About

Dim Stars is Brian P. Rubin's debut novel. This can be read as a standalone, with sequels likely to come.

Dim Stars book cover

Blurb

Kenzie Washington, fourteen-year-old girl genius, signs up for a two-week tour as a cadet on the spaceship of her idol, Captain Dash Drake. Too bad Dash, who once saved the galaxy from the evil Forgers, is a broke loser and much less than meets the eye.

But when an intergalactic evil appears and launches an attack, Dash, Kenzie, and the ship’s crew escape, making them the next target. On the run and low on gas, Dash and Kenzie encounter cannibal space-pirates, catastrophic equipment failure, and a cyborg who’s kind of a jerk.

Kenzie is determined to discover the bad guys’ secret plan. But for her to succeed, Dash needs to keep his brilliant, annoying cadet from getting killed …which is a lot harder than it sounds.

Review

I wasn't feeling well (bit of a stomach trouble) and I remembered that this novel was supposed to be a light-hearted fun. And it was indeed fun and filled with humor that had me clutching my stomach in pain from laughing every page.

I especially enjoyed the slice-of-life feel in the first half of the novel. Some characters stood out right from the start and some grew to be likeable as the events progressed.

Humor is hit or miss with me, I enjoyed most of them while a few were a bit uncomfortable for me (but I could still appreciate how it'd be funny for some). Kept imagining how the dialogues would pan out as a live-action movie, thought it would be great and it helped me feel more immersed while reading too.

The pacing was steady to start with, became more faster paced when action started. While I liked the second half, I would've enjoyed more if the novel had stayed as low-stakes. Guess I should start reading the blurbs before starting a book to avoid misplaced expectations.

Another plus point I'd say was the foreshadowing, especially those that played out humorously in multiple scenes. Even the chapter titles played a role!

Excited to see how the sequels will play out.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟☆

What others are saying

From Nicholas Eames's review on goodreads:

This book is so good. It's hilarious--I laughed out loud countless times while reading it. It's fast-paced in the best way possible--the end of every chapter pretty much compels you to start reading the next. It's got a ton of really genuine heartfelt moments, and characters (so many characters) that are so endearing.

From Anj's review on goodreads:

It has witty banters, actions, and has me laughing until the end. The characters are well-rounded and wonderful. The banters between them flowed naturally and always delightful. The world-build is well-inagined and the pacing is good. It was fun seeing the plot unfold!

Bingo

/r/Fantasy/ 2021 bingo categories:

  • New to You Author
  • Comfort Read (HM)
  • Self-Published
  • Has Chapter Titles
  • Debut Author