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11.2k reviews for:

Stardust

Neil Gaiman

4.01 AVERAGE

adventurous medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

4.5 stars

I was recommended this book by a good friend who loves Fantasy and Science Fiction. These aren’t my usual genres so she said “Start with my favorite book.” I put it off for a month because 1) I waited for the audiobook because I love Neil Gaiman’s voice and 2) I was scared to not love it. Thankfully I did end up really enjoying this book and totally get why people suggest it so much. It’s got the real world and a portal to a magical world where fairies, witches and other magical things exist. What’s not to enjoy!? It’s definitely in the top 3 of Neil Gaiman books that I’ve read.
adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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: No

I had seen the movie and it was fun to read the book. I enjoyed the whimsy of the story and characters. 
adventurous
adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Fun, fast paced adventure.

Not my cup of tea. I had high hopes for the book, but alas, it didn’t live up to its enchanting cover.
adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing 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

I absolutely loved the movie so was excited to read this book. I bought it a couple years ago before I knew how terrible of a person Neil Gaiman was. Figured I would still read it since the money was already spent.

I'm going to be honest, maybe it's just my feelings about the author influencing my opinion, but this book just fell so flat. I wanted to like it but especially after reading The Last Unicorn earlier this year, it just felt like a lifeless imitation of a fairy tale. I have only read one other book by Gaiman (excluding Good Omens) and didn't like it. Maybe he just isn't the author for me, which I don't feel bad about at all. I did find Tristran to be a fun and interesting character and the world felt fun and magical! Don't want to be all negative. 

Not really worth the read, movie is miles better. 
adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

In his acknowledgements, Neil Gaiman says "The kids, to be frank, were absolutely no help at all, and I truly don’t think I’d ever have it any other way."

This honest, flippant and slightly sarcastic remark made me laugh out loud. And that is approximately the tone and delight with which I perceived the actual story.

It's a fairytale, written for adults. If you'd asked me before I read it, I'd not have thought it worth the read. I'm so glad I didn't know what I was getting into, and that I pushed through my skepticism when I started to realize I was reading something weird: it only got stranger and more wonderful.