everthereader's review
3.0
I've read R.C. Lewis's debut novel, Stitching Snow, which was a retelling of Snow White. I happened to very much enjoy the unique sci-fi twist and adored the main character. I was very much anticipating her newest release, which is yet another sci-fi retelling of the famous fairy tale, The Wild Swans. Although I didn't find it to be as good as her debut, it was still quite enjoyable.
Find full review at: Marvelous Eden of Books
Find full review at: Marvelous Eden of Books
erinarkin20's review
4.0
R.C. Lewis won me over last year with Stitching Snow so when I heard she was writing another book, it immediately went on my to read list. Spinning Starlight is based on a Hans Christian Andersen classic, The Wild Swans and I admit, I don’t really know anything about that tale. Despite that, I found this retelling to be quite entertaining.
This story introduces us to Liddi Jantzen who is the daughter of the most powerful tech family in the galaxy. She has been surrounded by her family and a load of expectations her whole life and when we are introduced to her, we find out quite a bit about her. First, since her parents death’s, Liddi has really only had her older brothers to rely on and these days she doesn’t get to see them as often as she would like. Second, Liddi is worried that she won’t live up to the expectations that being a part of her family bring. It is clear she doubts herself and she compares herself to her brothers all the time and in her mind, she always falls short.
Unexpectedly Liddi finds herself in the middle of a situation she has no idea how to handle and the wrong move (or word) could end up killing her brothers. When Liddi ends up in another world, she finds herself connecting with Tiav, someone who can help her but also someone who can cause a lot of trouble for her. As Liddi works with (and sometimes against) Tiav to fix the conduit problem and save her brothers, she has to do it without the use of her voice.
I thought the character development was well done. Liddi’s story and the background of her family history was done in a way that gave me the information I wanted when I needed it. I loved getting introduced to her brothers and her parents through the flashbacks. I also thought the science part was well done – not that I know anything about physics or traveling to other worlds but the way things were explained only added to the detail and believability of the story. The world building was also well done.
Tiav was a great character. He is kind and patient with Liddi and I have to admit, there was a time where I wasn’t really sure how things were going to end up for these two. Immediately he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and help her but she did end up burning him so I couldn’t really hold his actions against him. He is a great mix of smart, trusting, swoony, and loyal.
I can’t say much more about the details of this story only because I don’t want to give anything away. You do find out early on what is going on and why as well as who the bad guy is, but certain pieces of the whole story are revealed throughout the book. What I can say is that if you enjoy the sci fi genre and fairytale retellings, you should definitely check this one out. I enjoyed the whole thing and can’t wait to see what Lewis writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!
This story introduces us to Liddi Jantzen who is the daughter of the most powerful tech family in the galaxy. She has been surrounded by her family and a load of expectations her whole life and when we are introduced to her, we find out quite a bit about her. First, since her parents death’s, Liddi has really only had her older brothers to rely on and these days she doesn’t get to see them as often as she would like. Second, Liddi is worried that she won’t live up to the expectations that being a part of her family bring. It is clear she doubts herself and she compares herself to her brothers all the time and in her mind, she always falls short.
Unexpectedly Liddi finds herself in the middle of a situation she has no idea how to handle and the wrong move (or word) could end up killing her brothers. When Liddi ends up in another world, she finds herself connecting with Tiav, someone who can help her but also someone who can cause a lot of trouble for her. As Liddi works with (and sometimes against) Tiav to fix the conduit problem and save her brothers, she has to do it without the use of her voice.
I thought the character development was well done. Liddi’s story and the background of her family history was done in a way that gave me the information I wanted when I needed it. I loved getting introduced to her brothers and her parents through the flashbacks. I also thought the science part was well done – not that I know anything about physics or traveling to other worlds but the way things were explained only added to the detail and believability of the story. The world building was also well done.
Tiav was a great character. He is kind and patient with Liddi and I have to admit, there was a time where I wasn’t really sure how things were going to end up for these two. Immediately he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and help her but she did end up burning him so I couldn’t really hold his actions against him. He is a great mix of smart, trusting, swoony, and loyal.
I can’t say much more about the details of this story only because I don’t want to give anything away. You do find out early on what is going on and why as well as who the bad guy is, but certain pieces of the whole story are revealed throughout the book. What I can say is that if you enjoy the sci fi genre and fairytale retellings, you should definitely check this one out. I enjoyed the whole thing and can’t wait to see what Lewis writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!
laurajnelson's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
nonsocialreader's review
3.0
There were things I really liked about this book. For the most part I liked the characters but felt some side characters could have been more developed. I really liked the whole premise of the story, it felt fresh and new and I found myself wanting to return to the story to see where it went. I also really enjoyed visiting Liddi's memories as it gave a real insight into the family dynamics and how close they all were.
