May 21, 2024sarahylockwood

For the First Time Again by Sylvain Neuvel

Rate: 4/5

Medium: Audiobook

Overview (No Spoilers):

For the First Time Again is Neuvel’s final installment of the Take Them to the Stars trilogy, and with the cliffhanger that the last book left us on I couldn’t wait to see what twists and turns are hidden within its pages.

The last book left off with Lola taking an insane risk and sacrificing herself to try to save the Kibsu once and for all from the Trackers. During the planning stage of this grand gesture, Lola abandons her daughter, Aster, to keep her safe but simultaneously leaving her without any knowledge of her ancestors, and perhaps more importantly, The Rules. 

For the First Time Again picks up with Aster in her teenage years with an adopted father who dotes on her. Her normal life takes an abrupt violent twist that thrusts her into a past and legacy she could have never dreamed of. Pulled from a comfortably normal life, she is soon on the run, with danger from both the government and abroad lurking around every corner.

Aster is a moody teenager who is going through a lot, to say the least. Her angst is less than charming, but we feel almost obligated to root for her due to all of our nostalgia for her mom, grandma, and great grandma, right? While Aster does mature and grow into the clever genius we expect, her external influences turn her into a hybrid that blurs the lines of good verse evil that would have been interesting to toy with from Neuvel’s perspective. The morality lines have often been blurred throughout the Take Them to the Stars trilogy, but for the Kibsu, any questionable act was always qualified by claiming the better good. Aster tests this conviction quite thoroughly by the end of For the First Time Again. How will the world survive Aster?

Samael spends so much of For the First Time Again trying to make up for the wrongs of his predecessors. He shares print space with Aster, with his chapters becoming some of my favorite, especially when the young teen exacerbates him. 

With this story taking place in the early 2000s, so many of the pop culture references packed in by Neuvel stirred fond recollections of my own youth. Neuvel also includes a playlist to go along with the story. You can find the playlist here. While I didn’t listen along I think this is such a fun concept, plus looking through the list you’ll find many of my favorites.

Overall, For the First Time Again is an edge of your seat conclusion to what has been a fascinating reimagining of key historical events throughout this trilogy. Neuvel maintains a breakneck pace, with an ending that will leave one reeling with the far reaching implications.

Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

  • We actually got to meet real life Kibsu. What would have happened if the woman Samael killed had taken Aster? 
  • Did any of the real Kibsu go after Samael’s nephew? What is this nephew like? Will Aster find him?
  • As with the other novels in this trilogy, the beginning of chapters are little flashbacks to other Kibsu or Trackers. We are treated to the origins of the aliens, along with the creation of the Trackers and Kibsu. 
  • The government going after Aster was quite intense. It’s amazing she escaped. What does the government think after the massive explosion?

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