My first love was science fiction. I was raised in a Star Trek family, my favorite video game is Mass Effect, and The Expanse is my favorite TV show. However, it’s taken me a while to combine my love of science fiction and my love of romance in the books that I read. I have recently rectified this with Virginia Black’s No Shelter But The Stars, a fantastic book that blends two of my interests together into something truly special.
Kyran Loyal is the reluctant last heir of the royal family of a nomadic people who were driven from their home decades ago by an evil galactic empire. Her people are on the precipice of recolonizing their lost world when imperial forces arrive and a pitched battle breaks out. Kyran’s fighter is damaged during the fight, and she is forced to crash land on a barren moon. Soon, she discovers that an imperial ship has also crash landed nearby. This ship is piloted by Davia Sifane, the unrecognized daughter of the emperor who has spent her life working to forge her own path. In order to survive, these two women have to learn to work together. As enemies become lovers, truths are shared that could change the course of the entire galaxy.
There are so many aspects of No Shelter but the Stars that make it incredible science fiction. For starters, I really liked the main characters of Davia and Kyran. Both women are strong and capable in vastly different ways. Both are also incredibly complex with interesting backstories and perspectives towards the galaxy around them. From the outset, I was deeply invested in them, who they are, what made them that way, and where they were headed in the story.
Furthermore, I loved the journey Virginia takes our two protagonists on with this tale of survival. Virginia does not shy away from how hard it is for these two women to trust one another, nor does she shy away from the sheer magnitude of the task in front of them. You get a clear sense of how bleak Davia and Kyran’s situation is and how much these two women have to overcome in order to survive their predicament. I especially liked the role language played in their dynamic and how it became a metaphor for their ability to work together and understand one another.
Because of this, the romance between Davia and Kyran feels earned. Every little victory that these women achieve on their barren rock of a home comes at a heavy cost. Every little step in Davia and Kyran’s relationship also has a steep personal price that both women have to pay. They struggle with some incredibly complex emotions as they realize how much they care for one another. Even after they are rescued by their respective sides, the road to being together again is not an easy one. Both are thrust into the former systems that dominated their lives, leaving them with some difficult character choices. As the story worked its way to its conclusion, I began to wonder if these two women would be able to find their way back to each other or if either happenstance or tragedy would keep them apart. I really was on the edge of my seat the entire time hoping for a happy ending that I wasn’t sure would ever come.
Another way in which Virginia is able to keep the tension between happy or tragic ending taught is her prose. Each and every sentence in this book manages to pull you in, keep you engaged, and spurs you on to keep going. There were times when I was reading this book that I could not tear myself away from it. When I did have to put it down for work or other commitments, I couldn’t wait to pick it back up again.
No Shelter but the Stars does so much of what I love both in science fiction and in romance. It takes a massive intergalactic conflict and brings it down to a personal level. It tells a very emotional, character-driven story filled with interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict that takes real effort to overcome. It builds and maintains tension beautifully until the very end. It’s a book that I would recommend to any person who loves science fiction or romance: it fits both genres perfectly and is a triumph of their combination.
Sam says
I already had this on my TBR, but now I’m putting it on hold at the library so I can read it right away!