In a far-off galaxy, entire worlds are dying. Their suns and other stars are being consumed by Star Eaters, members of an intergalactic corporation who use advanced technology to steal energy from planets to fuel a fleet of roving starships. But Destin, a young and newly minted Star Eater, is reluctant to destroy worlds he’s never even seen. When he finds a mysterious stowaway girl named Calla on his ship after his first solo mission, Destin is torn. He must decide between turning her in or helping her save her planet.
Howard is a lonely, geeky tenth grader dealing with a father who's had some kind of breakdown, a flaky, overprotective mother and frightening waking dreams. Then he meets Cate, a strange girl who convinces him that he is an Adept, which means he can communicate through dreams with other dimensions and, under certain circumstances, travel between them.
One minute Jack's in math class. The next, he's on a dark, cobblestoned, empty street. Empty, that is, except for a skinny girl wrapped in a threadbare shawl. "Matches, mister?" she asks, and just like that, Jack's life collides with one of Hans Christian Andersen's grimmest tales. And just when he has almost convinced himself it was just a weird dream, it happens again. Suddenly, Jack's ideas about what is "real" or "possible" no longer apply. While he and his new girlfriend, Lucy, struggle to understand who or what the Match Girl is, they come to realize they must also find a way to keep Jack away from her. The Match Girl is not just a sad, lonely soul; she's dangerous. And each time Jack is drawn into her gray, solitary world, she becomes stronger, more alive...and more attached to Jack. She wants to keep Jack for her very own, even if that means he will die.
