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A review by grhuberg
Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor
3.0
The romantic subplot had no payoff, chemistry, or really…anything? There was more chemistry and tension between Eliza and her past lover, for christ’s sake. It also was needlessly hostile towards the sapphic characters while constantly reminding the reader how perfect and harmless the aro/ace character is. Of course, aro/ace characters need representation, but does it have to be at the expense of tearing down other members of the LGBTQ+ community by relying on an old, tired stereotype that lesbians are mean, violent, and downright cruel?
The book itself on a logistical standpoint needs a better editor. There were several spelling and grammatical errors, which took me out of the reading experience. One particularly egregious error was at a point where Anna says something similar to “He must have kept notes somewhere,” for Nathaniel to respond to, and the scene plays out twice on the same page with different responses. It felt like Thorr wrote out two possibilities and forgot to delete the one they didn’t choose.
All that to say, with all its thorns, it was a fun read. I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick sci fi read for the summer. But if you go into it under the note that it’s sapphic, you may not find what you’re looking for.
The book itself on a logistical standpoint needs a better editor. There were several spelling and grammatical errors, which took me out of the reading experience. One particularly egregious error was at a point where Anna says something similar to “He must have kept notes somewhere,” for Nathaniel to respond to, and the scene plays out twice on the same page with different responses. It felt like Thorr wrote out two possibilities and forgot to delete the one they didn’t choose.
All that to say, with all its thorns, it was a fun read. I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick sci fi read for the summer. But if you go into it under the note that it’s sapphic, you may not find what you’re looking for.