Made of Stars

CHAPTER ONE

The young ones died first.

Blood pooled between the stones and crawled across the floor with delicate phantom hands. Shane felt it sink into his bones the longer he lay in the cell. How long had it been since he tasted pure, unrecycled oxygen? Since he felt the steady weight of a weapon in his hand? His finger twitched as he imagined the shock of a rifle against his shoulder, the silent shot in the open vacuum of space.

You re not going to die here.

Shane rolled over, wincing as his shoulder twisted painfully. He d popped it back into place after the fight yesterday, but the skin was still swollen and tender. His hands ached, too. He tried not to think about why, but the memories always overcame him in the end.

A pulse slowing under his fingers. The other man clawing at the floor, broken nails scratching down the dusty walls. Shane had always thought killing would be harder, that it would take a certain kind of person to wrap their hands around another s throat and squeeze until there was nothing left, but it had been over by the time the warden arrived, before the droids swarmed and the prisoners rioted. Killing was the easiest thing in the world. And Shane wasn t sorry.

He exhaled, grimacing at the sharp pain in his chest. They kept it cold in solitary. Add that to the list of things these people would pay for. He d come for them all eventually ­every officer, every warden, every droid. Everyone who funded a place like this. You re not going to die here.

Shane s last thoughts before the dark claimed him again were of his hands, pale and trembling without something to hold, and that man s vacant, lifeless stare.

CHAPTER TWO

Three months of planning and Ava had still managed to underestimate the cold.

She shivered as she followed a masked officer through the twisting corridors of the Opian prison moon. They had made it through the first security checkpoint without so much as a whisper from the alarms, but another

Jenna Voris

Raves for Made of Stars

"A thrill ride of the highest caliber. Made of Stars is an explosion of space warfare with beautifully violent criminals you ll love to accompany." Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

With as much action and intrigue as there is heart, you ll be swept away on this adventure through the stars. Alechia Dow, author of The Sound of Stars

Thrilling and intimate, full of both rage and hope, Made of Stars is a stellar debut. Voris balances a complex plot, a ragtag crew of richly drawn characters, and humor alongside a thoughtful examination of economic exploitation. Come for the cool space battles, stay for the emotional devastation. Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic

An absolute supernova of a book. Made of Stars is a thrilling adventure across the galaxy driven by a big, beating heart. Voris is a spectacular new talent. Sasha Peyton Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven

Sharp and cinematic, Made of Stars is stellar storytelling, with a gritty universeand rich characters just waiting to rock your world and break your heart. Lora Beth Johnson, author of the Goddess in the Machine duology

"A rollercoaster ride-or-die from the explosive start to the heart-wrenching end! Queer characters, romantic angst, and killer plot twists make Voris a new voice that you will definitely want to devour." Meg Long, author of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves

"[A] bustling debut." Publishers Weekly