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A review by egbella
If the Stars Awaken by Kate Willis
5.0
Wow! I just spent the entire morning reading this, and I don't even know where to start. This was fantastic. For the sake of spoilers, I won't go into extreme detail here, but I will list the main things I loved.
Epic, more-detailed fantasies like this tend to give me pause. Not because I don't like fantasy, but because they're usually so focused on all of the details of the fantasy world, the magic systems, and the epic plot that they don't give as much time to the characters as I prefer. However, this book had exactly the balance I hoped.
It had such an incredibly interesting world, with lots of details and a captivating plot, but it followed the characters closely, with a narrow and more intimate storytelling lens. And I loved that. I really got to connect and empathize with each character, and even the minor characters seemed very real.
Speaking of characters, they were extremely well-done. I greatly admired the Queen in particular. I liked her, related to her, and look up to her for her example of strength, grace, and love even in the midst of hardship. Each of the other characters around her were unique and likable, and I rooted for all of the ones except for the ones I wasn't supposed to.
The entire world and their system of reading the stars was super detailed and intriguing, and I was drawn into it quickly. And even though it wasn't explicitly Christian, the allegorical elements expertly woven throughout the story were beautiful. Not out of place at all, and very powerful.
If I have any complaint, it's just that I wanted more. From start to finish, I was invested, and I would have loved to learn more about the characters, their backstories, the world itself, what happened to them at the end, and exactly why some of the story events happened. I'm not sure if I just didn't understand a few things, or if the author is saving explanations for another book...? Either way, I didn't want it to end, and thoroughly enjoyed the read!
I would recommend this to mature middle-grade readers and up that enjoy fantasy stories with inspirational characters, allegorical elements, family love, and journeys.
CW: Loss, grief, references to child loss, injuries, fights, and violence.
** I was given an e-ARC copy, but was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts expressed are my own honest opinions.**
Epic, more-detailed fantasies like this tend to give me pause. Not because I don't like fantasy, but because they're usually so focused on all of the details of the fantasy world, the magic systems, and the epic plot that they don't give as much time to the characters as I prefer. However, this book had exactly the balance I hoped.
It had such an incredibly interesting world, with lots of details and a captivating plot, but it followed the characters closely, with a narrow and more intimate storytelling lens. And I loved that. I really got to connect and empathize with each character, and even the minor characters seemed very real.
Speaking of characters, they were extremely well-done. I greatly admired the Queen in particular. I liked her, related to her, and look up to her for her example of strength, grace, and love even in the midst of hardship. Each of the other characters around her were unique and likable, and I rooted for all of the ones except for the ones I wasn't supposed to.
The entire world and their system of reading the stars was super detailed and intriguing, and I was drawn into it quickly. And even though it wasn't explicitly Christian, the allegorical elements expertly woven throughout the story were beautiful. Not out of place at all, and very powerful.
If I have any complaint, it's just that I wanted more. From start to finish, I was invested, and I would have loved to learn more about the characters, their backstories, the world itself, what happened to them at the end, and exactly why some of the story events happened. I'm not sure if I just didn't understand a few things, or if the author is saving explanations for another book...? Either way, I didn't want it to end, and thoroughly enjoyed the read!
I would recommend this to mature middle-grade readers and up that enjoy fantasy stories with inspirational characters, allegorical elements, family love, and journeys.
CW: Loss, grief, references to child loss, injuries, fights, and violence.
** I was given an e-ARC copy, but was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts expressed are my own honest opinions.**