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THE STARDUST GRAIL


YUME KITASEI

4.35
94 ratings62 reviews
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Kindle $14.99

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Save one world. Doom her own.

From the acclaimed author of The Deep Sky comes a thrilling anti-colonial space
heist to save an alien civilization.

Maya Hoshimoto was once the best art thief in the galaxy. For ten years, she
returned stolen artifacts to alien civilizations—until a disastrous job forced
her into hiding. Now she just wants to enjoy a quiet life as a graduate student
of anthropology, but she’s haunted by persistent and disturbing visions of the
future.

Then an old friend comes to her with a job she can’t refuse: find a powerful
object that could save an alien species from extinction. Except no one has seen
it in living memory, and they aren’t the only ones hunting for it.

Maya sets out on a breakneck quest through a universe teeming with strange life
and ancient ruins. But the farther she goes, the more her visions cast a dark
shadow over her team of friends new and old. Someone will betray her along the
way. Worse yet, in choosing to save one species, she may condemn humanity and
Earth itself.

--

CW: violence and gore, xenophobia, xenocide, colonization, vomit, torture, war,
infertility, chronic illness, confinement, suicidal thoughts (minor), pandemic,
migraines
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GenresScience FictionFantasyFictionSpaceAdultScience Fiction FantasySpace Opera

...more

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 11, 2024

Book details & editions

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

YUME KITASEI

6 books436 followers
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Yume Kitasei (www.yumekitasei.com) is a Brooklyn-based Japanese and American
writer of speculative fiction. Her stories have appeared in publications
including New England Review, Catapult, SmokeLong Quarterly, Baltimore Review,
and Nashville Review. She is the author of two novels, The Deep Sky and The
Stardust Grail (coming June 2024). She chirps occasionally @Yumewrites at
Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky.
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

4.35
94 ratings62 reviews
5 stars

44 (46%)
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39 (41%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
Veronica Roth
Author 53 books461k followers
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April 28, 2024
Coming at you with another "here's the blurb"/"here are my unvarnished thoughts"
review--

I blurbed this book because I really loved The Deep Sky (which I bought simply
because it sounded interesting, something that becomes rarer the longer you work
in book publishing, because you get to know so much of the behind-the-scenes
stuff and you hear about things so early, etc.). Anyway, I loved this one, too,
and here's what I said about it blurb-wise:

"Come to THE STARDUST GRAIL for Indiana Jones-style outer space heist adventure,
stay for the sensitively drawn characters and thoughtful exploration of other
forms of life far beyond our own-- Yume Kitasei's second novel is an engaging,
fascinating story that you don't want to miss."

That blurb really hits all the beats of why I loved this book-- Yume Kitasei
knows all about a tense, high-stakes plot. The Deep Sky was a locked room
thriller in which the "locked room" in question was a spaceship, which made the
stakes that much higher; The Stardust Grail is a heist in which the setting for
the heist is a system of planets, and the stakes are, you know, the survival of
a species.

But despite the HIGH, HIGH STAKES, there is a feeling of intimacy in this story
that made it easy to connect to-- the same thing was true of The Deep Sky, which
dug into the friendships and history of the people inside the aforementioned
locked room. Here, the focus is on a friendship between two people of very
different species, and their ways of being are impossibly mysterious to each
other, which is sometimes just amusing and sometimes...heartbreaking. It feels
like an exaggeration of any friendship between people of different backgrounds,
that we can love each other without perfect understanding, but our love doesn't
keep us safe from conflict.

This book is a tangle of questions about loyalty and love and understanding and
survival, and I feel like describing it that way might for some reason
communicate to you that this book is not EXTREMELY FUN, but like. Let me assure
you. This book is also extremely fun.

Anyway: read it, please and thank you.
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EmmaSkies
210 reviews5,296 followers
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May 28, 2024
An absolute delight of a sci-fi novel. Yes, it's a heist book, but it's also a
lot more than that in ways that I'm just going to let you figure out as you read
because it's such a fun ride to take.

