Star Daughter
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Beschreibung
“Shveta Thakrar's prose is as beautiful as starlight.”—New York Times bestselling author Holly Black
This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.
The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.
Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens—and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.
Brimming with celestial intrigue, this sparkling YA debut is perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor.
Buchinformationen
Beiträge
Zuerst einmal zum Cover: das finde ich ungaublich gelungen. Es ist wunderschön und passt perfekt zur Geschichte. Auch die Idee der Handlung war zu Anfang wirklich vielversprechend und bietet so viel Potential, das aber einfach nicht ausgenutzt wurde. Der Beginn hat mir noch sehr gut gefallen, auch wenn es mir mit fremden Namen immer schwer fällt, die Aussprache zu begreifen und die Namen nicht einfach zu überlesen. Da hätte ich mir ein kleines Register am Ende gewünscht mit einer Namensübersicht und vielleicht einer kleinen Aussprache-Hilfe. Sobald wir im Reich der Sterne angekommen sind, ging es für mich mit der Qualität der Handlung steil bergab. Die Charaktere sind sehr einfach und größtenteils total nervig. Es finden so kindische, unnötige Highschooldramen statt, dass mir die Lust aufs Lesen vergangen ist. Das Buch umfasst eigentlich nur 3 Handlungstage und das merkt man auch wirklich. Man erfährt viel zu wenig über die Sterne und deren Magie, es passiert einfach nichts lohnenswertes und hat mich wirklich enttäuscht. Das Ende war dann auch noch so schlecht, dass ich das Buch leider seit langem mal wieder als ersten richtigen Reinfall betrachten muss. Das ist aber natürlich nur meine Meinung und heißt nicht, dass es anderen nicht gefallen wird
Ich muss gestehen, das Buch war überhaupt nicht mein Ding und irgendwie fand ich keinen Zugang zur Geschichte. Allem voran hätte es ein Glossar vertragen. Wer kennt sich denn schon mit der indischen Kultur, Begriffen, Koseworten, Namen, Mythen und Gottheiten aus (OK, Bollywood-Fans vermutlich...)? Ich war manchmal total verloren, was stellenweise konkret gemeint war und ob ein Wort ein Name oder Bezeichnung für eine familiäre Zugehörigkeit oder sonst etwas war. Und gerade wenn es um spezielle Kulturen geht, findet man doch immer wieder zumindest ein paar Worte im Glossar wieder, damit man sich mehr auf die Geschichte konzentrieren kann und nicht alle Nase lang im Internet recherchieren muss. Es war schon sehr ungewöhnlich, dass die Protagonistin zur Hälfte Mensch und zur Hälfte ein Stern ist - auf der einen Seite kaum vorstellbar, wie das sein soll. Aber, warum nicht? Der Fantasie sind ja keine Grenzen gesetzt. Von dieser Seite her wäre die Geschichte durchaus interessant gewesen. Nur, wie gesagt, irgendwie kam keine Verbindung auf. Wenn man gleich zu Anfang immer wieder verwirrt ist, womit man es zu tun hat, keine Möglichkeit hat, die Charaktere richtig kennen zu lernen und zu ihnen einen Bezug aufbaut, wird es mit der Geschichte schwierig. Darunter litt auch ziemlich die Glaubwürdigkeit. Eigentlich mag ich mich gar nicht so sehr mit Details aufhalten. Viele Handlungen waren nicht so ganz nachvollziehbar. Mit der Zeit wurde die Geschichte schon spannender und auch die Intrigen beim Wettbewerb nicht ganz uninteressant. Aber letztendlich war es doch hauptsächlich so, dass ich irgendwann einfach las, um zu erfahren, wie es zu Ende geht um das Ganze abzuschließen.
