I really enjoyed this read and all the ideas incorporated into the build to make it new and fresh. The science in this thing was awesome without being overwhelming, though I wish the world and character building had been more in depth. That’s my biggest problem with this book, the characters are a little 2-dimensional. Likable, but not lovable and not really knowable. The author falls back on some common tropes to get us through the slower parts in the story and the dialogue in those parts seems formulaic and dull. When this thing is on, it’s really on. Cool villains, unlikely heroes, really neat world (we’re in a sub-zero Siberian type place that holds the last human population on earth—so cold they use air locks to stay alive). But when it’s off, I felt very frustrated as a reader, because it has so much potential for growth!

In all, I’d definitely recommend you give it a read. Just don't expect to be blown away. ( )

I received an advanced review copy of the book without knowing anything about the authors beforehand. Immediately, I was not sure about the title. “It Takes Death to Reach a Star” brings to mind a corny line from a sci-fi movie, something a character says right as they press the button to enter hyperspace.
A few things you should know before reading this book, and I do think you should read it:
The chapters are very short. It is a relatively quick read due to the unrelenting pace and short sentences. It is told in the present tense, which makes it feel very contemporary, but may grate on some fans of “traditional” narration. The first person perspective has shifting narrators, indicated (thankfully) by the character’s name at the beginning of each brief chapter. There is heavy use of made-up terms, right off the bat, at a frequency of several per page, which takes some getting used to.
The dialogue is clipped, punchy, like if Elmore Leonard wrote a post-apocalyptic fantasy adventure. Lots of death in this thrilling fantasy world, and plenty of methodical world-building. The scenery is well-described, all in an off-world setting that leaves enough to the imagination not to feel forced. That is, the narration never slows down. The method of the rapid internal monologues, full of personality and pizazz, make for a steep learning curve but an interactive reading experience. It feels very vivid, and though the character banter can be a little abstruse, it never goes on for too long. There are always things happening, plots unfolding, and these writers are not the type to hold your hand along the way. Rather, the co-authors fling you headfirst into a new universe, part William Gibson, part Ann Leckie.
It is definitely worth the short amount of time it will take you to finish it, to bravely immerse yourself in the effective, technological drama of this novel.
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Started out slow for me, but it ended with a bang! I absorbed the detail of the ‘cities’ and characters. It Takes A Death T Reach A Star is much more than I expected. I have two pages of notes I took while reading, but most of that is going by the wayside and I’ll shoot from the hip.

The book takes place in Russia, but it’s not like the Russia you know. Some people have managed to survive WWIII and the New Black Death, where almost nine billion people died..

Mila is a Robust and Dimitri is a Gracile. The details of their existence is better if you learn about it for yourself. They are never meant to interact as friends or comrades, but when they do come together, they will never be the same…and neither will their world.

Mila walks to her own drum, but Dimitri is a follower. It is rare for him to step outside his comfort zone and when he does, the action becomes nonstop…and dangerous. Mila is my idea of ninjas in the future. She is a badass and I love her. Dimitri is one of the herd, but I knew he was going to grow and morph into someone to be reckoned with. Glad he’s on ‘our’ side.

Their missions become one and we are off to the races. The first lap is their meeting. The mid laps are the action that brings them to their biggest, out of this world, battle. The finale is me being able to take a breath and find out who is left standing.

Gareth Worthington and Stu Jones can write, creating a world that becomes easy to visualize by the details of their imagination and they do make me wonder, could that be our future? The characters roll off the pages as if they are real, growing and developing into people worthy of our respect or our disgust. But, you can’t have the good without the bad.

The suspense and anticipation is ramping up, becoming intense, as the lines are drawn, sides chosen and the battle rages. Gareth and Stu don’t believe in saving all their characters, so be careful who you become involved with. They may not survive. When they took out ‘her’, I was bummed, but when they took out ‘him’, I rejoiced. Just goes to show you how involved I became in their lives and the outcome of the story. It went further than I thought it would and I loved it even more, for the ability of the authors to take me somewhere I have never been. The title is very appropriate.

OH NO. It’s over. But what a great ending it was. Will there be more?

I love when the author’s are just as interesting as the book, so be sure and check them out.

I voluntarily read a free copy of It Takes A Death To Read A Star by Gareth Worthington and Stu Jones.

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