What I didn't enjoy was the overload on technology, I found myself repeatedly getting to the end of a paragraph and not understanding how I got to this point in the story.I kept on feeling like I missed something, so I was constantly re-reading paragraphs to get a better understanding. My mind just boggled at all the techno talk and left me a little frustrated.
I did still like this though and will probably pick it again for another read just to see if I can get a better feel for it. After putting the book down each time I always wanted to come back to it, so there were definite things that drew me to the story.
What I didn't enjoy was the overload on technology, I found myself repeatedly getting to the end of a paragraph and not understanding how I got to this point in the story.I kept on feeling like I missed something, so I was constantly re-reading paragraphs to get a better understanding. My mind just boggled at all the techno talk and left me a little frustrated.
I did still like this though and will probably pick it again for another read just to see if I can get a better feel for it. After putting the book down each time I always wanted to come back to it, so there were definite things that drew me to the story.
dani_bugz's review
4.0
Actual rating 3.5
Unfortunately, Spinning Starlight just didn't live up to the wonderfulness that was Stir hing snow. Nevertheless, it was an incredibly entertaining, enjoyable, cute read which I absolutely couldn't put down!
Liddy was a fabulous, deep character who really struggled to find where she fit in her family of geniuses. She is clever, thoughtful, and cute as! Plus I really enjoyed reading her internal monologue. I also loved reading about Tiav who, though definitely a 2d character, was super sweet. The brothers were also cute and I loved the beginnings of the worldbuilding! Of course the writing style was engaging as ever, and from page 1 I felt like I was coming home - if that even makes sense! These things were all great and lead to an enjoyable read, but they just fell short of the admittedly high mark set by Stitching Snow.
First off, I hated all the names. I mean I get it, I'm a fantasy reader too and sci-fi/fantasy books have weird names, but when nearly every single name is completely unusual and stupidly long, I get a bit put off. Secondly, the 'science' was never fully explained and the explanations we did get were rushed and went straight over my head. Apart from the MC the characters were a bit useless and not essential to the plot. I would have loved to have learned more about Soon, Tiav, the brothers, Kal, and he doctor, but all we got was liddy. Really the book could have used a good 100-150 extra pages to flesh it all out!
I would still 100% re commend it, but just go in with lower expectations and expecting pure sci-fi fluff.
No warnings
Age: 11+
Unfortunately, Spinning Starlight just didn't live up to the wonderfulness that was Stir hing snow. Nevertheless, it was an incredibly entertaining, enjoyable, cute read which I absolutely couldn't put down!
Liddy was a fabulous, deep character who really struggled to find where she fit in her family of geniuses. She is clever, thoughtful, and cute as! Plus I really enjoyed reading her internal monologue. I also loved reading about Tiav who, though definitely a 2d character, was super sweet. The brothers were also cute and I loved the beginnings of the worldbuilding! Of course the writing style was engaging as ever, and from page 1 I felt like I was coming home - if that even makes sense! These things were all great and lead to an enjoyable read, but they just fell short of the admittedly high mark set by Stitching Snow.
First off, I hated all the names. I mean I get it, I'm a fantasy reader too and sci-fi/fantasy books have weird names, but when nearly every single name is completely unusual and stupidly long, I get a bit put off. Secondly, the 'science' was never fully explained and the explanations we did get were rushed and went straight over my head. Apart from the MC the characters were a bit useless and not essential to the plot. I would have loved to have learned more about Soon, Tiav, the brothers, Kal, and he doctor, but all we got was liddy. Really the book could have used a good 100-150 extra pages to flesh it all out!
I would still 100% re commend it, but just go in with lower expectations and expecting pure sci-fi fluff.
No warnings
Age: 11+
shaekin's review
3.0
This book had a really slow start, great pacing in the middle, then really slow ending. I'm not upset about the plot and the characters were reasonably interesting, but it just needed help moving along.
madirowa's review
4.0
Another 3.5 for me. The concept was so cool but some things just fell flat. It was overall interesting though.
jessiek04's review
5.0
(Note: I am not a teenager, so please consider this review accordingly.)
This is a gorgeous book. It was super hard for me to get through because I related so much to Liddi - not the whole rich-heiress-to-a-tech-fortune-who's-hounded-by-paparazzi thing, but everything she's feeling about and experiencing with her family (i.e., dealing with loss and the worry and fear of experiencing more loss). I understand those feelings all too well, and this novel brought a lot of things to the surface for me that normally exist as an undercurrent in my day-to-day life. That's always painful, but I still definitely recommend this book.
This is a gorgeous book. It was super hard for me to get through because I related so much to Liddi - not the whole rich-heiress-to-a-tech-fortune-who's-hounded-by-paparazzi thing, but everything she's feeling about and experiencing with her family (i.e., dealing with loss and the worry and fear of experiencing more loss). I understand those feelings all too well, and this novel brought a lot of things to the surface for me that normally exist as an undercurrent in my day-to-day life. That's always painful, but I still definitely recommend this book.