Yolande Kleinn, $1.99, ISBN 978-1-946316-43-1
Sci-fi Romance, 2024

Someone is really not genre-savvy in Yolande Kleinn’s The Spaces in Between. Captain Jamila Warwick and her crew are checking out what seems like an abandoned ship in an asteroid belt.

But the ship is alive. Someone built—grew?—created a spacefaring vessel out of biological impulses and living matter. The ship is alive, and complicated, and so wildly unfamiliar that it took the Obershaw‘s entire onboard contingent of scientists nearly fourteen hours to resolve that it was a ship. Then another six to find a way to dock with the mystery vessel, two more to board following rigorous safety protocols, and a full day to confirm that the inner chambers contain an atmosphere safe for humans to breathe.

Hello? Has no one among them seen Event Horizon? 

Naturally, one of them has to go la-di-da “I’m so feisty, see me wander off alone, tra-la-la!” and that will be Aida de Luca, the love interest. 

There is a nice story in here somewhere, but I just can’t stand Aida. She wanders off just because she can, is insubordinate, can’t obey instructions, and yet, she never has to face any consequences and is instead rewarded with a happy ending. 

Am I supposed to root for this wretch that, in any military or military-like environment, would likely be kicked out ASAP as she would be a liability in any critical situation? She would end up just wasting everyone else’s time at best or worst, getting a few people killed because of her efforts to be some wisecracking MCU girlboss. 

In the end, I kind of like the story but at the same time, I cringe each time Aida decides to do her nonsense, which is often and drives the plot.

In the end, I suppose three oogies would be a fair score, but anyone that reads this thing and can’t stand Aida as much as me has better don’t complain to me. I have warned everyone!