Review: The Jewel by Amy Ewing (ARC)

The Jewel (The Lone City #1) by Amy Ewing
HarperTeen, 358 pages
US Release Date: September 2, 2014
Format/Source: ARC, via Around the World Tours

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.
--------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

“Hope is a precious thing, isn’t it” she says quietly. “And yet, we don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone.”

I kind of hate saying this, but I feel like The Jewel is going to be my new The Selection series. One where I like a lot of the elements, and I kind of have to know what happens…but there are so many other parts that make me SO ANGRY I just can’t say I like the book. It was so frustrating to read and recognize the things I didn’t like, but still have that need of finishing or finding out if what I think is true, actually is true. (Usually it was.) (Actually, it always was.)

Largely, The Jewel was interesting and unique, if not a little…flat. I’ve not encountered a Dystopian world like this yet, but I felt like I knew so little about The Lost City. It had a lot of elements similar to other books—the circular levels and districts that determined your worth, the past of a war that made it this way, the element of a Power (or Augury, in this one) that becomes the ticket to elevating your status.  And that’s all well and good, I just don’t really get a good sense of this world around it. I couldn’t figure out how far in the “future” it was, if even in the future…I guess it’s more of an alternate world? I’ll settle on that one, for ease and clarity.

I liked the element of Auguries and how that affected their Lot number, and opened up a whole unexplored territory of what the Surrogates could do. It was interesting to have Surrogates be a little reminiscent of slavery but still be living in the lap of luxury with their own ladies-in-waiting and maids. If I searched for it or felt like linking it, I could find a lot of historial parallels here—and while I don’t think that was really an intention, it was something that held my interest.

However, I really did not like the romance in this. It’s very much insta-love, and entirely expected. All their parts felt rushed and clichéd, without any real development. It just was. While the idea of Companions makes sense, I never liked when Ash and Carnelian were together. I hated Carnelian as a character—she’s too despicable for me to ever get a feel for her, and it made me have no sympathy for any of her parts. I just resented every time she was on the page, because I felt like she was a device meant to make me feel some way without really getting to discover that feeling.

I think what bothered me most about this book was the writing—not that it’s weird or terrible. I just felt like it wasn’t developed well, that a lot of the plotlines that happened did because it was supposed to be that way. Not much of this felt like a natural, flowing story. Like The Duchess was this evil character, but she had moments of weakness and humanity—but those moments felt so fake and calculated. Every time that would happen, it was because I knew she had been too evil and we were just waiting for a “positive” so we would get a rounded character from her. A lot of characters are that way for me; they’re constructed to be just-so and it didn’t feel natural at all.

In the same regard as The Selection, I feel like there is a lot of potential for this series. A lot of the plot itself is interesting, if only because I want to know what’s going to happen, how it will all happen. There’s a lot that can grow from here, that we can eventually learn…I just don’t quite know if it will ever get there.

I’m a bit torn about The Jewel, just because I felt so much that way while reading it. There would be small parts I was into, but it would quickly follow with parts I couldn’t stand. And while I’ll definitely pick up Book 2 just so I can know, I know I’m going to have reservations and doubts going into it.

3 stars

Review: Across A Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (ARC)

Across A Star-Swept Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars #2) by Diana Peterfreund
Balzar + Bray (an imprint of Harper Teen), 464 pages
Expected US Release Date: October 15, 2013
Format/Source: ARC, via Around the World Tours - thank you!

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.
----------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

We made many errors. I told you, I no longer believe in the way the revolution is playing out. But that doesn't make the goals that brought us to this point any less valid. Sometimes bad things happen when you try to do something good.

If you didn't know, I love love LOVED For Darkness Shows the Stars (read my awesome review here - I think I'm pretty hilarious). It was one of my favourite reads of 2012, and EVER. There's such beauty and grace to Diana Peterfreund's writing, and I was not disappointed with Across A Star-Swept Sea, either.

Now, again, I haven't read The Scarlet Pimpernel before so I can't say if it pulls inspiration well or anything - but I definitely want to read it after this. Diana Peterfreund solidified herself as an author I will read anything from. Again, it's not like it's the most action-packed, page-turning thriller; but the details are really something else, and it just makes for a story bursting with elements you fall in love with.

I don't know about you, but this is possibly the coolest futuristic, science fiction-y historical romance I've ever read. Sounds pretty contradictory, right? It totally is, but it had all those elements rolled into one! The drama and intrigue and gossip of a Queen's Court, with the great inventions created in this Post-Reduction dystopian environment, rolled into a revolutionary tale. If that isn't the best pitch for a book ever, I don't know what is.

