Just finished Charlie Jane Anders' "Victories Greater Than Death," her debut into the young adult market. This book is so very easy for me to recommend — it's the kind of novel I would have loved to read when I was a teen, and it's still a delight for me to read now.
Let's start with the basics. The heroine of the story, Tina, knows that although she looks human, she's actually of alien descent, and the clone of a legendary commander to boot. She also knows it's only a matter of time before she has to fulfill her destiny in space, although she fears the alien killers she sees in visions. It's a refreshing take on the entire fated-hero trope — she knows what lies ahead and is girding for it, as opposed to so many others whom no one bothered to warn.
After starting on Earth, the story really begins when Tina makes it to space. The story's crackerjack, full of a menagerie of intriguing aliens, a rich history going back millennia, clever technologies, a mysterious conspiracy, thrilling action, tragic losses, and gallivanting across the galaxy. Also, crushes!
The heroine is likable and written with care and affection. Quirky, awkward, scrappy and poor, worried about tests and bullies and a fraught but loving relationship with her mom, partying with street dance protests as best as she and her best friend can, I could imagine wanting to hang out with and protect them in equal measure. The plot and setting are exciting and fascinating, but the characters do not in any way get short-shrift, growing and changing in meaningful ways before our eyes.
Looking back, my only quibble with the book is the amount of time spent on Earth. The starting section is well-written, and accomplishes a stellar job of establishing Tina as a real person, as well as the ominous nature of what might lie ahead of her. And the shift to space is handled well, reminiscent in the best way of "Galaxy Quest" and "The Last Starfighter," where fans are glad to step into dream roles, despite the dangers involved. It's just that I really love all the stuff in space, and in retrospect I would've liked for the novel to get there sooner. But when I was reading the front section, I didn't regret reading it at all — it felt kind of like a John Hughes prequel to Star Trek or Star Wars.
All in all, "Victories Greater Than Death" is basically what you'd want YA SF to be, or just SF in general. It also has a thriller ending to pique interest in Anders' next book in the series. I can't wait.