Reviews

The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers

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bluepuppybites's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was really different for me. My recommendation is that if you feel like you want to stop reading this one and you haven't reached the 40% mark, keep pushing and get there. That's when this book really starts to take off. It's got a slow beginning where everything is a little muddled and coming together, but once you get into it, it becomes a lot more fascinating!

This woman has been missing for decades and no one really knows what happened to her, but one young man whose life seems fatefully intertwined with this missing woman, is determined to find out what happened to her.

Quite an adventure of unravelling a deep mystery and filled with elements I wasn't really expecting. Dual vantage points are used to tell the story of Gemma Turner, acclaimed actress who tragically went missing - contrasted with the viewpoint of Christopher Kent nearly 40 years later. Their stories converge into a wonderful depiction of horror in ways that were more subtle and psychological than graphically terrifying.

When I started this one, I wasn't sure I would finish it, but I am so glad that I did!

audgee122's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

"When you think back on watching L'etrange Lune, how do you remember it?"

The above question--a The Star and the Strange Moon-adapted quote from I Saw the TV Glow--sprang to mind while reading this book, because the novel and my favorite movie of 2024 indeed share overlap. Both explore cult fascination with a piece of media and what the fixation says about the watcher more than what's being watched, and both L'etrange Lune and The Pink Opaque aren't what Christopher and Owen think they are at first. Truthfully, if I had to describe The Star... to someone, I'd pitch it as "TV Glow without the trans stuff: a creepy interaction between someone and the story they love, and their desire to use it to fill a missing center."

The core difference is that The Star lets us spend way more time inside the horror itself with Gemma. The book could be accused of being a little slow to start, but this to me is a necessary investment on two fronts: Gemma's opening stretches ground us in her character so that we're able to follow her once the story's off to the races, and damn near everything present there comes back again. One of my favorite things about this book is the way it absolutely nails set-up and payoff.

The other favorites are that it's just suited to my taste. The atmosphere, the setting, the use of monsters, time loops, dreamscapes, the projections of an inner mind...all deeply my shit.

Content Warnings

myneverendingtbrlist's review

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4.0

Wow I really enjoyed this story. It was such a great blend of historical fiction, mystery/thriller and gothic all in one.

The two timelines were both interesting and most of the story kept me guessing.

4⭐️