The characters were fantastic in this book too - I liked how everyone wasn't quite what they seemed. Persis was pretty fascinating, though sometimes I felt the dichotomy between her and the Wild Poppy were a little too...much. I know she had to create this fake persona, and I completely understand why and how it worked -- but sometimes I felt like it was too extreme. Still, it made for a lot of fun little plot points and you really start to root for either of them and the shared cause. And of course, we all love a faked romance! Especially one where...I mean, c'mon. You know. You just know how it will end, and it's slowly, torturously, awesomely fun to get dragged along and get so caught up in the "OMG IT MEANT MORE I SWEAR" and the "DON'T YOU SEEEEEEE?!"

I have to say that I still love For Darkness Shows the Stars more - but that's expected, as I had expectations going into the second novel and knowing what I already loved. Which does bring me to: KAIIIIIIII <33333.

Ok. That's really it. Across A Star-Swept Sea was a fantastic read, one that immerses you into this great little revolutionary tale as we try to figure out what is ethically right and sound at the same time as rooting for the characters to all prevail and triumph -- which is brilliant, since a lot of them are opposing. The enemies are great, the protagonists even better, and getting to continue on with Kai and Elliot was just a cherry on top.

5 Stars

Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano (ARC)

Perfect Ruin (The Internment Chronicles #1) by Lauren DeStefano
Simon & Schuster BYR, 356 Pages
Expected US Release Date: October 1, 2013

Format/Source: Print ARC via Around the World Tours - thank you!

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.
--------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

"Forget who you are." I pause in the doorway. "That's the answer to your question," he says. "Forget who you are and what you think is there, and you'll discover things that don't exist to be known."

I'd never read Lauren's Chemical Garden trilogy, but I'd heard so much about her writing and writing style - and actually? I follow her on Twitter and can tell she's got a distinct voice. She does for herself, and I was certain it translated to her actual writing as well. And it REALLY did! I found myself falling into her writing, getting lost in her descriptions and the way she would express feelings or situations. There's a lovely lyricism to her, similar to how I feel when I read Lauren Oliver books (or listen to Lauren Oliver talk).

I think I found the relationships in this novel to be the most intriguing element, and the one I had the most fun watching and discovering. I adored Basil, though I admit sometimes I wondered if I felt like I had to since he was Morgan's betrothed. The idea of the betrothed was also interesting in itself, and I kind of liked that people accepted it and didn't quite resent it (Pen as the sort-of-almost-exception), and that it actually worked out! Arranged marriage is something so frowned upon in the US, and it was fascinating to see a world where it was accepted, even preferred.

There were a few moments in the plot that truly surprised me, which I loved -- sometimes with Dystopians like this I can see where it would head or just what makes sense, and it's vaguely disappointing when it works out that way, no matter how great it is. But there were some twists and turns that really caught me off guard! Especially once the Prince and Princess got involved, that was...man. I never knew what it was to completely scoff at people who seem so frivolous and vacant - which is where Lauren DeStefano just took me into her story completely and made me realize how well she can truly play someone with her words.

Speaking of characters, can we talk about how much the Jumpers and Lex just broke my heart? He's got such a creative darkness inside him, every time he showed up on the page I wanted to hug him and hold his hand to lead him through the world. There was a specific quote early on that just made me love him, no matter how terribly he would sometimes treat people. "He keeps pressing his palm into my knuckles like I might vaporize into nothing if he doesn't hold tight. Sometimes he hides in the darkness of his blindness, and other times he fears it will swallow everyone up and leave him alone."

When I finished reading, even though I was completely taken with the words and was dying to know who was on the ground and what was going to happen, I knew unmistakably that this book was a 4 star for me. And it took me a few days to mull over and figure out why. I think I felt like the movement of the book was a little slow. I don't want it to be some action-packed thriller, that wouldn't fit with Morgan or the tone or the pacing...but sometimes I just felt like it could have had a little more of plot movement rather than explanation/feeling/dwelling. That's not to say I didn't love those bits (and I think I may have actually loved ALL of them), but a little bit more action to break it up would have been nice.

I was also fascinated with the entire world of Internment. Lauren's world building is pretty great, giving us a whole picture of a new type of living, a new space to live. I feel like there are some dark sections in her descriptions that weren't entire fleshed out, but I think that may have been on purpose; and may be revealed later in the series. Intentional or not, it worked together and really made me feel like I could look in the sky and see this floating ground between the clouds.

