Reviews

Starman by Sara Douglass

alistairstafford's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

kanissa's review against another edition

2.0

This series got worse with every book, and it wasn't particularly great to begin with.

I still think the characters are unrealistic, and to me, that's a big problem.

The story dragged on and on and on and on, and I found myself frequently wondering if the book was ever going to end. Reading the last half was a chore.

Unfortunately for me, I think there is another trilogy in this series, and because I am stubborn and a completionist, I will probably try to read them anyway.

donnaadouglas's review against another edition

2.0

I cannot deny that Starman was a satisfactory conclusion to Sara Douglass's Axis Trilogy: it tied up all the loose ends and answered all the questions that had arisen in the previous books, and it had maintained its ability to surprise the reader unexpectedly when doing so.
I couldn't help, however, but be disappointed by the ending. The final battle against the Skraelings was too easy, to the point of seeming contrived - there appeared to be very little struggle, and the following chapters were completely unnecessary, following a subplot which bore no importance whatsoever to the main story arc, and ultimately lost the momentum before the stand-off between Axis and Gorgrael. After what I had considered to be a well-thought-out story, the ending felt rushed and awkward, and was greatly disappointing.

katlikemeow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

knightofkush's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

novelheartbeat's review against another edition

5.0

I don't think I can ever say this enough: I LOVE THIS SERIES. I love it so much! It was awesome to read these books again and revisit one of my favorite worlds.

I loved seeing the first story arc come to a close again. I looked forward to the journey that Axis and Azhure took in finding themselves, but also dreaded the final battle between Axis and Gorgrael.

I think I said it already, but Faraday is one of my favorite characters in this series! (Besides FreeFall, I freaking love him!)

Spoiler

Knowing what she faced at the end of the book was really difficult. I dreaded that final moment when I knew she would be torn to shreds to save Axis and Tencedor. Hers was definitely the hardest journey of all.*sobs*

I love that nothing is impossible in this book! The power of the Star Dance is astounding, and I love seeing how the characters wield it, and how they overcome their battles.

Spoiler

I looove how Azhure got Caelum back through the dream, and how she used the same dream to trap all the gryphon! It was awesome! And the trees! The scene where the trees burst into song and tear the Skraelings apart was freaking epic.

Um, can we take a moment to talk about how awesome the names in these books are? DragonStar and WolfStar are my favorite names, but I love pretty much all of the Icarii names: RiverStar, FreeFall, EvenSong, StarDrifter, RavenCrest, SpikeFeather, StarLaughter, DareWing....I love the way they're named! (The Star names are the Enchanters, btw.) In fact, I love them so much that I have two animals named after characters in this book: My border collie mix, Zenith, and my tabby kitten, RiverStar. ;)


This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.

heart_eater's review against another edition

3.0

I'm so on the fence about my feelings for this series. While I really enjoyed the first book, I was not thrilled by the second, and this one didn't bring much else to the table except for bittersweet closure.

Axis is terrible and only grew more so in my eyes as the story went on. Faraday is once again getting treated like crap and as a side character, when I'd rather read more about her, then is killed off at the very end. Azhure, while I want to hate her for taking Axis from Faraday (while simultaneously being glad she rid her of that asshole), is probably the most exciting character in this whole book. I found myself wishing we could just read about the two women and kill Axis off; everyone would be better off!

Uhg. You get 3 stars, because I love the writing and some of the story, but I'm keeping two stars because I hate Axis and all of the stupid names for everything (seriously, StarFinger?!?!?!?! UHGGG!). Oh well.

stefaniegiss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

artfuldanni's review against another edition

3.0

After my dislike of the previous book I went into this one with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The story is more solid and well told and the characters were a lot less obnoxious, Axis is less of a self centered douche and Azhure's character grows into much more than a lovesick girl. I still feel that Faraday got a really raw deal and would have liked to have seen her do more than suffer throughout the book, but overall this was a surprisingly good read.

funeralthirst666's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5