Reviews

Chasing the Stars by Malorie Blackman

sarahlreadseverything's review

2.0

Barely, barely two stars. I had so, so many problems with this one. Here's just some:

Spoiler

instalove x 6 million, predictable plot, icky rapey scene between "hero" and "heroine", poor word building, 2D characters

. . .ugh

nataliaa_x's review

adventurous challenging emotional sad tense medium-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

3.5

i'm so mad they should have ended up together 😡😡 i loved the plot and it was really heartbreaking with Nathan and Vee's relationships highs and lows and Aidans whole story.

aclairerium's review

4.0

The premise of this book is fantastic, the plot reminds me of the tv series 'Humans' a little bit except it is in space.

I loved everything, except some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy and unnecessary.

Otherwise

harryyyyypotterrrr's review

emotional sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

it’s amazing but you’re gonna cry at the end 

joyreadsbuku's review

adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

2.75

2.75 stars - TLDR; cool premise, plot is good and the plot twists were nice. I missed Malorie Blackman's writing so this was a fun way to bring me back

Long(er) review: ... I liked this book at first (the political aspect behind it, the elite rethinking their prejudice, promising plot & plot twists) but some things were weird and cannot be overlooked. 

Chasing the Stars is about Olivia who has been in space for 3 years with her twin brother Aidan, when he spots activity on another planet. Olivia decides to save the people on that planet, bringing them to their ship (against Aidan's advice not to) and meets Nathan. We follow this book between Olivia & Nathan's pov, both about 18-19 y/o and both fall in love the moment they see each other, which is where my frustration starts because the isntalove does not make sense to me. They confess their love for each other

and they have barely consensual seggs?! Yeah, that sounds vague and unclear, right? That's exactly how it registers. As if that's not too fast, THEY GET MARRIED. They've only known each other for like a week! For Christ's sake.

. 

The instalove is justified by Olivia's loneliness and Nathan's death scare.

Then Aidan gets jealous, because for years it was only him & his twin, but all of Olivia's attention goes to Nathan. Aidan concocts a plan to make it seem as if Nathan is cheating on Olivia, Olivia ices Nathan out, Nathan eventually finds out everything and he tells Olivia that it's not true. Obviously she doesn't believe him. Something happens where Nathan almost dies and Olivia stops it, but she almost let it happen bcs whe was so mad at him. Nathan's shocked and decides the marriage is over. Fast forward, Nathan comes with reciepts and Olivia finds out through him that he did not cheat, and that Aidan was behind it all. To add icing on the cake, Nathan is a complete asshole to Olivia when she apologizes. She says she'd do anything for his forgiveness, and he tells her to get naked... Eventually they get divorced.

Also, why did they behave like mid-teens? I know this is YA but damn. I would think 18-19 y/olds would behave a bit more mature. 

I was so excited to read this and once I started, I hoped the book would follow the enemy more but it's way too focussed on the love. It introduces us to all these characters and the universe, but it didn't go into it more. It pains me to say all this bcs this is my fav author, but it's a reminder that fav authors also sometimes dismay their readers. Still love Malorie Blackman ofc, still managed to finish this book (I wasn't gonna dnf bcs I wanted to know how it ended), and I enjoyed Malorie Blackman's writing.

jackie_daydream's review

adventurous challenging hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.75

This book made me cry happy tears, sad tears and everything in between. This romance was like nothing I read before 

siobhan_20's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

pewterwolf's review

4.0

Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf for the UK audiobook edition.

My first Malorie Blackman novel!

Inspired by the Shakespeare play, Othello, Chasing the Stars follows Olivia and her twin brother, Aidan, alone on a spaceship after a virus wiped out the whole crew - including their parents - and are trying desperately to return to Earth. On the way, they see something. A human settlement on a hostile planet under fire. Vee tries her best to save the humans, but only saved 22.

One of the 22 is Nathan. As soon as they see each other, both Nathan and Vee begin to fall for each other hard and dangerously fast. But things take dark and murderous turn. Secrets, lies, jealousy, murder. Sometimes love won't save the day...

