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A review by amberannasimmons
Of the Stars by A.M. Alcedo
4.0
Of The Stars by A.M. Alcedo is a beautiful book, from the cover art to the type-set to the language the author uses to describe her characters. Overall, I enjoyed the story, despite some of my own misgivings about certain tropes and themes.
I generally avoid platonic soulmates, just because it’s hard to do right - and let’s be honest, I like smut a little too much! I don’t know that Of the Stars totally nails the concept, but it comes closer than any other books I’ve read, with the main characters - Norah and Dex - growing into a kind, loving duo with a relationship built on friendship and compassion, as well as shared admiration. These characters definitely drive the story, with each bringing a different perspective to the universe they share. I didn’t find the side characters (with the notable exception of Alina, who has my heart) as engaging, but they moved the story when necessary.
Although the language is beautiful, there are places where the language was purposely complicated or obfuscating just to build prose. And in some places, it works! There are lovingly crafted passages about mental health, about the concept of friendship, about the very mechanics of being alive. Some of the descriptions - but, thankfully, very little of the dialogue - are stilted, or contain so much language that the page feels too full. This made reading a little uneven; the way Norah talks about her trauma is so gut-wrenching, so real that it hurts, but the way some of the other characters describe feelings, or Norah’s descriptions of Dex, just feel like they aren’t as authentic. This translates to the world as well. Corvid is obviously not a great place, but beyond that, I don’t feel like I know much about the world these characters inhabit. Lots of birds, lots of bird themes, it’s a small town but not that small, but never a truly cohesive world - which is a shame, because it has so much potential to be a backdrop to the lives that I’m so invested in. I don’t want to give anything away (which is hard, because I was SHOOK at the twist) but even with the ending giving me so many feelings, I wish Norah and her world could have been more in sync.
Alcedo is a keen student of human nature and the way we relate to each other, and this absolutely comes through in the plot (which I feel like I can’t really talk about because of how the ending plays out, honestly!) and the relationships she builds. I loved the dual POV, and I’m thankful for the straightforward trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. Definitely triggering for those with parental trauma (heck, small-town trauma too) as well as thoughts of self-harm or anyone struggling with mental illness. The concept of not being sure if you’re real or not was both so beautifully discussed and so wonderfully played through, but I can definitely see how it could be triggering. Unlike many internal monologues, Of The Stars gets the voice(s) in your head right, and doesn’t give us blocks of incomprehensible text.
Although I do think there are some stylistic issues - the use of excessively complicated language and descriptors while avoiding some of the world-building I’d have liked, for example - I think it is of particular note that Alcedo does create a story in which, honestly, the antagonist doesn’t matter because the story shows the real truth: that when we learn to listen to ourselves, to love ourselves, to grow and heal and learn and love? Well, then it doesn’t matter what obstacles we face, because we have everything in us we already need.
Full disclosure: I was an ARC reader, and - not that it matters for my review - the author is LOVELY.
I generally avoid platonic soulmates, just because it’s hard to do right - and let’s be honest, I like smut a little too much! I don’t know that Of the Stars totally nails the concept, but it comes closer than any other books I’ve read, with the main characters - Norah and Dex - growing into a kind, loving duo with a relationship built on friendship and compassion, as well as shared admiration. These characters definitely drive the story, with each bringing a different perspective to the universe they share. I didn’t find the side characters (with the notable exception of Alina, who has my heart) as engaging, but they moved the story when necessary.
Although the language is beautiful, there are places where the language was purposely complicated or obfuscating just to build prose. And in some places, it works! There are lovingly crafted passages about mental health, about the concept of friendship, about the very mechanics of being alive. Some of the descriptions - but, thankfully, very little of the dialogue - are stilted, or contain so much language that the page feels too full. This made reading a little uneven; the way Norah talks about her trauma is so gut-wrenching, so real that it hurts, but the way some of the other characters describe feelings, or Norah’s descriptions of Dex, just feel like they aren’t as authentic. This translates to the world as well. Corvid is obviously not a great place, but beyond that, I don’t feel like I know much about the world these characters inhabit. Lots of birds, lots of bird themes, it’s a small town but not that small, but never a truly cohesive world - which is a shame, because it has so much potential to be a backdrop to the lives that I’m so invested in. I don’t want to give anything away (which is hard, because I was SHOOK at the twist) but even with the ending giving me so many feelings, I wish Norah and her world could have been more in sync.
Alcedo is a keen student of human nature and the way we relate to each other, and this absolutely comes through in the plot (which I feel like I can’t really talk about because of how the ending plays out, honestly!) and the relationships she builds. I loved the dual POV, and I’m thankful for the straightforward trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. Definitely triggering for those with parental trauma (heck, small-town trauma too) as well as thoughts of self-harm or anyone struggling with mental illness. The concept of not being sure if you’re real or not was both so beautifully discussed and so wonderfully played through, but I can definitely see how it could be triggering. Unlike many internal monologues, Of The Stars gets the voice(s) in your head right, and doesn’t give us blocks of incomprehensible text.
Although I do think there are some stylistic issues - the use of excessively complicated language and descriptors while avoiding some of the world-building I’d have liked, for example - I think it is of particular note that Alcedo does create a story in which, honestly, the antagonist doesn’t matter because the story shows the real truth: that when we learn to listen to ourselves, to love ourselves, to grow and heal and learn and love? Well, then it doesn’t matter what obstacles we face, because we have everything in us we already need.
Full disclosure: I was an ARC reader, and - not that it matters for my review - the author is LOVELY.