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A review by princessleopard
Star Spark by Day Leitao
2.0
Preface: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
This book was pretty underwhelming. It was an odd story in that it didn't know what it really wanted to be. It sets up a bunch of different hooks, but just runs from one to another without any real idea of where the next beat will be. Female Main Character is raised on an island and is learning magic. She wants to get good enough to move onto the next island, so she can date--Oh, no, she's leaving the community entirely because a woman she just met says she can reveal her magical destiny. They're on their way to someone who--Oh, nope, that didn't work out. Now she's at a a military academy for aspiring cadets. Maybe it's going to be an academy novel where she makes friends and learns skills--Oh, nope, she's moved on and is living on an island with some other cadets. She's bonding--Oh, she's kidnapped. I guess they'll take her back to--Oh, no, they're shipwrecked now and struggling to survive. That's gotta be the rest of the no--Nope, rescued, she's back on the island, and now she's wrapped up in some weird governmental intrigue--
You see what I mean? The story just takes rights and lefts without any real development of any of the ideas it touches on. Oh, and the main main character gets some chapters sprinkled in, too, though they're mostly just him being sulky or kidnapping people.
That's the other big issue of the novel - the characters aren't particularly developed or likeable. Our female hero is bright as a box of rocks, constantly getting herself into trouble because she's too dumb to remember basic instructions or make good choices (and not in a naive, needs-to-become-more-streetwise kinda way, in a forgetting-specific-instructions-to-keep-her-alive way). The male main character is broody and kinda mean. He's also pretty stupid at some points - there's a gross little scene where FMC thinks he's going to sexually assault her after he's kidnapped her, and he literally thinks "I would never do anything against her will!" /mid kidnapping./ C'mon, now. Then, they fall in love after just a few days, and from then on it's like die-hard pure-noble-extreme love, despite them being basically strangers.
The B- and C-tier characters are all underdeveloped and interchangeable as well. The only notable thing about any of them is that two are lesbians, which is nice, even if it's meaningless.
Overall, I would not recommend this story. It needed a lot more focus and a lot more development to be worth reading. Unless you're into a confusing, meandering plot and bland characters, give this a pass.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
This book was pretty underwhelming. It was an odd story in that it didn't know what it really wanted to be. It sets up a bunch of different hooks, but just runs from one to another without any real idea of where the next beat will be. Female Main Character is raised on an island and is learning magic. She wants to get good enough to move onto the next island, so she can date--Oh, no, she's leaving the community entirely because a woman she just met says she can reveal her magical destiny. They're on their way to someone who--Oh, nope, that didn't work out. Now she's at a a military academy for aspiring cadets. Maybe it's going to be an academy novel where she makes friends and learns skills--Oh, nope, she's moved on and is living on an island with some other cadets. She's bonding--Oh, she's kidnapped. I guess they'll take her back to--Oh, no, they're shipwrecked now and struggling to survive. That's gotta be the rest of the no--Nope, rescued, she's back on the island, and now she's wrapped up in some weird governmental intrigue--
You see what I mean? The story just takes rights and lefts without any real development of any of the ideas it touches on. Oh, and the main main character gets some chapters sprinkled in, too, though they're mostly just him being sulky or kidnapping people.
That's the other big issue of the novel - the characters aren't particularly developed or likeable. Our female hero is bright as a box of rocks, constantly getting herself into trouble because she's too dumb to remember basic instructions or make good choices (and not in a naive, needs-to-become-more-streetwise kinda way, in a forgetting-specific-instructions-to-keep-her-alive way). The male main character is broody and kinda mean. He's also pretty stupid at some points - there's a gross little scene where FMC thinks he's going to sexually assault her after he's kidnapped her, and he literally thinks "I would never do anything against her will!" /mid kidnapping./ C'mon, now. Then, they fall in love after just a few days, and from then on it's like die-hard pure-noble-extreme love, despite them being basically strangers.
The B- and C-tier characters are all underdeveloped and interchangeable as well. The only notable thing about any of them is that two are lesbians, which is nice, even if it's meaningless.
Overall, I would not recommend this story. It needed a lot more focus and a lot more development to be worth reading. Unless you're into a confusing, meandering plot and bland characters, give this a pass.