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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter was a uniquely surprising read that brought up weighty themes in an original way.
I went into the book without any expectations, as it was a book club selection, but it quickly captivated me. Set in a dystopian world where women's body markings determine their futures, the novel explores the idea that, much like in our world, women's bodies are controlled by societal forces—whether by the government or by men.
The story tackles significant social issues faced by women, but does so in an imaginative and impactful way. It doesn't approach these themes head-on, but instead weaves them into the narrative in a manner that lingers with you.
My only criticism is that the ending felt a bit rushed, leaving me wishing for a more fully fleshed-out conclusion.
I went into the book without any expectations, as it was a book club selection, but it quickly captivated me. Set in a dystopian world where women's body markings determine their futures, the novel explores the idea that, much like in our world, women's bodies are controlled by societal forces—whether by the government or by men.
The story tackles significant social issues faced by women, but does so in an imaginative and impactful way. It doesn't approach these themes head-on, but instead weaves them into the narrative in a manner that lingers with you.
My only criticism is that the ending felt a bit rushed, leaving me wishing for a more fully fleshed-out conclusion.
This book has a really interesting premise, with girls having marks (freckles essentially) on their bodies that predict and determine their futures, these are monitored and recorded, with women tasked as interpreters who mark these against a number of things like their career, their love life/future family, even losses they may face. All girls will wake up one day and suddenly are ‘in between’ girl and womanhood, where they will be at their most desirable (and most at risk), a time incredibly dangerous for them where they risk being abducted by men who cannot resist them and are ruined by them. Upon their return, usually weeks later, they are blamed and forever stained by this encounter, with university and other opportunities no longer available to them.
Body of Stars follows Celeste, a girl who any day will face the ‘in between’ stage, her brother Miles wishes badly to be an Interpreter however this is deemed a woman’s job. When Celeste changes, her marks predict a fate for Miles that terrifies Celeste, however she herself has danger in front of her to face.
I don’t know how I felt about this book, it’s an interesting concept and is clever in how it looks at rape culture, political and societal autonomy over women’s bodies and toxic masculinity, although unfortunately it’s one of those books where the people who read this will already know this area is a cesspit for women’s rights and the people who need to learn this won’t be the ones reading this. As such, this book is just a brutal reminder and doesn’t essentially feel empowering and will leave you feeling outraged because we see every day women both valued, controlled and condemned with their bodies by men and a male led society. In this book, raped girls are spat on and shunned while also being blamed for seducing men, or being alone with a man, or being attractive to men, and I needed a lot more in the conclusion of this book to really get past that. That said, this isn’t a criticism of the book, if a magic wand could be waved, this book wouldn’t have felt real. That said, I can imagine this book being hugely triggering so please be careful.
My main issue with this book is more the involvement of Miles, I just didn’t really need that much of him in the story or to give him that much of an important role. Throughout the book Celeste’s brother feels incredibly entitled, this is a world where men can literally do anything but one thing; be an interpreter, and yet he acts so sullen about it. He also resents that he doesn’t have marks and a future laid out for him, like freedom and a blank canvas is so awful. While the first point is later explained a little more, it still doesn’t change the fact he’s a man who wants it all and doesn’t understand ‘no’, this is further shown when he doesn’t understand why Celeste won’t show him her new marks and so drags her into an alley, restrains her and attempts to lift her clothes to see her body. While he feels bad later for this, 1) Celeste lets him off way too much for this and 2) a dialogue was severely missed here where consent could have been explored and discussed with literally the only man in the book who would’ve listened. That was frustrating and hard to get by, as much as Miles is trying to do something good, he still asserted himself and his strength over a woman and tried to take consent from her regarding access to her own body and it deserved a bigger conversation about make entitlement and the different stages of sexual abuse and toxicity.
Miles aside, this is an interesting book and concept, just prepare yourself to be outraged a lot.
Body of Stars follows Celeste, a girl who any day will face the ‘in between’ stage, her brother Miles wishes badly to be an Interpreter however this is deemed a woman’s job. When Celeste changes, her marks predict a fate for Miles that terrifies Celeste, however she herself has danger in front of her to face.
I don’t know how I felt about this book, it’s an interesting concept and is clever in how it looks at rape culture, political and societal autonomy over women’s bodies and toxic masculinity, although unfortunately it’s one of those books where the people who read this will already know this area is a cesspit for women’s rights and the people who need to learn this won’t be the ones reading this. As such, this book is just a brutal reminder and doesn’t essentially feel empowering and will leave you feeling outraged because we see every day women both valued, controlled and condemned with their bodies by men and a male led society. In this book, raped girls are spat on and shunned while also being blamed for seducing men, or being alone with a man, or being attractive to men, and I needed a lot more in the conclusion of this book to really get past that. That said, this isn’t a criticism of the book, if a magic wand could be waved, this book wouldn’t have felt real. That said, I can imagine this book being hugely triggering so please be careful.