Sheetal has to hide a big secret: her mother is a star. She has to dye her hair black, because it shines with the silver of starlight. She can hear the stars sing, calling her. The pull of the stars is growing stronger as her seventeenth birthday is near. And when she accidentally burns her father with her starfire, she has to give in and begin her journey to the stars, because only the blood of a full star will be able to heal him. But in order to get it, she has to act as her family's champion in the competition that decides the next celestial ruler. This book has probably the most beautiful cover I've ever seen, and it reflects the content of this book perfectly. Because everything about this book is beautiful and amazing. The writing style of Shveta Thakrar is like poetry. Through her writing I felt as if an actual star came down from the sky to tell me this story. It perfectly fits the elements of music and inspiration that play a big part in the story. Sheetal is a great protagonist, deep with great development and I really like her. And with Minal, the author gave her a wonderful friendship I just adored. The romance is good, and the family dynamics, especially the differences between star and human family, are interesting, although a little bit too superficial, but given the short time frame of the story that is understandable. The world building is amazing. The world of the Stars, their grand palace really is a place of dreams and magic. I really loved the south asian cultural aspects of the book, it makes it real and it always helps you learn more about different cultures - if you don't know something, just google it
I had to stop reading this book at page 150. The cover is stunning and it even has golden sprayed edges. So I adore it from the outside. The story just couldn’t convince me. The writing style was very poetic, but it didn’t feel right. The words weren’t really telling a story, they just sounded nice... I don’t know if that makes any sense to you but this is how I felt. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the story was highly chaotic and illogical. It took me over a week to read 150 pages and I had to force myself to even get this far. I‘m very sorry that I didn’t like it because I really wanted to. This is a debut novel, so it’s okay if it’s not perfect and maybe I‘ll give the author another chance. But this book just didn’t tell my kind of story.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I love YA fantasy, I love representation, I love magical powers. The few good things I can remember: I love that Sheetal didn't abandon her best friend immediately. I love that she already knew that she was special and didn't have to discover it. I love that her love interest wasn't some random dude she met but an actual good guy that she had a little bit of history with. And I love that Dev was an actual good person and not like his cousin. Also I loved the unashamed use of Indian terminology and culture without the "need" to explain it to unknown audiences. We can google it or choose to be confused while reading. It's not Shveta's job to translate. The worldbuilding was beautiful for the most part. The songs, the history, the powers, how being a star changes, etc. It was a strong concept in a weak book. I can't comment too much on the family dynamics because I know part of the disconnect is simply due to cultural differences. And now onto the things I didn't like. Basically all of the characters. Sheetal was ridiculously flip-floppy all the time. She hates her mother for abandoning her but the palace is so so pretty but she doesn't belong but they are all so kind but she is half-human but she sings the star song but her father but she belongs here but they resent her for being half-human but she doesn't have to hide herself but on and on. It gets tired fast to read about a character emotionally running in circles and ending where she had been four pages ago. Maybe part of it is accurate but for me, it simply didn't make for a really enjoyable character. I am going to lump the other characters together because I have the same issue with all of them: Completely underdeveloped. We didn't spend a lot of time with any of them, only getting small moments that were often the same. I didn't really find a reason to care for them; I even forgot the name of Sheetal's best friend! 435 pages were more than enough of this book but somehow also not enough to get me actually invested in any of the characters. The writing. I honestly don't know what to say. It wasn't BAD but confusing as hell. One moment Sheetal is hiding herself in a closet (?) to listen to an argument then somehow her Nana sees her then does the rest and suddenly her mother is grabbing her shoulder? When did they get close to each other? I am writing a first draft right now and due to my lack of time, I am doing most of it on my phone in the notes app, starting a new note each day to track how much I've written in a day for nanowrimo. Sometimes that leads to scenes feeling disconnected from each other. That is exactly how this book read. It felt like Shveta Thakrar wanted to write mostly about the pretty court and the stars being cool, and only added some plot relevant scenes to give this book a reason to exist. Like she had the worldbuilding and needed to find something to write more about it Dev's and Sheetal's relationship is annoying as hell. Their falling out happened too quickly and Sheetal spent way too much time whining about it when I have been given no reason to care why he is so special outside of him being hot, being able to sing and having used her for her powers. Also her best friend and Prianami (?) being pushed into a relationship which we never actually get to see felt like a half-hearted attempt of Shveta Thakrar to say her novel is lgbt+ inclusive. Why should I care about these two? At all? And it doesn't erase the fact that the only mlm couple in this book is emotional, super pretentious and is the only couple banned for cheating when everyone has. And now the reason this got two stars: The Girl Hate. So. Much. Girl Hate. Sheetal's aunt is treated as overly rude and dismissive for most of the beginning, Sheetal and Priyanka needlessly hate each other, Rita and every woman are hostile towards each other, and it happens SO. OFTEN. It's 2021, cut that shit out of your writing, seriously. Overall, this book had so much potential but I just couldn't get myself to like it.
