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aksmith92's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.5
A cute little adult fairy tale!
The Setup: Most of the novel follows Tristran Thorn, a mere 16 or 17-year-old boy who inevitably falls in absolute love with some random neighborhood gal. While walking with Victoria Forrester, said random neighborhood gal, he desperately wants to kiss her, or marry her, or something. He'll take anything! She declines any and all of those things, though, of course, because she's a propah lady! However, after they both see a shooting star seemingly fall in the distance, Victoria states if Tristran goes to find the star and brings it back to her, he can have what he wishes. Tristran sets on a quest to find this star to get the gal!
We watch as Tristran ventures beyond the wall of Wall (yes, the literal town he lives!) to fairie land, somewhere with loads of mythical and exciting creatures and beings. He meets a small hairy fellow, a couple of witches, an entertaining captain of the skies, a unicorn, and thelovely witty fallen star Yvaine. Along the way, he learns a lot about himself, meets some interesting (and sometimes deadly) beings, and even learns a little bit about his own past. It's quite an adventure!
What I Liked: Neil Gaiman has a way of writing. It's a little bit like Yoda-speak but more tolerable and enjoyable. I've read some of Gaiman's graphic novel works, and he has a beautiful way with words. I loved the prose and PLOT! The plot was just lovely. Gaiman has a very profound talent for turning myths and legends into complex and intriguing fantasy plotlines, and this was no different. I fell along for the ride with Tristran and Yvaine and thoroughly enjoyed all their obstacles and encounters. Additionally, it was sometimes quite funny, and I laughed out loud in some parts. Overall, this was a fun book. It was reminiscent of a cozy fantasy, except there was some violence and death, and the stake was relatively high. So, in reality, it was not. However, it did have many of those vibes throughout the novel. I found Tristran to be a ding dong, but he was supposed to be, which made the story believable.
What Didn't Work: As much as I enjoyed the premise, even if it was based on a silly little love story, I felt the character development was pretty lacking. I know this book wasn't necessarily about the characters. It was so clear that Gaiman's strength was in his storytelling and retelling of the myth(s). I appreciated that! However, I had a very challenging time connecting with the characters, leading me to not care about their own character stories. The love story (not the one you're probably thinking!) was just alright to me, even if, at times, the banter was semi-funny. Additionally, I felt the 85-90% mark was a little bit rushed, and the characters didn't have time to express feelings, but the end was fitting and pretty interesting.
Overall, I took this book at face value. Gaiman did an excellent job retelling myths and conjuring up a well-rounded story. I enjoyed myself and plan to read more of his work.
The Setup: Most of the novel follows Tristran Thorn, a mere 16 or 17-year-old boy who inevitably falls in absolute love with some random neighborhood gal. While walking with Victoria Forrester, said random neighborhood gal, he desperately wants to kiss her, or marry her, or something. He'll take anything! She declines any and all of those things, though, of course, because she's a propah lady! However, after they both see a shooting star seemingly fall in the distance, Victoria states if Tristran goes to find the star and brings it back to her, he can have what he wishes. Tristran sets on a quest to find this star to get the gal!
We watch as Tristran ventures beyond the wall of Wall (yes, the literal town he lives!) to fairie land, somewhere with loads of mythical and exciting creatures and beings. He meets a small hairy fellow, a couple of witches, an entertaining captain of the skies, a unicorn, and the
What I Liked: Neil Gaiman has a way of writing. It's a little bit like Yoda-speak but more tolerable and enjoyable. I've read some of Gaiman's graphic novel works, and he has a beautiful way with words. I loved the prose and PLOT! The plot was just lovely. Gaiman has a very profound talent for turning myths and legends into complex and intriguing fantasy plotlines, and this was no different. I fell along for the ride with Tristran and Yvaine and thoroughly enjoyed all their obstacles and encounters. Additionally, it was sometimes quite funny, and I laughed out loud in some parts. Overall, this was a fun book. It was reminiscent of a cozy fantasy, except there was some violence and death, and the stake was relatively high. So, in reality, it was not. However, it did have many of those vibes throughout the novel. I found Tristran to be a ding dong, but he was supposed to be, which made the story believable.
What Didn't Work: As much as I enjoyed the premise, even if it was based on a silly little love story, I felt the character development was pretty lacking. I know this book wasn't necessarily about the characters. It was so clear that Gaiman's strength was in his storytelling and retelling of the myth(s). I appreciated that! However, I had a very challenging time connecting with the characters, leading me to not care about their own character stories. The love story (not the one you're probably thinking!) was just alright to me, even if, at times, the banter was semi-funny. Additionally, I felt the 85-90% mark was a little bit rushed, and the characters didn't have time to express feelings, but the end was fitting and pretty interesting.
Overall, I took this book at face value. Gaiman did an excellent job retelling myths and conjuring up a well-rounded story. I enjoyed myself and plan to read more of his work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Animal death, Death, Slavery, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment
jessi_lou95's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
probablytoolate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Death, Murder, and Animal death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
seforana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Slavery, Gore, Violence, Grief, Body horror, Murder, Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
mirandyli's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A cute fantasy novel that was a fun quick read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
withlivjones's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Endearing and whimsical, this reads just like a classic traditional folktale, with clear inspiration from the Brothers Grimm. It took a while for the story to get going but it was fun when all the different storylines converged. I watched the film a long time ago and I don’t remember the ending being as anticlimactic? I like that all the loose ends were tied up but I would’ve loved a big confrontation with the witch queen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
eruneckles's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Having watched the movie Stardust, I came into this knowing the twists and turns that would unfold and regardless I loved it. However, I did spend the firat half of the book misreading Tristran's name as Tristan.
Great book, great short-storytelling: the worldbuilding didn't need to be extensive and the characters were well-developed in spite of their short descriptions. The chapters were a bit too long in places, but other than that it was a really nice light read albeit dark at times. Would highly recommend.
Great book, great short-storytelling: the worldbuilding didn't need to be extensive and the characters were well-developed in spite of their short descriptions. The chapters were a bit too long in places, but other than that it was a really nice light read albeit dark at times. Would highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, Animal death, and Slavery
haffina's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this. It was easy to read, whilst being fun and super descriptive. Gaiman creates worlds that are familiar but also wonderous. His characters are flawed and relatable. Overall a winner.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
chrisljm's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
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? Yes
3.75
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Grief and Racism