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izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
4.0
4/5
This book surprised me! Ugh my gosh! At first I found it to be slow, I found myself just saying to the story “pick it up already!” It wasn’t til the halfway mark where things started to get really interesting. If you can push through 200 pages to get to the climax it is so worth it. The ending was great.
This book surprised me! Ugh my gosh! At first I found it to be slow, I found myself just saying to the story “pick it up already!” It wasn’t til the halfway mark where things started to get really interesting. If you can push through 200 pages to get to the climax it is so worth it. The ending was great.
annamickreads's review
3.0
The quickest way I can describe "Starling" is if "E.T." and "Twilight" had a small-town baby.
I think Strychacz's ability to set the scene really made this book. From the beginning, we're introduced to the town of Darling and the small-town close-minded attitude really helps to shape what will become one of the bigger conflicts of the novel. The residents, all 333 of them, rarely leave where they're planted and consider our main characters Delta and Bee to be oddballs because their father is obsessed with the extra-terrestrial.
So, of course, when a gorgeous ET crash-lands in their backyard, of course the whole town comes looking and lands right at the sisters' doorstep, much to their chagrin. To make matters worse, their father disappears into their hall closet two weeks before the events of the book begins, and he hasn't reappeared since.
If you're interested in a sweet, unique love story with great atmospherics, "Starling" is the one for you!
I think Strychacz's ability to set the scene really made this book. From the beginning, we're introduced to the town of Darling and the small-town close-minded attitude really helps to shape what will become one of the bigger conflicts of the novel. The residents, all 333 of them, rarely leave where they're planted and consider our main characters Delta and Bee to be oddballs because their father is obsessed with the extra-terrestrial.
So, of course, when a gorgeous ET crash-lands in their backyard, of course the whole town comes looking and lands right at the sisters' doorstep, much to their chagrin. To make matters worse, their father disappears into their hall closet two weeks before the events of the book begins, and he hasn't reappeared since.
If you're interested in a sweet, unique love story with great atmospherics, "Starling" is the one for you!
kamitc's review against another edition
2.0
This was the exact opposite of everything I wanted it to be. It was hard to get through and would have been a DNF if it wasn’t my last read of the year. I’ll give it an extra star for the prose…because it really was beautiful.
sydmarie30's review
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Very cute story. Plot and read was very slow though. Wish there was more at the ending so that the ending didn’t occur so quick after that climax occurred.
justicepirate's review
3.0
Starling was a unique science fiction young adult romance story.
It is about a young woman who has a father who is obsessed with the unknown and the idea of aliens existing. He goes missing for close to three months when a meteor shower hits. With it, so did a strange looking young man. In learning more about one another, a bond is made between the young man and the young woman. It was interesting.
The mayor of the town doesn't like the family that lives in the woods. When the meteor shower hits, he kinda goes crazy trying to see what is going on. Here's where my issues begin. . .WHY is he so accepting or understanding that there may have been something more than a meteor shower? Why is he so against the family? These things are not really explained. He just "wants to protect his town."
There were things that were just not well explained throughout this story. There are other things that are predictable. It wasn't bad.
It is about a young woman who has a father who is obsessed with the unknown and the idea of aliens existing. He goes missing for close to three months when a meteor shower hits. With it, so did a strange looking young man. In learning more about one another, a bond is made between the young man and the young woman. It was interesting.
The mayor of the town doesn't like the family that lives in the woods. When the meteor shower hits, he kinda goes crazy trying to see what is going on. Here's where my issues begin. . .WHY is he so accepting or understanding that there may have been something more than a meteor shower? Why is he so against the family? These things are not really explained. He just "wants to protect his town."
There were things that were just not well explained throughout this story. There are other things that are predictable. It wasn't bad.
tvattbjorn123's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ele_pare1's review
2.0
It was wayyyy too focused on romance and the romance wasn’t even that good or deep. The idea of this book was super interesting, but so badly exploited. Nothing was explained, the whole book was the characters worrying about the same thing over and over : "what if I stay here am it makes me selfish?", "what if my sister leaves me and I am alone ?", "what if I love someone else than Tag?", "what if I am not like my dad and people are just so very mean to me just because I am a Rocksford?". Like honestly I got it after the first five times it was mentioned. No character development whatsoever except maybe Starling as he becomes a bit more human-like, but even then he just loses all that progression at the end by ignoring his newly acquired emotions and leaving anyways.