My main issue with this book is more the involvement of Miles, I just didn’t really need that much of him in the story or to give him that much of an important role. Throughout the book Celeste’s brother feels incredibly entitled, this is a world where men can literally do anything but one thing; be an interpreter, and yet he acts so sullen about it. He also resents that he doesn’t have marks and a future laid out for him, like freedom and a blank canvas is so awful. While the first point is later explained a little more, it still doesn’t change the fact he’s a man who wants it all and doesn’t understand ‘no’, this is further shown when he doesn’t understand why Celeste won’t show him her new marks and so drags her into an alley, restrains her and attempts to lift her clothes to see her body. While he feels bad later for this, 1) Celeste lets him off way too much for this and 2) a dialogue was severely missed here where consent could have been explored and discussed with literally the only man in the book who would’ve listened. That was frustrating and hard to get by, as much as Miles is trying to do something good, he still asserted himself and his strength over a woman and tried to take consent from her regarding access to her own body and it deserved a bigger conversation about make entitlement and the different stages of sexual abuse and toxicity.
Miles aside, this is an interesting book and concept, just prepare yourself to be outraged a lot.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The patriarchy... gender dysphoria... homosexuaity... female power... was there a checklist the author needed to check off? The only thing I DID like about the book was the main character, Celeste, and her relationship with her brother and even that was not fulfilling. Read it in one day because I was majorly skimming.
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A feminist dystopia set in a society where every girl is born with specific markings that can predict their future, and nothing is more valuable to them than the freckles on their skin. The story follows Celeste, a young girl entering her changeling period, the most dangerous period of her life, when she is most vulnerable to being taken.
This was difficult. Brutal. Uncomfortable. In a world where women are supposedly sacred, and yet still treated as commodities, it wasn't at all hard to connect the dots and see the obvious similarities to our own society. With everything going on, and everything that has ever gone on, stories like this are so important. This is very real. But it still left me with a surprising feeling of hope; a hope that our futures are not as bleak as they may seem. Not as fixed as the markings would suggest.
A story about the future, its certainty, and its uncertainty. A book left as open to interpretation as the very markings these characters possess. And a very powerful metaphor indeed.
This was difficult. Brutal. Uncomfortable. In a world where women are supposedly sacred, and yet still treated as commodities, it wasn't at all hard to connect the dots and see the obvious similarities to our own society. With everything going on, and everything that has ever gone on, stories like this are so important. This is very real. But it still left me with a surprising feeling of hope; a hope that our futures are not as bleak as they may seem. Not as fixed as the markings would suggest.
A story about the future, its certainty, and its uncertainty. A book left as open to interpretation as the very markings these characters possess. And a very powerful metaphor indeed.
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
A feminist dystopia set in a society where every girl is born with specific markings that can predict their future, and nothing is more valuable to them than the freckles on their skin. The story follows Celeste, a young girl entering her changeling period, the most dangerous period of her life, when she is most vulnerable to being taken.
This was difficult. Brutal. Uncomfortable. In a world where women are supposedly sacred, and yet still treated as commodities, it wasn't at all hard to connect the dots and see the obvious similarities to our own society. With everything going on, and everything that has ever gone on, stories like this are so important. This is very real. But it still left me with a surprising feeling of hope; a hope that our futures are not as bleak as they may seem. Not as fixed as the markings would suggest.
A story about the future, its certainty, and its uncertainty. A book left as open to interpretation as the very markings these characters possess. And a very powerful metaphor indeed.
A feminist dystopia set in a society where every girl is born with specific markings that can predict their future, and nothing is more valuable to them than the freckles on their skin. The story follows Celeste, a young girl entering her changeling period, the most dangerous period of her life, when she is most vulnerable to being taken.
This was difficult. Brutal. Uncomfortable. In a world where women are supposedly sacred, and yet still treated as commodities, it wasn't at all hard to connect the dots and see the obvious similarities to our own society. With everything going on, and everything that has ever gone on, stories like this are so important. This is very real. But it still left me with a surprising feeling of hope; a hope that our futures are not as bleak as they may seem. Not as fixed as the markings would suggest.
A story about the future, its certainty, and its uncertainty. A book left as open to interpretation as the very markings these characters possess. And a very powerful metaphor indeed.
An intriguing idea, with good writing, but just didn't work for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review
An absolutely well written allegory for rape culture & the implications of being a woman without being explicit. I highly recommend for all young adults.