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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Not a huge fan of aliens, I was unsure of this book but knew that I had loved everything else Sherry Soule had written. I had to give it a chance and am I ever glad that I did. This is absolutely wonderful book. Aliens are not of the E.T. type in this story, but definitely are not human. I enjoyed the aliens very much and would not mind being just friends with one myself.
Lost in Starlight has everything I look for in a good book, romance, a tad of humor, and intrigue. Sloane is unique to say the least. She hangs out in a cemetery to unwind and relax. Her relationship with Hayden is steamy hot. I know they are teenagers in high school, but wow the sparks flew between these two. Hayden knew he had to be the protector and keep Sloane safe from the people in his life that would not accept her and their relationship, but yet he knew that he had to have her in his life in order for it to be complete.
My issue with this book?? The ending…CLIFFHANGER! I am hoping and praying that Sherry Soule does not leave me hanging for long and comes out with the next book in this series very quickly. I have to know what is going to happen with Sloane and Hayden.
Lost in Starlight has everything I look for in a good book, romance, a tad of humor, and intrigue. Sloane is unique to say the least. She hangs out in a cemetery to unwind and relax. Her relationship with Hayden is steamy hot. I know they are teenagers in high school, but wow the sparks flew between these two. Hayden knew he had to be the protector and keep Sloane safe from the people in his life that would not accept her and their relationship, but yet he knew that he had to have her in his life in order for it to be complete.
My issue with this book?? The ending…CLIFFHANGER! I am hoping and praying that Sherry Soule does not leave me hanging for long and comes out with the next book in this series very quickly. I have to know what is going to happen with Sloane and Hayden.
> Full Review
I think we all have guilty pleasures when it comes to books and mine is teen aliens. I loved the Roswell TV show, as well as the books that inspired it, and I also love the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Therefore Lost in Starlight seemed like my kind of book from the start. The story focuses on a teenage girl who has to investigate the whereabouts of one of her classmates for the school paper. Instead of the hacking story she was looking for, she discovers much more. Hayden is definitively not human, he is a hybrid, and what Sloane finds is a whole alien community that might not be so happy about a regular human snooping around their business…
I really liked our main character, Sloane. She is very resilient and pugnacious as it’s something I love. Maybe because I’m very resilient too so I like that when I find the same quality in a book character. Aside from her motivation, Sloane was also interesting because of her eccentricities. She is passionate by horror flicks, has her very own fashion sense, and totally owns her differences. Even when people try to get her down, particularly about her curves, she never backs down and always presents a strong and determinate front. Hayden, our male alien, is without surprises particularly dreamy. Aside from the obvious hotness, I found his kindness and sense of justice even more appealing. I like a guy who doesn’t define himself by his good looks and who is not scared to stand up for the people in need.
Of course the most interesting part of the story is how the whole “teenage alien thing” was played out in this book. The back-story created by the author for the hybrids alien was interesting and quite tangible. It wasn’t too developed yet and we didn’t get to discover much of it. This first book explores more the romance than the paranormal aspect, which was not so bad since it’s clear that the background is here and ready to be more developed in the sequels. The only downside is that we didn’t get to meet someone we can identify as the big bad guy yet. The antagonists were mostly Sloane’s chief at the school paper and Hayden’s younger brother. They both were utterly annoying but it’s still mostly made for the human setting of the story, not the hybrid one. I guess I was excepting something fishy happening with the hybrids and when no one revealed himself as “the guy with evil plans to dominate the world” I was a bit disappointed.
Overall Lost in Starlight was a good first book. Sloane is a very compelling character and her star-crossed romance with Hayden was appealing, even though we didn’t get that much surprises and everything was kind of predictable. But, more importantly, the hybrid side of the story holds lots of potential and the end cliffhanger promises lots of craziness for the sequel.
