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A review by livvywrites
The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It’s hard for me to really rate this book, because I’m not sure how I feel about it.
It’s visceral. Uncomfortably so, at times. Often, really. These are worlds of blood, bone, and flesh, populated by people who do what they need to to survive, and the prose often reflects that.
I saw one reviewer say this is a story about bad people doing bad things to each other—and that’s… not UNtrue. But it’s a little more complicated than that, too. It’s about falling into cycles. Ruts. Making the same or similar bad decisions over and over again, because it’s what you think you have to do. And it’s also about learning you can choose something else. To move forward, instead of backward, time and time again.
I did see some of the… twists? coming early. (I had figured out a large piece of Zan’s past by around 15-20% of the way through) This didn’t detract from the experience at all, though. If anything, it made me want to find out if I was right.
The characters themselves… They fascinated me. I didn’t hate them, but it took me a long time to decide whether I liked, loved, or felt neutral towards them. I WAS, however, very interested in seeing the fallout of their actions; where their stories would lead.
The worlds were FASCINATING. Uncomfortably visceral, gory, & gross at times (a LOT of the time, though I’m also a very squeamish person) but also. Pretty unique, & I wanted to know so much more about them. Why they had come to be the way they were & how they worked before they were so cancerous & rotted. I would have LOVED to learn more about / from the witches. But what we did learn was fascinating & intriguing.
Having taken the time to put these thoughts down & sit with them, I think I’m going to give this a 4 stars. I enjoyed it a lot, & I found a LOT of quotes to highlight. I don’t think I’ll ever reread it, but I’m glad I bought it.
It’s visceral. Uncomfortably so, at times. Often, really. These are worlds of blood, bone, and flesh, populated by people who do what they need to to survive, and the prose often reflects that.
I saw one reviewer say this is a story about bad people doing bad things to each other—and that’s… not UNtrue. But it’s a little more complicated than that, too. It’s about falling into cycles. Ruts. Making the same or similar bad decisions over and over again, because it’s what you think you have to do. And it’s also about learning you can choose something else. To move forward, instead of backward, time and time again.
I did see some of the… twists? coming early. (I had figured out a large piece of Zan’s past by around 15-20% of the way through) This didn’t detract from the experience at all, though. If anything, it made me want to find out if I was right.
The characters themselves… They fascinated me. I didn’t hate them, but it took me a long time to decide whether I liked, loved, or felt neutral towards them. I WAS, however, very interested in seeing the fallout of their actions; where their stories would lead.
The worlds were FASCINATING. Uncomfortably visceral, gory, & gross at times (a LOT of the time, though I’m also a very squeamish person) but also. Pretty unique, & I wanted to know so much more about them. Why they had come to be the way they were & how they worked before they were so cancerous & rotted. I would have LOVED to learn more about / from the witches. But what we did learn was fascinating & intriguing.
Having taken the time to put these thoughts down & sit with them, I think I’m going to give this a 4 stars. I enjoyed it a lot, & I found a LOT of quotes to highlight. I don’t think I’ll ever reread it, but I’m glad I bought it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: War and Pregnancy
I’m going to elaborate on the warnings I picked, & also say I’m not really the best at picking out content warnings, so. Be careful going into this!
- There’s a lot of like. Flesh & blood & other viscous described here, often in brutal detail.
- Pregnancy comes up A LOT. It’s a pretty big part of the main plot, & while birth isn’t necessarily described in *graphic* detail, there’s enough to squick.