YA Review – Beneath False Stars – young adult dystopian

Book Categories – YA Review – review of books for teens

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About the Book

Book: Beneath False Stars

Author: S.D. Grimm

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Release Date: September 9, 2025

The day to open the centuries-old Dome gates and reintegrate genetically engineered people back into normal society has arrived. There’s one caveat—their powers must remain suppressed.

Amidst this Project Integration Initiative, hacker Ryleigh Stevens has her whole life planned out. The plan? Prevent a second Universal Tech War in two simple steps. First, help Project Integration Phase One succeed—but not for the reason she pretends. Next, infiltrate the rebellion and sabotage Phase Two—the part that would grant people unbridled access to their superhuman abilities.

Too bad the one person who can make her plan reality is her sworn enemy. He’s dangerous. He’s Powered. And he’s the reason her brother is dead. Faced with an impossible choice, Ryleigh must decide how to do what’s right for the good of all humanity, even if it means sacrificing everything she holds dear—again.

Click here to get your copy!

My YA Review

Grimm, S.D. Beneath False Stars. Carol Stream, IL: Enclave Publishing, 2025.

Project Integration Book 1

It is always interesting to me to see how science fiction authors take today’s technology and twist it into a futuristic story. Grimm makes her main character a hacker in a world where AI has been outlawed. I did not catch details as to why it was outlawed but that may be in a future book. She also references Tech Wars, without much detail, as the reason for the current state of the world.

In the world Grimm created there are two types of humans – “normals” and “powered” (those with special abilities). Ryleigh’s father is in charge of Project Integration – an initiative to integrate the normals and the powered. As the story progresses Ryleigh (a normal) discovers that life is a bit different than she imagined. In a world where the normals and the powered appear to be on opposite sides, Ryleigh has friends on both sides. 

Zane (a powered) turns out to be a different person than Ryleigh originally thought. As they are partnered together as part of the Integration. They grow to trust each other.

There were some things that I didn’t quite understand in the story but they did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. In fact, I look forward to the next book in the Project Integration series. I can’t wait to read the next chapter in Ryleigh and Zane’s story.

Beneath False Stars would make a great addition to the fantasy section of a K-12 Christian school library. It is appropriate for middle school and up.

I received a complimentary copy of Beneath False Stars. This is my honest review. 

About the Author – S.D. Grimm

With a name like S.D. Grimm, how could she be anything but a writer of fantasy and sci-fi with equal parts sparkle and darkle? Always the dreamer, she’s been sorted into Gryffindor, she checks wardrobes for secret worlds, and has a blue lightsaber. She is the author of several young adult titles spanning many speculative genres, and she works as a freelance editor and writing coach. Her office is anywhere she can curl up with her laptop and at least one dog.

 

 

More from S.D. Grimm

What makes a fantasy writer change lanes and enter the world of science fiction?

My story actually goes back to that famous phrase “never say never.” I have ALWAYS loved both genres equally. If the question is Star Wars or LOTR? X-Men or Harry Potter? Hunger Games or Vampire Diaries? My answer is going to be, Why not all of it? But I always said I’d never write sci-fi. The reason? I didn’t think I’d ever be able to pull it off.

That’s one of the fun things about being a writer though . . . you get these little glimmers of shiny story ideas that just won’t stop sparkling in your mind. And eventually you follow the spark, and well, the rest is history.

Beneath False Stars started like that for me. But because I still believed I’d never be able to write a good sci-fi, I’d just write it for fun. To create for creation’s sake. And it was fun! Having a project that existed as something no one would ever read gave me permission to try new things, stretch my storytelling in new and exciting ways. And after a long period of burnout, this story carried me back into the heart of why I write. It was exactly what I needed.

But that wasn’t all.

Remember, it was never my intention to actually share this book. But it became something that I was too excited about to NOT share. So I tested the waters. When several writer friends read it and told me it was their favorite of all my books to date, I knew it was something that was never meant to sit in a drawer. In a way that scared me.

So, I did what the main character in the book would have told me to do—I decided not to let my fears win. And I shared. And now it’s going to be in print! That only goes to show that when a project you’re passionate about pulls at your heartstrings for attention, listen. You don’t have to know that project’s future. Just revel in its present, and let yourself create. <3

~ S.D. Grimm

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 13

Artistic Nobody, October 14 (Spotlight)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 15

Simple Harvest Reads, October 16 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 17 (Spotlight)

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, October 18 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, October 18

Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 19

Guild Master, October 20 (Author Interview)

Wishful Endings, October 20

Texas Book-aholic, October 21

Vicky Sluiter, October 22 (Spotlight)

For Him and My Family, October 23

Fiction Book Lover, October 24 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, October 25

Stories By Gina, October 26 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, S. D. is giving away the grand prize of a $40 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d27d/beneath-false-stars-celebration-tour-giveaway

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