Ithaka Rising by LJ Cohen is the second in the Halycone Space series. It can be read and enjoyed by readers who missed the first book (Derelict), but I recommend reading both books.

Ro Maldonado, a gifted engineer, is the kind of young woman people might describe as “difficult.” Certainly, her childhood as the daughter of a complicated father with unclear loyalties hasn’t made friendships or trust easy for her. But she’s learning and, now that she has friends, she would do anything to help them, including taking on a dangerous mission in a not-quite-fully-functional ship to rescue one of them.

I admire the realism of this story in that there are no easy answers to the complex problems the characters face. A great adventure story that left me both satisfied and anxious for a third book!

About The Reviewer:

Samantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now for sale by Curiosity Quills.

Learn more about Samantha and her work at http://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/