nwhite's review against another edition
I truly tried to finish this book but once she left the mortal world it really lost me. The pacing was also all over the place. I love the concept of it and the mythology involved, the writing was just a bit too juvenile for me.
allybee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
courfeyrad's review against another edition
dont want to push myself through just to add to all the low ratings. didnt get far enough in for the story to really kick off but its written in a very juvenile style that i just couldnt get past
cavitlum's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
anniekslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
Going into this I thought this might be a 5 star read. The story was set up with a fairytale-like feel, I loved the writing, and I loved Sheetal and her dad and Dev. It all just felt exactly like the kind of fantasy I enjoy.
Unfortunately though, it all fizzled out a lot in the second half. I felt like not much was happening anymore and it became harder and harder to make sense of the story, to the point where I stopped being able to just go with it and started enjoying it less.
Landing on an average of 3 stars for the book as a whole, with the addendum that the first half was much much stronger.
Unfortunately though, it all fizzled out a lot in the second half. I felt like not much was happening anymore and it became harder and harder to make sense of the story, to the point where I stopped being able to just go with it and started enjoying it less.
Landing on an average of 3 stars for the book as a whole, with the addendum that the first half was much much stronger.
beccainabook's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve heard many mixed reviews about this book so once I got it, it sat on my bookshelf for a long time. When I finally picked it up and read it, I was so intrigued by the book world and the magic, that I almost didn’t care about anything else. Almost....
The book world WAS SO COOL! Most of the book centered around the beauty of music and art and I was so here for it. I was so blown away by the gorgeous writing and the wonderful book world that this author created. The fact that the main character was called by the gorgeous song of the stars?!?! So COOL! I can’t imagine what they sound like, but I just have a feeling it was magical!
Instead of the traditional idea where fairies or the fae were known for collecting people of talent, this author established a truly unique idea of stars collecting people of talent. Stars collecting potential stars! So punny! I also really enjoyed the powers of the stars and their history. It was such a great idea and I loved reading about it.
However, the characters were meh at best. I just couldn’t like anything as much as I usually would. The book world was just so amazing, but the characters just fell by the wayside. The main character was okay, I liked her a lot, but I just found her to be a little whiny and immature for a 17 year old. Her best friend was touch and go for me too. One minute she was an awesome friend and the next she was a selfish annoyance. I just couldn’t handle it.
The romance in this book was also extremely immature for 17 year olds. They were just so boring and I couldn’t do it. Maybe it was truly a young adult novel in that way, but it was too immature for me. I could’ve done without it and focused more on the amazing plot line of the book world and Sheetal’s family.
Overall, this book world was fascinating and I enjoyed the read, but I wish I had liked characters just a little bit more.
The book world WAS SO COOL! Most of the book centered around the beauty of music and art and I was so here for it. I was so blown away by the gorgeous writing and the wonderful book world that this author created. The fact that the main character was called by the gorgeous song of the stars?!?! So COOL! I can’t imagine what they sound like, but I just have a feeling it was magical!
Instead of the traditional idea where fairies or the fae were known for collecting people of talent, this author established a truly unique idea of stars collecting people of talent. Stars collecting potential stars! So punny! I also really enjoyed the powers of the stars and their history. It was such a great idea and I loved reading about it.
However, the characters were meh at best. I just couldn’t like anything as much as I usually would. The book world was just so amazing, but the characters just fell by the wayside. The main character was okay, I liked her a lot, but I just found her to be a little whiny and immature for a 17 year old. Her best friend was touch and go for me too. One minute she was an awesome friend and the next she was a selfish annoyance. I just couldn’t handle it.
The romance in this book was also extremely immature for 17 year olds. They were just so boring and I couldn’t do it. Maybe it was truly a young adult novel in that way, but it was too immature for me. I could’ve done without it and focused more on the amazing plot line of the book world and Sheetal’s family.
Overall, this book world was fascinating and I enjoyed the read, but I wish I had liked characters just a little bit more.
payal_reads_alot's review against another edition
The first chapter hooked me but the second chapter slapped me and didn't even say sorry. I was expecting something completely different after the first chapter instead it gave me desi angsty drama in New Jersey. No thank you!
lqvekanej's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sofia_jordao's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
oleanderwillow's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book was underwhelming and I'm sad to say it disappointed me. The writing was juvenile but not in a good way, but it might just be that I'm too old for the demographic. However, I read middle-grade books frequently and I don't have this same aversion to the writing. What I was most disappointed by was the lack of description and imagery relating to the setting and scenery. For example, the night market. At first, I was enamoured with the idea when it appeared, but it was over too quickly. I would have been thrilled to spend several hours reading different descriptions of vendors and the way the fabrics look, different magical and fantastical things you could buy. The palace itself would have been another great area to develop more and pile on descriptions of how beautiful and otherworldly it is. I was also expecting a higher stakes plot but this one felt a little lacklustre and all over the place at times. The characters were a little weak as well, I didn't really feel connected to their arcs and I didn't care what happened to them at all. I will say that this book had some really well constructed sentences and beautiful prose. I think this book could have benefitted from being split up into a duology or trilogy, so that you could really delve into the world in detail and soak up every little thing about it. The author has created a world that is too vast and complex to fit into one mediocre book about a competition, I wanted more and it wasn't delivered. Overall, this is not a bad book, it just didn't do it for me.