Book Review: River in the Galaxy (Inner Universe #1) By Natalie Kelda

Book Review: River in the Galaxy (Inner Universe #1) By Natalie Kelda– Honest Review & Rating

Tropes and Book cover of the book River in the Galaxy by Natalie Kelda

“This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Bookish Musings!”

A review for one of my top indie reads of 2024 :)

This is going to be a long one! No spoilers though 🤞

Wow. What a freaking adventure this was. It was my first time reading about space and ships and that kind of world. The reason I chose to read this one is how mental health-focused it seemed. Plus, Natalie is a great friend of mine on Twitter (Barry is the bestest boy!!) And now that I am done reading, I can confidently say the author did that topic justice in this one.

The world-building is absolutely gorgeous! The characters are so amazingly written and I fell in love with them thoroughly. My primary preference is the romance genre, but even though it didn't have that much, I absolutely adored this story!

Merlon. Oh, poor Merlon. My heart still hurts for him. Even in this book, he lost so much, constantly living with guilt and sadness heavy on his chest. I admire his courage and love for his crew. I read anxiously the entire way through, hoping for good news about his parents. It was so easy to love Merlon.

I could probably talk hours about every other character too. Mira, Tara, Patrice (😭), Fabian, And so many more. Every character had a story, a personality, and something that would make you love them.

But having said all that, Adrian came and stole my heart. His backstory made me emotional, and the way his story ended still has me numb. I've never gotten this attached to a book character. If you can take anything from this review, just know that I love Adrian.

I am excited to read more works from Natalie. I never had a doubt about her skill, but this book left me utterly speechless. What a freaking masterpiece! Rating it 5 stars even seems less. I am so excited for the rest of this series!

If you are a fantasy lover and love mental health representation in books, definitely check this one out. It's also on Kindle Unlimited for those who love that :)

Final Rating: 🌟 5/5!

Have you read this book? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Get it here on : Goodreads Amazon US and Amazon UK

Comment below if you would like a link for your country :)

Comments

Writing While Healing - Indie Author Interview: Talle Fey

“This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Bookish Musings!” Welcome to the newest post in Writing While Healing, a series where I speak with indie authors who’ve found light through writing during their darkest times. Today, I’m honored to feature Talle Fey , an autistic author and a great part of the writing community on Threads. You can learn more about Talle here . Please introduce yourself! Hi. I’m Talle Fey, an autistic author from the Netherlands. I write stories to dissociate from my chronic illness and the world. My debut book came out on May 1st (2025), and I hope to publish more. If I’m not writing or reading, I’m probably hiking, making art, or playing a video game. Please tell us a little about yourself and the kind of stories you write. I write traumatised characters who find love. I like to sprinkle some fantasy into my...

Writing While Healing - Indie Author Interview: Matthew Arnold Stern

“This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Bookish Musings!” Welcome to the newest post in Writing While Healing, a series where I speak with indie authors who’ve found light through writing during their darkest times. Today, I’m honored to feature Matthew Arnold Stern. You can learn more about Matthew Arnold Stern here . Please introduce yourself! Thank you for having me. I'm Matthew Arnold Stern, an award-winning speaker and author. I've published four novels, including Amiga and The Remainders , and I have a book about public speaking, Mastering Table Topics. My fifth novel, Christina's Portrait, is in submission. Please tell us a little about yourself and the kind of stories you write. I write about characters who face challenges and must learn to overcome them. In Christina's Portrait, one of my main characters lost her mother during the COVID...

Writing While Healing - Indie Author Interview: Autumn Kaufer

“This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Bookish Musings!” Welcome to the first post in Writing While Healing, a series where I speak with indie authors who’ve found light through writing during their darkest times. Today, I’m honored to feature Autumn Kaufer, a fantasy author and a great friend who writes powerful characters and beautiful love stories. You can learn more about her here . Please tell us a little about yourself and the kind of stories you write. I grew up an avid reader and have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I write a variety of stories, from epic fantasy to paranormal romance. Regardless of the subgenre, at the heart of each story are two people who find each other, and because they do, their lives are changed and enriched because of it. Would you feel comfortable sharing a bit about your mental health journey? I would. I suffer from severe an...

Bookish Musings

Search This Blog