Before I go any further, I must stress one word in my write up. Inspired. This novel is inspired by Othello. I have to state this as I believe some of you guys who know Othello inside out will read this and will be very surprised over the differences between the book and the play.

I enjoyed myself with this audiobook. I liked it, but I know that this is one of those stories that will split you. You will like it or loathe it.

Let' start with why I liked it. I got hooked in within the first few chapters as things were thrown at you. It got my attention and once everyone met, I enjoyed seeing how they interacted, and the events that followed. The mysterious "accidents" and the claustrophobic atmosphere of being on a spaceship and someone causing these accidents... the tension was delicious for me (and I love a good mystery - hey, maybe I could have put this story as one of my Murder Month reads...!)

The characters - Vee and Nathan - were the main driving force of the story for me. Within a few chapters, I had to know what happened to them next. I believe that because this book was duel chapters (Vee would read one, Nathan would read the second and back&forth we go) and the narrators of the audiobook (Georgina Campbell and Matthew Morgan) helped me with this. Both made me warm to the leads instantly and make me both like them and, at times, want to shake them and say (as Nathan's mother said to him) "My hand is itching to give you an attitude adjustment slap". Both are flawed and damaged characters and when the plot turned dark and their relationship goes south, we saw Vee consumed with jealousy and self doubt whereas with Nathan, we saw his pride get hurt and his unwillingness to see things from Vee's point of view. And they not wanting to communicate - oh, the amount of times I would mentally shout at my iPod "Talk! Communicate! You need to talk to each other about this!"... I don't read books often that, when a relationship disintegrates, it's both people in the relationships who are at fault. It usually one person who "ruins" it and the other is the innocent party. So, reading this was oddly refreshing for me.

However (I didn't want to say but), this book isn't perfect and I know some of you guys will dislike this book for 2 or 3 reasons.

The first is side characters. Now, I love a good side character. Just given a small nugget of information and they become a person. They feel real. But, this doesn't feel like it happened. This book focuses so much of Vee and Nathan that other characters don't really get room to breath. There's only one minor character that I thought was written well and that was Nathan's friend, Anjuli, and that was because I had an instant reaction to her and I saw her very clearly in my mind. But other characters, important characters such as Aidan (Vee's twin brother) and Catherine (Nathan's mother), didn't feel fleshed out. They felt a little flat, and these characters (along with one or two others) really needed to be fleshed out more.

The second reason is the insta-love element. There is no getting away from it. Vee and Nathan's relationship is very insta-love and some of you guys are gonna hate it. I never saw it as insta-love but two very damaged souls (Vee being alone on a spaceship for 3 years after watching the whole crew dying and Nathan being a slave and suffering physical and mental abuse, and both desperate for love) meeting and falling into an intense relationship that flares into life before dying and turning into something toxic and hideous. I enjoyed this, but I know some of you won't. You will scream at their instant connect and fume over them going "This is happening too fast" thoughts...

The third thing is a mix of plot and ending. Now, I admit I don't know much about Othello, so I went into this story blind. But I found the twists in the plot a little weak and predictable. I didn't get all the plot twists, mind, - there was one I didn't see coming, but once it was revealed, I was surprised I didn't see it sooner. But there was one that I saw coming almost from the start and was surprised no one else saw it! I don't believe this is the author's fault, but I wish there was more twists and mystery to hide the truth.

The same goes with the ending. The ending isn't concrete enough for my tastes. I don't mind endings like Chasing the Stars had, but in this case, I feel like I needed something more.

I enjoyed this, but I feel that this will divide readers... But I am excited to read Noughts and Crosses, which is sitting on my Kindle as I type...

bluestarfish's review against another edition

3.0

This was great fun to read with hints of Othello in space and lots of teenagers, a country house murder mystery, and a rebellion in the making. There was a lot going on as we switch between the view points of Vee and Nathan and figure out the tragedy of this universe alongside a whirlwind romance.

An apt Othello quote starts the book of too (Act III, Scene 3):

Perdition catch my soul
But I do love thee! and when I love thee not,
Chaos is come again.

alexseekingspecfic's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0