A review by isaayala
The Map of Stars by Laura Ruby

5.0

Laura Ruby doesn't shy away from themes of justice and truth for middle grade, in fact, she's one of the only authors I've read that doesn't noticeably dumb down everything when writing for younger readers. It's clearly acknowledged in the writing style the sacrifices these characters had to make and are making and the bittersweetness of it all. The characters felt real, their struggles felt real, and their world even more real. There are few books that use possibly my least favorite trope—

Spoiler

time traveling

—that I enjoy, and this has joined the short list. The tension in this book made it nearly impossible to put down, I read it late into the night.
This was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series, well-thought out and well-written.