Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A mysteriously linked trio will do anything to be chosen for a space mission to escape their frozen planet.At age 17, Franny Bluecastle's deathday has arrived. Over 1,000 years ago, scientists discovered how to calculate deathdays, and since then it's been no mystery when anyone will die. Except Franny doesn't die on her deathday. Instead, she's found by Court Icecastle and Mykal Kickfall, two mysterious young men who want to help her. Court and Mykal also avoided their deathdays and, in doing so, became deeply connected: They experience one another's feelings. Now, Franny is linked to them too. To make matters worse, anyone who learns they've outlived their deathdays will try to kill them. The only way out is for all three to be chosen for the Saga 5 Mission, which will take them into space, past anyone's possible deathday. But it won't be easy—Mykal and Franny must learn to fit in with the rest of the well-to-do candidates, and Court has an enemy on his trail. Intricate worldbuilding and carefully wrought bonds between the trio make for a heady, immersive ride. The world and its lore unfold seamlessly as they fight their way through it. Readers will ache for the next installment. There is diversity in characters' skin tones, from pale white to dark brown.A potently addictive blend of romance, fantasy, and science fiction full of unexpected twists. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A mysteriously linked trio will do anything to be chosen for a space mission to escape their frozen planet.At age 17, Franny Bluecastle's deathday has arrived. Over 1,000 years ago, scientists discovered how to calculate deathdays, and since then it's been no mystery when anyone will die. Except Franny doesn't die on her deathday. Instead, she's found by Court Icecastle and Mykal Kickfall, two mysterious young men who want to help her. Court and Mykal also avoided their deathdays and, in doing so, became deeply connected: They experience one another's feelings. Now, Franny is linked to them too. To make matters worse, anyone who learns they've outlived their deathdays will try to kill them. The only way out is for all three to be chosen for the Saga 5 Mission, which will take them into space, past anyone's possible deathday. But it won't be easy—Mykal and Franny must learn to fit in with the rest of the well-to-do candidates, and Court has an enemy on his trail. Intricate worldbuilding and carefully wrought bonds between the trio make for a heady, immersive ride. The world and its lore unfold seamlessly as they fight their way through it. Readers will ache for the next installment. There is diversity in characters' skin tones, from pale white to dark brown.A potently addictive blend of romance, fantasy, and science fiction full of unexpected twists. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

School Library Journal (Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Gr 8 Up-Mykal, Franny, and Court live in an unforgiving world where they know the day they're going to die. It's not a tragedy for everyone; Influentials could live for more than 100 years. Unfortunately, none of the trio have that opportunity because they are slated to die young. But then they all dodge their deathday. Nobody they know has ever done that before, and they team up when a strange psychic connection links them. Court is determined to get them into the mysterious Stardust program because he sees it as their best chance of survival. The three are tested constantly and must trust in their link to make it in a world that doesn't care for them. This book takes plenty of detours to keep readers intrigued, although the psychic connection is never satisfactorily explained. Although the Stardust thread is the main story, there are several subplots that might be confusing. Also, two of the main characters are not interested at all in exploring why they lived past their deathdays, which feels incongruent to the narrative. There are more questions than answers in this book; hopefully a sequel will provide some closure. VERDICT An additional purchase for libraries where science fiction is popular. Stacey Shapiro, Tenafly Public Library, NJ