To Madness and Ruin

by Emily Layne

Aurelia Peri betrayed her adoptive father and Federation to seek out the horrific truths of her shadowed past. Now a member of the misbegotten crew aboard F.T.S. Kestrel, Auri feels as if she’s found a home, and maybe something more, in the vengeful Captain Malachi.

But the more truths Auri uncovers, the more loss she and the crew endure at the hands of the ravenous Bleeders. A devastating visit to Roanleigh sets Auri and the crew on a dangerous journey to the Federation’s mysterious origin world, Earth—a planet no one has heard from in almost fifty years.

What they discover there could be the key to saving their galaxy or the catalyst to even more destruction of all they hold dear.

Genres: Science Fiction

356 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2024

About the author

Emily Layne is the author of the YA Paranormal Fantasy THESE WICKED WATERS as well as the new YA Science Fiction series The Lost Colony Trilogy, beginning with OF STARLIGHT & BONE, all with Owl Hollow Press.

Emily grew up a proud Army brat with an Anne Shirley-esque imagination. She loves reading, eating too much pizza, and spending time with her husband—who loves books almost as much as she does.

When not writing fantastical stories, Emily can be found playing with her curious children, exploring the great outdoors, or concocting mostly-believable excuses to avoid socializing.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thrilling follow up to Of Starlight and Bone finds the crew traveling to Earth to find out more about what happened in Aurie's past!

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with book one in The Lost Colony trilogy, but I liked this installment even more. To Madness and Ruin had the same rapid-moving plot, comedic relief, and intrigue as Of Starlight and Bone, but increased the presence of a romance subplot, deepened the relationships between the characters on the crew, and included more emotional scenes of loss and grief. Auri grapples with the deception in life she always knew, discovers more about her past, and makes decisions about her future. The crew works through dysfunction and disagreement, sometimes even parting ways. The highlight of it all for me was the crew’s time spent on Earth and their interactions with the humans still remaining there. The longtime presence of the Bleeders, which the earthlings call Merks, created a more intricate and nuanced experience of these space zombies, or I suppose, earth zombies, in this case. The landscape, rivalries, and society left me itching to re-read the Carrie Ryan series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth. While that one is not set in space, there is something about this book that gives the same vibe. New characters also entered the scene on Earth and I’m looking forward to seeing where everyone lands in the final book. Without spoiling anything, I had a couple of emotional moments with this one; once I got a little misty-eyed and once I would have thrown the book across the room had it been a paperback. All I’ll say is there is a cliffhanger ending and HOW DARE YOU, Emily Layne?!

The bottom line: Pick this up if you love action-packed adventure set in space, complete with cyborgs, space zombies, an unconventional found-family crew, and an adorable poodle companion/work partner.

— NOTES —
Genres: YA, science fiction, space opera
POV: third-person
Content: space zombies, violence, death, cannibalism
Romance: kissing only

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 5
Craft: 4.5
Gut: 4.5
Total: 4.75

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was provided with an ARC for an honest review
I LOVED the first book in this series and the second one just continues to amp up the stakes.
It answered some burning questions from book 1, but left enough still shrouded in mystery for the conclusion of the trilogy.
I continue to buy Auri as an MC. I care about her plight and I'm routing for her. I also loved getting to know our Kestrel crew a bit more.
I will say it was a bit of a gap between me reading this book and the first, so a quick refresh read before you dive into this ons might be recommended given the number of characters.
But, buckle up, readers, you might be in for an emotional ride as bumpy as a rough space flight. As we peel back the layers of these characters, like Auri's journey into her past, what we find might be more painful than expected.
Overall, a read I enjoyed as much as my first trip to Ancora and looking forward to coming back for the final instalment.

[Amber Toro · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved Of Starlight and Bone then you don't want to miss the next instalment in the Lost Colony saga. To Madness and Ruin is Firefly meets The 100. It is such a fun read full of action, adventure, and heartbreak.

Layne does an excellent job of keeping you hooked. She gives you just enough clues as to the mystery behind Auri's past and the bleeders that you can't help keep reading and to see if your theories pan out.

I loved all of it, the trip to the lost colony, the expedition to Earth. The crew dynamics, and the tension between Malachi and Auri had me begging them to step up and make something happen! The cliff hanger on this one left begging for the next book!

If you are a fan of Firefly, found family, slow burn, mystery, action, and adventure then The Lost Colony trilogy is for you!

[Laura Resau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the first book of The Lost Colony series, Of Starlight and Bone, and was so excited to read this second installment. And it was worth the wait! I devoured this fast-paced sci-fi adventure full of mystery, secrets, suspense, high stakes, found family, romance... and absolutely stellar writing! I love spending time with awesome cyborg Auri and her fantastic bestie--Birdie the poodle. Can't wait for book three!

[Emily Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to write. It's darker, more action-packed, and delves deeper into the romance/secrets that began in "Of Starlight and Bone." I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it.