I think we all have guilty pleasures when it comes to books and mine is teen aliens. I loved the Roswell TV show, as well as the books that inspired it, and I also love the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Therefore Lost in Starlight seemed like my kind of book from the start. The story focuses on a teenage girl who has to investigate the whereabouts of one of her classmates for the school paper. Instead of the hacking story she was looking for, she discovers much more. Hayden is definitively not human, he is a hybrid, and what Sloane finds is a whole alien community that might not be so happy about a regular human snooping around their business…
I really liked our main character, Sloane. She is very resilient and pugnacious as it’s something I love. Maybe because I’m very resilient too so I like that when I find the same quality in a book character. Aside from her motivation, Sloane was also interesting because of her eccentricities. She is passionate by horror flicks, has her very own fashion sense, and totally owns her differences. Even when people try to get her down, particularly about her curves, she never backs down and always presents a strong and determinate front. Hayden, our male alien, is without surprises particularly dreamy. Aside from the obvious hotness, I found his kindness and sense of justice even more appealing. I like a guy who doesn’t define himself by his good looks and who is not scared to stand up for the people in need.
Of course the most interesting part of the story is how the whole “teenage alien thing” was played out in this book. The back-story created by the author for the hybrids alien was interesting and quite tangible. It wasn’t too developed yet and we didn’t get to discover much of it. This first book explores more the romance than the paranormal aspect, which was not so bad since it’s clear that the background is here and ready to be more developed in the sequels. The only downside is that we didn’t get to meet someone we can identify as the big bad guy yet. The antagonists were mostly Sloane’s chief at the school paper and Hayden’s younger brother. They both were utterly annoying but it’s still mostly made for the human setting of the story, not the hybrid one. I guess I was excepting something fishy happening with the hybrids and when no one revealed himself as “the guy with evil plans to dominate the world” I was a bit disappointed.
Overall Lost in Starlight was a good first book. Sloane is a very compelling character and her star-crossed romance with Hayden was appealing, even though we didn’t get that much surprises and everything was kind of predictable. But, more importantly, the hybrid side of the story holds lots of potential and the end cliffhanger promises lots of craziness for the sequel.
{my thoughts} – This book was incredibly well written. It pulled me in from the beginning. I suppose because I am one of those individuals that really do enjoy a casual, not to frightful, yet entertaining story to read.
Sloane Masterson works for the High School newspaper and was assigned a story to get the inside scope on a new boy named Hayden Lancaster. Devin the chief editor of the paper seems to have a thing for Sloane and can’t seem to make his eyes look any where other then her chest. This annoys her as well as those around her that see what he is doing. He is the one that gave her the story to chase and that is exactly what she plans to do – chase the story. Or should I say chase the guy!
She ends up getting to know Hayden and they become friends. Throughout the book they develop an understanding where he is going to be her friend ad protect her and she is going to be his friend and not write the story. She just wanted to know him, to know his secrets, write her story and be done with it all, but she ended up getting in way over her head. In the end she was dealing with far more then she could have ever bargained for!
The end of the book. I can say I assumed it would be the ending, but I wasn’t certain. Make sure you pay attention to the little clues that the author nibbles you with as your reading!
{some quotes i loved} –
“Viola prefers book boyfriends over real guys, and I gotta admit, she has a point. Fictional hotties are way more exciting than the real thing.”
“If you can survive a High School lunchroom you can survive anything. Well, with the exception of a zombie apocalypse.”
“No “I, myself, am strange and unusual,” I say, quoting one of my favorite movies, Beetle Juice, Love me some Tim Burton films.”
“I want to be accepted for who I am. Respected despite my style choices. So I favor the dark-side in apparel, what’s the big deal.”
{about the author} –
Award-winning author, Sherry Soule writes thrilling tales of romance and suspense, of-ten mingled with a dash of the mystical and a splash of trendy fashion.
