Starfall by Jessie Kwak

Starfall

by Jessie Kwak

About the Book:

Title: Starfall - A Durga System Novella | Author: Jessie Kwak | Pages: 120 | Genre: Science-Fiction | Recommended Age: Young Adult

Book Description:

A headstrong teenager. A world-weary crime lord. A dangerous prison break. Starla Dusai is fifteen, deaf — and being held as an enemy combatant by the Indiran Alliance. Willem Jaantzen is a notorious crime lord about to end a fearsome vendetta — and most probably his life. When he learns his goddaughter has been captured by the Alliance, will he be able to save her? And her, him? STARFALL is a book in Jessie Kwak’s Durga System series, a fast-paced series of gangster sci-fi novellas set in a far-future world where humans may have left their home planet to populate the stars, but they haven’t managed to leave behind their vices. And that’s very good for business. You’ll find captivating characters and heart-pounding adventures, all with Kwak’s customary sprinkling of wry humor. Buy this book to start reading this epic tale of independence, family bonds, and mafiosos today!

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My Review:

Starfall is an exciting new science-fiction adventure series about a spunky teenager named Starla. Starla is deaf, which makes her a refreshingly interesting heroine. Her godfather has a death wish until he finds out that his goddaughter has been captured and her parents are missing, possibly even dead. He hardly knows her and hasn't seen her for many years, but he still feels bound to lay aside his death wish and fulfill his promise to her parents.

The characters are intriguing with their backgrounds in the world of crime. Are they villains or heroes? There are plenty of suspenseful elements too that keep the story moving with the right amount of world building, but not too much that it gets boring. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Author Jessie Kwak

Jessie's Kwak's thoughts on

the character of Starla:

Starfall actually began as a character backstory sketch while I was working on a trilogy of full novels set later in the same universe — but I liked Starla's story so much I fleshed it out and published it. I first "met" Starla while working on the trilogy (which is still unfinished). At that moment, she was in her late 20s. (She's 15 in Starfall.) I knew right away she was strong-willed, that her personality was prickly (yet she was fiercely loyal to friends), and that she didn't take any guff from anybody. And, as the scene progressed, I realized that she was deaf.

In a way, it wasn't a conscious decision. She showed up fully formed in my imagination, from her haircut to her combat boots. Once I realized I was going to write Starfall from her point of view, though, I put as much effort as I could into researching what it would be like to experience the world as a deaf person, by reading books about Deaf culture and by Deaf authors, and just learning as much as I could.

About the Author:

Jessie Kwak is a freelance writer and novelist living in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not writing B2B marketing copy, you can find her scribbling away on her latest novel, riding her bike to the brewpub, or sewing something fun.

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Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of this book for my honest review.