Shea Ernshaw’s A Wilderness of Stars brings multiple genres of adventure, romance, and sci-fi together as it starts off strong but finishes disjointed and rushed. Vega is from a line of “Astronomers”. When the stars are in alignment, she begins a journey to find the “Architect” and save the world. She meets a girl named Cricket who saves her from danger and brings her to the “Architect”. After the “Architect”‘s sudden death, the apprentice Noah replaces him and brings Vega to her final goal. This follows a traditional plotline that incorporates more serious topics of disease, poverty, and harsh environments that the author executes beautifully. However, the story falls flat with the climax and ending. The timing was inconsistent and the added science-fiction element created a disjointed flow—like a car jerking as it runs out of gas. And additional purchase for most libraries.

Kristine Ehlebracht for Kristi Bonds