Overall, I was really impressed with the structure of this book. Somehow, Lauren made me feel exactly what Morgan did in terms of Internment. I liked the world, I was ok with it--but curious about the outside and the ground. And as I learned more, my curiosity grew and grew until I was starting to feel like Internment wasn't a haven, but an isolation. And in that isolation, there is loneliness and the need to find other options, other means; and just like Morgan and her family and friends...it seems like their only option is the Ground.

Perfect Ruin was a fascinating novel filled with an ethereal world that appears to be a savior but may, in fact, be much more. It's filled with writing to make you fall in love, relationships that make you question, and situations that make you consider where you would fall in with this world.

4 Stars

Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass (ARC)

The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass
Harper Teen, 336 pages
Expected US Release Date: April 23, 2013
Format: Print ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours - thank you!

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.
----------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

"But," she continued to Gavril, "if there's one thing I've learned from being in The Selection, it's that some girls have a frightening killer instinct. Don't let the ball gowns fool you," she finished with a smile.

If you don’t follow me on GoodReads, you really should because you would have been treated to these gems:

And if you do follow me, a big thank you and you’re welcome.

If I thought I was frustrated after reading The Selection (for which you can read that entertainment here), the frustration after reading The Elite laughs in my face. It scoffs, even. I was so young, so naïve.

Basically, I found The Elite to be every bit as terribly riveting as The Selection, only a little bit more so since I carried over all my feelings already. There’s so much I can’t stand about Aspen and America, and none of it went away. It grew, even. And there were things added, and I just can’t even talk about it without getting worked up how idiotic I think they are and are being.

Maxon is the only one who saves me from DNF-ing the shit out of this book, and even that had its moments of weakness. He didn’t really grow to me in the novel, but it’s something I overlook since I love him so much anyway. Even though I don’t really agree with some of the things he did in this book, I get it, and I found it interesting enough where I still want to know what’s going to happen in Book 3.

Something I was very happy with in The Elite was how surprising it was to me in terms of plot and action. Nothing completely from left field comes through knocking you off your feet, but it doesn’t quite follow the line you thought it might. I knew generally what would have to happen, but it’s the how and the who that was unexpected and made the story all the better.

I enjoy how we get a little more of a look into the world they live in, and all the civic lessons going on as the girls are made to learn policy and politics, but I still wish there were a little more in terms of the rebels and their environment. Book 1 was definitely lacking in real Dystopian elements, and I have to say the same for Book 2. It tried, and it gets a little better, but it’s just not there. I sincerely hope Book 3, when everything comes to the culmination, finally goes there.

I know that having already stated how much I can’t stand Aspen will probably discredit what I’m about to say, but I had major issues with all his parts because I felt like the author was trying to manipulate me into liking him finally. She was selling him way too hard and explaining how brilliant/sweet/amazing he is, and I hated it. It came down to my usual “show not tell” complaint, in that she needed to make his actions speak louder, rather than a small thing and extend it into something America explained into how it made him a perfect boy. Would it have sold me on Aspen? No, but I would have at least been a lot less annoyed.

I’m going to end this on a happy note: continually the best parts to this series? America’s maids. I love them. And I know they’re one single function, but they do it fantastically and I really like the relationship between themselves as well as with America. There’s one scene with America’s sister May and one of the maids that just made my heart happy, and even though it was a miniscule, vaguely-unimportant one, that’s what stuck with me most.

If you hated The Selection, I don’t think The Elite will change your mind. It’s every bit as frustrating and lacking as the first one. But in the same vain, it has the same drama and intrigue and bad-reality-tv vibe that just makes you care and need to know. No matter how much I gripe and whine about Aspen and America and all the decisions they make, I can’t deny that I fly through the pages and am absolutely DYING for book 3 now. And maybe that doesn’t make it the next great literature legacy, but it does make it something.

3.5 stars

Review: When We Wake by Karen Healey (ARC)

When We Wake by Karen Healey
Little, Brown BYR, 304 Pages
Expected US Release Date: March 5, 2013
Format: ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours - thank you!

My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy.

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027--she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies--and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity--even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn't all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?

Award-winning author Karen Healey has created a haunting, cautionary tale of an inspiring protagonist living in a not-so-distant future that could easily be our own.
-------Goodreads Summary

Notable Quote

...it creeped me out, and I was worried about what they might do to persuade me, but I was much less concerned about a weirdo cult that expressly didn't want to kill me than I was about a powerful government that possibly did.

