The Last Celestials Blog Tour: Review and Interview with the Author!
Blurb
A defeated general. A jaded princess. A really awkward situation.
Orion and Cassiopeia are the last of their kind: an ancient, powerful race of space-dwelling beings known as Celestials. After losing a terrible war against another, deadlier race, Orion appeals to Cassiopeia, hoping she’ll help him save their species. After all, he’s a male, she’s a female… This shouldn’t be complicated, right? Wrong!
Cassiopeia, who has been living like a recluse for centuries, wants absolutely nothing to do with Orion. And not just because he has no manners; there are things she doesn’t want him to know, secrets that drove her to self-exile. So she does the only logical thing she can think of: She runs away to Earth, where she allies herself with a group of young musicians and adopts their easygoing way of life in order to blend in. It’s the perfect hiding place, right? Wrong!
Little does Cassiopeia know, Orion is way better at tracking than he is at romance… though he may have to become good at both if he wants a second chance.
Review
I would describe this book as kind of Thor meets Lemonade Mouth meets a rom-com. It was sci-fi, but it was also a love story with a lot of enjoyable tropes.
It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but once I got going, I was hooked. I always enjoy the "alien discovers Earth culture" trope so that was fun. I also thought all the characters were good, even if it took a bit for me to like them (looking at you, Orion).
A few of my favorite things:
•Lidian! The best character in the whole thing to me.
•Nice slow burn romance. I enjoyed watching it unfold like flower coming to full bloom.
•Soft sci-fi. I've never been a huge hard sci-fi fan (way too much science mumbo jumbo for me), so if you too enjoy things like sentient stars and outer space people with powers, then you'll like this book.
A few dislikes:
•Could be a little too descriptive in some scenes. But I think that's just my preferences.
•All the parts about repopulating their species made me uncomfortable, but I did know the premise going in, so it shouldn't have surprised me.
•Kinda sus to me that two guys and a girl are roommates.
Content warnings: Some kissing (mildly spicy), talk of reproduction, and cursing.
But, overall, this was a fun and cute mix of romance and science fiction that worked well together. I look forward to reading more of Becca's work in the future.
Interview
1. What inspired you to write this book?
Oh boy, this is a fun story. So, I'm the oldest of 3 girls, and growing up, we played a lot of Barbie Dolls. One time, my sister thought up this character called the "Galactic Princess," who came down from space to help a group of humans do something (I can't remember what, haha). That planted the seed, and the idea of a mysterious, regal space princess stuck with me. As a teenager, I tried a few times to write about her, but they were all miserable failures. Fast forward to years later, and the idea of two space people, the last of their kind, spawned a much better story arc. But Cassiopeia as a character remained the cornerstone.
2. What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the writing process?
The first draft is my favorite part; I'm a panster and I love discovering the story as I write it.
My least favorite part? Probably those final stages of proofreading. It's so tedious and I second-guess everything, but I'm also neurotic so I can't just let it lie. I probably read The Last Celestials beginning to end ten times before I felt satisfied, and trust me when I say that "familiarity breeds contempt" is never more true than when you're reading your own writing over and over.
3. What are your go-to writing snacks and drinks?
Chocolate chips! I love chocolate plus they're one of the few snacks that don't dirty your fingers (and therefore your keyboard... gross!) For drinks, coffee if I'm writing in the morning and herbal tea if it's at night, or occasionally a glass of wine if I'm overthinking things... though the latter makes me sleepy and therefore less likely to get any writing done at all.
4. If you were to have your book turned into a movie, who would you cast as the leads?
That's such a tough question because I am so out of touch with popular actors! For Orion, I'm stuck on Noah Centineo. A very predictable choice, I know, but he has the right swagger. (And I just rewatched the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series so he's fresh on the brain.)
For Cassiopeia, Ava Sambora! (Confession: I had no idea who I'd cast so I googled "blonde actresses in their 20s" and found Ava! She's perfect and honestly, her real-life boyfriend would also make a great Orion but I think he's just a regular dude, not an actor? Which I love!)
5. Who are you more like, Cassiopeia or Orion?
Gosh, that's also a tough question because I feel like I'm simultaneously neither and both of them. (What's that they say about characters being fragments of the author's personality? Eh.) Probably Orion because I wear my heart on my sleeve, I say dumb things like he does, and I'm definitely impatient like he is.
6. Who is your favorite character in this book?
I want to say Orion because, like most romance-inclined authors, I definitely projected some desirable male qualities onto him. But for a close second, Lidian was a fun side character to write and I like how ironically in-the-know he is about Earth stuff. So funny, right, because he's a star? *eye roll* But for real, I like his relationship with Orion and its impact on Orion's decision-making. I wanted to write more of him but there was literally only so much he could do!
7. What's the "theme song" for your book?
Definitely Twilight Galaxy by Metric! It's the name of the first chapter (every chapter is a song title because once I started I couldn't stop) and it was the first song I used as inspiration while writing the book. A lot of the lyrics match up so well and the instrumentals are tonally perfect!
About Becca
Becca Mionis has been writing stories ever since she first figured out how to string words together into semi-coherent sentences. Evidently, not much has changed since then.
A native of Kansas City, she graduated from William Jewell College with a BA in English and a minor in Music Performance, jumping feet- first into freelance copywriting while continuing to write fiction on the side. Music remains a large part of her life as well, though largely for fun.
Aside from words and sounds, she also enjoys film analysis, comedy, cooking (i.e., eating), and general housewifery, which is definitely a word in the English language.
She lives in South Carolina with her wonderful (though chronically sarcastic) husband, their overzealous husky, and a cat who is the physical embodiment of the word “whatever.”
This is her first published novel.
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It was super fun to have you on the blog today, Becca. The Last Celestials releases in one week, on February 14 (Valentine's Day). You can find the links to pre-order it below!
Do you prefer hard or soft sci-fi? What are some of your favorite romance tropes? Tell me in the comments!
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