Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi
LGBTQ+ Category: Lesbian
Reviewer: KA
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About The Book
Venturing to the skies was meant to be perfect…
While the crew don’t trust Jasyn to not blow a hole in the hull with her inconsistent ice-powers, engineering-savvy Atalanta fits in on the faulting sky ship like a well-oiled cog.
But never mind navigating the skies, what about navigating this crew?
Captain Herakles on a power trip. A sword-wielding stowaway. Doctor Orpheus with an attitude problem. An engine tech with an attitude problem. A flight-tech with an attitude– okay, you know what? There are so many attitude problems… do they all have to be aimed at Jasyn?
When an unexpected detour lands them on an unknown world, Jasyn gets her chance to prove herself, to finally spend time with Atalanta, and to live her dream of adventure.
The Sea of Stars is the second book in the Jasyn and The Astronauts series: An epic reimagining of myth. A lesbian sci-fi fantasy romance. With hidden powers and weather fronts formed of feelings, this is the kind of love story that moves the heavens. This is: Sapphic, swords & sorcery in space! Climb aboard and sail the sea of stars!
The Review
Jasyn and the Astronauts II: The Sea of Stars is the second installment in a sapphic sci-fi / fantasy reimagining of the epic Greek myth set in outer space. It can be read as a standalone book, but reading the first book is helpful for gaining a better understanding of the characters’ growth and motivations.
In The Sea of Stars, Jasyn and Atalanta are working aboard the [C]Argo on the quest for the Golden Fleece, but they aren’t cocky, larger-than-life heroes; instead, the novel focuses on them finding their place among the ship’s crew and their blossoming relationship together. Both protagonists are struggling with their own problems; Jasyn is still learning how to control her ice powers, and Atalanta is coming to terms with her upbringing and her past.
The author incorporates Atalanta’s deafness into the character’s feelings of isolation, as her transonic device is helpful in “hearing” problems with the ship’s electrical systems, but also isolates her by causing her to overhear conversations that she should not be privy to. As they are travelling, the [C]Argo crash lands on an ice jungle planet, and the crew needs to work together to rescue each other from danger. In the quest, both Jasyn and Atalanta learn more about themselves and how they work as a couple, as well as prove themselves as equals to their crewmates.
I really enjoyed the developing relationship between Jasyn and Atalanta in this book. So often the second book of a series treats an established couple as a perfect pairing, and the author makes a refreshing choice to show how fragile and tenuous Jasyn and Atalanta’s relationship is.
It is clear from their behavior that both protagonists have each other’s backs and are committed to growing together, but this book showcases a relationship that is still in the bridgebuilding phase. They each save each other time and again, but they rarely have an opportunity to work side-by-side to overcome obstacles together and build mutual trust. This tension forces the reader to emotionally invest in a future installment to see if and when they will prevail as a couple, and how they will grow together. 5 stars.
The Reviewer
KA Masters [she/her] is an ace author who writes queer fairy tales and historical fantasy. Although she believes that every good story needs elves and / or explosions in them, her most recent publication, “Sappho in Violet and Gray,” sadly does not include either. You can read more about her on her Goodreads Author Profile K_A_Masters.
