Overall opinion: Perfectly paced and exciting, Protostar is a gem of the Sci-Fi genre with a lot of kind and honest romance and the presence of an A.I. with emotions.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author through Booktasters in exchange for an honest review.
“Yes, Protostar. It’s the birthing phase of a star. The single most powerful occurrence in all the universe: an all-access pass to unadulterated, unstoppable, uncontrollable power. You should be coming into this phase soon.”
Title: Protostar
Author: Braxton A. Cosby
Publisher: Cosby Media Productions
Publication date: June 16, 2015
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Series: The Star-Crossed Saga, Book #1
Goodreads: link
Bookdepository (paperback): link
Amazon.com (ebook): link
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book Blurb
The people of Proxima Centauri have traveled the galaxy utilizing the power of the Stars, but something more powerful stands between them and the fate of the entire universe.
As the Torrian Alliance continues its age-old mission of hunting down Star-children, King Gregorio reluctantly agrees to send his only son, Bounty Hunter William Derry, to planet Earth on a mission to bring honor back to the Royal Family name. The target: Sydney, a young teenage girl, unaware of her alien lineage. But when the Daedallus crash lands on the planet – delaying the assassination – William realizes a deeper connection to Sydney, and the truth behind her unknown heritage threatens to destroy everything he’s come to believe about the wayward species. Soon he must choose between following his orders or protecting the woman he loves. But time is running out, as a hidden menace emerges to secure a vested interest, and possibly kill both he and Sydney, before his home-world of Fabricius is plummeted in an all-out Civil War.
The Backstory for My Protostar Book Review
I had just signed up to be a book reviewer for Booktasters and I was sent a list of books available to review. You can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I saw the SciFi book Protostar among the offers. I looked it up on Amazon and it completely captured me, so I told Booktasters that was the book I wanted to read and review with them.
Well, I think I was seriously lucky and today I’m so happy I was given the opportunity, because now I’m thrilled to read book 2 in the Saga!
The Actual Protostar Book Review
Perfectly paced and exciting, Protostar tells the love story of a young alien prince, William Derry, and the Star-Child Sydney, who doesn’t know she’s not human and hides a tremendous power. Along with their love story, the tale of corrupted alien politics and the frail role of prince William as a Star-child killer.
All in all, I see Protostar as a little gem of the Sci-Fi genre, with a lot of kind and honest romance to make it a must-read for the fans of Star Trek and Star Wars, as well as any reader who likes a good amount of A.I. and sweetness in a Science Fiction story.
The writing style is clean and friendly, making this book a page-turner without omitting the details, especially when describing action scenes. The author’s skills show when you can easily paint a picture of what’s going on in your mind, which is what happens with Cosby’s writing.
The book’s protagonists and secondary characters are introduced chapter by chapter, until you get to know the whole cast. The slow introduction might cause a sense of confusion at first (it happened to me) but that confusion clears easily once you get past the first chapters. The main characters are all-round and relatable, so it’s easy to emphasize with them.
They are:
- Sydney, the Star-Child, a seventeen year old from Madisonburg
- William Derry, an alien prince from planet Fabricius
- Sarah, Sydney’s grandmother, whom she lives with, being an orphan
- IMPI, William’s starship Daedallus‘ A.I.
- Henry Gladston, Madisonburg’s sheriff
- Noella, Sydney’s best friend
The novel is filled with intrigue, suspense and mystery along with the sweet romance and the cool science fiction elements (starships, battles in space, a smart A.I., alien politics), so it’s hard to put this book down once you’re reading it.
Also, the ending leaves us curious to know what’s going to happen next (although we’re given a little hint in the previous chapter) and it easily tickles us into wanting to read the next book in the Saga.
Coming to the themes of the narration:
- The power of love over duty and the distorted views of power and fame
- The role of hope when everything seems lost
- The value of friendship when outside forces push you to betray it
- The humanity of an A.I. that became more than the role it was built for
In other words, there’s a lot of good stuff in this novel! Hence it’s a 5-star read for me.
I would really recommend this book to all fans of the genre, and as I’ve done before, I’m going to end my review with my favorite quote from the book (from page 377, non-spoilery):
“You should know more than anyone that the universe is filled with things no one fully understands. But fear doesn’t stop people from trying to seek the truth.”
Trigger Warnings: death (from a car accident)
Conclusion of My Protostar Book Review & Personal Comments
As a robot lover, my favorite parts were those involving the A.I. IMPI (who’s given a human nickname toward the end of the book). IMPI shows emotion and spirit of initiative, arguing with its captain and refusing to obey orders when it disagrees with him.
I loved how Cosby portrayed this smart and very “human” A.I. in the book. Since I want to continue reading the Saga, I look forward to seeing more of IMPI and I’m curious about its development.
I can’t deny the scientific explanations were also fascinating and there was a lot of real science in them. That’s the cool thing about Science Fiction: if well written, it makes sense.
Finally, I loved the starship battles, that felt like I was watching a Star Trek episode or a Star Wars movie. Just irresistible to a SciFi fan.
Reading & Watching Recommendations
If you loved Invictus and any Star Trek and Star Wars movies and books you could put your hands on, you will definitely love Protostar.
Also, Flight of the Navigator and E.T. are good classic movies to watch while you’re reading Cosby’s book.
