Dunn ( Seize Today, 2017, etc.) has an inspired idea in focusing Dion’s society around issues of food and eating, so primal yet seldom featured in sci-fi. Vela must use her head and heart to make the right choices on behalf of her people. Not only that, a saboteur threatens the colony. First, though, she’s charged with administering this year’s Fittest Trials-agonizing in any circumstances but even harder with Vela’s childhood crush competing. Princess Vela, 17, of Thai descent, doesn’t always follow rules but still might be chosen over her sister as their father’s successor. To retain strong leadership, every five years, a strong, fit colonist is chosen to sacrifice his or her organs to keep the king alive. They, however, live full life spans, while all the Aegis but the king lose 60 years each. The other colonists consume only these pills, never tasting actual food. The colony adopted a drastic solution: the Aegis (people with suitable genes) receive a modification to become food incubators, eating heartily six times a day so that many more nutrients than they eat can be uncomfortably extracted from them in pill form.

All but a few terraforming pods sent ahead were destroyed, however, making survival tenuous.

When colonists arrived on their new planet, Dion, 60 years ago, they expected to find a fully habitable environment. As unrest grows in a food-strapped space colony, a young woman slated for leadership must make a heart-wrenching decision in this YA sci-fi/romance novel.

Star crossed pintip dunn