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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Just couldn’t finish this one. Made it about halfway through, but found it too tedious to keep going. The characters felt one dimensional, the plot filled with holes. It is trying way too hard to be a book about female empowerment, but falls flat.
I can't help getting angry when I read the negative reviews. I'll address those first and foremost.
If you don't like magical realism or fantasy or alternate history, don't read the book. It's simple. The premise is written in the blurb, it's right there, you can't say you've been lied to. You should know what to expect going in. Your review is biased if it's a genre you already loathe but you read it anyway just to confirm you loathe it. Why?
To those who dislike 'Body of Stars' because it's depressing and it's yet another iteration of female misery -- that's the point of it, isn't it? Those who do not like this book because it forces them to confront the way the world is... again, it's not too hard to surmise that's what the book is going to do upon entering it. And you can't just ignore reality.
I'd suppose I would call 'Body of Stars' a serious, mirthless caricature of modernity. It's not dystopian, not in my opinion. It's an alternate history, a world where the issues women face today are put under a microsope. Literally. It's a story about how women do not belong to themselves. They belong to everyone else, to society, and more prominently to men. That they aren't even safe from their fathers and their brothers. They are molded by their education and should they be abused, the fault is almost always entirely theirs -- or so society would have them believe.
I have given 'Body of Stars' four stars only because I felt my suspension of disbelief stretched in certain parts -- I struggled to comprehend a society that just accepted fate. I'd have liked to read more about women trying to subvert or fight their fate because despite knowing some things are inevitable, I still think a human being would fight and claw and kick to avoid harrowing grief and loss, unless these markings also take away the instinct to survive.
I did find the book well written, however, and it inspired so much anger that I just wanted to continue, craved resolution and a positive outcome. There's no beating around the bush. A woman will know exactly how the text reflects her own experiences and it ought to be clear enough for man to understand, too.
Anyone decrying this book because it's too depressing - please stop. This kind of book is a requirement. There need to be more of this kind of book, more that have an underlying message of hope. Because though 'Body of Stars' confronts grief and sadness and violence toward women, it isn't depressing. It fights. There's hope, which is what women in the world need today. To keep fighting, and to have hope that the outcome, increment by increment, will eventually be a good one. OUR fates are not set. WE have freedom, and we should do everything in our power to change the course of history.
If you don't like magical realism or fantasy or alternate history, don't read the book. It's simple. The premise is written in the blurb, it's right there, you can't say you've been lied to. You should know what to expect going in. Your review is biased if it's a genre you already loathe but you read it anyway just to confirm you loathe it. Why?
To those who dislike 'Body of Stars' because it's depressing and it's yet another iteration of female misery -- that's the point of it, isn't it? Those who do not like this book because it forces them to confront the way the world is... again, it's not too hard to surmise that's what the book is going to do upon entering it. And you can't just ignore reality.
I'd suppose I would call 'Body of Stars' a serious, mirthless caricature of modernity. It's not dystopian, not in my opinion. It's an alternate history, a world where the issues women face today are put under a microsope. Literally. It's a story about how women do not belong to themselves. They belong to everyone else, to society, and more prominently to men. That they aren't even safe from their fathers and their brothers. They are molded by their education and should they be abused, the fault is almost always entirely theirs -- or so society would have them believe.
I have given 'Body of Stars' four stars only because I felt my suspension of disbelief stretched in certain parts -- I struggled to comprehend a society that just accepted fate. I'd have liked to read more about women trying to subvert or fight their fate because despite knowing some things are inevitable, I still think a human being would fight and claw and kick to avoid harrowing grief and loss, unless these markings also take away the instinct to survive.
I did find the book well written, however, and it inspired so much anger that I just wanted to continue, craved resolution and a positive outcome. There's no beating around the bush. A woman will know exactly how the text reflects her own experiences and it ought to be clear enough for man to understand, too.
Anyone decrying this book because it's too depressing - please stop. This kind of book is a requirement. There need to be more of this kind of book, more that have an underlying message of hope. Because though 'Body of Stars' confronts grief and sadness and violence toward women, it isn't depressing. It fights. There's hope, which is what women in the world need today. To keep fighting, and to have hope that the outcome, increment by increment, will eventually be a good one. OUR fates are not set. WE have freedom, and we should do everything in our power to change the course of history.
