil government plots are unearthed, laser blasts, kissing, murder, etc.

the chemistry between these characters was IMPECCABLE––I love love loved their dynamic. absolutely very Bonnie and Clyde, girlboss gaslight gatekeep energy in the best way possible. the worldbuilding was also really cool (if somewhat difficult to follow occasionally). it’s incredibly well-paced (I read this in maybe like three sittings) with a killer cliffhanger that made me both question and suddenly understand the rest of the book (like, in a really good way) and means I absolutely have to get my hands on book two.

however: while the three POVs were well-developed and fleshed out, I didn’t really understand the side characters; because the plot is so tense and chock-full of space heists (which, again, I love), it felt like I didn’t get any opportunity to learn about anyone other than Cyrus, Ava, and Shane. while I could tell the worldbuilding made sense to the characters and the author, I was occasionally struggling to follow it, but also my brain cells have been prone to melt out of my ears lately so it might be my fault.

I enjoyed this book! Ava and Shane were great well thought out characters very morally grey which I love. Cyrus was more in the background but became more prominent as the story went on and I grew to really like him! Jared was my favorite character 😂 He was the sassiest 15 year old boy ever. I don’t know the story of Bonnie and Clyde so I can’t speak to any of the references but this story was a wild ride! There isn’t enough YA sci-fi out there and it was nice to read one it’s been a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars! I love a good Bonnie and Clyde story. I don’t usually read sci-fi, but I enjoyed this book! Very fast paced and easy to read. I liked that even though we only got a couple of pages of how Ava and Shane met, I could still feel their connection and how much they cared for each other. It didn’t seem forced at all or like it was being told to me that they would do anything for each other.

A man who is devoted to a woman like Shane is to Ava is a man worth keeping around. It made him attractive to know he would do anything for her, whatever she asked. Ava and Shane were so fun. It was fun to read about characters who weren’t scared to get into danger.

Their back and forth and slight miscommunication is usually something I can’t stand, but this was done so well that I thought it really added to their relationship. So many times you thought, finally, this is the moment, but then nothing happens. It’s frustrating but not in an annoying way, it builds the tension so when it finally does happen, it’s that much better. Shane and Ava had such a beautiful relationship, they were perfect for each other in so many ways. Their journey to the end of the book was great to follow!

I liked Cyrus and Lark together, I do just wish we saw more of them together, even though that wasn’t the main point of the story. But I will admit that as funny as Lark was, he frustrated me a lot of the time by how he acted. I get why he did what he did, but it still made me angry. Cyrus was a bit of a stick in the mud, which I don’t usually like that type of character, but I warmed up to him pretty quickly. It turned into he was such a stick in the mud that when he did the opposite of what he normally does, he was funny.

I wish there was a better transition between Lark and Cyrus not being able to stand each other to liking each other. You could tell deep down they had a crush on one another even when they didn’t get along, but it still changed too quickly for me with no real explanation as to what changed. I know there was a bit of a time jump where they could have got closer, but I still would have liked to see it.

I know romance isn’t the main point of the book, but I enjoyed it when it was there so I could have done with more! If you are looking for a romance novel it is present, but it is not the main focus, so just be prepared for that.

I loved Jared, he was so funny and a nice bit of comic relief! I was so sad for him in the end though. And I liked Cornelia! They were great side characters. She could have been a bit more fleshed out but I still liked her. I loved Clara by the end of book. I wish there was more of an introduction to her character, but I do think it would have been a waste showing how Shane and Ava got their crew, so I am glad it was cut out. It just felt like at first it was told to us not shown that Clara loved Ava especially and they were really close friends. So sometimes I thought to myself why should I care about this character. But she grows on you quickly and then you can see, wow, her and Ava really loved each other, and it was beautiful to see a friendship like that.

It was sad to see, but I liked that Voris included Shane’s ptsd from being in the prison. It felt realistic. I also really liked that Ava could fend for herself! I love seeing a woman like that; not needing a man to always protect her.

I liked how the book had high stakes, lives were lost, people got hurt. You didn’t know if everything would be okay. We need more novels like that.

The ending didn’t feel super rushed, but I definitely could have used more chapters to tie everything together! I don’t think we will get a second book, but I wouldn’t mind one in the slightest. I don’t mind so much of an open ending, but I still think we probably could have had maybe five more chapters and we could have wrapped everything up. But if the author is leaving things open because there will be a second book then I don’t mind the ending!

This novel had great characters, lots of action and emotion. Highly recommend!

I can see how this book would be somewhat popular but, to me, there were too many jumps in logic.

I can see how this book would be somewhat popular but, to me, there were too many jumps in logic.