Her published novels do not include any graphic sex, explicit violence, or excessive profanity, so that all of her novels can be read and enjoyed by both teens and adults Sherry currently lives with her family and one very spoiled black cat in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
Sloane Masterson works for the High School newspaper and was assigned a story to get the inside scope on a new boy named Hayden Lancaster. Devin the chief editor of the paper seems to have a thing for Sloane and can’t seem to make his eyes look any where other then her chest. This annoys her as well as those around her that see what he is doing. He is the one that gave her the story to chase and that is exactly what she plans to do – chase the story. Or should I say chase the guy!
She ends up getting to know Hayden and they become friends. Throughout the book they develop an understanding where he is going to be her friend ad protect her and she is going to be his friend and not write the story. She just wanted to know him, to know his secrets, write her story and be done with it all, but she ended up getting in way over her head. In the end she was dealing with far more then she could have ever bargained for!
The end of the book. I can say I assumed it would be the ending, but I wasn’t certain. Make sure you pay attention to the little clues that the author nibbles you with as your reading!
{some quotes i loved} –
“Viola prefers book boyfriends over real guys, and I gotta admit, she has a point. Fictional hotties are way more exciting than the real thing.”
“If you can survive a High School lunchroom you can survive anything. Well, with the exception of a zombie apocalypse.”
“No “I, myself, am strange and unusual,” I say, quoting one of my favorite movies, Beetle Juice, Love me some Tim Burton films.”
“I want to be accepted for who I am. Respected despite my style choices. So I favor the dark-side in apparel, what’s the big deal.”
{about the author} –
Award-winning author, Sherry Soule writes thrilling tales of romance and suspense, of-ten mingled with a dash of the mystical and a splash of trendy fashion.
Her published novels do not include any graphic sex, explicit violence, or excessive profanity, so that all of her novels can be read and enjoyed by both teens and adults Sherry currently lives with her family and one very spoiled black cat in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
I don't believe we are alone in the universe. Have you seen the size of it? Have you listened to what NASA has believed they have found through out the years? Strange sightings? Getting my vibe here? I am serious. Lost in Starlight by Sherry Soule can be real in a sense that it kind of scare me. But if one of those alien hybrids happened to be Hayden....I would super alright with that.
Soule created a character I could immediately relate to. Sloane works on the school newspaper and her latest story is to dig up dirt on the sexy new student Hayden Lancaster. But she got more then she bargained for when she witnesses him bending a metal fork with nothing but his mind. She admitted that she was stalking him to get the information she needed, and yes she was obsessed with him at times but she is seventeen years old. Us teenage girls tend to be boy crazy.
"I've never been what most people would consider skinny and over the years, the extra poundage has crept on slowly..."
-Slaone
I was easily able to relate with her. I struggled with my weight (I still do) for all my life. Most heroines are super skinny, not that that is anything wrong with that but not every heroine has to be a size five. It made me happy to see the Soule broke through the stereotype. I was even angry every time someone would pass a comment about her weight. She is curly okay? For most of the book she would pretty cool with her size and I admire that in a character a lot. A lot of things with Sloane made her different from other female heroines as well.
When I saw extraterrestrials I expected Hayden to be an Alien. The actual aliens are called Zeta's who had come to earth, experimented on willing humans, and then left. That made Hayden a hybrid who has both human and Zeta DNA. I wasn't unhappy with that though. I liked it. It actually seems more realistic in a sense that actually aliens. That is the part that scared me.
But just because Hayden is a hybrid doesn't mean he doesn't have a strict code of rules to follow. What is the biggest rule you ask? No dating humans. That is a problem when Sloane and Hayden have a growing attraction for each other. The romance in Lost in Starlight had my heart melting. It was so sweet. They have so much against them but they still try to make it work.
This review and more can be found at The Book Bratz
Soule mentions a lot of bands and TV shows in the book and if Sloane was a real person I think we would get along great! I was bouncing up and down when they were discussing The Walking Dead. Who knew alien hybrids liked zombies? Not me!!
On the downside I wish the government was a bit more involved. The Sector Thirteen agent wasn't in the story as much as I hoped he would be. Which actually isn't as much as a bad thing. But they are still another book for that to happen!
