Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Published: June 12th, 2012; Balzer + Bray
402 Pages

From Goodreads:
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.

My Rating:
2 Stars

Thoughts:
 

For Darkness Shows the Stars first drew me in because of its interesting premise. I’m a fan of Jane Austen, so knowing this book is based off of Persuasion got me really excited to read how Peterfreund had interpreted the book and created her own story with the same idea. I had high expectations, and they weren't met. I enjoy a certain type of book, and this one wasn’t quite it (but that could be a good and a bad thing, since it’s good to go out of your comfort zone every once in a while). I liked all of the characters in this book, but there were a number of things that bugged me too much to really enjoy the story.

First off, there could have been a lot more back story to why the reduction happened, and just an explanation for all of the terms like “post”, “reduced”, and so on. I spent the first chapter or so in a state of confusion that made me want to put the book down and walk away. Maybe it’s just me, but I felt like it was just too much unknown information being piled on in the first chapter, and then very little spread throughout the rest of the book.

Another thing I didn’t really like was the limited description of the character’s appearances;  when the author finally said that Elliot’s hair color was brown I already had a picture in my head of a blonde girl. I’m not saying I need every exact detail of a character’s appearance described to me in a book, but I at least like to know how the author envisioned them in a broad sense, because if I can’t “picture” a character then I can’t really get into a story.

There wasn’t enough romantic tension in this book either. Yes, it’s based off of a book that was written in the 1800s, but I might have liked this book better if it didn’t follow the plot of Persuasion to a T. I would have liked to see more sparks flying between Elliot and Kai; more than the angry stares and handful of times when they actually talk to each other. They spend 7/8 of the book that way, and then suddenly everything changes. It was too abrupt (not just the romance, but the end of the book as a whole), especially since most of the book progressed slowly. 

I did really like Elliot as a character, since she truly took care of herself and did everything she could to help the people living on the family land. I don’t remember any moments in the book that made me roll my eyes because she was being annoying and whiney (because she wasn’t) but she didn’t really wow me either.

I liked For Darkness Shows the Stars, and didn’t have any trouble finishing it, but I can’t help but feel like you could just read the real Persuasion if you were interested in the plot. The few things that made this book unique weren’t developed enough to make this story stand alone. The author’s writing is worth reading, and that was one of the only things that kept me from deserting this story. I know my rating of a 2 seems a bit harsh, but I think it was because I was REALLY excited to read this book, and my expectations were insanely high (the last sci-fi romance I read blew me away, and I was hoping this one would too). I can’t say I didn’t like parts of the book, and I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a okay read. BUT if you’ve already read Persuasion and you’re looking for a new and creatively original variation of the classic, look elsewhere. 

Review: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

 

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
Published: July 26th, 2011; Philomel
390 Pages

From Goodreads:
When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer, one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack and the man she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

My Rating:
4 stars

Thoughts:

The second book in the Nightshade series sets Calla in a whole new setting, and surrounded by a brand new group of people (minus Shay). Yes, I missed the pack, but these new characters were well-rounded enough that I didn’t feel like the heroine was spending her time around a bunch of robots. Wolfsbane would get higher points for that alone, but the plot of this book was also an improvement (though it’s pretty much expected that the second book in a series is better than the first…)

Things changed drastically from the first book to the second, since Calla was no longer trapped in the cage that was Vail; she gets to go to different places in the world, and wasn’t held back by the keepers and their rules. And this change was a definite improvement, since the first book only occurred in a limited environment. The searchers hideout (which isn’t much of a hideout) sounded beautiful, and I can’t wait to see more of it. The searchers themselves weren’t as monstrous as they were made out to be in the first book (but they aren’t little pansies either) and they became a support to Calla; I ended up really liking them.

Calla’s relationship with Shay was less inhibited in Wolfsbane, since they no longer had to hide their feelings for one another (much to my chagrin). Mostly, I liked the fact that their relationship took a spot on the back burner and the story focused more on rescuing Calla’s wolf pack. Nightshade was mostly about Calla’s feelings for Shay, so I liked Wolfsbane because it put more significance in Calla’s relationships with people other than Shay (which is hard to find in some YA novels). Not that the romance was nonexistent, since it would be a disappointment if it was.

I’m not going to say I don’t like Shay, because he’s growing on me. He spends a lot less time being annoying in this book, and his identity as the Scion brings some nice things along with it (I’ll try not to give anything away). I’m still a big supporter of Ren (especially after what happens in Wolfsbane) so I can’t wait to see what happens to his and Calla’s relationship in the final book.

I’m going to warn you, and just say that Wolfsbane has a few more tragic events in it than Nightshade did. Nothing is bawl-your-eyes-out sad, but some of the things that happen definitely set a bit more depressing tone to the overall book.

Wolfsbane isn’t the greatest book I’ve ever read (I don’t even know if I’d be able to choose one, if someone asked) but it was still outstanding. Calla grew as a character, and Cremer has built a great cast of characters who are flawed just enough to be believable, but not ridiculously messed up. There were enough loose ends to make me put the next book, Bloodrose, at the top of my reading list. I can’t wait to see where this series ends, and if you enjoyed Nightshade, or even thought it was okay, you should absolutely read Wolfsbane.