A review by luckykosmos
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

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

2.25

Wanted to love this one but it was all over. The pacing needed work - there was a massive drought in the middle where it felt like nothing happened, that could easily have been used to better flesh out some of the plot threads (the star hunters! the missing marionettes!) . There were some lines that were gorgeous, but they were interspersed with very plain and uninformative - dedicating a single sentence to Sheetal's supposedly amazing dance was a big let down. At other times, it felt like thesaurus bait. If I had to read 'sidereal' one more time, I was going to scream. The ending was a mess, suddenly dealing with threads that were poorly seeded throughout the book. All in all, needed a big heap of editing, but the author definitely has wonderful ideas that need refinement in execution. 

A note on the non-straight characters as well:
I have issues with the portrayal of so many of them as duplicitous in one way or another. Sachin sabotaging the other contestants is the big one of course, but even Sheetal spending so much time thinking about how Minal had betrayed her by blending in with the rest of the star kingdom (which we never see, we just know Minal isn't gone). Padmini's about-face on her attitude toward the mortals make sense in terms of caring for her brother, but the structure makes it feel incredibly selfish. Part of this could be just how many of the characters in the competition are fiercely defensive of themselves, but weak structure just makes me dislike most of them (really, anyone but Minal, who deserved better).
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