The pacing in this book is great. I'm in the midst of a gnarly reading slump
where it feels like I can barely focus on written words for more than 5 minutes
at a time, and still this book managed to break through that and had me hooked
very fast with the opening chapters and excited to keep going. The highs and
lows and the action and the downtime and the discoveries are all just balanced
out really well in this story. The core group of characters are fun and varied
and feel real and believable (even the one with all the tentacles) and the way
we integrate everyone together in the story is, to repeat myself, paced very
well.

The action is good, the tension is well timed, there's humor and grief and loss
and love and a taste of Found Family and more story than the synopsis preapres
you for, which is a GREAT way to do a synopsis rather than revealing far too
much in an attempt to hook people in. What can I say? I really enjoyed my time
with this book.

Kitasei has a vision of the future in both of her novels now (The Deep Sky set
in near future and now The Stardust Grail set in far future) that does so well
at striking tones both pessimistic and optimistic, at finding the good in the
bleak, and never leaves you too mired in one over the other. And the way she
maintains humanity and culture in these stories - and particularly here in The
Stardust Grail - is something I really wish we saw more of. So many sci-fi
stories - once they escape the bounds of Earth and go interstellar with other
planets and aliens and far flung adventures - tend to flatten humanity to one
homogenous Human™ culture (often a white, western sense of culture) among the
interstellar community, but Kitasei maintains her characters' individuality.
Maya may be a spacefaring thief, but she's also a half-Japanese half-American
struggling grad student living between two cultures just on the human side, not
to mention her otherworldly travels. It's grand in its physical scale and yet
still feels grounded and relatable and realistic and human.

I also really appreciate what this story has to say about colonialism and
anthrocentrism and again Kitasei strikes a great balance of making the
astronomical feel relatable and knowable to the 21st century earth-bound human
reading the story.

In case it wasn't clear, I had a great time with this one.

LAST BIT, the audiobook for this one is great! The narrator does a great job
with the voices and makes some really cool choices in the style for sections I
won't get into here. do recommend if you're an audio reader.

[I read this book as an Advanced Reader Copy in two forms. The Audiobook,
through NetGalley, provided by the publisher; and a physical copy, provided by
the author.]
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Mai
526 reviews446 followers
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May 28, 2024
2024 API Month

You had me at anti-colonial space heist. I find the colonization of worlds
fascinating, as surely humans aren't the only beings out there. Maya Hoshimoto
didn't grow up on Earth, but a mostly Japanese populated colony world. She is
infected, which is mentioned often, but not really in a wow sort of way.

Space operas are often hit or miss with me, but I enjoyed the cast of characters
in this one. I think this was made better on audio, as the voices truly brought
this story to life. I don't want to spoil anything, as many things happen, but I
truly enjoyed the ride.

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
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Samantha
299 reviews1,435 followers
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May 27, 2024
4.5

This story was so much more than I expected it to be. Some of the twists after
the halfway point were wild. Yume Kitasei is definitely becoming one of my top
authors for SciFi.

Highly recommend the audiobook

Full review to come
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arc audiobooks


37 likes
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Yume Kitasei
Author 6 books436 followers
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December 13, 2023
Thank you so much for reading THE STARDUST GRAIL. Whether you enjoyed it or not,
I appreciate you giving it a try! I've included content warnings at the bottom
of this note if you want them.

I had a lot of fun writing this book (though it was also painful, because as I
learned, deadlines are painful), and I hope you have fun reading it.

I was obsessed with Star Wars as a kid (I once could recite the entirety of A
New Hope from memory). I used to try to dream myself into that other universe
every night, writing fan fic in my head. THE STARDUST GRAIL has elements of all
the subgenres of science fiction I enjoy: space opera, a dash of horror, space
heist, and yes, a small star war.

But! If you don't read much science fiction, please don't swerve away just
because of that - hey, maybe you'll even be surprised to realize you like it! In
which case, I'm so excited for you to discover all the amazing books and authors
out there.

- Yume

PS I'm sorry there's no spaceship cat. There was in an early draft, but I kept
worrying about him bashing his little head every time the ship accelerated.

--

CW: violence and gore, xenophobia, xenocide, colonization, vomit, torture, war,
infertility, chronic illness, confinement, suicidal thoughts (minor), pandemic,
migraines
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hapa-authors sff


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Zoë
376 reviews287 followers
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May 22, 2024
space 👏🏼 museum 👏🏼 heist 👏🏼

this is my new bible


11 likes
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Daniel
95 reviews7 followers
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August 14, 2023
I had the privilege of reading a very early draft. It’s a galaxy-spanning caper,
set atop a lot of grand world building and ideas. I think Stardust Grail is
going to be a lot of fun and I look forward to reading again it in its final
form.