I have nothing but amazing things to say about this book. I loved the characters, the setting, the whole idea behind it. It was an easy read that I could have finished a lot faster if I didn't have family commitments.
I am such a picky person with endings, of course this ending makes me want to have the second book in the series in my hands right about now. I need to know what happens. I expected that ending though, in all honestly, so I was easily prepared instead of completely blind sided.
Check out my review here: http://thepaigeturnerblog.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/lost-in-starlight-by-sherry-soule/
**This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for my honest review**
Rating: 3.5 stars
Very reminiscient of Alienated by Melissa Landers, Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. One of those books I love, the other two I absolutely am not a fan of. This book shares qualities from all three of them, which is why I found it so difficult to rate/review this. On initial thoughts, I want to say I didn't like this book because it reminds me of two books/series that I simply think are poorly written. On the other hand, there are a lot of good things about Lost in Starlight that I can't judge it unfairly because of what it reminds me of.
First off, this is not an original story. At least not to me. I predicted everything that happened. From Sloane and Devin to her father to every single one of Hayden's actions and reactions. I think that's one peeve for me with this book -- there were no surprises. I wasn't shocked. I wasn't taken off guard or thrown for a loop. This book felt very safe to me.
With that being said, I still thought it was interesting. Playing it safe isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially the first book of a potential series. The first book has to set up book two. Which is what I think Soule was doing. Or at least I hope so.
Let's talk world building -- it was good, but it was a little weak for me. I didn't necessarily gather that anyone was really an alien. Just a byproduct of a science experience. It didn't feel sci-fi to me, just paranormal. Which is fine, but I feel like the world is way bigger than what is given to me in book one. But then again, like I've stated, book one could just be setting everything up. The concept of hybrids is great, but their way of life and customs aren' very believeable. I didn't feel anything when Hayden and Sloane were threatened and captured. I just didn't feel the cause and effect added up enough for their to be as big of an outcry that occurred in the book. There were instances between Sloane and Devin that just didn't make any kind of sense to me. Her reactions to his blatant sexual assault throughout the entire book were completely unbelieveable for me. You have someone invading your personal space, touching your body, and you do nothing because you "work with him" on the school paper? Illogical. And Sloane appeared to be smarter than that. When dealing with Devin, she felt dumbed down a lot.
Characters? They were decent. Hayden was pretty good. Sloane was good. Zach was even tolerable. The supporting characters, to me, were pointless. Other than the antagonists. Sloane's friends weren't memorable. Neither were her parents and Hayden's parents. Even though, I saw what happened with Sloane's dad coming from a mile away. I really did like that Soule didn't make Sloane your typical thin, blonde hair, blue eyed girl. She was unique and representative of the common teenage girl. Mad respect for that.
There could have been more in depth development between Sloane and Hayden, especially considering how intrusive she was on Hayden's life initially. It just went quite fast for me. And then to have what occurred at the end take place like that? It was an up and down rollercoaster that lead to an unnecessarily flatline. Hayden went from zero to 100 back to zero and I couldn't follow why. I mean, he explains why, but even so... it didn't leave me satisfied -- at least until book two.
Now for everything that I loved. Soule does a great job emoting. She created some nice "feels" moments throughout the books, when it came to our two lead characters. I will say that they were really cute together. And it was nice to witness Hayden being himself. That was the only time that I believed their relationship -- when they were in it. I didn't like the lead up and I didn't like the lead out. But the in? That was really good.
There is an amazing concept with fantastic potential in this book, but right now, I'm not enjoying the execution. Too much reminded me of other books, including the dialogue. I know that you can't always be 100% original, but it was just too close for me.
