Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne

This was just what I needed; a cozy science fiction book from the author of the Tomes and Tea fantasy series, which begins with Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea.

Two sisters live on Colony 13, a large human space station. Torian has studied solar engineering and worked on a spaceship for Fleet Captain/smuggler Amelia. Once, and only once, they kissed. Torian’s older sister Celise is a medic. The not-so-healthy atmosphere on Colony 13 makes her cough, and the long-term prognosis is not good. Torian save up enough money to buy a very small spaceship covered in moss. The moss turns out to be inside as well, and sentient. Meet Moss, sort of a hybrid entity. Torian and Moss head out on adventures, first to the planet Rhymarra, and then on the mostly abandoned space station Vaesa. Moss is holding a grudge against a long-lived alien who left the ship behind on Colony 13, but Moss finds Torian’s curiosity and loyal recklessness oddly appealing. This is not at all hard science fiction, with a refreshing lack of violence or much danger. I thought this was a fun and charming read. I look forward to the second book, to be published next summer. Fun trivia: the author also works as a flight attendant.

Brenda