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sagittarian 's review for:
Starlight
by Olivia Wildenstein
the way i am typing this from the depths of despair and devastation, unable to even see clearly through my own tears, not because it was a sad ending, but because it’s over.
what a TRILOGY.
i was so certain that the first book was going to be the best, simply by virtue of shock value and the nature of the retelling itself, but both celestial and starlight take the proverbial cake (or should i say sachertorte) for being the emotional pillars of the series. the depth of these characters. the devotion. the love. i simply want to wrap myself in it and never emerge.
starlight picks up nearly 15 years after the end of celestial, and tackles adam and naya’s story — which, if you’ve read the first two, you already know the deal with them. it is agonizing and beautiful and lovely in all the ways that you would expect, considering its connection to the first book.
the plot is wild and almost out of place within the larger romantic context, rife with terrorists and fake humanitarian organizations and corrupt governments (hello, kiefer sutherland, i have some ideas for another season of 24), but somehow it works? i was on edge and stressed for the majority of this book, but it provided a much-needed respite from the sheer angst of the romantic circumstances. starlight ties together celestial and feather so well, i can almost forgive olivia for the way feather ended.
i cried sad tears, i cried happy tears, i cried sad tears again, and i cried i-wish-this-was-a-12-book-series-with-a-tv-show-so-i-never-have-to-be-without-it tears.
i know i've been reading too much tahereh mafi lately, because i would trade my firstborn for an extended epilogue / bonus novella. these characters and this story carved such a hole in my heart and i’m already aching to reread them. if you’re looking for something fun, and beautiful, and sweet, and resonant, and a fair bit painful, with all of the trappings of a fantasy romance but in settings like paris, new york, chicago, and caracas, pick these books up, and then gush to me every chapter of the way so i can live vicariously through someone experiencing these for the first time.
what a TRILOGY.
i was so certain that the first book was going to be the best, simply by virtue of shock value and the nature of the retelling itself, but both celestial and starlight take the proverbial cake (or should i say sachertorte) for being the emotional pillars of the series. the depth of these characters. the devotion. the love. i simply want to wrap myself in it and never emerge.
starlight picks up nearly 15 years after the end of celestial, and tackles adam and naya’s story — which, if you’ve read the first two, you already know the deal with them. it is agonizing and beautiful and lovely in all the ways that you would expect, considering its connection to the first book.
the plot is wild and almost out of place within the larger romantic context, rife with terrorists and fake humanitarian organizations and corrupt governments (hello, kiefer sutherland, i have some ideas for another season of 24), but somehow it works? i was on edge and stressed for the majority of this book, but it provided a much-needed respite from the sheer angst of the romantic circumstances. starlight ties together celestial and feather so well, i can almost forgive olivia for the way feather ended.
i cried sad tears, i cried happy tears, i cried sad tears again, and i cried i-wish-this-was-a-12-book-series-with-a-tv-show-so-i-never-have-to-be-without-it tears.
i know i've been reading too much tahereh mafi lately, because i would trade my firstborn for an extended epilogue / bonus novella. these characters and this story carved such a hole in my heart and i’m already aching to reread them. if you’re looking for something fun, and beautiful, and sweet, and resonant, and a fair bit painful, with all of the trappings of a fantasy romance but in settings like paris, new york, chicago, and caracas, pick these books up, and then gush to me every chapter of the way so i can live vicariously through someone experiencing these for the first time.