Whereas so much of current Young Adult fiction focuses on dystopia, Janine Southard's debut SF novel explores a society that veers neither into dystopia nor utopia. This means that while there are no extremes, no jack-booted repression or perfect future, both good and bad remain integral parts of the novel, and both balance and spice up her fictional world.

Queen & Commander is set in a far future, or possibly alternate future. Space travel is routine, such that various cultures span many star systems. One such culture is based on Welsh tradition or mythology, almost to the degree that it becomes an alien society, at least compared to American views. The novel details a society where one major event or quality determines every individual's future. In this case, a high school test score determines the role of every person. Roles are roughly grouped into a handful of archetypes, from Queen, Commander, Perceiver, Devoted, and more. It is also usual for a group of people from various groups to form hives, with several males devoted to one Queen. Such a society seems ripe for change, and given that it's been functioning this way for over one hundred years, change appears in the form of Rhiannon, an intelligent and driven young woman who studies to defeat the test.

Rhiannon doesn't just defeat the test, she aces it almost far beyond her intentions, gaining the role of Queen and Commander, which lets her form her own hive and (if she gains one) command her own spaceship. In order for this to happen, she needs a hive that shares her vision, and a spaceship that lets them leave their world. One immediate problem is that she decides two crew-members must consist of her best friend Gwyn along with Gywn's boyfriend Victor, a fact that must remain hidden since Victor is supposed to be devoted to one Queen, and that Queen must permit no rivals.

As they recruit additional members for the hive/spaceship crew, Rhiannon also secures a spaceship, and they dive into their role as space travelers with virtually no experience. Along with her first two, they add Gavin and Luciano, from very different backgrounds, and a brilliant young scientist, Alan, who sees right through how Rhiannon cheated the test, but trusts her regardless of this, or perhaps because of this act of defiance.

Once these high school kids actually begin the process of piloting a spaceship, one realizes how overwhelmed they are for the task. None of them have any training, and they essentially are flying by the book, relying on the manual to get them undocked and out of the space-port. It's part of a long Young Adult fiction theme, where teenagers are placed in near-impossible situations and must meet their fate head-on or die. In other words, a coming of age story through which we all live vicariously.

They cannot simply sit back and take their time, or rely on experienced adults to guide them and take over when things go wrong. And wrong they go.

Even before they know what they are doing, they take on a single passenger, a cantakerous man with a deep secret, quite willing to blackmail them to get his way. They also experience technical problems that almost kill them, showing how simple mistakes can lead to drastic consequences. Throw in hostile boarders who take the crew captive, and it's a rough start for Rhiannon and her hive.

Queen & Commander is a strong YA sf novel. We might think of the main characters as kids, yet they are all probably old enough to make life-altering decisions. They may lack life experience, may need to learn to trust each other and work as a team, but these are lessons every high school graduate must encounter before they enter adulthood. Rhiannon's team of young adults already have broken many constraints in their society, and if or when they return home they will have greatly changed, and possibly could cause greater change within their society. The novel ends somewhat abruptly, clearly setting the stage for sequels. It will be an interesting story to follow.