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Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander by Christian Hurst is an exciting YA science fiction novel. Waking up with no memory and only a name tag to guide her, Lily Starling is thrust into a galaxy-spanning conflict in this sweeping sci-fi adventure. Whisked aboard the Salamander by a crew of future space Fleet officers who claim she’s one of their own, Lily must rediscover her past to save the future. Hunted by the psionic Krythar and racing against time to stop a universe-altering weapon, Lily must decide whom to trust: the strangers who call her family or the instincts telling her she’s on her own. With a found family of quirky, battle-worn allies, she journeys across the stars in search of answers, identity, and a destiny she never saw coming.
Author Christian Hurst has a fantastic imagination and a cinematic description style that lends itself to this thrilling blend of space opera, memory mystery, and fierce found-family feelings. I loved the setting of the Salamander and the variety of characters who make up the crew. The attention to detail in their varying attitudes and little idiosyncrasies makes them feel real. This is a sci-fi novel with soul. Lily is a well-developed heroine with plenty of guts who I found myself easily rooting for, but it was also inspiring to watch her learn from those around her and grow from the challenges the plot throws at her. These are numerous and well-timed for great pace and excitement in the adventure, and the looming threat of Krythar was pitched with the right balance between tension and thrill. Overall, Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander is a bold and brilliant read that’s bursting with heart, and I recommend it as an interstellar epic you won’t forget.
