Scan barcode
A review by didyoumeanbooks
Stargazers by L.P. Hernandez
3.0
3.25 Stars
I received a copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. Honestly, at first I really wasn't sure how I would feel about it, and I went into reading it knowing nothing except that this story was somehow related to the stars. Ultimately, I ended up enjoying this story!
The story overall was definitely interesting; I appreciated how realistic the human responses to this crisis seemed, exposing both the good and certainly the bad of humanity. As the story centers around this one family, we don't get too much investigation into what's happening with the Stargazers or information about the outside world beyond where they are specifically; I think that very much works with the lens of the story and how it is being told. We do get a solid amount of information filled in through posts on a Reddit-like forum about the Stargazers and how the chaos spreads. I also enjoyed the ending; I like that we get to speculate about some things
All of that said, this story wasn't perfect for me. I think because of how short it is as a novella (120 pages), I didn't connect with the characters emotionally as I may have if we had more time to get to know them; granted, their voices are fairly unrelatable to me, but I think more time with them and more illustrations of them as people acting and thinking and living would have helped for me. I think the writing was well done, but I unfortunately didn't connect with the style completely; I think some more detailed imagery/descriptions in certain parts and a bit more showing instead of telling about Judith and Henry's relationship would have made a difference for me. Like, it was good writing, but I was aware that I was reading until almost the very end, when I got more immersed & invested into the story. However, given this is a novella, I don't think any of that is 100% necessary for the piece--it would just be my personal preference as a reader.
I received a copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. Honestly, at first I really wasn't sure how I would feel about it, and I went into reading it knowing nothing except that this story was somehow related to the stars. Ultimately, I ended up enjoying this story!
The story overall was definitely interesting; I appreciated how realistic the human responses to this crisis seemed, exposing both the good and certainly the bad of humanity. As the story centers around this one family, we don't get too much investigation into what's happening with the Stargazers or information about the outside world beyond where they are specifically
Spoiler
(except Henry saying they don't really have countries anymore)Spoiler
For instance: Penny in the backyard looking up at lights, followed by the post from the failed stargazer; was Penny too a failed Stargazer, no longer needed since who/whatever is coming was already there and Earth was made ready for them (as is alluded to before with the pest/house-buying metaphor, it seems the Stargazers are preparing the Earth for its new tenants)?All of that said, this story wasn't perfect for me. I think because of how short it is as a novella (120 pages), I didn't connect with the characters emotionally as I may have if we had more time to get to know them; granted, their voices are fairly unrelatable to me, but I think more time with them and more illustrations of them as people acting and thinking and living would have helped for me. I think the writing was well done, but I unfortunately didn't connect with the style completely; I think some more detailed imagery/descriptions in certain parts and a bit more showing instead of telling about Judith and Henry's relationship would have made a difference for me. Like, it was good writing, but I was aware that I was reading until almost the very end, when I got more immersed & invested into the story. However, given this is a novella, I don't think any of that is 100% necessary for the piece--it would just be my personal preference as a reader.