Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Stars Undying

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Stars Undying by Emery Robin

9 reviews

jalexpulliamkepler's review

Go to review page

mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

an incredible debut and strong retelling that still stumbles some in the pacing and tension

Content Warnings

iftheshoef1tz's review

Go to review page

challenging mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book was a chore. Clunky, paragraph-long exposition and worldbuilding that only had 2-3 sentences in it (and they were long paragraphs!! Literally a page and a third in one memorable section), characters that felt wooden and completely unknowable despite being in first person…the last 100 pages were the most interesting, although there were glimmers of interesting things sprinkled throughout, which is what kept me going.

I appreciated Altagracia being an unreliable narrator, especially when it’s revealed that

she lied about being chosen as the next prophet

I also really liked that same-sex relationships and nonbinary people just were, there was no fanfare or scandal in those identities. The relationship between Anita and Gracia was baffling, as if it were unsure about where and when it wanted to be said relationship. I thought they had negative chemistry for most of the book, although both of them clearly loved Ceirran. I think they could be an interesting pair in future books, but their sex scene felt SO shoe-horned in (and I think it was immediately after

Ceirran died

, to boot.

The pacing overall was confused. The middle section should’ve been a lot shorter and the last 100 pages should’ve been expanded (where was all the fighting?? I didn’t want to read a reflection on the war, I wanted to READ the war!). I also frequently felt that the characters were telling each other and themselves how clever they were, and most of the time their wants and desires were opaque, so I couldn’t tell if they were being clever after all.

Tropes:
Unreliable narrator
Queers in outer space
Politics ™️
Cleopatra retelling

Content Warnings

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This wasn't what it was advertised as to me, but I'm glad I stuck with it because I quite enjoyed it. As some points I kinda felt like we just checking off historical events, but what really shine is the characters and their relationships. I love Gracia and Anita so much and can't wait to see more of them in the next book.

Content Warnings

anxiousnachos's review

Go to review page

reflective

3.5

No one is more shocked than me to hear me to say this: but I’m kind of disappointed?? I’m actually even predicting this could be on my most disappointing reads of the year list and it’s only January 12. Don’t get me wrong, I clearly still liked this by how high I rated it, but from what many of my mutuals have thought about this, I expected to be absolutely obsessed with this. And I just wasn’t. I kept waiting for all of the politicking and twisty complex plot and powerful character relationships to unfold and instead everything just seemed very surface level and predictable to me from a plot and politics level. I struggle to see the same complexity and thematic depth here next to books I’ve seen it compared to (Gideon, A Memory Called Empire.) I feel like the world itself is very complex and detailed, but the plot and politics and story itself don’t hold up to this and that’s what was missing for me. Moments I should care deeply about felt very distanced.

I thought the best character relationships were seen at the start and end of the book, Gracia’s relationship with her sister, Ana and Alekso. I love a complex god-mortal relationship and these discussions between Alekso and Gracia, and her journey with faith, I thought were particularly interesting. The scenes with these characters were the ones I felt really charged the book, but they were also the ones that we had much less of, with the book focusing on the relationship between Ceirran and Gracia. It does mean I’m excited for the sequel. But now I’m worried this is going to derail my entire month worrying about why I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would and whether I’m going into a slump or whether my mental health is about to take a dive, as this is what usually precludes that… Anyway, I’m glad so many other people loved this!! I wish I had loved it as much as you!

Content warnings: war, violence, gun violence, imprisonment/confinement, death of parent (past, discussions of), sex

Content Warnings

starrysteph's review

Go to review page

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Stars Undying combines famous historical figures with theatrical charm and an expansive galactic & queernormative setting. It’s ambitious, lush, and subtly genius.

We alternate perspectives between two power-hungry leaders. Princess Altagracia has lost the throne of her planet Szayet & the Pearl that holds the soul (or AI) of her god Alekso Undying. She’s desperate to win back her queenship … and to do so, she must charm Commander Matheus Ceirran (and his lieutenant, Anita).

