This has to be my favorite sci-fi book of the year. If you love Star Trek and Martha Well's Murderbot Diaries, you will LOVE this book. The world building is fantastic, all of the different species of aliens were really cool, the character development was well done. It is so adventurous and suspenseful.

Lily Starling doesn't have nor know much, she has a tag with the name Lily Starling on it so she assumes that's her name, she's homeless and alone in the streets of San Francisco and is just trying to survive. But one night, she gets chased down by some strange looking people, and some of them are definitely not human. She goes with them and though she doesn't have any memories coming back to her, she's learning about who she is as she is now and making friends along the way.

(I received this as a arc)

I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely in the YA category, and it's targeted well to them considering the characters and their ages. The only critique I have, which is far more personal, is this book would have been just as great, if not better, if it wasn't in the YA category. If these characters were in their 20s or 30s, it really would have made things great. But there was nothing far-fetched either considering how this was written and its setting. The characters are interesting, the character arcs are great, the actions and dialogue is believable, and the plot is entertaining. There was, to me, a great twist I didn't see coming regarding the main character. How it was written I didn't even consider, so that reveal definitely got a good reaction out of me. This book hits all the themes it wishes to make. It's all about identity, struggling and adapting to a new reality, and finding family. It was written well, and it was a good pace.

I was enjoying this book, until I reached something that was definitely not meant to be there- a line from editing that sounded suspiciously like ChatGPT. I understand AI has its uses and I mean no disrespect to this author, who is self-published, which I know means he was working with limited resources. I even let it slide that the cover work was clearly done with AI, even though I normally don't agree with that. But when I read "This is a strong, engaging scene with great tension and dialogue. I've made some minor adjustments to enhance clarity, tighten the flow, and ensure the tone stays sharp and impactful:" in the middle of a scene that was my last straw, because not only is it clear AI was used to enhance the writing of this book, but no one even bothered to reread and make sure the comments were edited out. I couldn't get past that. Sorry to say it, as I was excited about the concept of this book. I hope the author is able to find ways to get his books polished and out into the world without using AI in the future.

"Because that's the real gift, isn't it? Not knowing all the answers. Not being invincible. Just being able to look up at the stars and finally understand: I'm not alone."
All I can say is wow...what a gripping read. Lily's journey to find her true identity in a universe filled with danger is so exciting and we, the readers, get to tag along. It's a page turner that kept me up late reading even though I needed to teach the next day.
I really love how diverse all the characters are. It makes for a crew that is both dynamic and fun. I especially like Datch, who's dry wit made me smile a lot. Taran and Ka-Lorrin brought humor and lightheartedness in otherwise somber situations. I wanted more of them. Lily is both sarcastic, stubborn and real. She's the herorine we all wish we could be.
I also appreciated the in-depth species profiles scattered throught the story. It helped create a full vision of each character.
If you enjoy space dramas, found families, and main characters who have no patience for nonsense and androids who have trust issues... then this book is for you.