Hardcover, 282 pages
Published June 29, 2020 by Akashic Books.
Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She's used to the names; she only wishes there was more truth to them. If she were truly a monster, she'd be powerful enough to tear down the walls around her until nothing remains of her world. Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South.
For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship's leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot--if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war.
The characters are brilliant, grabbing and dynamic. But as for the rest of the book... it leaves something to be desired. It can't quite decide if it's a fairytale story set in space, or a SciFi story with fairytale elements. It offers a very interesting perspective on gender constructs, power dynamics, and living with trauma.
