Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Stardust

I love star motifs, and so I loved the concept of this book - a journey to retrieve a fallen star, which turns out to be a young girl. I enjoyed how whimsical and relaxing this book was, which is fitting for its tone of traditional fairytales/fantasy. I loved how each character was so intricately tied together and seeing it come to fruition throughout the story arc. However, I do wish we were able to see more of a development between Yvaine and Tristran, because the love between a human and a star is one of my favorite story ideas to date. Another story concept I loved was Yvaine, the fallen star. I loved her as a character as she was by far the most interesting to me, and I wish I had gotten to know her more. I would love to read more tales about her.

I also listened to the audiobook narrated by the author as a companion to reading it physically and Neil Gaiman is such a talented reader. He truly brings the story to life by giving it another layer of depth.

I can't wait to watch the movie after this, and then maybe after that the illustrated story.

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wwwdotmimi's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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dellydoos's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

90s fantasy has to be the best decade for the genre, in my humble opinion. The books coming out of this time were just fun, outlandish and quirky. And Stardust is no exception.

This was a delightful escape and such an easy read (I read it in a day!). Gaiman's prose effortlessly carries you through the narrative, which unfolds with a delightful blend of humour and charm, characteristic of Gaiman's storytelling prowess. His ability to weave together a seamless fusion of fairy tale elements, myth, and folklore is what makes Stardust still stand up against the over saturation of the fantasy genre to this day.

Set in the charming village of Wall, our protagonist, Tristran Thorn, embarks on a quest to retrieve a fallen star from the mysterious land of Faerie to win the heart of his beloved Victoria. Along the way he meets a cast of colourful characters including Miss Fallen Star herself, Yvaine, whom he eventually falls in love with. Throw in some evil witches and scheming princes and it’s your favourite unconventional, conventional fairytale. It’s cute, it’s simple, it’s fun.

However, one aspect that left me slightly underwhelmed was the characterization. While the characters are charming and play their roles well in the story, I couldn't help but feel that they lacked depth and development. In essence, they weren’t memorable. Particularly, I struggled with Yvaine, who I felt was actually quite boring. She gave me nothing but a broken leg and bad attitude.

Additionally, the plot was very strange and lacked the complexity and cohesion I had hoped for. I’ve seen the movie many times, and look, I’ll admit that this is maybe one of the rare cases where the movie was better than the book. The movie provided a more streamlined and engaging narrative. The characters were more fleshed out and the spectacle of the world felt more impactful. Yes, the writing of the book was enjoyable, but the ending felt rather flat and anticlimactic.

All in all, this was a blast and I’d recommend it to all fantasy lovers out there. 3.5/5 stars.

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maggiefae's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

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

5.0

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philosopher_kj's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.25

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