Cassastar (Cassastar #1) by Alex J. Cavanaugh

The Blurb

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard. Much to Byron s chagrin the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron's tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential. As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

My review

I’m a Star Trek fan (I’m only talking about The Next Generation and Deep Space 9, though). One thing I’ve never done until now was read a sci-fi set in space. Now I don’t know why I waited so long. It was amazing.

The book was full of more than I had expected. The action was well paced and kept me flipping the proverbial pages. Byron broke my heart with how difficult a time he had with forming friendships. Bassa stole the show for me. A gruff man initially, who ended up being Byron’s savior.

I expected the excitement of flying through space and risking their lives. What surprised me was how much emotion was packed into the novel. I refused to cry, but swallowing became tough in a couple of scenes.

My one issue with this book was that women played no role in it at all (other than his not so nice sister). I kept expecting to see a female pilot or navigator at some point, but nope. I know it’s the author’s prerogative, but it didn’t make me a very happy feminist at all.

I give this book five out of five space ship shaped (see the cover to envision it) chocolate bars.

I won a copy of this book as a giveaway but it can be purchased at Amazon.