Beschreibung
“Shveta Thakrar's prose is as beautiful as starlight.”—New York Times bestselling author Holly Black
This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.
The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.
Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens—and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.
Brimming with celestial intrigue, this sparkling YA debut is perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor.
Buchinformationen
Beiträge
Zuerst einmal zum Cover: das finde ich ungaublich gelungen. Es ist wunderschön und passt perfekt zur Geschichte. Auch die Idee der Handlung war zu Anfang wirklich vielversprechend und bietet so viel Potential, das aber einfach nicht ausgenutzt wurde. Der Beginn hat mir noch sehr gut gefallen, auch wenn es mir mit fremden Namen immer schwer fällt, die Aussprache zu begreifen und die Namen nicht einfach zu überlesen. Da hätte ich mir ein kleines Register am Ende gewünscht mit einer Namensübersicht und vielleicht einer kleinen Aussprache-Hilfe. Sobald wir im Reich der Sterne angekommen sind, ging es für mich mit der Qualität der Handlung steil bergab. Die Charaktere sind sehr einfach und größtenteils total nervig. Es finden so kindische, unnötige Highschooldramen statt, dass mir die Lust aufs Lesen vergangen ist. Das Buch umfasst eigentlich nur 3 Handlungstage und das merkt man auch wirklich. Man erfährt viel zu wenig über die Sterne und deren Magie, es passiert einfach nichts lohnenswertes und hat mich wirklich enttäuscht. Das Ende war dann auch noch so schlecht, dass ich das Buch leider seit langem mal wieder als ersten richtigen Reinfall betrachten muss. Das ist aber natürlich nur meine Meinung und heißt nicht, dass es anderen nicht gefallen wird
Ich muss gestehen, das Buch war überhaupt nicht mein Ding und irgendwie fand ich keinen Zugang zur Geschichte. Allem voran hätte es ein Glossar vertragen. Wer kennt sich denn schon mit der indischen Kultur, Begriffen, Koseworten, Namen, Mythen und Gottheiten aus (OK, Bollywood-Fans vermutlich...)? Ich war manchmal total verloren, was stellenweise konkret gemeint war und ob ein Wort ein Name oder Bezeichnung für eine familiäre Zugehörigkeit oder sonst etwas war. Und gerade wenn es um spezielle Kulturen geht, findet man doch immer wieder zumindest ein paar Worte im Glossar wieder, damit man sich mehr auf die Geschichte konzentrieren kann und nicht alle Nase lang im Internet recherchieren muss. Es war schon sehr ungewöhnlich, dass die Protagonistin zur Hälfte Mensch und zur Hälfte ein Stern ist - auf der einen Seite kaum vorstellbar, wie das sein soll. Aber, warum nicht? Der Fantasie sind ja keine Grenzen gesetzt. Von dieser Seite her wäre die Geschichte durchaus interessant gewesen. Nur, wie gesagt, irgendwie kam keine Verbindung auf. Wenn man gleich zu Anfang immer wieder verwirrt ist, womit man es zu tun hat, keine Möglichkeit hat, die Charaktere richtig kennen zu lernen und zu ihnen einen Bezug aufbaut, wird es mit der Geschichte schwierig. Darunter litt auch ziemlich die Glaubwürdigkeit. Eigentlich mag ich mich gar nicht so sehr mit Details aufhalten. Viele Handlungen waren nicht so ganz nachvollziehbar. Mit der Zeit wurde die Geschichte schon spannender und auch die Intrigen beim Wettbewerb nicht ganz uninteressant. Aber letztendlich war es doch hauptsächlich so, dass ich irgendwann einfach las, um zu erfahren, wie es zu Ende geht um das Ganze abzuschließen.