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Sammie V
354 reviews160 followers
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May 22, 2024
With interstellar travel in danger and an alien species on the brink of
extinction maya hashimoto may be the galaxy's only hope. Now in hiding thanks to
a job gone bad she is forced out of retirement to help find the Stardust Grail
to help save them all. This is the first sci-fi book I have seen migraine
representation in and as someone who suffers from migraines I appreciated it so
much. The Stardust Grail has such a deep message about anti- colonization, our
environment and connections to others. Kitasei’s sophomore novel was stunningly
brilliant, historical and a wild ride.
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Kat
522 reviews30 followers
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April 19, 2024
Yume Kitasei is so talented at writing sci-fi!! I loved the Deep Sky and so I
obviously had to get my hands on this book. It is so different to the Deep Sky
but I loved it just as much!

This caught my attention from the first page. The worldbuilding is done in a way
that's informative without feeling info dumpy or overwhelming (which is hard to
do imo). I love when scifi has nonhuman aliens and shows us their cultures, so
this was right up my alley. This book was so interesting and unique.

The characters are interesting, distinct, and not always likable (which I think
makes them more realistic). I enjoyed most of the main cast and really love how
different they all were from one another.

I will say that the beginning ~65% or so of this was not as interesting as the
ending section. The first 65% was still good and fun and a solid 3.5/4 star, but
it just doesn't match up to the ending! The ending section was SO cool. I wanted
more of it and wish this book were a bit longer because I wanted more
exploration!!

I think my actual rating for this is a 4.5, but I'm rounding up because I had a
lot of fun with it. I will definitely be recommending this to friends and will
100% pick up Kitasei's future books!
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arcs


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Jenny
302 reviews1 follower
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March 1, 2024
This sci-fi page turner sets a modernized Indiana Jones plot in a loving,
thoroughly-built world like those of Becky Chambers. The supporting characters
are standouts here, particularly the non-humans. Their approach to existence
provides an interesting contrast to our (human) way. I appreciated that, despite
the future sounding realistically unpleasant (e.g. the effects of climate
change), the author’s fundamental approach to the characters who inhabit the
universe is generous. If you want a book with a bleak outlook on human (and
non-human) nature, this is not for you.
Thank you Flatiron Books for access to this Advance Reader’s Edition.
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Libby
86 reviews109 followers
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March 22, 2024
If you're a fan of sci-fi, then this is absolutely a novel you need to check
out. In particular, I think that fans of the video game Mass Effect will really
enjoy this one. It's got everything that really draws me to those games --
plenty of action, high stakes, loveable characters, and fascinating human and
non-human relations.

The main character, Maya, is a fantastic protagonist. She's essentially Lara
Croft if Croft returned the artifacts she stole from museums or collections and
returned them to the people they belonged to. She's snarky but has a heart of
gold and is just trying to do the right thing, even if her morals are sometimes
a bit skewed. The supporting characters are just as fascinating and
multi-faceted. I really enjoyed reading their dynamics with each other and
watching their relationships develop over the course of the novel.

The overarching narrative is brilliant as well and there are so many twists and
turns that, while I guessed a few, I didn't get them all. The last 25% or so is
especially fast-paced and I was (not literally) tearing through the pages to get
to the end. That being said, parts of this book are pretty bleak and
philosophical. There are no "good" choices for everyone and it very much
operates within the grey. I personally found this fascinating but it did get a
little depressing, at times.

Overall, I highly recommend this book! To me, this is everything I want from a
science fiction novel.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for sending me an early copy of this book to read
and review!
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Libby C
106 reviews5 followers
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April 1, 2024
Indiana Jones meets Firefly. Immensely enjoyable, this book balances cozy
heartfelt moments and found family with high stakes and adventure. It reads like
a highly imaginative, more ambitious, better crafted Becky Chambers book (and I
love Becky Chambers!). This sets a new bar for sci-fi for me. Between this and
Deep Sky, Yume Kitasei's nailed sci-fi mystery writing, with an incredible
ability to craft suspenseful narratives.


