Sea of Distant Stars

Sea of Distant Stars

by Francesca G. Varela

3.5 out of 5

Synopsis
Agapanthus was kidnapped when she was only two years old, but she doesn’t remember it. In fact, she doesn’t remember her home planet at all. All she knows is Deeyae, the land of two suns; the land of great, red waters. Her foster-family cares for her, and at first that’s enough. But, as she grows older, Agapanthus is bothered by the differences between them. As an Exchanger, she’s frail and tall, not short and strong. And, even though she was raised Deeyan, she certainly isn’t treated like one. One day, an Exchanger boy completes the Deeyan rite-of-passage, and Agapanthus is inspired to try the same. But, when she teams up with him, her quest to become Deeyan transforms into her quest to find the truth―of who she is, and of which star she belongs to.



Review
Aga is an alien adopted by a Deeyan family. She is different, and that is all she has ever known.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was... not what I was expecting.
Yes, it's set on another world, but I don't think I'd call it sci-fi. Despite the fact that it revolves around young children being abducted from Earth, there's very little science involved. This race of Deeyans are living very simple, hunter-gatherer lives.
The synopsis says that this story follows Aga's quest to find out who she is - and it's absolutely right, just not in the way I expected. I thought it would be a big conspiracy, hidden secrets, overthrowing the powers that be... but instead it's the simple, and very human, growing up and finding out who she is; and who she wants to be.

This story is a slow-building contemporary piece that looks at a girl and her foster family, and the way the other foster kids are labelled as "different".
It follows Aga as she gets older, and tries to find her place in Deeyan, which is hard when it's clear she has no future with them. She's not allowed to marry into the Deeyan, and her family forbid her from taking part in the Deeyan rite of passage, so she's not considered an adult in their society.
All the while, there's the threat of her stay on Deeyae coming to an end, and being sent back to an Earth she doesn't remember. So, despite really liking her foster family, poor Aga feels like she can't put down roots, or get close to anyone.

I really liked how it ended. This isn't a fairytale, and Aga has to make some serious choices, because real life doesn't end with a Happily Ever After, where everything works out perfectly. People (and Deeyans) are flawed.
Aga learns to be happy with her situation, and accepts that there things she can't change.

The not-so-good.
For a reasonably short book, I found it a long and slow read. 
Aga is a very thorough narrator and, even as a young child, she describes everything she sees, hears and smells, and expresses every memory these senses stir up. I felt like I knew Deeyae intimately - which is not a bad thing - but it wasn't a book I could devour in one go.

There are teases about this where this story could possibly go, with the mysterious Contact (a Deeyan that Aga admits she finds attractive, despite the fact he's the "voice of the gods" and has caused the death of other Deeyans); and the other Exchangers (kids stolen from Earth) and the potential of a huge secret and revolution, to finally make them equals on Deeyae. But then, Varela reigns it back in, keeping the story a firm, coming-of-age tale.
I know, as kids/teens, we've all thought the world was against us, and thought there must be some conspiracy to keep us down. I just found myself disappointed that it wasn't investigated by Aga and her friends.

Finally, even though the world that Aga knows is gone over with a fine toothcomb, I felt that everything else was a blur.
Apart from it being "the will of the gods", it's never explained why these children are taken, and why they are experimented on, or what even happens in the experiments. Aga has an annual check-up, and various tests run, but she isn't conscious for the procedure, so we have no idea what goes on.
As I mentioned before, the Deeyans live very simple lives. Yes, they have evolved to thrive on Deeyae, but I wouldn't call them advanced. With the exception of the water portation device (something that is accepted as part of daily life, but never explained - like I don't have to explain boilers - I don't know how they work, but it's part of life.), and audiobooks, there is no technology. No mention of how the children are taken from Earth, how they're transported; and no further use of that unspoken technology. No shuttles, or transport that's used beyond boats and swimming...

Overall, I enjoyed this unexpected Contemporary story, and would recommend checking it out. This was a 3.5 out of 5, for me.

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