This book has some weaknesses regarding the plot and the end left open some questions, but overall, it was an entertaining and fun read. I feel like the world building was rather shallow and some things could have been thought more through, but given that the story is rather character-driven, it's no problem to overlook that. Because I really liked the characters and how they interact. Each of the three main characters felt like an individual person with strengths and weaknesses, and even though they have each their own responsabilities, they also act according to their age (which isn't always the case in YA). And I really liked the interactions, the questions of trust but also how each of them tried to respect the others. There is a w/w main love story with great energy but what I loved even more is that one of the main characters, Nathaniel, is aromantic-asexual and that this is explicitly dealt with in the story. It was great representation and I loved how questions of attraction and relationships arised in general. All the characters were aware that they feel different types of attraction, and in the story, all kinds of relationships are important, not only romantic ones. Instead, friendship and family (not necessarily in a blood-related sense, this is one is actually regarded rather critically sometimes) are valued a lot as well as different forms of relations and connection and I really, really loved that. However, it's not only fluff, given that Nathaniel's father is abusing him and that Anna (another protagonist) is living in a community where people are dying from a uncurable sickness. In the end, this story is less about complex plot lines and more about individual growth, building trust and finding your own way, and I liked reading it.
30. Sept.Sep 30, 2022
Tarnished Are the Starsby Rosiee ThorScholastic Inc.
