Review: Star-Crossed

Writer: Jerry Frissen
Artist: Roberto Zaghi
Publisher: Humanoids Inc.
Released: March 19, 2024
Received: NetGalley
Find it on Goodreads | More Graphic Novel Reviews

Summary:

Humanity has been discussing first contact with aliens for as long as we’ve daydreamed about space. In the far-flung future, that time is finally here. The Eo’Tax is an advanced civilization, and they’re willing to work with humans to reach an understanding.

Enter No’mi and Danko. Danko Orton is a CIA linguist, and he may not have been Earth’s first choice for the job, but he’s qualified and present. No’mi is the chosen representative for the Eo’Tax. We all know what happens next.

Review:

Uh. Okay, there’s a lot to unpack here. I will start by saying I did not enjoy Star-Crossed as much as I hoped. I was really excited at the idea of Romeo & Juliet in space. And honestly, if this book had stuck with that concept, it might have been fine. But it didn’t.

The truth is that Star-Crossed tries to do too much in too little time. We have the Romeo & Juliet retelling alongside attempted conversations about racism and procreation (pressure for abortions due to racism and similar themes). I feel like these conversations were far too rushed. More like they were brought up and left alone, so it felt…callous at best.

Speaking of callous. I don’t like Danko. It feels like everyone around him (especially the women) paid for Danko’s choices and mistakes. Combine that with the fact that he’s just not a likable character? Yeah, it made my skin crawl.

Highlights:

• Romeo & Juliet Retelling
• Space-based

Trigger Warnings:

• Racism
• Abortion/pressure

Thanks to Humanoids Inc. and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat’s Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy