Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Body of Stars

(copy via netgalley)

TL;DR recommendation:
Loved it. Grab this if you’re looking for a dystopian female adventure that cuts close to the bone and has The Handmaid’s Tale vibes about it. Shines a light on our world and its stance on gender violence.

Not graphic but mentioned trigger warnings:
Sexual violence, rape, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny & confinement.

I don’t think my heart was quite ready for this book. Other than reading a smidge of the blurb thing, I pretty much went in charging in blind ready to be mad at another dystopian world. The plot in a nutshell? Girls are born with markings all over their bodies that layout their fate (and their family’s) and some men think it’s their god-given right to own them. Here are a few other nuggetos:

✨ One girl (our pal Celeste) forced to deal with her changed life because men decided their pleasure was worth more.
✨ One boy (Miles) determined to help women / change a very, very shitty living experience.
✨ One world which should technically be very, very different to our own little planet but creepily similar.

Women are literally the future. They don’t believe in luck; they believe in fate. Mainly ’cause any marking that dances over their bodies will predict their future. If you’re destined to become a doctor, it’ll happen. If your markings depict a life helping whales fight off the dolphins, then that will happen, too. Maybe.

The other issue is that when girls hit puberty, they turn into Changelings – a time in their life where all senses are heightened, they literally have a weird aura around them and, you guessed it, they become irresistible to men. So irresistible that men can’t ‘control themselves’ *insert intense eye twitching emoji here* and the underground women trafficking market is rife. It’s deemed the most dangerous time in a women’s life and whilst their parents want to protect them, their new bodies urge to be outside.

If the above wasn’t enough of a fucking issue, the women who get returned to society after their two weeks of confinement, drugging and assaults are seen as outcasts to society. They were asking for it, they put themselves in that situation and their kidnappers/rapist were never, ever punished. Their lives and social standing were ruined.

It’s hard to get into the deets as they’re like major spoilers but this is the story of how Celeste takes control.

It’s a hard read and I’m absolutely going to make my next read a little more lighthearted because my feelings are smashed all over the floor. If you grab this book, be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. The ride will fill your mind with anger, rage and frustration with a hint of hope that perhaps, just perhaps, things might change in our little world as well.

Content Warnings

queenmackenzie's review

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dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

Body of Stars is set in a world like ours in seemingly every way except for the fact that every woman is born with markings (they look like freckles and moles) on her skin that predict future events of her life, and once she is around 16 she becomes a changeling, meaning that her “baby marks” change to reflect adult predictions. During this changeling period girls’ senses are hyperactive, and they take on a glow that makes them irresistible to men, which makes them vulnerable to kidnapping. Kidnapped girls will be kept by their abuser until their changeling period is over, most likely being drugged and assaulted, and having their markings copied out to be sold, before being left in the streets to be found by authorities or family. After this their futures are essentially over, as girls who are taken are not allowed to pursue higher education, and consequently find it hard to start a career.

By the description I have just given, I would say that this book is not for the fainthearted, and I have also seen it compared many times to The Handmaid’s Tale, as it is in the vein of oppressed women fighting to get their freedom. I found, though, that despite the harsh topics and the traumatic events that befall Celeste and other characters, that Body of Stars didn’t delight in the gruesomeness of oppression and assault; the facts were laid out clearly, and in a serious manner, but the focus of the book was very much the criticism of society and the way things can be improved. There are no graphic scenes. The hopelessness of the situation is highlighted, and then hope is slowly brought forth to both characters and readers as the story unfolds. It was a joy to read.

I also really enjoyed the world building – it was subtle because, as I said, the story is set in a world like ours in terms of history and technology, but there are differences in the politics and social structures that result from the fact that women are marked with the future. For example, before each chapter is an extract of the government mandated book Mapping the Future, in which girls are taught how to read their markings, how to deal with the changeling period, how to deal with the aftermath of being taken, and other information. There are also mentions of other countries and the ways in which women’s rights differ from place to place – in some places, for example, women who are marked as homemakers will be denied education, with the argument that they will not need it. Celeste also tells us that in the past women’s positions were affected much more by the markings on their skin, and that still today to work or study they must disclose their government file which holds all their markings.

I will not go into details of the plot, because as ever the joy is in the reading, but I will say that the overarching narrative, while it does hold some tension and mystery, is quite straightforward and at times predictable, and I don’t mean this in a negative way at all. The fact that all the events follow a fairly logical sequence means that the story can focus much more on what it’s trying to say in terms of its commentary on society, and its emboldening of women and the incredible potential that they hold for changing the world around them with their love and care. Overall, such an exquisitely written novel, in which fiction and reality blur and are mixed together with a touch of myth. I highly recommend it to anyone – I picked it up thinking it was more grounded in fantasy that it was, but loved it regardless, and any fan of literary fiction will find that this will easily slot into the classics of the genre.

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