Sea of Stars (Kricket #2)

Sea of Stars by Amy A. Bartol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series.

Sea of Stars finds Kricket in a difficult situation. She's chased, captured, chased, captured, chased, rescued, chased, captured, rescued. Rinse and repeat. Sounds like it would be repetitive and boring - but it's anything but that. It's a page-turning adventure that never slows down.

The trouble here is that Kricket is the child of parents from two warring clans. There is a prophecy that one of them will fall. So the leaders of each one want Kricket for their own - and especially because she has the gift of foresight. She gets knocked down by visions of the future. This works both for her and against her, depending on whose company she is in. Both factions want her; to one she's a military weapon. To the other, she's the intended consort of a political leader (or so he's decided). Ultimately, she's a capable girl on the run for her life.

The world building in this book is amazing. The planet of Ethar is brilliant in description; the floating Ship of Skye, the Valley of Thistle, chases through a city being ravaged by battle, even a medic unit are vivid and real. The characters are rich. The soldiers from the first book, Under Different Stars, are back and are just as entertaining as before.

Kricket seems to be a character able to maintain the balance between a smart, independent woman and the classic damsel in distress. She loves her man Trey and invites his rescue and protection. But she's also a smart, saavy girl who can escape when she's captured. She's an alien girl raised as a human who's coping with this new world as best she can. She's making decisions on the fly and leading when required. She's the furthest thing from a fainting flower as you can get.

And this is evident with the introduction of some new characters who are exactly that. This planet has a culture where women are indeed the weaker sex and are completely dominated by men, even though they are the ones with the true power. Kricket throws all that away and constantly questions the status quo. She doesn't just meet circumstances on her own terms, she pushes other women to do the same. I love this character for the example she is.

Kate Rudd narrates this on audio. She is spectacular. Bartol is a great writer, but Bartol and Rudd are simply amazing as a team.

I cannot rave enough about this series. It is completely enthralling. Just read it.

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