This is original and such a fun read. I think it will find a large readership at any larger library.

This is one of those books that I will force on people. It's sooooo good and you should pick it up. Come for the reverse Indiana Jones, stay for the moral quandries.

*I received a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review*

CW’s: Violence, some course language, sexism and racism, books interrogates colonialism, especially in museums and archives.

My Rating.

Right off the bat, I liked the first few lines, I love books with academia in them (the MC is a PhD student, we need more of those in books, woman characters with grad degrees). I just find those types of characters fascinating. I liked the museum and archive setting in the beginning of the book. I can’t help but love museums, libraries, and archives. Not just as a reader, but as a historian and future librarian. I connected with Pickle in that way (that’s the most Iconic Name Ever, by the way) they just loved their job and their work so much, which was a nice comparison to Maya’s approach to her job.

Maya was an interesting character from the jump, making her imperfect and a little morally gray was a brilliant move, it made her more real. She came off as more complex and multi-dimensional, and I think that’s due to the way she was written and Kitasei’s ability for characterization. Also, Maya being in her 30s was a breath of fresh air. I love protagonists who aren’t super young, they’re easier to relate to. Also extra shout out for a grad student in her 30s!

I also want to note just how accurate the portrayal of museums and archives is. I don’t know if the author has worked in one before, but down to the guests’ questions, it’s spooky how good that portrayal was. Even Pickle as an assistant archivist was accurate. I could totally see someone like Pickle working in an archive.

The pacing was relatively okay, it wasn’t super quick-it took about 20% to get going, but I’ve read much worse where books took even longer or didn’t deliver on the plot at all.

Also, I’m loving every character so far by 22%, Wil is amazing, Medix is a cute robot companion, even if Medix is man shaped. But I love Wil already. I’m totally shipping Wil and Maya early on.

I really liked the progression of the plot and the world building. I do feel like the world building was heavier in the beginning, and there was a bit of frontloading. But I think Kitasei does a really good job with how she fleshes out the world.

As for the characters. I think their motivations and the reasons they change are really realistic, the academics are mission driven, which is really realistic. Wil, a veteran and former soldier, is also mission driven, but she also has the complexities that come with a character who has obviously seen some kind of combat or horror. She’s stubborn and can be a bit too much sometimes, but I think she, like Maya, are due complex personalities. The both of them need to be complex because we deserve more complex women who are flawed. And both Maya and Wil are flawed.

Maya’s flaws are a breath of fresh air, she’s very “Type B” and that provides a conflict and a barrier in her success in academia. Her changing motivations for being and staying in school are also really well connected to her character. She believes in her field and believes in expanding her field, she believes in preservation and education about other cultures and I think having a character in anthropology, like in a growing number of other books, is a unique job but the Sci-Fi rather than fantasy aspect provides an even more unique twist. But the way Maya approaches her work, and struggles with work is refreshing. The author allows her flaws to be academic without sacrificing the fact that she’s intellegent. She’s allowed to be closed off and guarded but still compassionate and caring. Wil is allowed to be closed off too, but simultaneously loyal and protective and driven. Kitasei’s character’s, in particular in her non-men ones, are allowed to be dynamic.

I think she does a great job with Liam too. Liam has a goal, has motivation, and has purpose. And that guides what side he’s on, even if it means risking his safety and his career. He cares about his field but also isn’t willing to sacrifice lives and cultures to do so.

The villains feel realistic, and their motivations match motivations in the real world. Plenty of museums see stealing artifacts as part of preservation of culture, and the villains of the novel are the same way. And the book doesn’t shy away from critiquing that while making dynamic villains.

I think the book provides a really good commentary on the museum and archive, and how it’s a tricky balance between education and preservation and stealing artifacts that don’t belong there. Marginalized cultures having artifacts stolen from them for the sake of preservation undoes the aim of preservation, and *the Stardust Grail* touches on that. Having a character driven to complete a heist not because of the money, but because she believes in restoring artifacts to their rightful owners is such a nice spin on the trope.

I’ll just have to settle for what I got at the end, I guess.

need a book 2 immediately. Maya hashimoto is a retired thief and now grad student. When her old friend A uncle comes with one last job, Maya has to decide if she will take it to save a people. Part anti-colonial Indiana Jones, part Firefly, part fish out of water, part heist novel the Stardust grail is everything a person could want.

I particularly enjoyed the aliens, and how alien they are. I loved the found family potential of the crew. I loved, Loved the ending, and I absolutely cannot wait for more.