You've got to have priorities.

I'm not sure how I didn't realize this would be a sorta-political novel, especially after rereading that summary, but there it is: be prepared for a lot of enviro-speak and politics-based battles and things of that sort. It's not heavy, nor is it a lot to trudge through. In fact, it's actually all pretty fascinating and worked really well into the plot! But it's there, and it was a bit of a surprise for me. I'm actually glad I didn't realize it, because I'm usually really closed off to talk about politics, religion, you know--issues. I've got crazy avoidance tendencies when it comes to those, and I would have missed out on a fantastic novel if I'd fully grasped what was going on!

Something that also took me by surprise was how much fun I had while reading this. The humor here is fantastic - a bit dry, a bit deprecating, a bit sarcastic, but done so well that I was kind of enjoying watching Tegan and Bethari and Joph and Abdi struggle. It takes a pretty decent writer to make me have fun when I'm feeling so many things and stressing so hard about the characters!

I'm a little iffy on all the futuristic elements - mainly, the language. I enjoyed it all, don't get me wrong - and I think this is probably one of the best I've read in terms of likelihood and consistency - but I'm always a little hung up on those things. I start to consider if "ONTD" will really become a slang noun of the future, and before I know it I'm completely distracted or insisting that it's not going to happen. There are a few in When We Wake that I highly doubt would exist, and distracted me a bit, but I enjoyed a lot of others! Given more time, I might try to work a few of the words into my vocabulary (I totally use "frexing," fellow ATU fans!).

My favourite part of the novel has to be the characters - each one is so distinct and has such personality, I really loved them all. I updated my Goodreads status completely in support of Tegan once, because she's got great attitude (and by attitude, I actually mean attitude. Not a good outlook!) and I love how she's got uncontrollable rage going. She's not mean or out of sorts or obnoxious - she's angry and emotional and completely justified in all of it. I really loved Bethari and Joph, though I will tell you Beth was my favies because she's a journalist and I am totally her. There was one specific passage where I had to laugh because it's completely me when I'm trying to dig for info or get answers to questions that have been plaguing me. It was also a little crazy how quickly I came to care for Marie, she was such a fantastic mother figure to Tegan to the very end. Abdi took awhile to grow on me, and he still feels to be the most "typical" of characters. His character arc is pretty easy to guess, and there were no surprises with him. Not to say I didn't like him - I'd still hug Abdi in the dark any day - but all the others were so stellar, so he kind of fell to the background.

And ok - the ending. I can't...I mean. It's not the craziest ending there ever was, but it was still a bit cliffhanger-y and heart stopping! The structure of the novel itself was a lot of fun, how it's Tegan telling her story to us; and I loved when we found out exactly why she is. It ties everything together so well and makes so much sense. But then the end, when...I can't say, of course, but damnit where is Book 2 when I need it?! (THERE IS A BOOK 2, RIGHT?!)

Best surprise ever with this book? Every chapter title is a Beatles song, and I loved that. They were all so relevant to the content, and it was like a fun little soundtrack since I would get the song stuck in my head the moment I read the title!

4.5 Stars / 5

Review: Safekeeping by Karen Hesse (ARC)

Safekeeping by Karen Hesse
Feiwel and Friends (an imprint of Macmillan), 304 pages
US Release Date: September 18, 2012
Format: Print ARC
Source: Publisher, for review. Thank you!

Radley just wants to get home to her parents in Vermont. While she was volunteering abroad, the American People's Party took power; the new president was assassinated; and the government cracked down on citizens. Travel restrictions are worse than ever, and when her plane finally lands in New Hampshire, Radley’s parents aren’t there.

Exhausted; her phone dead; her credit cards worthless: Radley starts walking.
----------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

I expect to chafe with jealousy.

But if there is any, it's unable to take root.

How remarkably fast our friendships shift and form and reform.

I'm going to start this review saying something, and it will sound bad - but I swear I don't actually mean it that way. Ok? Ok. Here we go:

This book is overwhelmingly, heartbreakingly, heavily sad.

Maybe it was simply the mood I was in while reading it, but even though there is probably an equal amount of hope (fulfilled and unfulfilled) within these pages, I was just overwhelmed by a sense of loss and being lost. That's an emotion I hold with me through a lot of my real life, and I was not happy to have it in my reading. I don't mind it when it's there - it is a part of life and I welcome it as a real part of stories - but for it to be so present, all the time? It was a little tough.