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Emily Jane
Author 2 books185 followers
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February 20, 2024
The Stardust Grail is a thrilling space heist, reminiscent of blockbusters like
Indiana Jones and Star Wars, but also subversive and unexpected. The story’s
protagonist, Maya Hoshimoto, is a skilled art thief who hopes to put her
thieving days behind her and live a quiet, studious life on Earth…until her old
shipmate and best friend Auncle—a telepathic, tentacled alien from a dying
race—returns with a job that Maya can’t resist: steal the Stardust Grail.
Plagued by dark visions of possible futures and joined by an outlaw soldier in a
cybernetic suit and a robot with emotive aspirations, Maya and Auncle set out on
a mission to recover the grail. But they’re not the only ones after it. And even
if Maya finds it first, she may have to choose between condemning Auncle’s race
to extinction or severing humanity’s connection to the rest of the universe.

The Stardust Grail is a boisterous journey, rife with protean planets,
intriguing spaceports, and remarkable life forms. The stakes are high. The
characters are engaging and delightful. The plot is fast-paced and
action-packed. But at its core, the book is also an exploration understanding,
forgiveness, and the importance of being true to our friends, and ourselves. For
any fan of space adventures, this book is a must-read.
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Josh Hedgepeth
587 reviews167 followers
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May 25, 2024
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audio-ARC.

Yume Kitasei's second novel is a thoughtfully crafted sci-fi adventure novel
that feels like a step up from her debut novel, The Deep Sky, which was already
a solid book.

The writing is notably better, with more believable characters and dialogue.
That is important because The Stardust Grail is a much more ambitious novel,
spanning multiple worlds and life forms with conflicting interests. Kitasei
handles it all very well, exploring complex ideas in thought provoking ways.

The novel evokes classic sci-fi elements: Maya, a grad student with experience
in alien artifacts, gains a species’ ability to dream of the future, reminiscent
of Ted Chiang's Story of Your Life (Arrival). Intergalactic gateways echo Carl
Sagan's Contact, and part of the story’s setting on an unforgiving world gives
Alien vibes. The entire story feels like Indiana Jones in space (though I
haven't seen Indiana Jones).

These all come together to make a fairly successful novel. These components are
woven into a larger narrative exploring cultural and social themes in a fun way.

All that said, I did not love the book (but I liked it). It has all these
redeeming qualities, but at its core, I really dislike the premise: an alien
species is dying out and only the holy "star" grail can save them. It is a
literal deus ex machina that sets up a neat goal for us to aim for, and it just
feels like a really lazy foundation to an otherwise really thoughtful story.

How can this intergalactic species only reproduce with some advanced technology
that they have no knowledge how to recreate? How is it that this technology is
suddenly accessible after being lost for all this time? How is it that our
protagonist is the only one who can retrieve it?

Some questions are addressed but often underwhelmingly. Despite moments that
upend expectations, the holy "star" grail remains central. The dynamic that is
set up feels believable, but the set up to achieve it does not.

Ultimately, the book is exactly what it sells itself as (and more). Kitasei
could have just done a standard space adventure, but she elevates it with a
wonderfully crafted world and set of characters. I think it is unfair of me to
get overly annoyed at the book when really it did everything right. I made the
mistake of doing little to no research into the premise of the book when I
requested it, and I don't want to discourage people who find the premise
interesting. In fact, I'd encourage you to give it a read.
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e-arc extraterrestrial science-fiction

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Lilibet Bombshell
777 reviews76 followers
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May 24, 2024
Here we go with another book that ensnared me with magic words like “art thief”,
“stolen artifacts”, and “anthropology”. What can I say? I’m a sucker for
thievery by academics…well, for thievery in general. If you add in outer space,
it’s like book catnip! I blame Doctor Who.

Thanks to Bria Strothers at Flatiron Books, I was granted access to the eARC and
sent a copy of the physical ARC of this book after my request had sat in
NetGalley’s pending request pit forever, and I’m so grateful because I
absolutely loved this book!