BODY OF STARS by Laura Maylene Walter just wasn’t for me at all. I had seen this one on Dutton Books Instagram as a read now on NetGalley and from their caption I was interested. If I had known it was a dystopian fiction then I wouldn’t have even decided to read it in the first place. This book further confirms that I don’t enjoy dystopian books. I had read a couple last year and they were alright but this one pushes it to the extreme and I just powered through reading it. I wasn’t at all curious how it would end and I really didn’t care for the ending. Right away I couldn’t get past how women were treated in this book. They had to submit to inspections of their bodies during puberty and fear abduction and rape. If you’re a fan of this genre then you’ll probably love this book. I’m kinda still hopeful one day a dystopian book will surprise me.
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Thank you to Dutton Books via NetGalley for my advance review copy!
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Thank you to Dutton Books via NetGalley for my advance review copy!
What a fantastic debut, this book was impossible to put down ! It’s hard not to compare to Atwood’s class dystopian female future , but there isn’t much more on this level to compare it to, this is powerful.
“Like every woman, Celeste Morton holds a map of the future in her skin, every mole and freckle a clue to unlocking what will come to pass. With puberty comes the changeling period - when her final marks will appear and her future is decided.
The possibilities are tantalising enough for Celeste's excitement to outweigh her fear. Changelings are sought after commodities and abduction is rife as men seek to possess these futures for themselves.”
This book is such an emotional read, especially for women, there are tears, anger, fury, injustice, it really draws comparisons with how society and patriarchy views women’s bodies. Theo’s book highlights how women are objectified, held accountable and treated following a sexual assault. Yes in this it’s a work of fiction, but sadly this reflects reality.
It’s hard to say too much without spoiling the book, simply I will say that this book was amazing and thought-provoking story and is one of my favourites of the year so far
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
“Like every woman, Celeste Morton holds a map of the future in her skin, every mole and freckle a clue to unlocking what will come to pass. With puberty comes the changeling period - when her final marks will appear and her future is decided.
The possibilities are tantalising enough for Celeste's excitement to outweigh her fear. Changelings are sought after commodities and abduction is rife as men seek to possess these futures for themselves.”
This book is such an emotional read, especially for women, there are tears, anger, fury, injustice, it really draws comparisons with how society and patriarchy views women’s bodies. Theo’s book highlights how women are objectified, held accountable and treated following a sexual assault. Yes in this it’s a work of fiction, but sadly this reflects reality.
It’s hard to say too much without spoiling the book, simply I will say that this book was amazing and thought-provoking story and is one of my favourites of the year so far
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5***
Body of Stars is a dystopian world where girls and women are marked by moles. These moles predict their futures. Women are treated awfully. They may know their futures but they belong to everyone - their families, their communities, the government etc. It's a really interesting concept and perhaps should make us think about how we currently treat women's bodies. If you have moles that say you'll be a house wife you won't be educated because 'there's no point'. If you want children but your moles say you'll have none then you won't have any. Your marking are literally your entire life. What would you do knowing everything that will happen to you and knowing nothing that you do can change it?
This story covers hard topics, particularly sexual assault. This theme is a large part of the story so if you are likely to be triggered by it then don't read this book. I found myself infuriated by the way women were treated and felt the characters needed a bit more of a back bone. It would've been better if there was more outrage and fight in the characters. The main character is okay but I didn't really find myself sold on her as a character. I wasn't invested in her story.
The writing at places can be quite simple. Things are repeated numerous times (I assume so you know it's a significant thing) when there is no need for it. I had to keep checking to see if I had pressed 'next page' or not. The writing would probably be more suited for a more immature audience.
All in all this is an interesting idea for a teenage audience. If you are an adult dystopian/fantasy reader then I don't think this book will be for you.
3.5***
Body of Stars is a dystopian world where girls and women are marked by moles. These moles predict their futures. Women are treated awfully. They may know their futures but they belong to everyone - their families, their communities, the government etc. It's a really interesting concept and perhaps should make us think about how we currently treat women's bodies. If you have moles that say you'll be a house wife you won't be educated because 'there's no point'. If you want children but your moles say you'll have none then you won't have any. Your marking are literally your entire life. What would you do knowing everything that will happen to you and knowing nothing that you do can change it?
This story covers hard topics, particularly sexual assault. This theme is a large part of the story so if you are likely to be triggered by it then don't read this book. I found myself infuriated by the way women were treated and felt the characters needed a bit more of a back bone. It would've been better if there was more outrage and fight in the characters. The main character is okay but I didn't really find myself sold on her as a character. I wasn't invested in her story.
The writing at places can be quite simple. Things are repeated numerous times (I assume so you know it's a significant thing) when there is no need for it. I had to keep checking to see if I had pressed 'next page' or not. The writing would probably be more suited for a more immature audience.
All in all this is an interesting idea for a teenage audience. If you are an adult dystopian/fantasy reader then I don't think this book will be for you.
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Impossible to put down. Very good, but very heavy.