But at the same time, there's a strange sort of comfort in the sadness of this novel. It is supposed to be sad. This world is terrifying and falling apart and there are too many questions without even the thought of answers. Sad is how we are supposed to feel when we know about Radley and her story. If it were anything else, this book would be terrible. The sadness makes a lot of sense, and you appreciate it that way.

The world is crumbling, and its fascinating in a really terrible way. I couldn't look away, kind of like that cliche of a bad car crash: it's so horrible and you just can't not look. But truthfully, it really wasn't developed enough. I craved to understand Radley's world a little more. I know of destruction and oppression and the APP ruining the US - but there are so many holes. While I feel like it might have been intentional to not detail more of the world, I didn't have enough to connect with. I wanted more, and I was so curious for more. It left me feeling very unfulfilled in that sense.

I did really enjoy when Radley and Celia were on their own at the abandoned schoolhouse in Canada, but I probably enjoyed it for all he wrong reasons haha. It was a great adventure and felt very Walden-esque to me. I know it was supposed to be a hideout, just a camp until they could resume their life, but I still had a ton of fun going through that part of their lives. I really enjoyed Jerry Lee, the dog, because he was a great element of balance to Celia and her story.

Even though I've complained clearly about the sadness of the story, please don't think that's all there is to this - there actually is hope in this book, and a lot of it. Radley is hopeful about her parents, she is hopeful about survival and returning to the US. Celia is hopeful of a life leaving behind all that was wrong. The mostly-anonymous woman who helps them in Canada was a beacon of hope, and I loved every time she would pop into the story. There are true lifelines in this, and even though my heart was heavy, it was also happy to know that was there.

If I were to really, deeply analyse this book, I would say it is actually a very political stance on the US and the world in general. There are too many things too close to the real world for me to consider otherwise. Maybe I'm reading too far into things, or being oversensitive, but I avoid world-issues in my reading. It's so present in my real life that I don't like it to be in the things I choose to let in, and I found it slightly offputting. However, how it is written into the story is done really, really well, and I didn't ever really find myself offended by any of it. I don't know if that's because it's written fantastically or if maybe I agree with some of the things I could find between the lines - but nonetheless, even if I don't necessarily want it there, I appreciate it and how it's done.

The overall story is a bit bland to me. I didn't find much in the photos - some were beautiful, but most didn't make an impression on me or really enhance my reading. I really did want more to the plot, and when Radley does finally go back home...it wasn't very satisfying for me. I don't know what I wanted her to come back to, but what she does...it makes sense. It does. I don't think it could have been written any other way. But I just can't get on board with it, because it's just so sad. I want to hug Radley, and rock her and tell her she'll be ok. And even though she is ok, there's a heaviness that just makes me feel otherwise.

But the ending. I'm not sure I've ever read an ending that is the perfect fitting for the novel. It is shrouded in sadness still and filled with the hope I insist to be there, but with a fantastic threading of love and friendship and rebuilding. There is a continuation off the page, and though I don't know it for certain, what I think it to be is absolutely perfect, too.

3.5 Stars / 5

Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
Balzar + Bray, 402 pages
US Release Date: June 12, 2012
Challenges: Local Library Challenge

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's "Persuasion", "For Darkness Shows the Stars" is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.
---------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

"Elliot?"

Elliot dragged her eyes up to the woman's face, half terrified Felicia would see the tears clinging to her lashes.

"You should know that you're exactly the person you think you are."

Elliot turned away as the tears escaped. That's what she was afraid of.

So first off, MAJOR COVER LOVE. I can't even tell you how gorgeous it is in real life - and I have a bookmark (thanks Natasha!) that uses a foil that gleams for the title...oh man. I can't...I just can't. Stunning.

Anyway.

I can actually move all that praise for the cover to the book itself: you guys, I am IN. LOVE. with this book. So in love. I would marry it, if I could. I haven’t read Persuasion, but reading this book is completely like reading an Austen novel. It’s filled with that heartwrenching suspense and careful, doomed hope. That feeling that you’re on the brink of every emotion ever, and it’s all cresting to the surface and you just don’t know what to do with it all.

I’m hesitant to call this a Dystopian novel, even though I know it is in it’s technical sense. But the world itself is so…background. The description, all the events that happened that created this Reduction they speak of, it’s all so smooth and flawless that it just seems as though it is. I believed in it wholeheartedly almost from the very beginning. It’s also one of those scenarios where it feels like it could be real – I don’t actually think it will, but I get it. I understand how humanity could try to “play God” and mess with the way things are supposed to be to the point where it wipes out people. It’s sensible and real, in the most fictional way.