Bonnie and Clyde, this was not. It hurt me in a loveless, lawless way. I just did not get all the feelings everyone else seems to be getting from this sadly.

four our of five stars. decent pacing, interesting-ish characters and relationships, and nice world building, but I guess I am just not a science fiction type of reader. maybe this one will interest someone else, though:)

Made of Stars by Jenna Voris is a Bonnie & Clyde inspired YA scifi novel. After Ava's daring rescue of Shane from prison confinement they are posed to make their biggest steal yet. Cyrus - a new graduate from the flight academy - nearly catches the duo on his first assignment. Our Bonnie and Cylde discover a malicious plan in place that spells doom for their homeworld and they will stop at nothing to stop it. Cyrus is at a crossroads, stuck between the leaders he trusted and the truth.

I thought this novel was really unique and interesting! I haven't read scifi for a little while so this was like a breath of fresh air! I love novels set on concepts like this one is on Bonnie and Clyde. It's always so interesting to see where the author can take inspiration and create a vibrant story!

I'm not always a fan of pre-existing relationships and that is what I presumed Ava and Shane were but I was surprised to find that the book explored their beginnings with the use of flashbacks and further developed the two characters as the story progressed.

Cyrus was an interesting character to throw into the mix and I was interested to see if he would become a third-wheel to our Bonnie and Clyde, unable to stand apart from their spotlight. But I'm glad I was wrong! Cyrus's chapters provided new and interesting scenes that deepened the plot of the novel.

And I'm sorry - that ending?!?

I'd recommend Made of Stars to lovers of YA science fiction especially fans of Bonnie and Clyde type stories.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions contained within this review are my own.

It was awesome, a fast read and so hooking that I basically read it in 3 times and couldn't put it down otherwise. I'm always careful when I select a sci-fi happening in space because of terms and words I may not understand (as a non-english speaker, even in french I might not understand space stuff anyway lol), but that one was so easy to read and wasn't too heavy on the space stuff except for spaceships, asteroid, moon and jumps - so that was great!

I loved the Bonnie & Clyde vibe, I loved how we could follow Cyrus' side as well as he's supposed to try to catch them. It was really interesting and the way everything turned out was a good take and you could clearly see where things were directly putting what truly happened but in space and when some times things were a bit more open to fit in the book's plot. I have to say I mostly liked Jared, the couple's little hacker, than Ava and Shane themself - but they're made in a way that you can't really love them but also can't really dislike them, if you know what I mean? It was awesome to follow through their adventure but everything was so reckless lol. Really loved Cyrus's side and seeing his character developping like I wanted to - the ending was *chef kiss*!

The reason why it wasn't a 4.5 or even a 5 stars was that for most part we just forgot what was General Noth's priority : Nakara and inviding/using the undomed areas for mining. It just went nowhere and we didn't got anything about what happens next, maybe in an epilogue, of that planet. Also I would have really really loved an epilogue of Cyrus's doing maybe a couple months later! But maybe it stays open for a possible book 2?

*Also the repetition of the "razorsharp line" was taking me out of the book but I do hope it has been corrected before release, as I had an uncorrected proof~

Space Bonnie and Clyde sounds exactly like a novel I would be interested in, so let me explain why this book didn't work for me.

The reader is immediately shoved into the action of a prison break. Who are these characters? I have no idea. How are they able to break out of a highly guarded prison? No idea. Why should I care? No idea. Even after the prison break, the character dynamics are unclear. Do the mcs love one another? No idea. I'm not given information on their love for one another until later and even then, it's unclear why they aren't together yet. I also didn't care about Clyde's POV. He's a third mc who could've benefitted from more background characterization to make me care about him and his decisions.

Overall, I just didn't care. Corrupt space government? It's been done before and with greater success. I get what the author was trying to do, but it fell flat for me in every aspect.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me access to an early copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for early access to this read. I enjoyed the characters and the world. YA readers will enjoy the thrills and the fun!

I highly recommend Made of Stars. It's a sci-fi Bonnie and Clyde that's fast paced, tons of action, with political and military intrigue, and just an overall fantastic read. It's told in 3 POV and each character is well developed with many layers. I really loved the villainous, morally gray main characters, Shane and Ava. They had their own way of seeking revenge, infamy, and also save their planet from a military takeover by another planet, even if their methods are questionable. I also enjoyed the dynamic and tension (of many forms) between Cyrus and Lark.

I don't know if it's because I'm binge watching Clone Wars (Star wars) but this story gives me heavy Star Wars vibes and I'm all for it! It's marketed as Bonnie and Clyde but it's so much more than that, it's politics in space! Overall it was an enjoyable read. The author's writing was easy to follow and I loved all the different personalities in the crew.

