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laurarhds's review against another edition
challenging
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
2.5
njthk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
Clever, unreliable narrator so this was partially fun.
(It's a me problem. I thought I remembered more of Cleopatras and Mark Antonys story lol)
But me not remembering uncovered some weaknesses this book had. Without the ability to cross reference the book to its source material you miss out on much of the fun.
(It's a me problem. I thought I remembered more of Cleopatras and Mark Antonys story lol)
But me not remembering uncovered some weaknesses this book had. Without the ability to cross reference the book to its source material you miss out on much of the fun.
emma18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
harborwriter's review
4.0
This character-driven, introspective space opera would be a great read for anyone who wants to sink into gorgeous prose and take their time with complicated characters--especially for readers who are already well versed in the lives of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. The writing is absolutely beautiful, and the book contains a wealth of easter eggs for those with the background knowledge and interest to hunt them out.
iftheshoef1tz's review
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 thatshe 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
I appreciated Altagracia being an unreliable narrator, especially when it’s revealed that
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
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Sexual content and Colonisation
sarrie's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
TL;DR: I feel so bland on this. Meandering, with what should have been stellar themes and ideas. But little to no connection for the reader.
The Stars Undying is meant to be a Cleopatra and Caesar inspired space opera. One would think that the word “opera” might involve a lot of emotional drama and intensity. One would be… wrong.
I genuinely don’t know that I have a ton to say about this. I was so disconnected from the story as a whole that I found mind wandering and I went to sleep several times while reading. The idea of the story, a planet caught in a civil war between sisters when one of which uses the visiting empire’s golden boy to win it. From there the story attempts to look at themes of personhood and AI, themes I adore.
I think the killer on this one was the story telling style which was a retrospective story, Gracia is telling us her story from the future but she meanders, dumping information in the process. We also have chapters from Ceirran (our Caesar) which are full of complicated politics that we don’t get a chance to care about.
Overall just… fine. Not offensive, not upsetting, just okay. I think if you want something real dense, with just the politics? This could work. It starts strong but quickly dissolves out into meandering. Many people have adored it, so I can’t say it won’t work. Simply that it didn’t connect for me.
2.5 stars out of 5