{"id":4444,"date":"2025-10-14T10:04:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T10:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=4444"},"modified":"2025-10-14T10:04:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T10:04:43","slug":"starred-book-review-a-stellar-spy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=4444","title":{"rendered":"STARRED Book Review: A Stellar Spy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Stellar Spy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

by Maya Darjani<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Sci-Fi & Fantasy \/ Spy & Espionage<\/p>\n

ISBN: <\/strong>9798349511370<\/p>\n

Print Length:<\/strong> 316 pages<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Reviewed by Erin Britton<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>An explosive sci-fi thriller where magic and technology collide with devastating consequences<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A Stellar Spy<\/em> mixes espionage tension with the intrigue of near-future galactic exploration and the wonder of magic in this compelling tale of double agents, vengeful mages, and corrupt politicians.<\/p>\n

A Navasi mage has attacked the Rose Palais, seat of the Rulani government, marking it with a cerulean blue shimmer that exposes the planet\u2019s vulnerability. \u201cI stare at the brilliance as it slices through the night, an illuminated sigil telling me everything\u2019s changed.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Tessa Daevana\u2014ex-wife of Premier Finn Daevana and mother of his two children, Morgana and Sage\u2014rushes to the scene.<\/p>\n

Tessa\u2019s desperation to find out what has happened is certainly due to concern about her family, but it\u2019s also due to duty. She\u2019s the Planetary Security Counselor and is responsible for the safety of the regime and its figurehead. Despite this, Tessa has no desire to be swept up in the thirst for vengeance that is sure to consume Rula. \u201cSave me from the bloodlust, the hawkishness, the need to punch back ten times harder.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Of course, Tessa has to keep the reason for her reticence secret from those around her\u2014she\u2019s a sleeper agent for Elitha, a rival planet, \u201chome to a host of unchipped Navasi, who have been taught to control their powers.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Every aspect of her cover has been planned to perfection, even her drab home. \u201cLike every other facet of my life, it\u2019s curated to portray a certain lifestyle, a certain milquetoast vegetable of a person.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> And it\u2019s worked well so far.<\/p>\n

However, the attack on the Rose Palais prompts Finn to consider implementing Operation Paradoxum, a \u201cway to destroy the magic of unchipped Navasi on the planet.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> It\u2019s supposed to be a doomsday plan to prevent planetary collapse, not a means of revenge against a lone attacker, and it has the potential to spread to other planets and effect chipped Navasi too, including Tessa.<\/p>\n

The situation places her in an impossible position. \u201cI stand on a precipice, under which roils a river of magma.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Tessa knows she needs to protect the Navasi throughout the Human Consortium, but she also still loves Finn and wants to safeguard their children. Which way will she leap from the precipice?<\/p>\n

Maya Darjani has crafted a universe in the not-so-distant future that is both delightfully fantastical and recognizably human. A great deal of thought has clearly gone into the backstory of the Human Consortium, which was formed \u201cafter humanity escaped the gravitational well of Gaia and stumbled its way to interplanetary civilization.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Such details establish the background to the story well and ensure that a certain sense of realism and logical technological progression is maintained throughout. The worldbuilding in terms of the individual planets is also richly detailed and convincing. For instance, \u201cRula\u2019s a planet of ash and regolith, of granite and basalt. Indestructible like polymer, but as volatile as lava.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> This makes it easy to imagine the environments that the characters face.<\/p>\n

Darjani also ensures that the unusual combination of chimerical magic and technological innovation seems organic and flows throughout the story. While both are woven into the fabric of life on Rula, magic is strictly controlled\u2014save for the escapades of the occasional would-be assassin\u2014whereas technology is abundant. Amusingly, the latter even facilitates multilevel marketing: \u201cBuy one, get the second half off on NanoImprove smoothies!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On a more serious note, despite being the subject of far less suspicion than magic, Darjani stresses that technology can be equally dangerous. From the REALM machine\u2014the gateway to a highly advanced virtual reality environment\u2014found in every home hosting meetings between spies and their handlers to Operation Paradoxum comprising \u201ca technological virus with an activated biological component,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> there is peril lurking everywhere.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s all the espionage and counterespionage. A Stellar Spy<\/em> is just as much a spy thriller as it is a sci-fi novel, and Darjani provides plenty of detail about the spycraft of the future. From clandestine meetings to dead drops to covert listening devices, all the key aspects of the spy genre are present, albeit in more advanced forms. There are also a few tongue-in-check nods to the classics: \u201cCovert Ops 101, always keep blackmail material, even if you plan on never using it.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As for the main spy, Tessa is certainly good at what she does, although she doesn\u2019t like it. She ditched her handler and got out of the game years ago, assimilating into her fate life on Rula as best she can, but her conscience pulls her back in following the attack on the Rose Palais. \u201cI have to make a choice. Protect my family, or prevent a war crime.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> This sense of conflict permeates the story, adding to the tension.<\/p>\n

Darjani provides real insight into Tessa\u2019s thoughts, motivations, and doubts, establishing her as a conflicted and rather surly character who wants to do what is right and save as many people as possible. And despite all the lies and fake background details, she really does care about Finn and love her children. Such emotions exacerbate the difficulty of her situation.<\/p>\n

Like all good spy novels, there are double agents and double crosses aplenty in A Stellar Spy<\/em>, making it difficult to know who to trust and where things might be heading for Tessa. What\u2019s more, the magic-filled action scenes are exciting and the exposition is well handled. A Stellar Spy<\/em> is a stellar choice for your next read.<\/p>\n

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Thank you for reading Erin Britton\u2019s book review of A Stellar Spy <\/em>by Maya Darjani! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.<\/p>\n

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The post STARRED Book Review: A Stellar Spy<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Stellar Spy by Maya Darjani Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy \/ Spy & Espionage ISBN: 9798349511370 Print Length: 316 pages Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Erin Britton An explosive sci-fi thriller where magic and technology collide with devastating consequences A Stellar Spy mixes espionage tension with the intrigue of near-future galactic exploration and the wonder of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}