Another week, another blog tour sign up tomorrow! This is for Wai Chim's The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling! Bloggers should head over to The Book Terminal website to sign up for the tour masterlist so you'll be emailed when sign-ups open. I'm so excited for this novel, and I hope you are as well!
Second: I'm working on going biking and walking more this summer, to keep myself from going stir-crazy inside. I usually bike to a local park if I want to read outside (alone), or just around town if I'm in the mood for an outing. Later at night, if I've been busy, I take some time to listen to music and walk for about five miles. It's a pretty good routine, and I hope I can keep it up for a while!
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Aaaahhh!!!! I'm freaking out over being on this blog tour for my most anticipated 2020 release, Star Daughter! If you want to check out the tour schedule here, you'll find a multitude of other amazing blog posts celebrating Star Daughter's release. Read on for my review, #OwnVoices reflection, and a recreation of the cover in a photoshoot featuring yours truly! The Book and its AuthorThe 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. Shveta Thakrar is a part-time nagini and full-time believer in magic. Her work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies including Enchanted Living, Uncanny Magazine, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, and Toil & Trouble. Her debut young adult fantasy novel, Star Daughter, is forthcoming from HarperTeen on August 11, 2020. When not spinning stories about spider silk and shadows, magic and marauders, and courageous girls illuminated by dancing rainbow flames, Shveta crafts, devours books, daydreams, travels, bakes, and occasionally even plays her harp. ReviewI put off writing this review for so long, because honestly I don’t know what to say. From the moment I started reading, I knew I would fall in love with Sheetal and her world. I was right, and now I don’t have words to express what Star Daughter made me feel. Even not having grown up with Hindu stories and mythology, I immediately connected to the story. Like with every other fantasy I read, I’ll start with the world building. The starry court is beautifully wrought, and I could absolutely live in the Night Market (I always love a good Night Market, and seeing what imaginative stalls and vendors authors choose to include). I felt like I was dreaming the entire time I was reading because of the lush imagery, and I don’t believe anything in the real world could compare to the wonders inside this story. So much of my enjoyment came from the writing. Thakrar’s prose is out-of-this-world wonderful, like a hybrid blend of poetry and prose. There are beautiful lines on every page, so you’ll just have to read it before I reproduce the entire book by listing favorite quotes! The comparisons to Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor are spot-on. If you were a fan of Thakrar’s story in the Toil & Trouble anthology of YA witchcraft (as I was), you will absolutely love Star Daughter. I also loved reading about Sheetal and her family. Her inner conflict stemmed from the loss of her mother, and the love she carries for her father (and consequent regret at harming him through her powers), which some have discounted as a “typical YA plot line,” but I found Thakrar’s approach to be wonderfully original. Dev, her love interest, is absolutely adorable! I’m of the mind that we need more soft/creative YA boys, and Dev fits perfectly. He’s so thoughtful towards Sheetal (and so clearly in love with her) but isn’t afraid to stand up for himself and his family. If I was pressed to choose a favorite character, though, I think I’d choose Minal. She’s possibly the best YA BFF I’ve ever read about (and honestly, can we have a second book featuring her own adventures please??) Minal supports Sheetal no matter what in the competition, accompanying her to the Celestial Palace and never backing down from a challenge. Like I mentioned above, I don’t think there’s anything derivative about Star Daughter. It is so different from all of its comps, and I think you need to read it. I really feel that this story has the potential to be so widely beloved, so please preorder, request from the library, or order the ebook! I’m giving Star Daughter 5/5 stars, and can’t wait to include it on my list of Favorite Books of 2020. #OwnVoices ReflectionI haven’t read nearly enough fantasy with Indian protagonists, but not one of the ones I have read have starred a Gujarati character. It meant so much to me to see that in my favorite genre. Everything about Sheetal’s family, from the food they ate to every time someone called her “dikri,” hit me hard. When I was a kid, there weren’t many stories centering characters who looked like me or shared my background. This was echoed in the community where I grew up (a mostly white New England suburb) and I never knew the effect it had on me until I started reading more widely in YA. I’m still discovering what that has changed about my self-image, about the unconscious ways in which I move about the world. I can’t speculate about what kind of person I’d be now if my culture and appearance had been represented in the “mainstream” when I was growing up. All I can do now is continue to support #OwnVoices authors and help create a welcoming space in the book community where everyone is allowed to tell their own story. I have to thank Shveta Thakrar for sharing this beautiful tale with the world—Star Daughter instantly became a favorite story of mine and I know I’ll be yelling about it for years to come. (starting now, of course! Go buy this book!) I can’t wait to see what comes next from her! Cover Recreation^ my recreation of Sheetal's pose on the Star Daughter cover! ^ me holding Star Daughter!
