Reviews

Made of Stars by Jenna Voris

loveliaslibrary's review against another edition

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3.0

3 and a half stars!

monarchsandmyths's review against another edition

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4.0

thank you to Viking and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always been a big Bonnie & Clyde fan (blame the musical), and I really loved seeing Jenna Voris explore this mystified couple in a completely new way. This isn’t quite a retelling, although there are tons of allusions to the original story that I loved spotting along the way. There are smaller parts of the story that I wish had gotten a little more depth and expansion, but as a whole I really enjoyed this story and it had me pretty hooked, especially near the end. Definitely worth the read if you’re interested.

As far as worldbuilding goes, this book isn’t the most original, although I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. To me the most interesting world aspect was the Nakara atmosphere and how that really played into the overall story. Still, I thought the world building that did happen benefitted the story, and made one where I always had a pretty good understanding of how things worked.

Character wise, I was fairly fond of all the main and supporting-protagonist characters, although I do wish that the supporting characters on Cyrus’ side had gotten a little more exploration. The book is dual-POV with one or two chapters being told by other characters, and I really thought that both POV worked well for the story being told. Ava’s storytelling and character work really well within the myth of the story, and manage to give some of the most empathetic readings of the characters.

Plot wise, I would say that some of it is fairly predictable, which comes with the territory of inspiration from a historical event, though the body still manages to feel original despite all that. One thing I especially appreciated was how Voris didn’t shy away from the more brutal or tragic elements that come from reimagining a story like Bonnie and Clyde, letting the story keep its strength instead of watering it down. Even though you know the end, you keep reading regardless.

roxanned's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

zmuses's review against another edition

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3.0

I enjoyed this book! Ava and Shane were great well thought out characters very morally grey which I love. Cyrus was more in the background but became more prominent as the story went on and I grew to really like him! Jared was my favorite character

carissatheluca's review against another edition

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1.0

I received this as an ARC.

I don’t think science fiction is a popular YA genre because it always comes out like Made of Stars. Awkward world building and bad pacing is far more easily excused when your world is medieval- a lack of technological or socioeconomic details in a science-fiction novel can and will break it. Made of Stars is broken.

I think when Jenna Voris sat down to write MoS, all she knew was that she wanted to write a space Bonnie and Clyde. it’s obvious that she built a plot around a tagline and it doesn’t work. most of the action in the first half of the book happens off page. Most of the relationship building between the important characters happens before the events of the book. The first half of the book toes between introducing the characters and setting the stage for the rest of the book but that’s just not interesting. Even the romance between Shane and Ava is told in backstory. There are honestly very few interactions between them on the page.

They aren’t even Bonnie and Clyde, they aren’t a couple! It’s false advertising.

The pacing was awful. I was constantly trying to figure out how much time had passed and where characters were. I don’t understand why there is an enormous time jump halfway through the novel that skips everything more interesting than the crap from the first few chapters. Why is the prison break, at the VERY beginning of the novel, told from the POV of someone who isn’t even present?

And finally, more than anything else: Shane and Ava aren’t the protagonists. Cyrus is. Most of the story revolves around Cyrus and his very boring stomping around military ships instead of actually following the thieves actively blowing up bases and stealing ships. If you’re going to tell a story about Cyrus, don’t pretend it’s about a romance that isn’t even in 80% of the book.

lungfishopolis's review against another edition

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2.0

No wonder I found this in a used book store

elisenic's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

5.0

murphyslaw123's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Buckle up and hold onto your seats because Made of Stars is one thrilling, non-stop, ride that takes place in the wild west of space! This book opens with a suspenseful prison break that packs a punch of action. After a few chapters in, I decided to go ahead and do a little read-up on the history of Bonnie and Clyde--and readers, I highly recommend you do so for maximum enjoyment and "ah-has!" out of this book. Seriously. It'll take 15-20 minutes to skim through the Wikipedia entry here like I did. (That said, you can definitely still understand and enjoy the book without doing so, but I truly do think knowing the general background of Bonnie and Clyde, and each person's history and key events in their lives, really elevates the whole experience.) 

The pacing of the book moved at a fast and clipped speed throughout with an angsty (in the best of ways) push-and-pull relationship between Ava and Shane. These two POV characters hail from a poor region of a cold, desert planet. (Which, by the way, how cool is that? A cold desert?!) Shane is determined to make life better for the subjugated citizens of his home planet, even if it means committing crimes--that see him end up in prison in the first place. Ava, on the other hand, is determined to subvert expectations and become a Somebody instead of a nobody fading into obscurity--so she jumps onto the chance to join Shane's wild if not illegal adventures. Shortly after saving Shane from prison, they soon discover a nefarious plot that places their home planet in danger: a military general's sneaky attempt of controlling the planet and its resources through political maneuvering, obfuscation of information, and utter disregard for interstellar law so long as if she can get away with it. 

I particularly enjoyed Ava's internal conflicts as the crew rushes to figure out how to protect their planet from the much stronger outside forces. From contending with corrupt politicians who are supposed to be protecting their planet to running from law enforcement because--well, they are criminals after all--Ava grapples with her moral sense of defending her home world while also acknowledging her inner desire to see the planet that has not been kind to her destroyed. On the other hand, Shane's prison stint has shaken his core, and he has emerged a changed person...for better or worse. Fearful of Ava also landing in prison, Shane now must balance taking risks to protect his home and family and avoiding risks to keep Ava safe--but that just might force him to confront how he really feels about her despite his insistence that "everything is fine!" (No, not everything is fine. His mental state, for one, lol) 
Our final POV character is Cyrus who graduated top of the academy and quickly stumbles across his commanding officer's attempts of taking over *cough colonizing cough* a "dangerous planet being overrun by criminals" and clearly needs the "Opian military's support to bring it back to peaceful rule." Also raised in the slums, Cyrus definitely sympathizes when life deals you a shitty hand, and after a series of events, finds himself embroiled with the secret war between his general, Ava + Shane, and the planet's corrupt leader. Torn between following orders and playing it safe vs taking a risk by collaborating with known-killers on the fragile hope of exposing a war crime, the choices Cyrus must contend with were definitely interesting to follow. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book's themes and several nods to historical events revolving around Bonnie and Clyde (lots of parallelisms). To be clear, by the time readers are introduced to Ava and Shane, they are quite hardened, morally gray, and capable of great acts of violence. As a reader, there were several times where I truly could not predict which way the coin would land with these two, which made it a very engaging read! 

***MILD SPOILERS BELOW REGARDING ENDING*** 
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***** 
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While I suspected that Ava and Shane might not get the happiest of endings based on the true story of Bonnie and Clyde, the ending still caught me by some mild surprise (I was in a state of "will the author or will the author not" throughout the last 25% of the novel). Cyrus' ending definitely ended on a more hopeful note, but I would not say it was a "happily ever after" either. Just as a heads up for anyone who has strong feelings about HEAs! 

Tags: sci fi, space opera, bonnie and clyde, space western, societal commentary, no HEA, sci fi retelling 

chou520's review against another edition

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i can’t even count how many parts of this book made me audibly sigh but typing every grievance out would be embarrassing considering i am about 5 years above the target age demographic of this book

erincataldi's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Fans of teen sci-fi will eat up this book. Made of Stars is what would happen if Star Wars and Illuminae had a love child. There are bad empires, neglected planets, enemies to lovers romance, hackers, and lots of witticisms. Told in three parts, this teen novel bounces between several viewpoints. Cyrus graduated the flight academy with honors and feels so privileged to work with General Noth. Shane and Ava are outlaws, but outlaws like Robin Hood. They steal and they give back a little to their impoverished home planet and their families. When they realize that Opian's military leaders are hostilely invading and stealing all their home planet's resources they feel the need to let the other planets and system's know. If only they could get help from the inside. I felt like there were some world building holes, but the story was compelling and I liked the characters.