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jobird's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I liked it. I thought it was pretty different to anything I have read lately. At one point there was a large amount of info thrown at you. But I really like some of the concepts. I am interested to see where it goes.
I liked it. I thought it was pretty different to anything I have read lately. At one point there was a large amount of info thrown at you. But I really like some of the concepts. I am interested to see where it goes.
katraff94's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! This book introduced you to a new world, and then turned it upside down. I was hooked to the very end, highly recommend.
emleemay's review against another edition
4.0
Holy shit, this was entertaining. Not perfect - there were some issues I had - but seriously, who cares when a book is this unputdownable?
"The Unclean were hiding in plain sight, among us. Breeding their own hosts. Existing right under the Church’s nose."
[b:The Stars Never Rise|17788681|The Stars Never Rise (Untitled Series, #1)|Rachel Vincent|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420315185s/17788681.jpg|24878978] is a fast-paced, gritty blend of dystopia and urban fantasy. Set in a future America that has been ravaged by demons who possess human bodies and some other creepy zombie-like monsters called Degenerates, a new governing body has emerged - The Unified Church.
The Church demands strict obedience, punishes sins and, in return, sends its trained exorcists out to defend civilians from the demonic threat. Nina Kane, however, is a little bit more concerned about making enough money to feed herself and her sister, Melanie. Their mother is a drug addict who stumbles home at dawn and sleeps throughout the day, so Nina must do whatever she can to survive and provide for them. But when Melanie reveals a secret that could have dire consequences for the whole family, it sparks a series of events that will change both their lives forever.
Aside from just being enjoyable as hell, the book has many things I love: sisters looking out for each other, great secondary characters, a touch of humour amid the action and nastiness. Not to mention a heroine I really liked, who was flawed and tough:
"If I was going down, I would go down fighting."
Hell yeah, girl.
I will also talk about some of the minor complaints I had, though it should be noted that even the problems I had with this book have huge BUTs after them.
Firstly, I thought the first and last thirds of the book were really strong but that third in the middle was weaker. I would say the budding romance comes far behind everything else, but it seems to be a necessary component of every YA novel these days, so it did come into play. When the love interest was first introduced, I was a bit bored and couldn't wait to get back to the serious stuff. However - here's the BUT - the author actually really surprised me. There's a romance happening in this series but it's... not what I first thought. To be honest, I've never read one quite like it. So maybe not so much of a negative after all.
My second issue was also kind of "fixed" later on. Basically, the character of Devi is introduced as a typical mean girl who seemed to dislike Nina for no good reason. I hate it when authors create female characters for the sole reason of adding a bit of girl-on-girl hate/jealousy angst. BUT, she's not the throwaway character I worried she might be. In fact, I'd say she's a source of some much-needed bitchy, hilarious cynicism. And she's pretty much the smartest character in the whole book. Looking forward to seeing more of her in the next installment.
I don't think it's difficult to see some of the "reveals" coming, but the characters, the action and the sheer pull of the author's writing are so good that I didn't really care. I also really like that the ending doesn't feel like a cliffhanger but, at the same time, opens up the story and the world of the novel into something bigger and scarier. It made me even more excited for the sequel.
There's potential for a really great series here. Here's hoping for even more action, more surprises and more of these characters being funny and awesome in the next book. Also, I think there's a great opportunity for discussion about what it really means to be human... I hope the author takes advantage of that.
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"The Unclean were hiding in plain sight, among us. Breeding their own hosts. Existing right under the Church’s nose."
[b:The Stars Never Rise|17788681|The Stars Never Rise (Untitled Series, #1)|Rachel Vincent|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420315185s/17788681.jpg|24878978] is a fast-paced, gritty blend of dystopia and urban fantasy. Set in a future America that has been ravaged by demons who possess human bodies and some other creepy zombie-like monsters called Degenerates, a new governing body has emerged - The Unified Church.
The Church demands strict obedience, punishes sins and, in return, sends its trained exorcists out to defend civilians from the demonic threat. Nina Kane, however, is a little bit more concerned about making enough money to feed herself and her sister, Melanie. Their mother is a drug addict who stumbles home at dawn and sleeps throughout the day, so Nina must do whatever she can to survive and provide for them. But when Melanie reveals a secret that could have dire consequences for the whole family, it sparks a series of events that will change both their lives forever.
Aside from just being enjoyable as hell, the book has many things I love: sisters looking out for each other, great secondary characters, a touch of humour amid the action and nastiness. Not to mention a heroine I really liked, who was flawed and tough:
"If I was going down, I would go down fighting."
Hell yeah, girl.
I will also talk about some of the minor complaints I had, though it should be noted that even the problems I had with this book have huge BUTs after them.
Firstly, I thought the first and last thirds of the book were really strong but that third in the middle was weaker. I would say the budding romance comes far behind everything else, but it seems to be a necessary component of every YA novel these days, so it did come into play. When the love interest was first introduced, I was a bit bored and couldn't wait to get back to the serious stuff. However - here's the BUT - the author actually really surprised me. There's a romance happening in this series but it's... not what I first thought. To be honest, I've never read one quite like it. So maybe not so much of a negative after all.
