Hey bibliophile friends,
how are your reading days going? 📖📚
✨I apologize for not uploading the review yesterday only, as I got tired after the two posts I did, Favourite Quotes and Dream Cast.✨
Today’s review (and 50th post) is of Shveta Thakrar “Star Daughter”, as a part of my yesterday’s tour stop for the book tour.
About the book
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.
Review
What. A. Topsy Turvy. Emotional. Book. It. Is.!!!
Oh God, I can’t write this review without feeling excited and emotional together. So beautifully written, I was imagining as if I’m watching this book in front of me, like a movie/show/play. An excellent blend of fantasy, adventure, some delicious four-course Indian meals, romance (especially sapphic 🌈) and a bit of fun, the book shines on various aspects.
The main character, Sheetal, is about to turn seventeen. Her life changes when her dad gets to hospital because of her and to save him, she needs the star blood to heal him. Like her mother’s, who left her and her father a long time ago, to return back to the heavens, or Swargalok. She has very less time on her hands to get the blood, or she will lose her father. Sheetal resonates with me on many aspects – being vulnerable, sarcastic, emotional, and a brave warrior. She is childish by mind, yet sometimes talks like elders. I love her for her never say never attitude and the warrior spirit in her.
As far as the writing is concerned, I loved the smooth flow of the words, never ever looking forced or loose. The tight writing binds the story till the end, and simple wording helps to read it without looking at dictionary too much. The story builds on slowly, and keeps readers intrigued with some twists at every five to ten pages. Divided in three parts, the story cleverly shifts from slow start to medium-paced fun. The author has tight-knit this book, and never for a minute I found it off-track.
Being YA Indian Fantasy, the writer keeps fantasy factor present throughout the entire book in a simple yet grand way. Chunks of personal and effective detailing shine brightly. The vivid descriptions of Sheetal’s struggle with her real identity, the heaven and its grandeur, too much delicious food (ask Hear Our Voices on Twitter how much I pleaded to them to let me bail out of this emotional food trauma!), that cute sapphic romance, Dev and Sheetal’s chemistry, emotional connect between Sheetal and her mother, that intense competition and the entire plot surrounding it – all these made the book enjoyable and memorable for me.
The characters in the book shine in their parts, and no character overpowers other, and that’s what makes this book shine. Everyone in the book, whether a major or minor character, has some essential role to play and their presence in the book highlights the story of the book. Also, the author has made the villains look polished and subtle, and this makes us love them (well, I loved the villains in this book!).
What’s special in the book – a cute sapphic romance between someone close to Sheetal and someone from the Swargalok. 👩❤️👩🌈
What’s something you can’t definitely ignore in the book – The too much delicious food, that demands to be either made or ordered from restaurants (except Karela or Bittergourd)!
The plot stays on track from start to end, never ever getting out of focus. The book has many inspiring quotes that inspire reader to be unique and loyal to yourself. The romantic track of Sheetal and Dev is really cute, with equal amounts of love, fights and hate. Their romance reminded me Raj and Simran’s romance from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Nikhil and Ambar’s from Salaam Namaste, & Karan and Rhea’s from Hum Tum.
As far as the adventure part is concerned, the book has some parts of Sheetal’s journey woven like a adventurous story that have equal doses of tension, somewhere you get to see suspense getting up, and somewhere you feel as if someone’s about to die.
One of the major highlights of the book are the conversations between Sheetal and the stars. The lyrical writing makes the coversations look real and too dreamy. Check out one example –
As if she’d invoked them, the stars began crooning down their ragas in voices as glossy and polished as a favorite dream. Their essence suffused the sky in light and song.
Oh lord, I shall stop now! If I say more things, it’ll make my blog ten pages long!! 😂😂
Final Words
Star Daughter shines brightly in the heaven of books, with its clever and honest writing, fun characters and cute romance stories. Being my first YA Indian Fantasy read, I was a bit skeptical about how the book will turn out, but the moment I began reading it, I was sure it’s a damn 5 star read (for Goodreads)! ❤️
For me, it’s one of the best reads for this year, and I’m sure, you all will love it too! Definitely, definitely, definitely recommended!! ❤️❤️
Title: Star Daughter
Author: Shveta Thakrar
Publisher: HarperTeen (an imprint of HarperCollins)
Rating: 10/10 ❤️
*Thank you team Hear Our Voices and the author for giving me this ARC for reading.*
Jupiter's Solo Bibliophile 