Did I mention that there were neo pronouns?

Also, did I mention that there's disability rep?

If you haven't read this yet, absolutely pick it up.

This was a fantastic space opera about friendship, what it means to be human, discovery, and the fact that the search for knowledge can cause harm to the communities visited by those seeking it. I related deeply to the critiques of academia and it's failings, as someone apart of that world. While the quest for knowledge is noble, some terrible crimes against certain communities occur in the pursuit of it sometimes. The entire fight of CNE vs Frenro was explored thoroughly in this book and really showcases some of the near impossible ethical choices that are made for a "greater good". Besides the Frenro, there are lots of other species that have begun space exploration and are aware of each other.

This entire book was an adventure that kept me turning the pages quickly. It was humorous and heartfelt. Auncle and Maya's relationship is complex and explored through many difficult experiences. At the end of it all they both just want to help their friend but must struggle through hurt caused by the other and also make hard choices when their own species are involved. The final world explored is not as safe for humans as thought and at this point this sci-fi gains some thriller/horror elements. Overall this was an action-packed, fun, and exciting novel that did a fantastic job exploring the themes it set out to tackle.

4/5⭐️ To be honest I didn’t know what this book was about! I was highly surprised that this was a sci-fi book! And then I was sucked in to this world! Absolutely enjoyed the ride of heist to get the Stardust Grail!

The Stardust Grail is a captivating blend of sci-fi and adventure, following a group of unlikely heroes on a quest for a legendary artifact. With vibrant world-building and rich character development, the story immerses readers in a universe filled with magic, mystery, and danger. This book was extremely entertaining and I can't wait to read more from the author!

The Stardust Grail is the sophomore standalone science fiction novel by Yume Kitasei. The main character and heroine, Maya Hoshimoto, is not exactly who she appears to be. With a background as a settler of the Outer Worlds who had left Earth, the former thief and current second-year PhD student abruptly finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime with her former friend and confidante, Auncle, who also happens to be one of the last remaining members of an alien race known as the Frenro, who were almost destroyed by a faction of another alien race called the Belzoar. Maya soon stumbles across a Frenro book that may hold secrets about the location of a grail that can give hope for a brighter future to Auncle, one of the last Frenro.

As a massive fan of Yume Kitasei’s debut, The Deep Sky, The Stardust Grail furthers Kitasei’s craft and sets her up as a diverse leading voice within modern science fiction and one who seeks to explore the bounds of interstellar friendship and what the meaning of humanity encompasses.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei!

This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended.

Started off strong but unfortunately dropped off sharply part way through. It was hard to stay engaged with the characters and the plot was no longer particularly interesting.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Maya, a graduate student & former thief, promises to help her dearest friend steal the object xyr species needs to repopulate. Only, with Earth’s military after them, & something destroying the pathways between space, everything is much more complicated than she had anticipated.

This was gorgeous. Heists? Yes. Heists in space? He’ll yes! This is was the reverse Indiana Jones story I have always wanted! Maya’s a thief who regularly stole artifacts and returned them to the alien species they belonged to along with her best friend, a Fenro named Auncle.

This had a wildly diverse & interesting cast that I loved every member of, & a twisty turny plot that kept me hooked. I was wondering where this story could go around the half way point, and then we dove headfirst into the rest of the universe and I was swept away.

There was a bit of a slow start, & a little info dump heavy sometimes, but well worth the read. And definitely putting Kitasei on my radar for future projects.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron books for this arc.

THE STARDUST GRAIL by @yumewrites was an exceptional queer, cozy mystery set in space! This is my second from this author and I never knew I needed cozy otherworldly mysteries until I read them! Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers, @macmillan.audio and @flatiron_books for the audio-ARC and physical ARC.

I loved these characters, their relationships, their flaws and their strengths!

Read this one if you like:

💚Found family
🖤Cobbled together heist
💚Hard truths and forgotten memories
🖤Cast of memorable unique characters

Also I have to give a shout out to the narrator, @katharinechinactor for her excellent narration of the audiobook! There was a part of the book where basically all the characters voices are spoken together and it was impressive how well she did! Really rounded out the story.

I loved this title and apologize for not noticing I didn’t submit the feedback sooner. I have recommended this title several times. Thank you for the advanced copy.