With that being said, I did enjoy reading the book. I did like the concept, and I do see the potential for greater things. Everything is on the precipice of being better than it is currently, and that is why I'm giving this book the rating that I did. I did like it, but I'm hypercritical because it could be way better than it is. I'm not invested in this world yet, but I could be. With the proper tweaks.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Very reminiscient of Alienated by Melissa Landers, Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. One of those books I love, the other two I absolutely am not a fan of. This book shares qualities from all three of them, which is why I found it so difficult to rate/review this. On initial thoughts, I want to say I didn't like this book because it reminds me of two books/series that I simply think are poorly written. On the other hand, there are a lot of good things about Lost in Starlight that I can't judge it unfairly because of what it reminds me of.
First off, this is not an original story. At least not to me. I predicted everything that happened. From Sloane and Devin to her father to every single one of Hayden's actions and reactions. I think that's one peeve for me with this book -- there were no surprises. I wasn't shocked. I wasn't taken off guard or thrown for a loop. This book felt very safe to me.
With that being said, I still thought it was interesting. Playing it safe isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially the first book of a potential series. The first book has to set up book two. Which is what I think Soule was doing. Or at least I hope so.
Let's talk world building -- it was good, but it was a little weak for me. I didn't necessarily gather that anyone was really an alien. Just a byproduct of a science experience. It didn't feel sci-fi to me, just paranormal. Which is fine, but I feel like the world is way bigger than what is given to me in book one. But then again, like I've stated, book one could just be setting everything up. The concept of hybrids is great, but their way of life and customs aren' very believeable. I didn't feel anything when Hayden and Sloane were threatened and captured. I just didn't feel the cause and effect added up enough for their to be as big of an outcry that occurred in the book. There were instances between Sloane and Devin that just didn't make any kind of sense to me. Her reactions to his blatant sexual assault throughout the entire book were completely unbelieveable for me. You have someone invading your personal space, touching your body, and you do nothing because you "work with him" on the school paper? Illogical. And Sloane appeared to be smarter than that. When dealing with Devin, she felt dumbed down a lot.
Characters? They were decent. Hayden was pretty good. Sloane was good. Zach was even tolerable. The supporting characters, to me, were pointless. Other than the antagonists. Sloane's friends weren't memorable. Neither were her parents and Hayden's parents. Even though, I saw what happened with Sloane's dad coming from a mile away. I really did like that Soule didn't make Sloane your typical thin, blonde hair, blue eyed girl. She was unique and representative of the common teenage girl. Mad respect for that.
There could have been more in depth development between Sloane and Hayden, especially considering how intrusive she was on Hayden's life initially. It just went quite fast for me. And then to have what occurred at the end take place like that? It was an up and down rollercoaster that lead to an unnecessarily flatline. Hayden went from zero to 100 back to zero and I couldn't follow why. I mean, he explains why, but even so... it didn't leave me satisfied -- at least until book two.
Now for everything that I loved. Soule does a great job emoting. She created some nice "feels" moments throughout the books, when it came to our two lead characters. I will say that they were really cute together. And it was nice to witness Hayden being himself. That was the only time that I believed their relationship -- when they were in it. I didn't like the lead up and I didn't like the lead out. But the in? That was really good.
There is an amazing concept with fantastic potential in this book, but right now, I'm not enjoying the execution. Too much reminded me of other books, including the dialogue. I know that you can't always be 100% original, but it was just too close for me.
With that being said, I did enjoy reading the book. I did like the concept, and I do see the potential for greater things. Everything is on the precipice of being better than it is currently, and that is why I'm giving this book the rating that I did. I did like it, but I'm hypercritical because it could be way better than it is. I'm not invested in this world yet, but I could be. With the proper tweaks.