Thank you to Delacorte Press for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
There's something about Truman Alexander that Skyler Finch finds incredibly annoying. Actually, several things: his voice (grating), his arrogance (total know-it-all), his debate-team obsession (eyeroll), and his preppy vibe (does he iron his shorts?). She does her best to avoid him and focus on the important stuff: friends, school, and her boyfriend, Eli. His promposal was perfect--just like he is--and the future is looking bright. Or is it? For some unexplainable reason, Skylar's phone is sending her notifications from the future . . . a future in which, to her horror, she appears to be with Truman. As in, romantically. As in, Skyler cannot let that happen. But trying to change the future means messing up the present, and what Skyler sees keeps shifting. Classmates disappear and reappear, swap partners and futures. Turns out there are no actions without reactions, and life doesn't come with a road map. But sometimes the wandering leads you exactly where you need to be, and people--like glitchy phones--are full of surprises. I really wanted to love this book! It’s got academic rivals-to-lovers relationships, a neat “future vision” device, and so much potential to be a cute contemporary (a great break from all the heavy high fantasy I’ve been reading lately). Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. Honestly, one of the biggest turnoffs was the cheating plot line. I’m very big on loyalty, and I can’t stand to see cheating romanticized as it was here. Skyler spent pages waffling between admiring Truman, finding his good qualities, and complaining about him and denying her feelings. In the process, she treats a perfectly serviceable boyfriend (Eli) like he’s nothing to her. Now, I could get behind this if it were character building, but Skyler’s only slightly rebuffed for it and faces few consequences. I have little emotional investment in a relationship that starts off so dishonestly, even if it is played out according to my favorite trope. This detracted from the story for me. I understand that characters are allowed to be unlikeable and still interesting, so I was sad that Skyler was… unlikeable and uninteresting. The reasons I’m rating Now & When 3/5 instead of lower are twofold: one, I enjoyed the glimpses into the future that Skyler could get through her phone. I don’t want to spoil this for you, because it’s a really innovative trick, so all I’ll say is I looked forward to seeing how Skyler could affect her future and the decisions that caused her to make. I’m not saying I liked (or particularly admired) her character, but the science fiction aspect did interest me. On the other hand, I also commend Wealer’s approach to depression and suicidality. It was sensitive and thoughtful. Skyler’s friend Harper struggles with self-harm and depression, and I think the book set a great example of how (and how not to) best support friends going through the same. (Of course, licensed medical professionals should also be involved, but friends can provide meaningful support too). Overall, again, 3/5 stars. I’d recommend checking Now & When out of your local library and giving it a try. Hi friends! If you didn't know, I've signed on to help organize blog tours with The Book Terminal. We're currently running our second tour, and I'm so excited. Sign ups for Terminal Tours' Among the Beasts and Briars blog tour open up tomorrow, so be sure to go check out this Google form if you're a US based blogger and want to apply. This is for Among the Beasts and Briars by the fabulous Ashley Poston, a new fantasy novel out in October!
Secondly, I'm planning to work a little craft magic today--stained edges are all the rage, and I have a mighty need! I love the look, but don't always spend on the book boxes that include them, so I've queued up a little painting time this afternoon for me to try out the trend. I'll share pictures on my bookstagram (and here, next Tuesday) if all goes well, so keep an eye out! |
The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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