Cleo spent months getting there to avoid her debts and mother’s betrayal on Earth. It’s 2067, and Mars was her last option in a game of survival. She’s learnt the hard way, moving swiftly from one hustle to another. The red planet was supposed to be an easy mark, with so many people on the UN Base. Things haven’t quite worked out as easy as she imagined.

Hunter‘s family practically owns Mars, at least his family were the first ones to settle and claim their large chunk, two generations before. Ruthless and ambitious, his family toss anyone aside who doesn’t fit their expansion plans for domination. A twin, Hunter was unfortunately one of those left behind, leaving him to find his own way in life.

When they both find themselves on a base that is fatally malfunctioning, and with no seat in the emergency evacuations, they must work together to live. Especially when they realise the malfunction is a lie, and a small group of mercenaries have plans for the future of the UN Base.

Cleo hates Hunter on sight. He is part of the Graves family that rules Earth and much of Mars and is responsible for so much hurt in her past. She also hates the fact that he is gorgeous, respectful and saves her life. Swinging from wanting to use him as a bargaining chip with the invaders, or wanting to kiss him, Cleo uses all the tech skills her father taught her, and everything she has learnt as a stowaway to Mars and then on base, to keep them both alive.

Hunter is unaware that she is a Hitcher – a person who doesn’t belong there. A person who is part of the crowd that killed his father. He believes she is an Engineering student, which explains how she knows so much about the base. A growing respect soon builds for her however, along with an attraction that includes her complete disregard for his family name.

Time is running out as they learn what the mercenaries want. Working together, they do all they can to survive – all the while feeling more and more between them. Both viciously hurt before by loved ones, they fight the attraction by doing what they have always done – looking out for number one.

An effortlessly written, fast paced action thriller, woven through with an enemies to lovers premise and a twisty plot to keep readers hooked.

Whatever can go wrong does, with some shocking revelations along the way. The Scifi base setting isn’t over-explained (which can slow down a story for me), the characters are sassy and smart, banter funny, and tension winding tighter and tighter as eight hours count down to the character’s doom.

I’d love to see Red Star Rebels as a movie too, as it has everything that it would need. The Mars setting is intriguing, because who knows where human kind is going with that idea? There is just enough background threaded into the 1st person dual viewpoints to tug at our hearts, not to mention rising heart beats as the characters face one threat after another.

I loved the tech too. A brilliant way to kick off 2026!

Author – Amie Kaufman

Age – 13+

Find more Amie Kaufman book reviews here

Publisher – Allen & Unwin

Set in – 2067 / Mars / United Nations Base

Viewpoints – 1st person – Main characters Hunter & Cleo

Orphan? – Lost Fathers

Violence – Threat of with guns present

Real Life – Possible in our future?

Fantasy – No

Sex – No (Attraction only)

Blend – YA Thriller / Sci-Fi

(2026, Allen & Unwin, Sci Fi, Humour, Funny, Ambition, Loss, Twins, Multiple Viewpoints, Ticking Bomb, Countdown, Tension, Romance, Thrilling, Twists, Future, Mars, Planet, Power, United Nations, Banter, Quick Witted, Loners, Coding, Technology, Science, Fast Paced Action, Betrayal, Family, Sibling Rivalry, Murder, Crime, Attraction)