RATING: 3 out of 5 Enchanted Roses

TAG LINE: He wants revenge, She wants fame. Together they’re wanted—dead or alive.

OPENING LINE:

ONE-WORD REVIEW: DAZZLING

REVIEW:

Huge thank you to Karina Halle and her PR team for an ARC of MADE OF STARS!

When I tell you I was excited when I heard MADE OF STARS was Bonnie and Clyde in space, that’s an understatement!

“Inspired by the lawless love story of Bonnie and Clyde, Jenna Voris’ heart-stopping tale of passion and crime will have you seeing stars.”

The premise of MADE OF STARS is a fresh, unique take on the classic lawless romance brimming with romantic tension, high-octane action, explosive heists, and humor. The story is fast-paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire read.

The story follows three main characters on a mission to thwart a top-secret plot involving the military leaders that rule Cyrus’ home planet. The space Bonnie and Clyde couple are Ava and Shane. Ava is an absolute BADASS. She’s explosive, shows no mercy, and takes no prisoners—especially when she when to makes shit happen. And let me tell you, Shane is very much a “touch her and you die” MMC.

"𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃," 𝒮𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒹, 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑒𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓃 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒜𝓇𝑒𝓈'𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝒷𝓈. "𝐼𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝑜 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒶𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝒷𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒹𝓊𝓂𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝒾𝓇𝓁𝑜𝒸𝓀. 𝒟𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹?"

"But if you touch her again," Shane whispered, pressing the barrel of his weapon between Ares's ribs. "If you so much as look at her, I will let her break every bone in you body before dumping you in the airlock. Do you understand?"

My only qualm about the couple is the slowburn. Gahhhh, the slowwwwwburn.

𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒶 𝒻𝓇𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒, 𝓉𝑜𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝒹𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅, 𝓊𝓃𝑒𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓈𝓂. 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒾𝑔𝓃𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝑜, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒, 𝒷𝑒𝑔𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁. 𝒜𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓃 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒶𝓈 𝒮𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝓊𝓉𝓉𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝑜𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈. 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓈𝒾𝓁𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝑔𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓅 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓈𝑜, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒽𝑒 𝓀𝒾𝓈𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃, 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓊𝓃𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒𝓈, 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝒹 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝓅𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝒹𝑔𝑒.

And caught in the middle of the couple’s escapades is Cyrus, the goody flight school valedictorian. He’s also like the space version of a cop with a very black-and-white sense of morals. It was interesting seeing his character arc change and soften as he gets to know Ava and Shane and falls for Lark.

All in all, MADE OF STARS was a fun read and perfect for fans of space heists, and lawless romance.

Happy Reading!
Ashley
www.TheTatteredPage.com

Actual Rating: 4.5 ★

I really really enjoyed Made of Stars by Jenna Voris! It feels like a wonderful Space Opera blend of Six of Crows, Robin Hood, and Bonnie and Clyde.

Did I like it? Yes. Absolutely. This was SO CLOSE to a 5-star read.
Shane and Ava are our Bonnie and Clyde duo who honestly remind me a lot more of Kaz and Inez from Six of Crows. We begin the book with Ava breaking Shane out of prison and carrying on with charming others and stealing ships.

We also follow Cyrus, a lowly boy who’s graduated top of his class from flight academy, the school for space cops, and he ends up in a position next to his main irritation and rival Lark.
Shane, Ava, and Cyrus end up crossing paths amidst a heist revealing a well-kept political secret that shakes the entirety of Cryus’ belief system.

We also meet Jared, the most adorable secondary character ever. I just want to give him a hug.

While I really enjoyed this a lot, I do think there is a lack of balance between the narration of the three main characters. I wished for a lot more of Shane, I feel like the discussions into his character and experiences were too sporadic to have much impact.

My suspension of disbelief was also sorely tested at some points cause this fell into the same trope that you find in Six Crimson Cranes where you have teenagers vs the world.

There’s so much intrigue, there’s a healthy balance of romance, drama, and intergalactic politics. It was action packed – though not exclusively in the air, which I wish there was more of – and there was a nice steady thrum of things happening throughout the book.

I knew the ending. And I was still heartbroken when it happened.

Do I need more? URGENTLY. The problem is I don’t see any indication anywhere that there’s going to be a sequel so I’m slowly dying inside. The ending is a little bit open ended so there is room for a sequel but it does come together nicely that I do think it can also just end there as well.

