Praise for Amid Stars and Darkness:
"A thoughtful, sexy adventure with winning characters just begging for a bedtime read." —VOYA
"Feener’s world-building is excellent, and readers will feel engulfed in the culture, politics, and technology. The romance between Delaney and Ruckus develops slowly and satisfyingly. Give to fans of Melissa Landers’s Alienated and Ally Condie’s Matched." —School Library Journal
"This debut makes for fun, fluffy reading." —Booklist
“This story was amazing! The character development, the romance, the tears, such an emotional rollercoaster!” —Hannah B., reader on SwoonReads.com
“Aliens, sexy soldiers, romance, cliffhangers... guys this book has everything!” —The Blonde Bookworm, reader on SwoonReads.com
“I absolutely loved it. It hooked me right from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. It had so many great twists and turns and I loved that I couldn't predict what was going to happen. I loved the characters and their development throughout the story.” —Emmasgems, reader on SwoonReads.com
“A thrilling high-stakes read. From the very beginning I was sucked in and pulled along this intense journey filled with danger at every turn.” —Ashley, reader on SwoonReads.com
In Feener’s debut novel, Delaney just wants to enjoy a night out with her best, alien-infatuated friend. She finds the otherworldly Xenith (Earth-living aliens) boring. Unfortunately, she is kidnapped and wakes up on a spaceship where she is mistaken for the alien princess, the only being who can save two civilizations or tip them into war. Desperate to get back to her regular life before she is assassinated, she deals with a growing affection for her new bodyguard and the interest of “her” potentially murderous husband-to-be, the prince. Amid Stars And Darkness thrives on the strength of its characters, especially Delany. While kidnapped and stuck in a mistaken-identity plot, her natural rebelliousness, willingness to empathize, and above all, trueness to self make for a gripping protagonist. Her relationship with her Earth-bound best friend and her ability to keep the endgame in sight are especially endearing. The rest of the cast consists mostly of large and conventionally attractive men, one of whom is the tough but kind love interest and another of whom fills the creepy but complex, maybe-villain, betrothed role. The catalyst, Princess Lissa Olena, is both a truly terrible person and a sympathetic pawn in an unhappy situation (but mostly just terrible). The worldbuilding exists mainly to hold up the plot, occasionally clever but more often kitschy. A true weak point is the fight scenes, chiefly Delaney’s amazing facility with combat and the incompetence of nearly all the bad guys. The total package, however, is a thoughtful, sexy adventure with winning characters just begging for a bedtime read. Reviewer: Lisa Martincik; Ages 12 to 18.
06/01/2017
Gr 9 Up–In the future, aliens from the planet Xenith have made contact with Earth and live among us. Mistaken for an alien princess, Delaney Grace is kidnapped by Ruckus, an alien soldier. Through alien technology, Delaney's appearance has been altered so that she looks exactly like Lissa Olena, a princess of the Vakar people. In an effort to escape an arranged marriage, selfish Lissa hides on Earth while Delaney assumes her identity to prevent war between the two factions on Xenith: the Vakar and the Kint. During her time on Xenith, Delaney must undertake royal duties; fool Olena's fiancé, Trystan, into believing she is Olena; deal with her growing feelings for her guard Ruckus; and survive multiple assassination attempts. Feener's world-building is excellent, and readers will feel engulfed in the culture, politics, and technology. The romance between Delaney and Ruckus develops slowly and satisfyingly. Delaney's insecurities about Ruckus not being able to see her true face are believable and add vulnerability to her character. There is plenty of action to keep teens engaged and wanting more. Sexual content makes this book suitable for more mature readers. A cliff-hanger ending will leave readers anxious for a sequel. VERDICT Give to fans of Melissa Landers's Alienated and Ally Condie's Matched. Purchase where sci-fi is popular.—Ashley Leffel, Griffin Middle School, Frisco, TX
