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A review by pragmaticallypassionate_reader
Cities of Smoke and Starlight by Alli Earnest
4.0
First and foremost, I loved the world of Yalvara! The people of Jayde, the Cerls, and the mysterious Yalvs were all captivating and immersive. I constantly wanted to know more about each culture and the complex relationships between them. The added context of First Earth and the historic settling of Yalvara by humans from Earth gave everything a sci-fi feel.
Speaking of, if you're trying to figure out if Cities of Smoke & Starlight is sci-fi, or fantasy, or steampunk, let me just stop you there. It is a unique, captivating mix of all three, with hoverships, electricity, victorian-esque high society, and dragons. Yep, you heard that right. Dragons do make an appearance in the story. (!!)
One of my favorite parts of this epic tale was how it had a similar quest vibe to the Disney movie Atlantis. I don't like to make comparisons usually, but I love that movie, and this book had all the same vibes in my mind.
I loved the ever-thickening plot and all the pieces that I know will come together at some point. I will say that it took me a bit to get into the story, but once the mission to find the Yalvs was established, I was hooked! Through all the obstacles and unfamiliar lands, the crew of the Eudora Jayde had my spellbound attention.
Hallie was my favorite character. She was awkward, clumsy, brash, and headstrong, but she also has a deeply caring heart and will fight to hold onto hope. I can't wait to see her grow! Kase, on the other hand, got on my nerves for the first half (ish?) of the book. I found him waaaay too easily irritated and angry, but he grew on me over time, especially as his past trauma was revealed. I am hoping to see more growth from him in the next book - I could see him becoming another favorite! The rest of the crew - Zeke, Ebba, and Ben - were great additions with their own motives, desires, and strengths.
And that ending! Whew. I did not see those emotional scenes coming, and I was basically unaware of life while I sped through that last 30% of the book. One of the main plot twists revealed in this portion I was able to guess from the first hint way back when (though it is more complex than it seems), but all the other mysteries revealed are so compelling that I am itching to get my hands on the next book!
As far as qualms, I'm just going to dump them here because I enjoyed the story too much to linger: sometimes the crew felt immature, I wanted more worldbuilding (it's very strong, but there are some aspects I am still confused on, like the Essences), and Jove's part of the ending was abrupt.
Overall, I am thrilled to have found Cities of Smoke & Starlight and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here!
Speaking of, if you're trying to figure out if Cities of Smoke & Starlight is sci-fi, or fantasy, or steampunk, let me just stop you there. It is a unique, captivating mix of all three, with hoverships, electricity, victorian-esque high society, and dragons. Yep, you heard that right. Dragons do make an appearance in the story. (!!)
One of my favorite parts of this epic tale was how it had a similar quest vibe to the Disney movie Atlantis. I don't like to make comparisons usually, but I love that movie, and this book had all the same vibes in my mind.
I loved the ever-thickening plot and all the pieces that I know will come together at some point. I will say that it took me a bit to get into the story, but once the mission to find the Yalvs was established, I was hooked! Through all the obstacles and unfamiliar lands, the crew of the Eudora Jayde had my spellbound attention.
Hallie was my favorite character. She was awkward, clumsy, brash, and headstrong, but she also has a deeply caring heart and will fight to hold onto hope. I can't wait to see her grow! Kase, on the other hand, got on my nerves for the first half (ish?) of the book. I found him waaaay too easily irritated and angry, but he grew on me over time, especially as his past trauma was revealed. I am hoping to see more growth from him in the next book - I could see him becoming another favorite! The rest of the crew - Zeke, Ebba, and Ben - were great additions with their own motives, desires, and strengths.
And that ending! Whew. I did not see those emotional scenes coming, and I was basically unaware of life while I sped through that last 30% of the book. One of the main plot twists revealed in this portion I was able to guess from the first hint way back when (though it is more complex than it seems), but all the other mysteries revealed are so compelling that I am itching to get my hands on the next book!
As far as qualms, I'm just going to dump them here because I enjoyed the story too much to linger: sometimes the crew felt immature, I wanted more worldbuilding (it's very strong, but there are some aspects I am still confused on, like the Essences), and Jove's part of the ending was abrupt.
Overall, I am thrilled to have found Cities of Smoke & Starlight and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here!