Overall, highly recommend, this was a blast to read! Thank you NetGalley, Jenna Voris, Penguin, and Viking Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

I saw “Bonnie and Clyde in space” and knew I needed to read this, and I’m so glad I did. This contained a perfect mix of focus on characters while still having a quickly-moving plot filled with scenes you’d expect from a sci-fi novel. I loved the mini heists we got to see, and really enjoyed the character dynamics. Ava and Shane were definitely the standouts for me and their story intrigued me more than Cyrus’s point-of-view chapters, but the whole book drew me in.

It was the type of reading experience where I desperately needed to keep going, but at the same time was dreading the end because I just didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters. Highly recommend this!!

ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. this in no way changes my rating or review.

this was so. damn. cool!!

the space politics in this?? the adventure? heists? romance? trauma? it was good, guys – really good. i’m not usually one that runs to read political tales – even when they’re set in space – but when it’s done well (such as in this book or in my fav ‘red rising’) suddenly i’m sucked into the corrupt, confusing, insane political world. and Jenna Voris wrote this space politics brilliantly, it was believable (or as believable as adventures in space can be), not too complicated to follow, and had twists and turns throughout the story.

the characters were also so masterfully written!! and (another similarity to ‘red rising’) this book was realistic. the characters didn’t always win, and there wasn’t a big happy ending where the bad guys laid down their weapons and everyone celebrated together – hell, it wasn’t even clear who was good and who was bad half the time. the moral greyness was exquisite!!

“What was the difference, really?
Two boys who could shoot and fly and kill. Two boys from opposite ends of the system, who fought their way out of the different kinds of prisons.”

the romance was another great aspect! in my opinion, the bonnie and clyde romance between Shane and Ava was a bit fast, i almost didn’t get enough development. but Lark and Cyrus? SO PRECIOUS. i loved both of them so damn much, i reallyyy wish we got more of both characters!! cannot wait to see more of Lark next book (fingers crossed!).

thank you so much to the author, publisher and netgalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review!

i definitely recommend this book, it was really enjoyable. thank you for reading!

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

Bonnie and Clyde meets Six of Crows in this fast paced, political space opera.

This book was a lot of fun, in a tragic sort of way. It was fast paced, explosive, and easy to get into. I often struggle with SciFi, especially space operas. They tend to be too dense and bogged down in the sciency details for me. I didn’t have that issue with this one. So if you’re looking for a denser, science focused SciFi with a lot of galactic history and worldbuilding—this may not be for you. But if you’re looking for a ragtag crew of teenage space criminals pulling off heists and saving their planet from a intergalactic dictatorship, this is definitely worth the read.
The only thing in this book that didn’t work for me was the romances. I never felt any chemistry between either romantic pairing. The relationships themselves were never developed. The friendship and history between Ava and Shane was well done. I could really feel that connection between them, but the the romantic aspects never translated for me. As for Cyrus and Lark… their entire friendship, relationship, connection did not work for me. We start out with Cyrus finding him a spoiled bully, and then we time skip and are just told “actually he’s not that bad. I maybe even have feelings for him?” But we see none of that development. In fact, we barely see any interactions between the two of them at all, and any real development between them is told in a summary of one to two sentences every few chapters. We don’t see any of it on page. It was… not convincing, to say the least.
I actually liked the characters as individuals, and I loved the platonic connections between Ava, Shane, and their crew.
The other pitfall of this book was that I couldn’t stop comparing it to Six of Crows. Yes, because of the heists, but even more so because the archetypes of each character matched up a little too closely with a crow. Shane is Kaz—a morally gray leader from the slums with PTSD, who will do anything to protect his people (especially the girl he loves) and his home (West Rama/The Barrel). Ava is less so, but I think she does fall similarly to Nina with her actress tendencies and using flirtation to be the distraction while still being totally badass. Jareth is Wylan. Cyrus is Matthias. Shane is the only one where it was so overwhelmingly similar that I couldn’t think of anything else, though. He felt like Kaz Brekker in a space opera fanfic. Which is totally fine, except that Leigh Bardug0 is such a master at her craft, that every time I thought of the similarities, this book fell short in its execution, compared to the masterpiece that is SoC. I really wish I hadn’t gotten that stuck in my head, because I think I would’ve enjoyed this book more if I’d been able to let it stand on its own.
Now that’s not to say it’s a bad book. It’s a good book, and I really do recommend it. I enjoyed my time reading it, and I look forward to what Jenna Voris does next.

Made of Stars is inspired by the story of Bonnie & Clyde but set in space.

Shane & Ava, our Bonnie & Clyde, have great chemistry & Cyrus easy could have been made to be a one demential bad guy but the author really fleshed out his character and gave him a heart.

I do have to warn you that it ends on a cliffhanger that will leave you needing the second book right away!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an ARC of this book!