3.5 - This was a wonderful surprise read! Ms. Soule has a way with words and the thing that really popped out to me was her dialogue. Main character Sloane Masterson was a nice mix of Veronica Mars and Sarah Bailey (from 1996s The Craft), a snarky teen but not annoying. Instead, I was intrigued by her world loved that she enjoyed many of the same things I did (with a nice shout out to Konrath's pen name) and that she seemed comfortable in her skin. Sometimes YA heroines are over the top YA but Sloane read genuine to me and I loved the way she spoke and presented herself. I love that she was attracted to Hayden but was turned off by his attitude. Often heroines are so swoony over heroes that they ignore the jerky personality so it was nice to see Sloane acknowledge that. I was eager to dive into Ms. Soule's world and as I read on find out revelations with who Hayden and his brother are and who are on their trail, I couldn't help but enjoy putting things together alongside with Sloane. The sci-fi romance aspect was very much welcome and proved why I love SFR in the YA genre. Being a world building info junkie, I'm dying to know more about the alien community.
This is the first in a series so there is a bit of a cliffhanger but the story and dialogue make this a worthwhile read and a very fun ride. By the end, I was eager to read more of Ms. Soule's works. I recommend this for mid to older teens due to some minor language, sexual content and situations.
***I was gifted an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review***
This is the first in a series so there is a bit of a cliffhanger but the story and dialogue make this a worthwhile read and a very fun ride. By the end, I was eager to read more of Ms. Soule's works. I recommend this for mid to older teens due to some minor language, sexual content and situations.
***I was gifted an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review***
Lost in Starlight begins when Sloane has to do a story on her crush the secretive bad boy Hayden who just moved here six months ago. She starts to notice some strange things about him, but things change when her crush turns into something so much more. Now after uncovering his secret she must now be very careful not to let anyone know about it. And since Hayden must follow certain rules these two can't be in a romantic relationship... or can they?
This book reminds me a lot of the Lux series, with a little bit of "superhero" thrown in. It was very good though! I really enjoyed the plot line, and both of the main characters. The chemistry between the Hayden and Sloane was explosive as well, and I couldn't get enough of it. I loved Sloane's personality. She wasn't afraid to stick up for herself, and for those she loves. And Hayden is a lot like that as well, but he's sort of the rebel too.
There were only three things that bugged me about the story:
1) The cliffhanger ending. Ahh I loved where the ending took us, but I also didn't like it because it just left us hanging. Now I can not wait till the next book.
2) I felt once Hayden and Sloane "got together" things for them sort of went really fast.
3) I hated the fact that Sloane was so smart she knew something strange was going on with Hayden, but when someone strange was following her she tried to blow it off. Now this last one didn't last too long, but it still bothered me that she didn't pick up on who it was faster, it made it seem like she wasn't as smart as she originally seemed.
Other than those three things this book was awesome. And now I can not wait to read more in this series!
This book reminds me a lot of the Lux series, with a little bit of "superhero" thrown in. It was very good though! I really enjoyed the plot line, and both of the main characters. The chemistry between the Hayden and Sloane was explosive as well, and I couldn't get enough of it. I loved Sloane's personality. She wasn't afraid to stick up for herself, and for those she loves. And Hayden is a lot like that as well, but he's sort of the rebel too.
There were only three things that bugged me about the story:
1) The cliffhanger ending. Ahh I loved where the ending took us, but I also didn't like it because it just left us hanging. Now I can not wait till the next book.
2) I felt once Hayden and Sloane "got together" things for them sort of went really fast.
3) I hated the fact that Sloane was so smart she knew something strange was going on with Hayden, but when someone strange was following her she tried to blow it off. Now this last one didn't last too long, but it still bothered me that she didn't pick up on who it was faster, it made it seem like she wasn't as smart as she originally seemed.
Other than those three things this book was awesome. And now I can not wait to read more in this series!
I received a copy of this title from the author. It does not impact my review.
I’ve heard the Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout described as “Alien Twilight”, but now I have to disagree. “Lost in Starlight” fits the comparison much better. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. (Come on, you all know you loved Twilight before it was cool to hate on it.) It has a lot of similarities to Twilight and to the Lux series, but it’s still it’s own unique story in a lot of other ways.
Sloane is a pretty great main character. I waffled at times on whether or not I completely liked her, but I think that makes her a more authentic character. Teenage girls are complex, complicated beings whose moods and personalities can alter at a drop of a hat. Sloane is a strong female with integrity, but was also slightly > a lot boy crazy/dependent when it came to Hayden.
