The Xerus Galaxy Saga | Content Guide & Review: No-Spice YA Space Romance
Updated: Aug 31
Looking for a no-spice YA space opera? Check out our comprehensive, spoiler-free review and content guide for The Xerus Galaxy Saga by E.A. Hendryx including Suspended in the Stars, Falling Through the Black and Rising from the Galaxy.
Quick Summary:
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Romance
Recommended Age: 15+
Possibly Concerning Content*: (details below)
🤬 Profanity: None
❤️ Romance: Wholesome romance (Kisses only)
🛡️Violence: Characters die, minor injuries; nothing graphic or detailed.
‼️ Head's up: Slavery mentioned.
Who is this for?
The Tropes: Fake dating. Hidden Identies. Fast pace space rebellion.
The Vibe: Found family dynamics. Witty banter. Excellent world-building.
For Fans of: The Lunar Chronicles and Star Wars.
Jump to:
Review
The Xerus Galaxy Saga is a young adult space fantasy or space opera trilogy that feels a lot like a mixture of Star Wars and the Lunar Chronicles. There’s found family, fake dating, hidden identities, war and rebellion, plant hopping, witty banter and absolutely fantastic world-building. It’s the kind of series that makes you want to stand up for what you believe in and cheer on the under dogs as they overthrow an evil tyrant. For each book, we follow a different couple in alternating first person point of view.
In the first book, Suspended in the Stars, we follow the gravity defying trapeze artist Talie and the muffin loving military man Renner. Renner is a soldier on the run who stows away on the spaceship that houses the traveling Circus where Talie works. He’s got evidence of corruption against the King and he must get it into the rebellions hands. She agrees to hide him and they fake an engagement to explain his presence on the starship. What follows is a mad dash across the galaxy that ends in a surprising twist.
The romance was so good! The banter between these two from their forced to work together bickering to their, hey we kinda work good together camaraderie that becomes easy hey I like you flirting. Ugh it fantastic. I really the loved the imagery of this book. A Circus in space is such a beautiful and imaginative setting and sorta put me in mind of the new Epic Universe theme park in Florida with their Celestial Park. My one gripe with this book is that I wish we could have stayed with the circus longer.
In the second book, we follow Leef and Mer as thy navigate a rebellion, a manipulative King, and a budding romance that could threaten everything they are working for. Leef has been hired to find Mer. He did not plan on falling for her. Their romance is forbidden in all the right ways and their chemistry is off the chart. They’re both mechanics so they have something to bond over and, I have to be careful of spoilers here but ya’ll, I LOVE Leef and Mer. Falling Through the Black is absolutely my favorite book of the trilogy. There was a moment toward the end where where I literally whispered, “Oh no, now what?” I am not someone who talks to their books so my son was like, “must be a good plot twist.” And every time he calls her Love or little Thief, just happy sighs everywhere.
You do have to read the books in order for the plot to make sense but ya’ll, the wait is worth it.
Finally, we join Ren and Caspian in the final book of the trilogy. Although I should mention that Talie and Renner are in the second book and all three couples are in this book with perspectives from all of them (that why it’s so long, I presume). So while the majority of the book is from Ren and Caspian’s POV, we hop around to everyone else as well. I thought it would be overwhelming with six different personalities talking to me in first person but honestly I had no problem following whose head we were in ant any given time. Except once in the second book but that was on purpose because I don’t think we were support to know who that character was until the reveal at the end.
Anyway, this is the culmination of everything set up in the other two books. Ran is a spy for the rebellion and Caspian is the son of the evil King everyone is trying to overthrow. Add in some fake dating, a past relationship and messy breakup and enough action and adventure to make you think you stumbled into Star Wars on accident and you get the feel of this final book.
What I love most about this series is the world building and that every single character feels so real and fleshed out. They have their own personalities, their own backstories their own motives to the point that even minor characters feel like they have somewhere to be when they leave the page. The world building is just wonderful. Every page is like a new discovery and the terminology feels natural to the setting without ever making me feel lost or confused. I can’t say too much without spoiling it but the trilogy was excellent.
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Possibly Concerning Content
Click on the 'Possible Spoiler' drop downs to view details.
🤬 Profanity: None
❤️ Romance: Wholesome, kisses only with no inappropriate hand wandering.
🛡️Violence: Character deaths. Injuries.
Possible Spoilers
All three books: People are shot in all three books. Characters die but death not described. Injuries described but not gory.
Book 2: A village is destroyed, (deaths not described)
Book 3: A man is executed (not described). Main characters are forced to fight in an arena against other characters and imprisoned aliens.
‼️Head's up: Slavery mentioned. Open War. Death of parent.
Possible Spoilers
Book 1: Two characters are stolen and are told they will be sold into slavery. This is prevented.
Book 2: There is a girl who was a former slave and is now part cyborg. It is hinted at that this is because of whatever her 'previous owners' did to her.
Book 3: Slaves in the outer planets are forced to fight to the death in an arrena for the entertainment of others. A parent's illness is 'helped along,' by possibly poisoning that results in death (off page).
📍*Possibly Concerning Content Disclaimer: I try my best to include all relevant content notes, or possibly concerning content, but I may not catch everything and/or you may feel things are concerning that I do not. Please research individually if you’re sensitive to specific topics/subjects! 📍
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