Something that’s a bit weird is that I didn’t really focus much on the characters – which, if you’ve read my blog for awhile, you know character are pretty much EVERYTHING to me. I can love a book, but if a character rubs me the wrong way, it’s pretty much doomed from that point. So it says something, in my opinion, that I was so swept up in the story I didn’t even focus on characters.

That’s not to say they’re bad, of course. They’re not. They’re wonderful. Elliott has such a gentle strength to her, I was immediately drawn into her story of loss and compassion. Her family is a piece of shit, but her friends are such fantastic people for her that I immediately restructured them into her family. Benedict was awesome (as is his name), because you really are unsure who he is throughout the entire thing. He’s immediately scummy, but there’s still something captivating about him, and I was wondering the entire time I was reading.

And Kai. Oh, Kai. Who I loved in letters, and was so furious with in scenes. Who strung me along, who played with my heart and toyed with my emotions, who I wanted to grab and shake and make out with at the same time (though that’s probably a bit uncomfortable…). He is such an Austen-like man, whose glances can make you come undone and one eyebrow raise will make your heart pitter patter. It’s incredible that it can be done through the pages of a book, but oh…can it ever. If I could, I would probably spend miles of blog pages talking about Kai, because I want to say so much about him and his attitude and his transformation into Captain Malakai Wentworth (HOT name, amirite?!)…but I shall not. Just know that I want him, in the way that almost any woman wants Mr. Darcy.

So, important things: the story. It’s not the most exciting story, nor is it action packed or one to make you flip pages lightning fast trying to find out what’s going to happen by the end of the chapter. But there’s something fantastically riveting about this book, one where you get wrapped up in all the details and little nuances of scenes. It moves at the perfect pace, slowly revealing itself until you look up and only then realize how entranced you are in what’s going on.

There’s a little something for everyone in here: romance, family, friendship, a little science fiction and fantasy. For Darkness Shows the Stars is one of those books that I loved so much that I stopped reading it for a day because I couldn’t stand the thought of it being over. Because I wanted to stretch out my time with Elliott and Kai, I wanted to make more paper gliders and listen to Donovan sing his mournful songs. The world is fascinating, seeing all the rules put in place after the Reduction and  figuring out what Elliott – and Kai and the rest of the Posts – are up to and the ramifications of each. Normally I don’t like series novels, but I absolutely wish this one was a part of one because I want to find out more of the story!

I have to mention the structure of the story as well, how we get to read the letters passed between Kai and Elliott from their childhood growing up to the point of their broken friendship/relationship. It’s smart, because we get the explanations of the world from a child’s point of view, which is arguably one of the most pure, curious views; because that makes it feel just a little more like an Austen novel to me; because it’s the perfect way to introduce us to different events and stories from the past as we read. It’s also fun, because we get to see them grow together and flirt in such adorable ways only 6 year olds, then 8 year olds, then 12 year olds, then teenagers can through letters. And it’s brilliantly beautiful, because you feel like you really know the pair and you’re that much more attached to them. It’s perfect.

For Darkness Shows the Stars is a book I was excited to read going in, and ended loving even more than I ever imagined in so many ways I never thought possible. It’s such a quiet, unassuming book, but the payoff…it’s fantastic, and I gladly place this on my favourites shelf.

And because I think I’m pretty hilarious, I thought I’d write the timeline of my reading. I post-it note during reading just to mark passages I love or thoughts, and I definitely had more in this one than usual. I share with you the pages and my thoughts, because this was seriously the roller coaster of my reading experience:

FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfreund:

A Timeline Review

Page 56: This already breaks my heart.

Page 79: Ouch.

Page 86: So much anger still…and yet we all know how closely tied love and hate are.

Page 143: I truly want to cry.

Page 146: So reminiscent of Austen, absolutely amazing & wonderful.

Page 177: How can I love Kai so quickly after being so angry at him?

Page 190: Heartbreaking. I know this feeling.

Page 192: This paragraph is beautiful writing.

Page 197: I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK.

Page 232: My heart can barely bear this scene.

Page 248: What is Benedict up to? He seems fine, but I’m still suspicious. Something fishy.

Page 267: I would hate it if someone said this to me.

Page 329: This entire thing is a perfect example of things both wrong and right. Two truths, two lies.

Page 329: I am in love with this line.

Page 385: No. This can’t be.

Page 391: OH GOD OH GOD MY HEART LITERALLY LEAPED.

5 Stars

(And even in darkness, I'd give it a billion more.)