Audible Book Review: Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder

I loved other series by this author. This is a well written start to another series.

Navigating the Stars
Sentinels of the Galaxy, Book 1
By: Maria V. Snyder
Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
Release date: 01-17-19
Publisher: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction, Space Suspense
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
“The answer is no, Lyra”, my mother utters her favorite - I swear - phrase.
No means I have to travel with them to another planet - again.
No means leaving all my friends 50 years in the past. Thanks, Einstein.
Seventeen-year-old Lyra Daniels can’t truly blame Einstein or her parents for their impending move across the Milky Way Galaxy. It’s all due to the invention of the Q-net, which made traveling the vast distances in space possible - with one big caveat: the time dilation. But that never stopped Lyra's ancestors from exploring the Milky Way, searching for resources and exoplanets to colonize. What they didn’t expect to find is life-sized terracotta warriors buried on 21 different exoplanets...Make that 22.
As the Galaxy’s leading experts on the warriors, Lyra's parents are thrilled by the new discovery, sending them - and her - 50 years into the future. Her social life in ruins, she fills her lonely days by illegally worming into the Q-net. The only person close to her age is the annoyingly irresistible security officer who threatens to throw her into the brig.
After the planet they just left goes silent - meaning no communications from them at all - security has bigger problems to deal with than Lyra, especially when vital data files go missing. But that's just the beginning, because they’re not as alone as they thought on their new planet...and suddenly time isn't the only thing working against them.
©2018 Maria V. Snyder (P)2019 Maria V. Snyder

Review:
Lyra’s parents are excited when exploration on a distant planet uncovers the 22nd set of buried, life-sized terracotta warriors. This is their specialty, and they are eager to go and excavate the treasure in person. But seventeen-year-old Lyra doesn’t want to go on a voyage to a far off planet, because she will be leaving her friends behind. Due to time travel, she would remain a teenager while all her friends would age. But, of course, Lyra, doesn’t get to choose.

On the spaceship Lyra continues her schooling in an awkward situation where the only other youth her age is a sullen young man, Niall, who turns out to be the son of the ship chief security officer. Naill, born and raised on the ship, has no desire to make friends with a passenger. And as a junior security officer, he isn’t even willing to look the other way when he realizes that Lyra is hacking the Q-net, the governmental computer system. Hacking the system will normally earn time in the brig… but soon the security officers realize Lyra has a special skill ‘worming’ the system. When the planet they came from goes silent and data files related to the excavation team go missing the authorities fear threats from space pirates. they determine they need to train and fine tune Lyra’s skills to help protect the exploration.

In addition to trying to uncover the attacks on the Q-Net files, the crew will soon face space pirates. Lyra develops a relationship with the Captain and the Security team, including a growing friendship with Naill. Then someone sets their sights on Lyra when they recognize her special skills.

I loved the Study and Storm Series by Ms. Snyder and I am sorry I waited this long to get into this series. Snyder delivers likeable characters and a plot full of suspense and emotional situations. I’m not always drawn to stories of teens who tend to be a bit self-absorbed, but I was pulled into the story and it read very quickly as I pushed to find out what would happen. I will be continuing with the other books in the series. I recommend this to fans of well written science fiction suspense.

Audio Notes: Gabra Zackman does an excellent job with the narration. She conveys most of the characters with spot on emotions and personality. The voices are strong and distinct and the narration increased my enjoyment of the entertainment.

Source: 1/15/2020 December Audible Credit. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.