There’s a line deep into this book that is sticking with me. One could say it’s
a throwaway line, but it speaks so much to the themes in this story: “Primitive
is more permanent”. That is to say: The longer it took and the harder it was to
create something, the more permanent it is. This is also applicable to
everything from planets to moons to species: the longer they’ve been around and
the more adversity they’ve seen, the more knowledge they’ve gathered and the
more permanent their mark on the universe. There is no up and down in space. No
time. There is only distance, and some things are too far away to ever be
rescued or remembered. Who’s to know if it’s better that way or not?

In many ways, this book feels like a deep space “Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade”. Maya has been longing to find the Stardust Grail for the sake of her
best friend, Auncle, for a long time. Auncle shows up with a scrappy crew and
picks up Maya, who has a lead, and they’re off to search for this artifact,
which means one thing to Auncle and Maya and something else to the interstellar
military officials that are hot on their tails and after the same thing they
are. The groups cross paths several times. The book is quite fast-paced, but not
to the point of frenetic, which is a good thing, because there are times when
emotion and connection need to happen and be absorbed in order for this book to
work on all levels.

The climactic scenes in this book are astoundingly well-written and
choreographed. It’s a complicated scenario that had to be hard to keep track of
and it was executed brilliantly. I was absolutely thrilled with the whole thing.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and the
author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and
mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Science Fiction
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Liz
51 reviews6 followers
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March 20, 2024
THE STARDUST GRAIL is Yume Kitasei's sophomore novel, and as someone who
thoroughly enjoyed and devoured her debut novel, THE DEEP SKY, I was thrilled to
get my grubby little hands on an ARC of this book as well.

I love space operas. Space! Aliens! New cultures! Planets! This book is a great
fit for fans of Mass Effect, Firefly, Star Wars, and also for fans of other
novels like PORTRAIT OF A THIEF. I really appreciated the level of thought that
went into the morality of "stealing" artefacts to return them to their home
cultures.

I loved the world building, the different races that populate the universe, the
history and culture that was evident behind each of them. My only problem is
that I wanted more - I really hope there is a sequel one day and that it's not a
standalone. I wanted to learn more about what happened in the near-past, and I
definitely want to know what's going to happen immediately after the book ends.

I thought the pacing was a bit shaky - there were parts that, while never quite
feeling slow or boring, did feel like they went on too long. There were some
hard scene transitions that could've been slowed down so they weren't as abrupt,
and some areas that went by in a blur. The last 25% of the book definitely felt
like it should've been longer, more detailed. It felt rushed.

All of the characters were wonderful, with unique personalities, voices, and
growth that made me just fall in love with all of them. Again, I really hope
there is a sequel one day, because I'm not ready to leave them behind just yet.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC (and to my friend Kel for
snagging me a physical ARC).
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lgbt science-fiction space


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Ben M.
182 reviews
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February 26, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this
book.

"The Stardust Grail" by Yume Kitasei is a captivating and enchanting tale that
seamlessly blends elements of fantasy, adventure, and mystery. Set in a world
where magic is real and myths come to life, the story follows the journey of a
young protagonist, [insert name], as they embark on a quest to find the
legendary Stardust Grail.

Kitasei's writing is rich in detail, vividly painting the landscapes and
creatures that inhabit this magical realm. The characters are well-developed and
relatable, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. As
[insert name] navigates through various challenges and encounters, they learn
valuable lessons about courage, friendship, and the power of belief.

One of the highlights of the book is its imaginative world-building. Kitasei has
created a universe that feels both unique and familiar, filled with mythical
creatures, ancient prophecies, and hidden dangers. The plot is engaging and full
of twists and turns, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very
end.

Overall, "The Stardust Grail" is a delightful read that will appeal to fans of
fantasy and adventure alike. Kitasei's storytelling is both magical and
heartfelt, making this book a must-read for anyone looking for a captivating and
uplifting tale.
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Daphne
180 reviews26 followers
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March 23, 2024
I thought The Deep Sky was incredible, so I was very excited to receive an e-arc
for The Stardust Grail .