Sheetal has to hide a big secret: her mother is a star. She has to dye her hair black, because it shines with the silver of starlight. She can hear the stars sing, calling her. The pull of the stars is growing stronger as her seventeenth birthday is near. And when she accidentally burns her father with her starfire, she has to give in and begin her journey to the stars, because only the blood of a full star will be able to heal him. But in order to get it, she has to act as her family's champion in the competition that decides the next celestial ruler. This book has probably the most beautiful cover I've ever seen, and it reflects the content of this book perfectly. Because everything about this book is beautiful and amazing. The writing style of Shveta Thakrar is like poetry. Through her writing I felt as if an actual star came down from the sky to tell me this story. It perfectly fits the elements of music and inspiration that play a big part in the story. Sheetal is a great protagonist, deep with great development and I really like her. And with Minal, the author gave her a wonderful friendship I just adored. The romance is good, and the family dynamics, especially the differences between star and human family, are interesting, although a little bit too superficial, but given the short time frame of the story that is understandable. The world building is amazing. The world of the Stars, their grand palace really is a place of dreams and magic. I really loved the south asian cultural aspects of the book, it makes it real and it always helps you learn more about different cultures - if you don't know something, just google it
I had to stop reading this book at page 150. The cover is stunning and it even has golden sprayed edges. So I adore it from the outside. The story just couldn’t convince me. The writing style was very poetic, but it didn’t feel right. The words weren’t really telling a story, they just sounded nice... I don’t know if that makes any sense to you but this is how I felt. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the story was highly chaotic and illogical. It took me over a week to read 150 pages and I had to force myself to even get this far. I‘m very sorry that I didn’t like it because I really wanted to. This is a debut novel, so it’s okay if it’s not perfect and maybe I‘ll give the author another chance. But this book just didn’t tell my kind of story.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I love YA fantasy, I love representation, I love magical powers. The few good things I can remember: I love that Sheetal didn't abandon her best friend immediately. I love that she already knew that she was special and didn't have to discover it. I love that her love interest wasn't some random dude she met but an actual good guy that she had a little bit of history with. And I love that Dev was an actual good person and not like his cousin. Also I loved the unashamed use of Indian terminology and culture without the "need" to explain it to unknown audiences. We can google it or choose to be confused while reading. It's not Shveta's job to translate. The worldbuilding was beautiful for the most part. The songs, the history, the powers, how being a star changes, etc. It was a strong concept in a weak book. I can't comment too much on the family dynamics because I know part of the disconnect is simply due to cultural differences. And now onto the things I didn't like. Basically all of the characters. Sheetal was ridiculously flip-floppy all the time. She hates her mother for abandoning her but the palace is so so pretty but she doesn't belong but they are all so kind but she is half-human but she sings the star song but her father but she belongs here but they resent her for being half-human but she doesn't have to hide herself but on and on. It gets tired fast to read about a character emotionally running in circles and ending where she had been four pages ago. Maybe part of it is accurate but for me, it simply didn't make for a really enjoyable character. I am going to lump the other characters together because I have the same issue with all of them: Completely underdeveloped. We didn't spend a lot of time with any of them, only getting small moments that were often the same. I didn't really find a reason to care for them; I even forgot the name of Sheetal's best friend! 435 pages were more than enough of this book but somehow also not enough to get me actually invested in any of the characters. The writing. I honestly don't know what to say. It wasn't BAD but confusing as hell. One moment Sheetal is hiding herself in a closet (?) to listen to an argument then somehow her Nana sees her then does the rest and suddenly her mother is grabbing her shoulder? When did they get close to each other? I am writing a first draft right now and due to my lack of time, I am doing most of it on my phone in the notes app, starting a new note each day to track how much I've written in a day for nanowrimo. Sometimes that leads to scenes feeling disconnected from each other. That is exactly how this book read. It felt like Shveta Thakrar wanted to write mostly about the pretty court and the stars being cool, and only added some plot relevant scenes to give this book a reason to exist. Like she had the worldbuilding and needed to find something to write more about it Dev's and Sheetal's relationship is annoying as hell. Their falling out happened too quickly and Sheetal spent way too much time whining about it when I have been given no reason to care why he is so special outside of him being hot, being able to sing and having used her for her powers. Also her best friend and Prianami (?) being pushed into a relationship which we never actually get to see felt like a half-hearted attempt of Shveta Thakrar to say her novel is lgbt+ inclusive. Why should I care about these two? At all? And it doesn't erase the fact that the only mlm couple in this book is emotional, super pretentious and is the only couple banned for cheating when everyone has. And now the reason this got two stars: The Girl Hate. So. Much. Girl Hate. Sheetal's aunt is treated as overly rude and dismissive for most of the beginning, Sheetal and Priyanka needlessly hate each other, Rita and every woman are hostile towards each other, and it happens SO. OFTEN. It's 2021, cut that shit out of your writing, seriously. Overall, this book had so much potential but I just couldn't get myself to like it.