I had really loved Kitasei’s debut, The Deep Sky and had really liked the themes she had built her story around. I definitely went into this one with high expectations and it absolutely didn’t disappoint. There were a lot of elements to this story, and Kitasei kept the world building well balanced well with the action packed plot. Beyond all the action though, I loved the themes Kitasei explored in this one. The interspecies friendships and interaction really reminded me of Becky Chambers’ novels. I also loved the anti-colonialist commentary. I also think this will be an entertaining one to read even if you aren’t too familiar with sci-fi.

4.25 stars.

I really enjoyed this story. I love The Deep Sky and was super excited to see where this book went. We follow Maya Hoshimoto, a floundering grad student and former art thief who is contacted by their alien friend Auncle to do one last job - finding the legendary grail, which is the last chance for Auncle's species to have children. But Maya and Auncle aren't the only parties interested in the grail, and it quickly turns into a race against time as jump gates to other worlds start collapsing.

This is a very fast-paced book and I found it easy and engaging to read; I probably would have gone through 100 pages at a time if I could've! The relationship between Maya and Auncle is incredibly deep and complicated, and they played with my emotions the whole time. The ensemble cast were all endearing while still being dimensional and flawed. I liked that Kitasei took a pretty serious look at topics like anthrocentrism and how history is written. Although this is definitely a heist book, it does engage with real issues and has a lot of heart. My only complaint is that I wish some of the side characters were more fleshed out. I still had a great time and would gladly read five more books about Maya and the crew's adventures.

What do you get when you cross:
- an telepathic octopus alien with a slight air of recklessness hellbent on achieving their goal
- a female human space colonist/ex-treasure hunter/PhD hopeful with the most authentic inside voice I've ever read (anxiety, fears of the future, hope for the future, and high self-confidence all bundled altogether)
- a distrustful human "Space Marine" fighting against her in-bred prejudices
- an ex-military military droid who longs for sentience
- and one fully-fleshed universe with space travel and multiple species of aliens?

You get one very good space quest book with found family and lots of emotion (and a high dose of horror that comes squarely in the second half - I wasn't expecting it but it was THRILLING). This found family is on the quest for the titular Stardust Grail and the twists and turns along the way are honestly some of the best I've read yet. I don't usually externally react to plot twists but there's on in particular that made me scream out loud at midnight (I also don't usually stay up late reading books, so if that doesn't make you pick this up, I don't have much more I can really say to convince you). I've heard that Yume Kitasei's debut book is very book, and I believe it based on the caliber of "The Stardust Grail" alone.

tldr: really interesting, though-provoking read, while still having a fun space heist.

this would be a great book to discuss with people because it poses so many moral questions. these questions also made for a great reading experience, so I won’t say too much here—so that you can read it for yourself—and I’ll just give you a quick list of the things I loved.

the first has got to be the worldbuilding. you get the flavor for that right away and woven effortlessly throughout. this is a grounded and thoughtfully envisioned potential future world for us earth folk. the ways in which the different space-faring peoples were imagined felt open and curious (actually, the whole book felt this way, now that I say it). seeing how different forms of life were imagined and communicated with each other and were different and alike was super interesting.

next, the plot. a good amount of stuff happens. I think there’s three core big events in this story and a different writer would’ve stretched these three events to two, maybe three, books. it’s to Kitasei’s credit that they spent enough time with each event to make its full impact known and felt, while maintaining an efficient pace. as much as I love a good series, I don’t think this would’ve been as impactful had it been stretched out. This is tight, quick novel, asking big questions of its characters and readers and I really like that.

lastly, the aforementioned big moral questions. without saying too much, it asks questions of responsibility, and blame. about life’s biological impulse to survive, and the things that can make people do. about fear, and the things that can make people do. people and *a people*. all of this from an anti-colonial viewpoint which (back to the worldbuilding) was set-up for the main character through her background growing up on earth-colony during wartime.

speaking of the characters’ backgrounds, they created this interesting blend of perspectives in our main crew that lent itself well to the discussions being had. they all felt round and real. I especially appreciated the complex relationship between Maya and Auncle, particularly as it changed in the second half of the book. I do wish we got a little bit more personality from our characters—not that there wasn’t any but because I’m a reader who really loves that stuff—but I understand it taking a slight backseat here.

that’s all! go enjoy this book<3

Anyone up for a space heist with a human, a “retired” soldier, a robot who has tweaked his programming, and an alien? How about if they were on a quest to find the grail?

This book was a fun space adventure meets heist story, I enjoyed the characters, but would have liked to get to know Will more. She was one of my favorites.

On the whole it was a good book and certainly worth a read.