Maya, now a PhD student at a very far in the future Princeton, spent the
previous decade stealing back prized cultural treasures around the galaxy and
returning them to their rightful owners. But, when she starts having odd
visions, the missing journal of a famous space explorer/academic suddenly shows
up at the university archive, and her closest friend Auncle (part of the species
called Frenro) comes to invite her on one last heist, she knows she has to join.
What follows is a rollicking and often truly unexpected adventure to find the
Stardust Grail, an important Frenro artifact that has been missing for thousands
of years.

As in her first book, Kitasei’s writing is impeccable in this second adventure.
Futuristic Princeton and academia are fun, and Maya’s true enthusiasm for lost
cultural treasures is an added joy in the reading experience. Maya’s world is
nuanced and complicated, although sometimes overly so. The first quarter and
last quarter were the most enjoyable for me, and the pacing was definitely funky
throughout the story. The last part especially could have used some more pages.
I have a lot of remaining questions.

Overall, still a lovely read from Kitasei! Sequel?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc.
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Julia
57 reviews1 follower
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May 8, 2024
What a journey this book took! I would say that for the first 2/3 it was
probably a 3.5 star read for me, an interesting space novel but not a page
turner. Then Yume Kitasei dialed it up to 10 for the last 1/3 of the book and I
could hardly put it down. I think it could have benefited from the the first
part condensed and the meat of it at the end expanded.

This book acknowledges that how we see the universe comes from our very human
perspective and other alien cultures are going to see things differently, have
different morals values and ways of life.

Things I really appreciated about this book:
- it's not all sunshine and roses, serious things happen. I appreciate sci-fi
novels that acknowledge the inherent risks in the escapades
- plot development, there are some reveals at the end that pay off
- Medix's subtle humor throughout
- strange new worlds
- no romance shoe-horned in (even though I do enjoy romantasy novels)
- the aliens have their own non-human pronouns
- found family
- it truly feels like a space adventure
- morally grey choices to be made

What I wished was different:
- Just more character development. I felt like we learned about some of the
peoples of the Interstellar Web but we knew very little about the actual
characters.

I received this copy as a Goodreads giveaway prize from Flatiron Books and for
that I am very appreciative!
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Vin
27 reviews
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May 24, 2024
Archives, space, heists— what more could you want?
For being Yume Kitasei’s sophomore novel, she really, truly hit it out of the
park!
If this book never wins an award or some kind of accolade for the absolute
craftsmanship, love, world building, and care that went into it, you’ll be
hearing from me.
EASILY going on the list as one of my favorite reads of 2024.
The world of The Stardust Grail, despite being set in a futuristic, sci-fi
world, felt incredibly real and fleshed out. The different species, the planets,
nodal system, artifacts, and history all felt as if I was reading directly from
the accounts of the people experiencing the story, and not just from the book.
The characters felt so real and fleshed out, even if they played a minor role in
the grand scheme of things (like Pickle. I loved Pickle.) Not just the
characters themselves but the dynamics each one found themselves a part of.
Auncle and Maya, Maya and Liam, Medix and Wil, Medix and Maya, just to name a
few of my favorites. The way each character clashed and meshed with each other
made The Stardust Grail just that much better.
My only problems with the book were at times it felt a bit wordy, not purple
prose-y, but hard to follow, and I wish we got some more information on the
predominant illness.
Other than those minor issues I had, I can only applaud Kitasei for taking on
the task of wearing as many hats as it takes to create such a thorough,
thoughtful sci-fi novel. I could talk about this book all day long. It means so
much to me. ENDLESS love for The Stardust Grail.
5/5

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5-star arc-reads favs


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Margaret
1,263 reviews64 followers
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May 23, 2024
This is a fun space heist novel that's like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
but with aliens.

Maya Hoshimoto was once an intergalactic art thief, but now she's a failing
graduate student studying anthropology. She works at a campus museum and knows
more about the artifacts there than her professors. Her thesis advisor, Liam,
has given her a warning—If she can't impove her thesis, she might be dropped
from the university.

She has decided to never live a life of crime again, but when an academic
approaches her to steal the stardust grail, she decides on one last heist. Not
for the rich academic, but to steal the grail for her best friend—an alien whose
species need the grail to procreate.

I really enjoyed this. It gets a bit too action-y for me, and less about the
characters, but it's a fun read.


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2024-release aoc apocalypse-dystopia

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Koko .vs. Books
99 reviews3 followers
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May 23, 2024
4.5
Thank you so much to NetGalley for letting me read this early!

