katiemayveil's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! This is a new genre for Ilima Todd; before she's done YA Science Fiction, and I must say that she did quite a good job with this Adult Historical Fiction/Proper Romance.
It takes place on the island of Hawaii just after Captain James Cook lands and meets the natives. Maile is the daughter of the island's chief, and she does not trust the newcomers. She is relieved when they leave and hopes they never return. As the second daughter of the chief, she is able to marry for love and is engaged to the islands best navigator. When Captain Cook comes back to Hawaii because of damage from a storm, the natives are not happy. The two groups fight and casualties occur on both sides. Maile suddenly finds herself helping John Harbottle heal from his wounds and grieving over the loss of her friends. As the two enemies get to know each other their relationship deepens and they learn to trust each other. When the island is in danger from a neighboring chief the sailors and natives have to work together to protect the island they've all come to love.
This is a story of loyalty, trust, observing, nature, and coming to respect the differences in others. Ilima Todd weaves a story that is engaging, captivating and wonderful. I had a hard time putting this book down. The dialogue flowed well and made me feel as though I was there in Hawaii. The descriptions are realistic, the people are relatable, and the story is based on true events! I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history, romance, the ocean, or just looking for a good book.
It takes place on the island of Hawaii just after Captain James Cook lands and meets the natives. Maile is the daughter of the island's chief, and she does not trust the newcomers. She is relieved when they leave and hopes they never return. As the second daughter of the chief, she is able to marry for love and is engaged to the islands best navigator. When Captain Cook comes back to Hawaii because of damage from a storm, the natives are not happy. The two groups fight and casualties occur on both sides. Maile suddenly finds herself helping John Harbottle heal from his wounds and grieving over the loss of her friends. As the two enemies get to know each other their relationship deepens and they learn to trust each other. When the island is in danger from a neighboring chief the sailors and natives have to work together to protect the island they've all come to love.
This is a story of loyalty, trust, observing, nature, and coming to respect the differences in others. Ilima Todd weaves a story that is engaging, captivating and wonderful. I had a hard time putting this book down. The dialogue flowed well and made me feel as though I was there in Hawaii. The descriptions are realistic, the people are relatable, and the story is based on true events! I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history, romance, the ocean, or just looking for a good book.
maplessence's review against another edition
2.0
A DNF at page 156.
Given that this is quite a short book, this is quite a late DNF decision for me.
I persevered as long as I did because this book was part of a reading challenge in the BLK group & because the book featured Captain Cook, a historical figure I find interesting. (He is credited as the first European to discover New Zealand) & because the author is Hawaiian and the story is based on some of her own ancestors.
Unfortunately Captain Cook's appearance was very brief, the choice to write in first person, present tense (with dual POV!) gave the narrative a very wooden feel. The characters never came alive for me & I didn't care what their outcome was going to be.
The only things I liked were the lovely cover and I was interested how close some common Hawaiian words were to some Maori ones.
Unfortunately these are not sufficient reasons to carry on with this book.
Given that this is quite a short book, this is quite a late DNF decision for me.
I persevered as long as I did because this book was part of a reading challenge in the BLK group & because the book featured Captain Cook, a historical figure I find interesting. (He is credited as the first European to discover New Zealand) & because the author is Hawaiian and the story is based on some of her own ancestors.
Unfortunately Captain Cook's appearance was very brief, the choice to write in first person, present tense (with dual POV!) gave the narrative a very wooden feel. The characters never came alive for me & I didn't care what their outcome was going to be.
The only things I liked were the lovely cover and I was interested how close some common Hawaiian words were to some Maori ones.
Unfortunately these are not sufficient reasons to carry on with this book.
leslie_books_and_socks_rock's review against another edition
5.0
This book started slow for me and the first person POV in present tense was harder for me to get into. This book is similar to Moana and Pocahontas but I loved it so much more than both of those things! I loved that this story is written by a Hawaiian (I'm Native American and appreciate representation from all races) and that this is loosely based off of her own ancestors. It made me think about my ancestors and what their story was. This book had so much feeling to it and it was perfect. I received an ebook of this from netgalley and these are my opinions.
bethgiven's review against another edition
I enjoyed reading about Hawaiian culture and history, even if the love story was a little too sappy, a little too over-the-top for me. I never have been much of a romantic.
a_neverending_tbr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a first for me from this author and also a book in this time period set in Hawaii. The romance was sad and then sweet as John and Maile overcome the pain and guilt of the conflict between their people. The imagery was enchanting and the navigation lessons had Moana vibes that had that soundtrack running through my head. The kiss at the end was so sweet as their cultures collided.
