Joss Aaaronson just doesn’t fit in, and she doesn’t care. Smart-mouthed, highly intelligent, and fiercely independent, she’s the daughter of a prominent celebrity and a sperm donor in a not-so-near future, six years after the world was changed by the arrival of an alien race known as the Chorians, symmetrical beings who exist as pairs of twins, capable of communicating across vast distances through song and telepathy. Joss’s everyday life at the Centre for Neo-Historical Studies (time travel, in other words) is disrupted when she’s chosen to partner with the Centre’s first ever alien student, Mavkel. The rebel and the alien, both standing out from the herd in their both ways. Luckily, they get along, which will come in handy when things get rough. Not only is Joss experiencing major pressure (and a huge sense of forboding) from the Centre’s sinister administrator, Mavkel is pining away from a mysterious illness related to his lost twin. The answer to both of their problems lies only in the past, and it’ll take an unauthorized escapade with the Centre’s time machine for Joss and Mavkel to fix everything, and discover some long-buried secrets.

Goodman lays out an intriguing future society, where aliens, time travel, and genetic manipulation are present, yet not so commonplace that their mystique has been lost. Indeed, it feels like we’re only just scratching the surface of a much deeper, exciting world, one that deserves further exploration. The little details, like futuristic slang and cursing, really help to sell the setting. Joss and Mavkel are a believable pair, Joss a strong female lead, and Mavkel appropriately alien. Singing the Dogstar Blues is a satisfying coming-of-age story, all about finding one’s identity and moving forward in a confusing world.