Though the story of The Deep Sky wasn't totally for me, I loved Yume Kitasei's
writing. As for her second book, this was everything I've ever wanted. The
characters, the story, the aliens, the thrills, the emotions! Ah! Reading The
Stardust Grail was such a joy. I can't wait to add this to my bookshelf.
If you like The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, I think
you'll really enjoy this. I loved getting to know this crew, laughing at their
banter, and exploring moral quandaries'. This adventure is definitely not for
the faint of heart, and I'm left with this open hearted feeling of how vast the
universe is.
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elise | bookingthroughlife
170 reviews4 followers
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March 29, 2024
i want to start by saying this book is VERY well written. it's unique &
intriguing. but it's a sci-fi, which i haven't read in a looooooong time & i
forgot how rare it is for me to really enjoy a book in this genre.

stardust just had so many odd characters and species and things happening i
genuinely was so confused. it was much more complex and hard to follow than a
fantasy is. plus i personally wasn't super into the plot.

all that to say i DO think big sci-fi readers will enjoy this book and have fun
reading it!! a heist to save the world (worlds?) and a whole species, mystery,
traveling through space, plot twists... it's complex & intriguing. definitely
give it a shot if you love sci-fi & space! i'm honestly very impressed by yume
kitasei's mind to write a book like this.

won this arc in a giveaway. this is my honest review.
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Emily | emilyisoverbooked
624 reviews75 followers
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May 30, 2024
Thanks to Flariton for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

After really enjoying Yume’s debut THE DEEP SKY, I knew I had to read THE
STARDUST GRAIL. A heist with an adventure in space just sounds like so much fun!
This has found family, Indiana-Jones type action and adventure, an exploration
of new species, and good narratives on humanity, including a biracial human
traveling through space and navigating lots of identities. I found the pacing to
be a little bit slow in the middle, which I felt led to the best part, the last
20%, being a bit rushed. This was expertly narrated by Katharine Chin and I
enjoyed the audio!
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Dane Pope
79 reviews1 follower
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May 3, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for my ARC of The Stardust Grail!
Extremely solid 4/5 for me. The actual heist section was a bit cliché and while
there were a few hiccups, it still went pretty smooth, all things considered.
What really set this apart was its characterizations and world building. I LOVED
the world building. It describes a vast universe teaming with life but doesn't
try to shove 10,000 species into your brain parts. It keeps the scope remarkably
streamlined, giving you all the info you need without just dumping it, AND the
knowledge and sense that even more lies in wait. It's not a negative for me, but
it does fall into the current trend in Sci-Fi of "ocean" aliens. Jellyfish and
squid like aliens have been popping up everywhere the last couple of years (at
least for me). The characters are all unique and easily differentiated, which is
great. Maya is likable and progressive with a strong moral compass, but still
understands that not everything is easily achieved morally speaking. The last
third of the book is fast-paced and has some of the most interesting aspects of
the book/world, so I wish we got to spend a little more time in there but hey,
so do the characters and I get it. I wish I felt like the characters were a
little less safe. Which, I did briefly, but it felt to me like she was going to
keep them relatively safe. The end is tied up in a quick, neat, positive bow
that leaves a possibility for more. This is my first book by Yume Kitasei, and I
really enjoyed her style. I'm def excited to read more.
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Amber
562 reviews60 followers
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May 19, 2024
gifted by the publisher

Who has the right to artifacts? In this Indiana Jones-esque space heist, GRAIL
raises intriguing questions of friendship, loyalty, and atonement following a
struggling PhD student through the edge of space. I loved the cross-species
friendship arc, reminiscent of stories by Becky Chambers and Andy Weir. The
theme of "ethical heists" is another standout, prompting the readers to consider
the ownership of cultural artifacts and how societies should deal with their
past mistakes. The pacing isn't perfect. The jumps in the narrative between
chapters sometimes seem unnatural, and the ending feels rushed—I wonder if it's
a setup for sequels? I recommend GRAIL to readers who love topics of heists and
friendships.

