Beyond the Stars (The Captain’s Daughters, #2)
by Doreen D. Berger (Goodreads Author)

3.5 stars
Diane and Robin are thrown into another adventure in this second book in the series, when they befriend Jannel, the future ruler of a planet under quarantine. Jannel is a girl their own age, who comes aboard their spaceship for safety away from the virus that is threatening her planet. The girls try to help Jannel overcome her fears for her future, but they wind up in terrible trouble.

I liked the world-building for this new planet that we visit with Diane, Robin, and Jannel. I appreciated that there is a history of politics that has led to the current unrest on the planet, and the way the virus plays into that is really interesting. We also get to learn a little bit about the wild flora and fauna of the planet!

I also liked getting to know more about Diane and Robin’s home on the Polaris spaceship, where their “father” (actually their uncle) is the Captain. I enjoyed reading about their daily habits on board the spaceship and more of the backstory about how their father first took command of the ship. There is also a little romantic side-story for the Captain which I thought was fun!

The writing style has definitely improved from the first book. There are fewer flashbacks, and the pacing of the story is more natural. The plot is more cohesive as well. There are still a few weird coincidences in the plot, and some scenarios that seemed a bit unbelievable. I find it odd that trained soldiers would put prisoners into a cell and NOT take their bags, or at least search through their belongings and remove any incendiary devices. There are several things like that which are too convenient in the plot.

I really liked to see the friendship between Diane and Robin and their new friend, Jannel. It was lovely to see those characters developing and interacting together.

We get some wonderful character development as the girls are curious about their “father’s” previous romantic relationships, and they have to come to terms with how they feel about that. I love seeing the close family dynamic between “father” and daughters.

However, in some ways, I was a little disappointed in the character development of Diane and Robin. After their adventures in the first book, I would have thought it would make them more cautious; but here they are, taking stupid risks… AGAIN. Here they are, defying their father and lying to him… AGAIN. It’s like the lessons from the first book never even happened. Maybe we can hope for more character development in the future novels.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The plot is exciting, the characters are endearing, and the world-building is imaginative. I liked it a lot!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.