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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had such high hopes for this! A Witch in Time is one of my all time favourites, so I was so excited to pick up another book by the same author. The premise for this story was brilliant, and Sayers' writing was as beautiful as ever. However, the pacing was just awful.
After hundreds of pages of slowly building up to the characters' timelines intersecting, Christopher and Gemma finally meet just over 100 pages from the end. After an agonisingly paced story up until this point, Sayers then proceeds to cram a whole book's worth of plot into 100 pages, and expects the reader to also invest in a romance built on nothing within that timeframe . There is so much that happens at the end that could have been stretched across the book, which would have significantly improved it. In the end I was left feeling underwhelmed and a bit robbed of a good story and a beautiful romance.
Another thing that annoyed me was inconsistency with dates. If you're going to go to the effort of dating every chapter to the day, then make sure you keep track of the days! On several occasions a chapter would be dated several days after the previous one, but somehow the events of that earlier chapter happened the day before. Additionally, the synopsis of the book places Chrisopher's timelime as 2007, and then the book proceeds to completely skip this year! I know it's a little thing, but it really started to irritate me by the end.
Another thing that annoyed me was inconsistency with dates. If you're going to go to the effort of dating every chapter to the day, then make sure you keep track of the days! On several occasions a chapter would be dated several days after the previous one, but somehow the events of that earlier chapter happened the day before. Additionally, the synopsis of the book places Chrisopher's timelime as 2007, and then the book proceeds to completely skip this year! I know it's a little thing, but it really started to irritate me by the end.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really didn’t know what to expect with this book. A love that transcends 40 years. (Or maybe even more!) Christopher’s an obsessed film maker. Gemma is our movie star. I really enjoyed how the book turned out. I’ve rounded up to 5 from 4.5 stars. It was a nice read and an HEA bizarrely.
medium-paced
A mesmerizing blend of old Hollywood glamour and magical realism, The Star and the Strange Moon captivated me from the start. The dual timelines and mysterious film curse added layers of intrigue, while the romantic undertones kept me emotionally invested. The pacing lagged a bit in parts, but the atmospheric storytelling and rich character development more than made up for it. A must-read for fans of magical stories like The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.
Whenever I finish a truly captivating story, there is a moment of pause when I close the book. I take a moment and just stare ahead, reorienting myself to the world around me.
This story was one I happened on by chance at my library and it is one of those rare books that you read that haunts you for years to come. The storyline was so utterly unique, the characters deep, the conflict intriguing. I feel almost as if I’ve woken up from a dream after reading.
Gemma Turner was, at the start of the story, a desperate actress trying to reinvigorate her career and her character development throughout the story is almost mind-blowing. Her modern day counterpart, Christopher Kent, had some deep, dark depths to him that the author was not afraid to explore.
The Star and the Strange Moon has just enough magic as to make it almost seem possible.
Dark magic, artistic obsessions, timeless love, mystery…
Highly recommend.
This story was one I happened on by chance at my library and it is one of those rare books that you read that haunts you for years to come. The storyline was so utterly unique, the characters deep, the conflict intriguing. I feel almost as if I’ve woken up from a dream after reading.
Gemma Turner was, at the start of the story, a desperate actress trying to reinvigorate her career and her character development throughout the story is almost mind-blowing. Her modern day counterpart, Christopher Kent, had some deep, dark depths to him that the author was not afraid to explore.
The Star and the Strange Moon has just enough magic as to make it almost seem possible.
Dark magic, artistic obsessions, timeless love, mystery…
Highly recommend.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
My last book of 2024 and I really didn’t enjoy this. The story line was really boring. It had such good potential but the ending was really rubbish.
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to read and review this gem by @rrbooktours, and I was hooked right from the start. The writing was beautiful, as were the characters and the world building. It was truly an incredible read and I loved every minute of it!