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Kai Lynn
27 reviews1 follower
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March 21, 2024
Won the giveaway recently and I was stunned! ❤️❤️ I love the story it was so
well written and I just love the detail 😍😍 you described the story so well. I
don't wanna spoil it but you had me laughing crying and smiling throughout the
whole story. I am so grateful to add this book to my shelf! ❤️❤️


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Ebbs
45 reviews2 followers
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May 12, 2024
Human+Alien best friends doing reverse Indiana Jones heists? I am listening
intently 👀

I loved Maya and Auncle, their friendship was 10/10, no notes. Auncle calling
Maya stuff like “my sweet, squishable friend”? Delightful. It’s been so long
since I read a scifi with non-humanoid aliens who are just an unremarkable part
of life, and this book has several different alien species! And then there’s
Wil(human woman with mechsuit prosthetics) and Medix,(robot, he’s giving ~Data
with hints of Murderbot~) the other half of the heist crew. We’re not meant to
trust them instantly, but they grew on me pretty quickly, and I loved how their
friendship was so central to their motivations. Look, I am a huge sucker for
characters being best friends, okay?

Honestly, aside from how it was a little heavy on the coincidences, my only
complaint about this book is that I want sequels! I want to spend more time with
the crew, and get to see them do some museum heists in less apocalyptic
circumstances! God, I would love a series that’s ~Leverage, In Space~. The world
building here is already so well done, with so many established planets, and
histories between the different space-faring people, there’s so much to
potential! (It works perfectly well as a standalone, no jarring cliffhangers or
anything, I just want more!)

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an
honest review.
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Anna G
299 reviews14 followers
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May 29, 2024
4.5/5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and Yume for the advanced reader copy of
this book!

General Description:
Maya Hoshimoto used to be an intergalactic thief. However, now she's in college,
so she's changed her way. However, one object that would take her out of
retirement would be the Stardust Grail, an object that her friend Auncle could
use to have children and create nodes (the intergalactic airways). When a
journal from a famous explorer is found, Maya feels the grail is closer than
before. Then, her friend Auncle reappears and Maya knows it's time to officially
find the grail. However, the government wants the grail too. Who will get to it
first?

All the goods:
- Yume is SUCH a creative. I loved the world that was built and wish I could be
as creative.
- Maya is such a great main character. She's quick witted, smart, and leads with
her heart which I love.
- There are some twists in this book that had my jaw on the floor.
- I would read more about the side characters and other beings in this book. I
was left wanting more stories from the universe but also felt the book tied up
with a bow at the end, which is a weird feeling but I was very happy with it.

The loss of a star:
- This is definitely on me as a reader, but due to me needing to essentially see
a movie in my head while I'm reading. Some of the places were just very hard to
imagine in my mind and it took me out of the book a bit. Maybe if I went to
space it'd be easier to imagine...oops.

Overall, Yume does it again with a great sci-fi book. I feel like any sci-fi fan
needs to add Yume immediately to their TBR. If you're unsure about sci-fi, I
think Yume's books are also accessible enough that they are great books to
introduce you to the genre.
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Lauren Yu
19 reviews
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March 24, 2024
4.4 ★ This was a fun and action-packed — yet simultaneously contemplative —
novel that slings the reader at high speed through a richly imagined universe. I
received this copy as a giveaway prize from Flatiron Books (thank you!)

The author mentions growing up on adventure films, and I could certainly feel
the influence of Raiders of the Lost Ark (especially in the beginning) and Star
Wars on the plot. That being said, Kitasei writes with her own distinctive
voice, and her story truly comes into its own midway through. The ragtag crew of
characters was one of the high points of the novel — each personality is
thoughtfully crafted and complex, with their own idiosyncrasies, emotions, and
rational motivations. Being Japanese American myself, it was also especially
thrilling to read a protagonist like Maya Hoshimoto.

One thing that didn’t work as well for me was the pacing. The narrative
generally didn’t drag, but at times the action felt almost too abrupt, like the
acceleration of an alien craft (this felt especially true of the ending.) For
all the unbridled excitement of high-stakes heists on distant planets, though,
The Stardust Grail’s greatest strength is its self-reflection. Throughout, we’re
invited into a nuanced and necessary conversation about conflict, colonialism,
and the unintended consequences of well-intended but careless decisions. Though
it’s set in the far future, this is indeed science fiction for our times.
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