The Stardust Grail

The Stardust Grail is both simple and complex.

There is no subtlety, everything is spelled out, the world and characters are skin deep.

However, the lines between good and evil are blurred, and that is where it shines.

I consider this novel to be for a YA audience.

It was to blatant for me.

A story about friendship, betrayal, and the aftereffects of colonization (in space!) with heists.

The aliens are alien, there's some interesting exploration of wormholes and first contact dynamics, and the action is engaging and unpredictable.

A repatriating art thief turned grad student goes on one last job for her dear alien friend Auncle to save xyr species as well as all of humanity.

This was a fun adventure of a book. I really enjoyed Maya and Auncle's deep friendship across species boundaries; that Maya feels seen and connected, even by an alien she can't fully understand. I liked that all of the characters (and species) aren't perfect, and have done things that they regret but still felt like were for the right reasons. The heist sequences were fun, and there was also a dangerous ruins sequence that reminded me of Martha Wells's fantasy novels.

I wish the other crew members had a little bit more depth to them, but overall this was still solidly enjoyable.