The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first heard of this book through the offer of an ARC, researching it made me a bit worried. It's a serial of a single story with contributions from several rising-star authors.

That, alone, should have been enough for me, and it was. I just didn't put TOO many expectations on the tale.

And now that I've finished reading it? Maybe I shouldn't have worried so much. This Space Opera was FUN!

On a straight story-level, I loved the focus on refugees. Several layers of refugees-related themes permeate this novel. I really enjoyed the explorations here. Plus there's a big selection of non-standard character choices. Non-binary being the big one that hits the page a bit stronger than anything else. But more than all the rest, it's just fun storytelling.

The star is dying and a lot of genocidal considerations are on the table. Hackers, battles, and new tech are all a big part of the rest.

Did all of these authors pull off a seamless tale? I think so. I mean, you can tell that they all add their own style to the individual sections, but in no ways do any of them get in the way of the tale. :)

Definitely worth checking out.

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