I also liked that Sloane is not the perfect size two, super popular OR super “above it all”. She has a group of friends that are different, but not necessarily “outcasts.” She dresses like an edgy Lola Nolan and in a size 12-14 (thought I don’t remember Hot Topic selling those sizes when I was in high school…). She deals with some guys only interested in her for her chest (I understood this part of the plot, but thought there was a little too much emphasis on it) and other guys fat-shaming her. I felt like her struggle with self-consciousness on her way to acceptance to be a refreshing change in YA literature – especially because the acceptance wasn’t just because a guy was into her (though it helped, obviously).
I didn’t feel Hayden was as developed as Sloane. He was a likable enough character, sweet and a little cheesy, protective. When the “big reveal” finally happens, I thought it was a little too rushed and I would have liked a lot more information on the Zetas and their community. Hopefully this will come in the next books.
The plot was a little slow, mostly focusing on Sloane’s investigation of Hayden and then developing their relationship. The end got a little more action-packed, but I wish there would have been a little more build up to it throughout the book. There is also a clue to a twist in the end that I guessed almost right away, but still really liked the way it was cleverly revealed.
Overall, I mostly enjoyed Lost in Starlight. Though there was some mild language and sexual content, I think the younger end of the YA spectrum would enjoy it a little more. I loved the character development of Sloane and the sweet moments between her and Hayden. I would recommend this book to fans of Twilight and YA paranormal romance.
Rating (out of 5):
Plot: 3
Characters: 3
Readability: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Total Average: 3 stars
See my review: http://stephaniesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/review-lost-in…y-sherry-soule/
I’ve heard the Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout described as “Alien Twilight”, but now I have to disagree. “Lost in Starlight” fits the comparison much better. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. (Come on, you all know you loved Twilight before it was cool to hate on it.) It has a lot of similarities to Twilight and to the Lux series, but it’s still it’s own unique story in a lot of other ways.
Sloane is a pretty great main character. I waffled at times on whether or not I completely liked her, but I think that makes her a more authentic character. Teenage girls are complex, complicated beings whose moods and personalities can alter at a drop of a hat. Sloane is a strong female with integrity, but was also slightly > a lot boy crazy/dependent when it came to Hayden.
I also liked that Sloane is not the perfect size two, super popular OR super “above it all”. She has a group of friends that are different, but not necessarily “outcasts.” She dresses like an edgy Lola Nolan and in a size 12-14 (thought I don’t remember Hot Topic selling those sizes when I was in high school…). She deals with some guys only interested in her for her chest (I understood this part of the plot, but thought there was a little too much emphasis on it) and other guys fat-shaming her. I felt like her struggle with self-consciousness on her way to acceptance to be a refreshing change in YA literature – especially because the acceptance wasn’t just because a guy was into her (though it helped, obviously).
I didn’t feel Hayden was as developed as Sloane. He was a likable enough character, sweet and a little cheesy, protective. When the “big reveal” finally happens, I thought it was a little too rushed and I would have liked a lot more information on the Zetas and their community. Hopefully this will come in the next books.
The plot was a little slow, mostly focusing on Sloane’s investigation of Hayden and then developing their relationship. The end got a little more action-packed, but I wish there would have been a little more build up to it throughout the book. There is also a clue to a twist in the end that I guessed almost right away, but still really liked the way it was cleverly revealed.
Overall, I mostly enjoyed Lost in Starlight. Though there was some mild language and sexual content, I think the younger end of the YA spectrum would enjoy it a little more. I loved the character development of Sloane and the sweet moments between her and Hayden. I would recommend this book to fans of Twilight and YA paranormal romance.
Rating (out of 5):
Plot: 3
Characters: 3
Readability: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Total Average: 3 stars
See my review: http://stephaniesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/review-lost-in…y-sherry-soule/