My second issue was also kind of "fixed" later on. Basically, the character of Devi is introduced as a typical mean girl who seemed to dislike Nina for no good reason. I hate it when authors create female characters for the sole reason of adding a bit of girl-on-girl hate/jealousy angst. BUT, she's not the throwaway character I worried she might be. In fact, I'd say she's a source of some much-needed bitchy, hilarious cynicism. And she's pretty much the smartest character in the whole book. Looking forward to seeing more of her in the next installment.
I don't think it's difficult to see some of the "reveals" coming, but the characters, the action and the sheer pull of the author's writing are so good that I didn't really care. I also really like that the ending doesn't feel like a cliffhanger but, at the same time, opens up the story and the world of the novel into something bigger and scarier. It made me even more excited for the sequel.
There's potential for a really great series here. Here's hoping for even more action, more surprises and more of these characters being funny and awesome in the next book. Also, I think there's a great opportunity for discussion about what it really means to be human... I hope the author takes advantage of that.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
lambsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was such an interesting concept! It was super fast-paced and the plot pulled me in. I didn't like the insta-love, hardcore insta-love after the first meeting, and Devi was annoying, along with a few other things, but a solid book!
desertlover's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 STARS
I loved the premise of this book with demons vs humans storyline. The "Church" piece reminded me too much the ugly last seasons of True Blood (show not books). The Finn aspect while unique to the say the least, didn't really draw me in either. Overall, it was a slower read and I never felt any true emotional connection to any of the characters. I liked Nina, she is strong and take charge heroine, but sadly she just give me the happy feels I wanted. Not certain if I'll read the follow-up.
I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, as it is an interesting premise.
I loved the premise of this book with demons vs humans storyline. The "Church" piece reminded me too much the ugly last seasons of True Blood (show not books). The Finn aspect while unique to the say the least, didn't really draw me in either. Overall, it was a slower read and I never felt any true emotional connection to any of the characters. I liked Nina, she is strong and take charge heroine, but sadly she just give me the happy feels I wanted. Not certain if I'll read the follow-up.
I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, as it is an interesting premise.
mlliu's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure if the butterfly on the cover was a good idea. I'd have avoided the book based on the cover alone without having read a review about how good it was. The Stars Never Rise was bleak and fast-paced, and I felt real tension over what was going to happen. I can't wait to see where the story goes as more about the demons is revealed.
bookishwonderlandco's review against another edition
5.0
I was excited to start this book for two reasons. Rachel Vincent is the author, and it sounded insane. In the best ways.
Nina is just a regular girl living in a more or less, post-apocalyptic world. She is faced with looming graduation and taking care of her younger sister because their deadbeat mom can't be trusted enough to do so. Until crap hits the fan, and degenerates, possessed people, start following her and she finds out some buried secrets about her family, her society, and herself. Dangerous secrets. That make the plot if the story. And of which I can't say because then you will know the end.
I have to say I had high standards for this book, and not once was I let down. This book met, and exceeded, the bar I set for it. I couldn't put it down! Each page had a new twist and turn. This book was filled with great writing, action, emotions, angst, suspense. I couldn't keep up! In a good way. This was just such a great, fast read. The characters were awesome. Well-written. and they were so likeable and believable. Their motivations and actions were just well-done. The setting was incredible, so believable, and everything was so well described I could see it all and was so on the edge of my seat the entire time, I was addicted. Vincent has done it again. Of you are a vincent fan, or like this kind of YA genre, this is a must-read! Overall this was an absolutely amazing book, and I cannot wait one minute to read the next! I am already dying of anticipation!
Nina is just a regular girl living in a more or less, post-apocalyptic world. She is faced with looming graduation and taking care of her younger sister because their deadbeat mom can't be trusted enough to do so. Until crap hits the fan, and degenerates, possessed people, start following her and she finds out some buried secrets about her family, her society, and herself. Dangerous secrets. That make the plot if the story. And of which I can't say because then you will know the end.
I have to say I had high standards for this book, and not once was I let down. This book met, and exceeded, the bar I set for it. I couldn't put it down! Each page had a new twist and turn. This book was filled with great writing, action, emotions, angst, suspense. I couldn't keep up! In a good way. This was just such a great, fast read. The characters were awesome. Well-written. and they were so likeable and believable. Their motivations and actions were just well-done. The setting was incredible, so believable, and everything was so well described I could see it all and was so on the edge of my seat the entire time, I was addicted. Vincent has done it again. Of you are a vincent fan, or like this kind of YA genre, this is a must-read! Overall this was an absolutely amazing book, and I cannot wait one minute to read the next! I am already dying of anticipation!
bookgirl15's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
joni7824's review against another edition
4.0
What a fast read. I love Nina and gang. I don't want to give away any spoilers so there's not much I'm going to write besides I can't wait to read the next book in the series The Flame Never Dies. Rachel Vincent gets a 10 for originality. I've never read a book like this. On to the next!!
muretski's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars!
great and engrossing paranormal book! I cant wait for book 2!
great and engrossing paranormal book! I cant wait for book 2!