Content Notes: Kisses only
Content Notes: Kisses only
bookswithmadi's review against another edition
5.0
This book is maybe one of my favorite books that I've read all year. The writing transports you back in time to Hawaii when white sailors first arrived. I was captivated the whole time! The way that Todd weaves history, culture and romance together was enchanting! I'm obsessed with this book and can see myself reading it many times over!!
rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with this one a bit. Maile, the main protagonist, didn't seem consistent for the time. She was able to spend a LOT of time alone with John Hardbottle, the white man, without her family getting particularly wound up about it. This was peculiar to me, particularly since they talked about people not making eye contact with the royal family, the separation of the class/caste systems, etc.
There were occasional words used or ideas expressed that felt wrong for the time and would yank me out of the narrative flow to wonder "would they have said it that way," or "that seems a fairly modern idea."
The book was saved from two stars and bumped to three when I found out that this is speculative fiction on the author's fourth great grandparents: a white English sailor and a Hawaiian chief's daughter in the late 18th century. So I was able to forgive language modernization and anachronisms for the sake of history.
Still probably not a reread for me, though.
There were occasional words used or ideas expressed that felt wrong for the time and would yank me out of the narrative flow to wonder "would they have said it that way," or "that seems a fairly modern idea."
The book was saved from two stars and bumped to three when I found out that this is speculative fiction on the author's fourth great grandparents: a white English sailor and a Hawaiian chief's daughter in the late 18th century. So I was able to forgive language modernization and anachronisms for the sake of history.
Still probably not a reread for me, though.
wabcoqueen's review against another edition
3.5
The different culture references were a nice change in the stories I read. The story was nicely put together. I just needed something a little more with the difficulties between communication and embracing both cultures for the main characters.
alissabar's review against another edition
3.0
I love the Hawaiian islands, and it was interesting to learn a little more about their culture and history.
2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge: #38 A novel based on a true story.
2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge: #38 A novel based on a true story.
cbear550's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting quick read
A Song for the Stars by Ilima Todd is a book you can read and enjoy for a couple hours, that will leave you thinking about the book and its messages afterward.
This is one of the first historical fictions I've ever read that takes place in Hawaii, and hopefully it will not be my last. The scenery was beautiful, and learning about the culture there was one of my favorite parts of the book. The little details I learned here and there about how the people lived made this book enjoyable. It was also interesting to read a 1st person POV, which is not something I find common in historical fiction.
I enjoyed the plot of the book, although I'm not quite sure how historically accurate it is. Some parts of it seemed far fetched, but I was interested to see what happened with it.
I had a hard time getting on board with the romance in this book. It's not that it was poorly written, but that the characters didn't quite make sense together. Falling in love with the man that murdered your fiancé in cold blood, right in front of you? Even with time passing in the book it was just too much of a stretch for me, especially because they didn't really work through it, they just moved forward. Although remorse was there, I didn't feel like they ever truly talked about it and resolved their feelings about the situation.
Overall I'd give this book 2.5 stars. If you're looking for historical romance that's a bit different you may enjoy this one!
A Song for the Stars by Ilima Todd is a book you can read and enjoy for a couple hours, that will leave you thinking about the book and its messages afterward.
This is one of the first historical fictions I've ever read that takes place in Hawaii, and hopefully it will not be my last. The scenery was beautiful, and learning about the culture there was one of my favorite parts of the book. The little details I learned here and there about how the people lived made this book enjoyable. It was also interesting to read a 1st person POV, which is not something I find common in historical fiction.
I enjoyed the plot of the book, although I'm not quite sure how historically accurate it is. Some parts of it seemed far fetched, but I was interested to see what happened with it.
I had a hard time getting on board with the romance in this book. It's not that it was poorly written, but that the characters didn't quite make sense together. Falling in love with the man that murdered your fiancé in cold blood, right in front of you? Even with time passing in the book it was just too much of a stretch for me, especially because they didn't really work through it, they just moved forward. Although remorse was there, I didn't feel like they ever truly talked about it and resolved their feelings about the situation.
Overall I'd give this book 2.5 stars. If you're looking for historical romance that's a bit different you may enjoy this one!