Galaxy: The Prettiest Star

by Jadzia Axelrod, Jess Taylor

Overview

Every day in Taylor Barzelay’s life might seem perfect…but every day is torture. Taylor is actually the Galaxy Crowned, an alien princess from the planet Cyandii, and one of the few survivors of an intergalactic war. For six long, painful years, Taylor has accepted her duty to remain in hiding as a boy on Earth. But that all changes when Taylor meets Metropolis girl Katherine “call me Kat” Silverberg, whose confidence is electrifying. Suddenly, Taylor no longer wants to hide, even if exposing her true identity could attract her greatest enemies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781779508751
Publisher:	DC
Publication date:	05/17/2022
Sold by:	DC Comics
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	399,016
File size:	65 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	15 Years

About the Author

Jadzia Axelrod is an award-winning author, illustrator, activist, gadabout, style maven, and circus performer. She is a contributing author to Wonderful Women of the World, as well as having written comics for Tor, Quirk Books, and Epic Books. She is the writer and producer of the popular fiction podcasts The Voice of Free Planet X, Aliens You Will Meet, and Fables of the Flying City. She lives in Philadelphia, where she cooks overly elaborate meals for her wonderful wife and delightful child.


Jess Taylor is an almost award-winning comics artist and illustrator with a penchant for cat photos. In between LGBTIA+ activism and teaching, they've contributed their work to titles such as Adventure Time, Critical Role, and Stranger Things. While having worked for BOOM!, Legendary, Dark Horse, and OniPress, Jess's indie work has seen them nominated for an AFFA. They currently live in Nottingham, skirting Sherwood Forest, and when not advocating giving to the poor, they can be found napping in a spot of sunlight with their cat, Lottie.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/11/2022

Axelrod and Taylor deliver a vulnerable and thought-provoking graphic novel about gender identity, told through the lens of an alien royal in hiding. Basketball star Taylor Barzelay, a seemingly white and cisgender 16-year-old boy, has the perfect life. Except that Taylor is actually alien princess Taelyr, one of the few survivors of an intergalactic war, living undercover in a body she doesn’t want, with a makeshift family of glorified chaperones for her protection. Taelyr is resigned to her masquerade until Katherine “Kat” Silverberg, a Black junior year transfer student, arrives from Metro-polis and encourages Taelyr to shed her disguise. When doing so puts her at odds with her family and their small town, Taelyr must learn to balance the expectations of others with her true self. Taylor’s sharp lines and flowing, vivid colors accentuate the fictional scenery and eclectic cast as well as complement the ethereal atmosphere, and the myriad textures and tones used on Taelyr after she shakes off her disguise are stunning. Axelrod thoughtfully encapsulates the exhaustion of hiding and the exhilaration of being oneself in this hilarious and gorgeously illustrated narrative featuring queer romance, talking dogs, and a galaxy of the prettiest stars. Ages 13–17. (May) ■

Publishers Weekly

★ 11/18/2022

Gr 9 Up—Sixteen-year-old Taelyr (Taylor among the humans) lives a boring, normal life in a small, quiet town. That life just so happens to include being on the run, hiding from the Vane, aliens who attacked Taelyr's home world Cyandii in an intergalactic war six years prior. Taelyr was a princess in Cyandii, but on Earth she is forced to live under the radar as an ordinary boy, in a family unit consisting of other survivors, disconnected and unhappy, but alive. Taelyr's life is upended when she meets new student Kat and, for the first time on Earth, feels safe enough to reveal her truth. The illustrator employs a retrofuturistic art style that uses stunning layers of vibrant interplay among sharp angles, long curves, and silhouettes, making for a visual feast. Adding to the artistic depth is the use of texture, mimicking splatter, as well as sponging, dynamic linework, and the incorporation of the lesbian and transgender flag colors when Taelyr transitions. Trans writer Axelrod crafts an honest, relatable story that delves into issues of feeling out of place in one's own body, and relationships strained by transitioning, but also contains hope and joy. Bullying, queer slurs, and anti-Black sentiment are present, and the majority of human characters are white, though Kat is Black. There is a wide range of body types and sizes. While part of the DC universe with a few brief mentions of Superman, readers won't need traditional superhero knowledge to thoroughly enjoy this story. VERDICT An effervescent and poignant tale about discovering and embracing your truest self against all odds; a must buy for teen collections.—Alea Perez

School Library Journal

2022-04-13
Taylor struggles with hiding her secret.

When the Vane attacked the planet Cyandii 6 years ago, its princess, Taelyr, fled to Earth. Now, in order to stay hidden, she must live as Taylor, a human boy who presents as White. Sacrificing her true self for the sake of safety doesn’t feel right, but those in charge insist it’s the best thing to do. When Taylor meets new student Katherine, a Black girl with a prosthetic leg, she begins longing even more to show her true self. To that end she steals the Ehsar, the device that turned her into a human and has the power to turn her back. In her true form as a young woman with purple skin and green hair, Taylor feels at ease in her body for once, free to pursue her growing feelings for Katherine. However, she risks discovery not only from the Vane, but those around her too. While Taylor is no superhero, she is likely to become a hero to transgender youth. Fear and rejection dog her footsteps, but Taylor shows that living a lie can be far more damaging than the risks that come with being true to oneself. With beautiful artwork that features expressive figures highlighted against abstract backgrounds and a narrative that first breaks, then repairs readers’ hearts, turning the final page is a sad affair.

A fantastical allegory that lends itself well to the graphic novel medium. (resources) (Graphic fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews