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nenacall's review
4.0
Kira suffers a great loss when her mother dies suddenly and her world changes completely. Her vision changes as she can now see lights all around her in the dark. A shadow beast chases her into the woods where she finds a door to hide and finds herself in another realm. This new world, Camellia has great Japanese influences. There is a war going on between the magics of light and shadow and Kira ends up being involved. This story has spirits, animals, knights, mages, and more. Great character development as Kira learns about this realm and about her new magic and how her past may be a lie.
jksteach's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
Intriguing academy story with a twist!
Kira is running from a beast made of shadow when she flees from our world through a door into the Realm of Camellia. In this new world, reminiscent of ancient Japan, Kira realizes that she possesses light magic and she is taken to train as a knight of light. She’s enjoying her new life, but the feud between the light and shadows is getting worse and she may be the one who can stop it.
I enjoyed the world building and the found family in the story. It’s a fast, fun read appropriate for middle school+.
The book reminded me a bit of the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce in a Japanese influenced culture, so if you enjoyed those books, give this one a try!
davidgreenwriter's review
5.0
The Starless Girl, Realm of Camellia book one, is a strong start and has me hooked and ready to dive into the next book right away.
Told from the POV of Kira, a teenage girl who has just suffered a profound loss that, for reasons unknown to her, changes her perception of reality, The Starless Girl is a well-written and perfectly-paced journey of self-discovery, and one where you'll be rooting for the MC throughout.
Delton makes some excellent narrative choices early on. The conflicting incident is introduced early, and the new world of Camellia is quickly brought into the story so both Kira and the reader are able to explore and understand it. I enjoyed the Japanese influence present in Camellia, and Kira is a capable and well-rounded character to spend time with.
For fans of series like Percy Jackson or The Kingkiller Chronicles, and a book I'd heartily recommend.
Told from the POV of Kira, a teenage girl who has just suffered a profound loss that, for reasons unknown to her, changes her perception of reality, The Starless Girl is a well-written and perfectly-paced journey of self-discovery, and one where you'll be rooting for the MC throughout.
Delton makes some excellent narrative choices early on. The conflicting incident is introduced early, and the new world of Camellia is quickly brought into the story so both Kira and the reader are able to explore and understand it. I enjoyed the Japanese influence present in Camellia, and Kira is a capable and well-rounded character to spend time with.
For fans of series like Percy Jackson or The Kingkiller Chronicles, and a book I'd heartily recommend.
hckilgour's review
3.0
So I went into this book knowing nothing. That being said, I wish the age of Kira had been made clear. From what I can tell this is a middle grade or lower YA read.
As far as the writing style goes, it lends itself very well to the age of the intended reader. And the writing has a nice flow.
The whole thing with Rabenda and her kinda getting over her grudge with Kira I think didn’t fit her character. And I would’ve liked to see more conflict between these two characters.
The Japanese influence in this book was very heavy and extremely well done. It was really nice to read a book not based on a white culture for once.
The ending definitely had me wanting more and I can’t wait to dive into the second book!
As far as the writing style goes, it lends itself very well to the age of the intended reader. And the writing has a nice flow.
The whole thing with Rabenda and her kinda getting over her grudge with Kira I think didn’t fit her character. And I would’ve liked to see more conflict between these two characters.
The Japanese influence in this book was very heavy and extremely well done. It was really nice to read a book not based on a white culture for once.
The ending definitely had me wanting more and I can’t wait to dive into the second book!
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