Rashmi P. Menon

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei was everything I was hoping it would be. It’s a wonderful sci-fi interstellar adventure with a heist at its core. The story follows art thief turned grad student, Maya Hashimoto, who is hiding at the grad after a heist goes very wrong! Despite hiding from her past, Maya cannot help it when she is roped in for “one last mission”— one that has the potential to save a dying alien race.           
 
Maya’s travels through the different locations in search of the Stardust Grail in an endeavor to save the alien species makes for the crux of the story. While this is mostly a heist novel, political influences, questions of morality and even moments of utter horror make its appearance known throughout the story, but there is an optimism and a genuine sense of wonder that prevent the story from becoming overly depressing.
 
The cast of characters are authentic, well-rounded, and quirky at times. The pacing is impeccable, driving the narrative forward without ever feeling rushed. Yume Kitasei provided the readers with an immersive world including well-crafted and meticulous cultural and historical details of the universe.
 
The narration by Katherine Chin was on par with the book itself, adding color to the characters. The excellent narration makes you feel like you’re part of this universe.
 
Overall, this was an exciting book and the audiobook made the experience even better. I highly recommend for those who enjoy space operas and speculative fiction. 5/5 stars from me!
 
Thank you to Macmillan audio for the audiobook arc of this book.

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