Star Splitter - by Matthew J Kirby

In a time when it seems everything in sci-fi/fantasy is part of a series, Star Splitter makes its mark as an incredible standalone story. I loved the dual timelines and how they created an intense feeling of suspense. On the one hand, we see her aboard the spaceship DS Theseus, intensely angry at her parents for dragging her out to research an uninhabited planet. On the other, we see the end result of her time on the Theseus - a crashed lander, buried bodies, and no idea how it all happened, because this is a "new" Jessica, fresh from the body printer on the planet's surface with none of the "original" Jessica's memories of how everything went wrong on the Theseus. How important are those missing memories in determining which one is the "real" Jessica? This book reminded me of some of the eeriest (in my opinion) Doctor Who episodes - Midnight and The Waters of Mars. It's not exactly horror, but it has some chilling elements of suspense that will send a thrill up your spine.

Star Splitter by Matthew J Kirby was one of my favorite books I have read this year. My favorite character in this book would be Duncan, the ships captains sixteen year old son. I like the character due to him being a great friend with an amazing personality. I also love how him and the main character Jessica formed a friendship and how protective he was over her. My favorite part of the book was when they were together. I really loved the part when he saved her. I also loved all the other parts with them together which made the book interesting. This book was very well written kept me interested, and I loved the plot. I honestly had a hard time putting the book down. The author should write more books like this one. Even though I loved this book and gave it a five out of five stars, the ending made me mad. I just don't like how it ended. It leaves many questions unanswered. Also, the back and forth between Jessica one and Jessica two got me very confused at times. One scene I disliked was when the two crew members talked about Jessica and her family behind her back. Also, the scene where her father killed the ships doctor was scary to me. Her dad's transfer was corrupted, which made him very violent. Another part I didn't like was the fact that Jessica's mother is the reason the ship was destroyed since she didn't leave Jessica's violent Dad locked up like she was supposed to. In my opinion, Jessica and her mother should have just left the ship alone and left her corrupted father behind. Jessica's relationship with her parents was bad from the start, but I imagine this made it even worse. Duncan also had a bad relationship with his dad, so I'm pretty sure them having that in common helped their relationship grow. In conclusion, I can definitely see myself rereading this book. If you love young adult science fiction with teleportation to another planet, you would love this book too. Star Splitter was my favorite book read this year, so here's some fun facts about the book. Jessica refers to Carver 1061c as Hades, which I found hilarious and very fitting after everything that happened. Jessica's Mom was a geologist, and her dad a biological studying Hades surface. The rest you will just have to read to find out.

Star Splitter takes place in a distant future in which the problem of interstellar travel is solved by scanning a person, turning their body and consciousness into a data file, and then using a 3D biological printer to replicate them in another location. The original body is destroyed. Jessica's parents are scientists who left her at the age of eleven with her grandparents on earth to explore far away stars and planets. They have been gone for six years. They ask her to join them to survey a planet that has undergone a massive extinction event caused by a giant volcano. She finds herself awaking in a printer in a crashed lander on the planet. There are multiple graves and a familiar stranger who is keeping secrets from her. Star Splitter is an incredible mix of sci-fi, horror and thriller, and had me addicted from the beginning. It is told in dual timelines which heightens the suspense. Star Splitter is thought provoking and unsettling as it raises many questions about the nature of consciousness and personhood, as well as the ethics and costs of interstellar travel and exploration. I liked that there was no romance, which is refreshing in YA. The ending leaves some questions unanswered, and I would have liked more of an epilogue, but I think the author did this purposefully. Star Splitter is absolutely gripping, intriguing and unique. Thank you to BookishFirst for a copy to review.

Seventeen-year-old Jessica is about to be teleported to a post-extinction planet in deep space to be reunited with her scientist parents that she hasn’t seen in six years as they embark on their latest research project. Something goes terribly wrong and Jessica wakes up alone in a lander that is destroyed from a crash, with bloody handprints everywhere. What happened? Why are there graves outside? STAR SPLITTER was a gripping YA science fiction thriller. I loved the dual timeline. All of the characters were fantastic. The title comes from Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Star-Splitter,’ a portion of which is included at the beginning of the book. References to the poem are weaved throughout the book and add depth to many of the thought-provoking questions that arise while reading. I guessed some of the major twists but still enjoyed the book very much as it’s well written. This is a book that I’m glad I didn’t read many reviews prior to starting as knowing less going into it is probably best. STAR SPLITTER was an unputdownable and very thought-provoking YA science fiction thriller that I’d definitely recommend. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I’d be interested in checking out his other works. Thank you to Dutton Books for the giveaway copy.