Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah

7 reviews

avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Medical content, Medical trauma, Cancer, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Bullying

Minor: Dementia

shyleek's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

I'm not a sci-fi reader but this alien book has me intrigued. The characters in this books were so well created and deep without feeling like I was reading character descriptions for 200 pages. A predictable read but in the way that you were pretty sure how it was going to end but knew it wasn't going to be easy to get there and wanted to go on the adventure with Gabe, Jo, and Ursa. 

I don't have triggers when I read normally but check the trigger warnings because there is some sensitive material. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Animal death, Child death, Violence, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Blood, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Cancer, Medical content, and Infertility

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Terminal illness and Drug use

readwithev's review

emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

I thought it was interesting that Ursa was so smart; she used her imagination and love of astronomy to cope with trauma. Separating herself from her mom’s murder by create a second identity makes sense psychologically and it was an interesting twist. The ending was very satisfying. I was worried Ursa would end of with a foster family that wouldn’t understand her. I also enjoyed Jo and Gabe’s love story. It didn’t feel too rushed and awkward. Gabe’s complicated family secret seemed like a strange addition to the story at first but I realized it helped Jo and Gabe develop courage, empathy, and understanding for others.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Gun violence, Animal death, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Murder

yaelm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Most of this book was closer to 4 stars or even more, but some parts…

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug use, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Cancer

ashley_books_cats_judo's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Medical content

Moderate: Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Child death, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

kelly_e's review

hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

 Title: Where the Forest Meets the Stars
Author: Glendy Vanderah
Genre: Domestic Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: March 1 2019

T H R E E • W O R D S

Delightful • Mysterious • Immersive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

To escape her recent hardships, Joanna throws herself into her research on birds in rural Illinois. When a mysterious child shows up at the cabin she's renting, her world is shaken. The child, who calls herself Ursa, claims to be sent from the stars with the mission to witness five miracles. Somewhat skeptical of the child's story and past, Jo allows her to stay, soon enlisting the help of her neighbor Gabe. As time passes, more questions than answers are unearthed and the three form an incredible bond. Where the Forest Meets the Stars is a beautiful story of love and loss, of grief and pain, and ultimately what it means to live.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I was initially drawn to this book thanks to the beautiful cover. When I first started, I wasn't sure it was a book for me due to the magical/fantasy aspects, but I am so glad I stuck with it. The characters are believable, vulnerable, and so well developed, each with their own powerful story. How could I not feel connected to and root for Ursa, Jo, and Gabe along the way? When taken together as a whole, the story was engaging, and the writing beautiful. The careful mix of everyday life, the natural world and the mysteries of the universe offered the perfect balance here. And the nature aspect was a welcome addition, adding another layer to the dramatic storyline that I absolutely loved. It is equal parts mystery, fantasy, and romance this was an unexpected and enjoyable read for me.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of child-centered books
• readers who enjoy genre bending stories
• most readers really

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

" 'She's kind of like a baby. She didn't know she was supposed to grow up, and that makes her more fun than other grown-up people.' "

" 'As always, words fail when you most want to say the right thing.'
'People think they have to say something, and it never makes me feel better.'
'I know. I've decided language isn't as advanced as we think it is. We're still apes trying to express our thoughts with grunts while most of what we want to communicate stays locked in our brains.' "

"She had most of the book that had belonged to her parents, and she read passages from them every night before she fell asleep or when she had insomnia. As she read, her fingers touching the same pages theirs had touched, her father and mother were right there with her."

" 'When I knew my mother would be dead in a few months, I had two choices...' She looked at him. 'I could distance myself from the pain or get closer to it. Maybe because I'd lost me dad without getting a chance to tell him what he meant to me, I decided to get closer. I got so close, her pain and fear became my own. We shared everything and loved each other like we never had when death was some distance thing. In the end, part of me died with her. I'm not recovered from it even now, but I made the conscious choice to enter the darkness with her. Everyone I know who's lost someone they love has voiced regrets -they wish they'd done this or that or loved them more. I have no regrets. None.' " 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, and Terminal illness

Minor: Chronic illness and Infidelity

Parkinson's, child neglect, drowning

jenisha's review

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Terminal illness