It’s a retelling of Julius Caesar and Antony & Cleopatra (though more of that in the sequel) sparkling with easter eggs and jabs and teases ... but also lush enough to offer something bold, new, and brilliant. Gracia, Ceirran, and Ana orbit each other - and push and pull - in the most miraculous of ways. They’re incredibly complex and compelling, and their overlapping relationships and dynamics are fascinating to watch unfold.

Gracia tells you she’s lying. Many times over. And yet … you’re still inclined to believe her, still surprised when she doubles back and admits she’s been withholding, still rooting for her to maneuver her way out of every corner.

Though we did not get POV chapters from Ana (I expect we will in the next book), she had my whole heart.

Pulling back from the individual characters, the overarching questions about immortality and souls and religion felt very (charmingly) Jewish; you are not being led towards a “right” answer but instead encouraged to philosophize and wonder and challenge.

It is slow burn … with an emphasis on slow. A lot of the book is spent in rumination, slow conversation, and simmering political tension. Occasionally I felt this became detrimental to the pacing, and it seemed hints were laid out for the sequel that took away from the movement and fullness of the arc that should be the first book.

The Stars Undying also has some of the longest sentences I’ve ever read, which sometimes delighted me and sometimes challenged my attention and patience.

It’s so twisted and compelling. Things are never, ever laid out for you directly as a reader. You are entrusted with all the information, the conversations, and the schemes you need to know (and often are manipulated by unreliable narration) but you are meant to fend for yourself and interrogate these events through your own eyes. It was all so delightfully rich.

CW: death (incl. death of a parent & child death), murder, war, imprisonment, violence & gun violence, grief, colonization, classism

Content Warnings

rusereviews's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The Stars Undying by Emery Robin is a debut science-fiction novel modeled off the lives of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at sixteen and a half hours and is narrated by Esther Wayne and Tim Campbell. We follow our two main characters with alternating first-person points-of-view.

"She was beautiful, of course; there was no use denying that. But what struck me about her then, and what had struck me since the first moment she had rolled out of the carpet and insulted me to my face, was not her beauty but her gaze. The way she looked at me--the way she looked at anything she took notice of--was like standing under a bright light, like jumping into a deep well."

I really like all of our main characters here. Obviously, Ceirran is the Julius Caesar and Gracia is the Cleopatra in this reimagining. I really like the author's choice to gender flip the Marc Anthony character here with Anita, Ceirran's second in command.

The casual queerness here is great. There are tons of same-sex relationships and side characters who appear to be non-binary as they/them pronouns are used to refer to them.

It was hard for me to get into the very beginning of the book, which tends to be common for me when it comes to science-fiction. But once I was about 12% in I was hooked! As is the case with most science fiction for me, I had to read this in "tiny" bites of about 20% each.

Overall, I really liked the author's writing style. This was a solid debut, and I'll definitely be reading more from them in the future.

Tropes in this book include: space opera, retelling

CW: violence, war, murder

The publisher provided a copy of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Content Warnings

beforeviolets's review

Go to review page

5.0

Thank you Orbit for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I heard queer Shakespeare in space, how could I not come running?

The Stars Undying is a queer space opera retelling of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra (partially the history, partially Shakespeare), featuring a butch lesbian Mark Antony and a gay dead god based on Alexander the Great.

Reading this book, I was constantly torn between the desire to pace myself to savor the material and the incapability to put it down. Emery Robin has delivered a shining pearl of a debut, overflowing with fascinating character dynamics, captivating dialogue, and expansive political world-building. And at the heart of the story stood Gracia, one of my FAVORITE main characters in a long time. She is quick and blunt and sexy and terrifying and badass, but most of all, fabulously unreliable. I had no idea what she had up her sleeve at any given time, and loved being on the edge of my seat all the way through her chapters.

I also didn't expect this book to be as Jewish as it was. Mind you, it isn't marketed as such, but Emery Robin is indeed Jewish and I found this to be reflective in the text, especially in some of the more religious elements of the story. It's not an obvious feature, and a goy would never recognize it, but I found myself gushing over some of the parts of the story that I found to deeply emulate the Jewish experience.

