Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood
One of the ARCs that I got from BookCon was Tessa Elwood's Inherit the Stars. I had the chance to meet the author herself at BookCon and get my copy of the book signed. Tessa Elwood is a lovely person and after having a sweet exchange with her I was even more excited to read her book.
Quick summary: There are 3 royal houses that rule 3 interplanetary systems. Asa is the youngest daughter of the House of Fane and they've been going through a plague-level rough patch. Asa thinks that she can help by taking the place of her older sister in an arranged marriage to the heir of the House of Westlet. A lot of other drama happens involving Asa's eldest sister Wren, her mother, and the House of Galton. At the same time Asa is also growing close to the heir of Westlet.
I have to admit, I was pretty intrigued by the premise of this book. This is the first book I've read with a sci-fi twist to it and my bar for YA novels is at the Harry Potter/The Giver level (so pretty high.) I was a little worried that this novel would have a Twilight feel because of the romance and I am not a big fan of Twilight...
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| Source: Goodreads |
Quick summary: There are 3 royal houses that rule 3 interplanetary systems. Asa is the youngest daughter of the House of Fane and they've been going through a plague-level rough patch. Asa thinks that she can help by taking the place of her older sister in an arranged marriage to the heir of the House of Westlet. A lot of other drama happens involving Asa's eldest sister Wren, her mother, and the House of Galton. At the same time Asa is also growing close to the heir of Westlet.
I have to admit, I was pretty intrigued by the premise of this book. This is the first book I've read with a sci-fi twist to it and my bar for YA novels is at the Harry Potter/The Giver level (so pretty high.) I was a little worried that this novel would have a Twilight feel because of the romance and I am not a big fan of Twilight...
What I liked:
Read on,
Saudia
1) The premise of the book. Sci-fi(ish) novels are new to me, so this was a nice introduction to that kind of setting. Also, the story itself was pretty interesting. There's a bit of politics involved, which I think keeps the book interesting.
2) Eagle and Asa's mother. I found those two character to be the most interesting out of everyone.
3) It was an easy read. Any book that I can finish in 3 days or less is a win good or bad.
What could have been better:
2) Eagle and Asa's mother. I found those two character to be the most interesting out of everyone.
3) It was an easy read. Any book that I can finish in 3 days or less is a win good or bad.
What could have been better:
1) The relationship between Asa and Eagle. I knew that there would be some romance in this book, but it wasn't really explored until the end of the book and at that point it just seemed awkward.
2) Some of the writing could have been better. There were times when I felt like I missed a line or a page because the dialogue was a little tough to follow. The writing style is very reflective of Asa's character, which is that of a 16 year old girl under a lot of stress. At times the writing felt more like a stream of consciousness rather than a planned out novel.
3) More background into Asa's relationships with her sisters. This isn't a huge deal because this is a series and these relationships will probably (hopefully) be explored at other points in the series.
One thing that stuck out to me with this novel was the feeling of teenage angst. I'm talking about the type of teenage angst that is mocked on Tumblr. That tone is not exactly the most of enjoyable, but the main character is a teenage girl...so I guess the tone was true to the character.
Overall I found this book to be an easy read, but I'm not sure that I will be reading Book 2. There are some unanswered questions that I'm sure will be covered in the rest of the series, but even the cliffhanger at the end of the book isn't enough to guarantee I'll keep reading. I think I would have enjoyed this book more as a stand-alone rather than part of a series. If you're looking for a light YA read then get a copy of Inherit the Stars when it's released in December!
2) Some of the writing could have been better. There were times when I felt like I missed a line or a page because the dialogue was a little tough to follow. The writing style is very reflective of Asa's character, which is that of a 16 year old girl under a lot of stress. At times the writing felt more like a stream of consciousness rather than a planned out novel.
3) More background into Asa's relationships with her sisters. This isn't a huge deal because this is a series and these relationships will probably (hopefully) be explored at other points in the series.
One thing that stuck out to me with this novel was the feeling of teenage angst. I'm talking about the type of teenage angst that is mocked on Tumblr. That tone is not exactly the most of enjoyable, but the main character is a teenage girl...so I guess the tone was true to the character.
Overall I found this book to be an easy read, but I'm not sure that I will be reading Book 2. There are some unanswered questions that I'm sure will be covered in the rest of the series, but even the cliffhanger at the end of the book isn't enough to guarantee I'll keep reading. I think I would have enjoyed this book more as a stand-alone rather than part of a series. If you're looking for a light YA read then get a copy of Inherit the Stars when it's released in December!
Read on,
Saudia
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