The story also stopped super abruptly and confusingly… like how/why are they still living in Darling after they literally burned their house?? It certainly isn’t because just the mayor got arrested that suddenly everyone is super chill with the Wildling family. It makes no sense to me.
Again, could’ve been a great book if it was less beating around the bush and more action and progression quest-wise and character-wise.
It is also the first book from this author so I will give her the benefit of the doubt, but ain’t no way no one noticed the characters didn’t change a bit from start to finish…
Anyways,
Thank you <3
The story also stopped super abruptly and confusingly… like how/why are they still living in Darling after they literally burned their house?? It certainly isn’t because just the mayor got arrested that suddenly everyone is super chill with the Wildling family. It makes no sense to me.
Again, could’ve been a great book if it was less beating around the bush and more action and progression quest-wise and character-wise.
It is also the first book from this author so I will give her the benefit of the doubt, but ain’t no way no one noticed the characters didn’t change a bit from start to finish…
Anyways,
Thank you <3
kerasalwaysreading's review against another edition
4.0
While I struggled with this one a little bit on the reading journey, I needed to read it in it entirety to fully appreciate it. This is a story that had me fuming at times. And when I say it was the story that had me fuming, I mean the characters and their actions!!! Overall this book is solid, though. This is heartwarming and intense in emotion.
There are four main characters in this book: Delta, he younger sister Bee, Delta’s (sort of) ex boyfriend Tag and the mysterious boy who falls from the sky, Starling. In the town they live in, Delta’s family is outcasted and thought of as weird. It doesn’t help that Delta and Bee’s father really is weird and that he literally disappeared months ago. But he has always instilled in his daughters the understanding and the love of the unknown and unexplainable. These are things that the mayor of their town does NOT agree with. Mayor Rockford, Tag’s father doesn’t even hide his distaste for the family, causing a major rift between Delta and Tag.
When a meteor shower hits and something falls on Delta’s property, she isn’t the only one who notices. And the beautiful boy that she finds is in real danger if Mayor Rockford learns of his existence.
So begins a series of events, decisions and actions that will leave you questioning people’s motives… the one thing that had me in the fence about this book was that all four of these main characters all act in a way that they outwardly portray as live, but in actuality, their actions are incredibly selfish. For one reason or another, their decisions and actions are made to benefit themselves under the guise of doing what is right. It definitely becomes clear and they see the flaw in the design, but it doesn’t change the act that what’s done is done.
Even still, this book was really something and I could definitely understand the rationality of each person and the choices they made. This book had a whole lot of love in it and quite a bit of pulse pounding adventure.
There are four main characters in this book: Delta, he younger sister Bee, Delta’s (sort of) ex boyfriend Tag and the mysterious boy who falls from the sky, Starling. In the town they live in, Delta’s family is outcasted and thought of as weird. It doesn’t help that Delta and Bee’s father really is weird and that he literally disappeared months ago. But he has always instilled in his daughters the understanding and the love of the unknown and unexplainable. These are things that the mayor of their town does NOT agree with. Mayor Rockford, Tag’s father doesn’t even hide his distaste for the family, causing a major rift between Delta and Tag.
When a meteor shower hits and something falls on Delta’s property, she isn’t the only one who notices. And the beautiful boy that she finds is in real danger if Mayor Rockford learns of his existence.
So begins a series of events, decisions and actions that will leave you questioning people’s motives… the one thing that had me in the fence about this book was that all four of these main characters all act in a way that they outwardly portray as live, but in actuality, their actions are incredibly selfish. For one reason or another, their decisions and actions are made to benefit themselves under the guise of doing what is right. It definitely becomes clear and they see the flaw in the design, but it doesn’t change the act that what’s done is done.
Even still, this book was really something and I could definitely understand the rationality of each person and the choices they made. This book had a whole lot of love in it and quite a bit of pulse pounding adventure.
ellamints's review against another edition
4.0
edit: 3.5 idk
i really don’t know what to rate this but wow. this book really took me by surprise by how much i enjoyed it since i tend to not enjoy this type of book that much; however, it was full of magical descriptions of small towns and summer and something more. i had a great time reading, so i’m rating it 5 stars, that may change but right now it made me tear up and that’s all that matters now isn’t it
i really don’t know what to rate this but wow. this book really took me by surprise by how much i enjoyed it since i tend to not enjoy this type of book that much; however, it was full of magical descriptions of small towns and summer and something more. i had a great time reading, so i’m rating it 5 stars, that may change but right now it made me tear up and that’s all that matters now isn’t it