And though yes, it is based on history and Shakespeare, I don't think you need to be familiar with either to appreciate the craft of this work.

If you like dense political SFF stories, unreliable badass MCs, religious discussions, and were obsessed with either the Roman Empire, Ancient Egypt, or Shakespeare at any point in your life, I'd HIGHLY recommend The Stars Undying.

CW/TW: war, imprisonment, violence, gun violence, parental loss, grief, decapitation, sexual content (not graphic), child death, suicide (mention)

Content Warnings

azrah786's review

Go to review page

3.5

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I received a proof copy from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, injury, blood, gore, death, war, genocide, murder, slavery, confinement, alcohol, classism
--

A sci-fi epic for the history lovers, The Stars Undying is a ground-breaking debut that reimagines the lives and trysts of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony amidst the stars.

Through first person dual PoV, we follow Altagracia, princess of Szayet who is looking to reclaim her birth right from her twin sister, and the renowned Commander of the Galactic Empire of Ceioa, Matheus Cerrian whom she turns to in order to do so. It is a partnership that is mutually beneficial both in power and desire and was so interesting to watch unfold.

Now I went into this one with slightly different expectations. To put it simply, since this was described as a space opera I expected more space. The predominant sci-fi element is actually the technology, specifically the Pearl of Prophecy which is a computer containing the soul of the Szayet God that is passed down the line of succession of the Szayet throne. This had a likeness to the Imago technology of Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan duology. However, the emphasis of this particular story lies more with the opera side of things as it is a lot more characters focused with a storyline full of drama, fit for the stage.

"..there was strangeness in the universe, astonishing strangeness, and brutality, and beauty, which occurred for no other reason than the whims of Fortune herself."

You are thrown into this very established universe from the get go and it took me some time to distinguish the planets, the languages and what was part of the Empire and what wasn’t. The worldbuilding for me felt less about the actual places and more about the individual cultures and histories that were being represented and Robin has done a fantastic job there.

Furthermore, there is also a beautiful balance in the narration in how Gracia and Cerrian have such different backgrounds and outlooks on life, yet mirror one another just so in arrogance and ambition. Though the most distinctive characteristic of their individual chapters comes down to how Gracia is very obviously recounting the story for the reader.

There is much scheming and political intrigue all intricately woven into casual conversations in such an impressive way throughout the book. What I was most fascinated by though was the divergent cultural backgrounds and attitude towards religion of the two characters, of the two nations and how they butted heads when it came to power and policy.

"You know why they behave like this, don't you? Insist everyone act as they do, believe as they do, enter into their wonderful liberation. They're a lonely people. Seeing someone without their ideals frightens them. They want to embrace him, to bring him into the fold. But however far they spread their thinking, the loneliness never goes away."

However, I am quite conflicted on how I feel about this book as a whole. The writing is easy to follow but quite often dipped into being overly verbose and I found my mind wondering and not fully comprehending what was going on at times. It is also quite slow paced without many action heavy scenes and when there were moments of action, they lacked the spark and tension that is usual of space operas. I found myself intrigued at the beginning, dragging myself through the middle and then hooked in again towards the end.

In this way it reminded me a lot of She Who Became the Sun, another book that didn’t exactly meet my expectations but brilliantly conveyed the socio political environment of the era it was based on and involved such clever and well written character studies.

"I don't know whether I believe in the immortality of the human soul. I don't know. That's true, Captain. But perhaps I do believe - in the the immortality of a man's name. Might that be the same thing?"

I definitely feel like if you are more familiar with the actual history that this story is inspired by then you will be able to appreciate the nuances and parallels more. Yet despite my personal knowledge of these historic figures consisting of the basics, Robin slipped in original twists alongside subtle foreshadowing to make this story enjoyably its own. Also it says a lot when you go into a story knowing it’s a tragedy and come out the other end shocked with how much it hurt. Those last 50 or so pages really got me.

Though I feel like this book wrapped up nicely, I am curious to see how the story continues so will definitely be checking out the sequel.
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars

Content Warnings

ashleyerne's review

Go to review page

slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

More...