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A review by tessa_talks_books
The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill
3.0
What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill is a cozy sci-fi mystery for YA readers.
Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
The first thing I noticed about the book is the cover. The stars forming a beautiful ballgown are so stunning. The cover's cartoonish quality tells me this book is more of a light read, perhaps even humorous. The book description, interestingly, reads like a sci-fi thriller. So, I feel like I'm getting mixed messages about the book, which I've learned to take as a warning to the reading experience.
Actual Reading Experience:
The Stars Between Us, read as a cozy mystery, is compelling, and has some shocking twists and turns – all of which I enjoyed. I knew the culprit early on, but I had no idea the why. There is a predictability to the story, but that really wasn't a huge concern until I became bored with reading it. At that point, I could see what the predictability was doing to me as the reader in this case.
The writing, though otherwise, is wonderfully accessible and flowed with an ease that I enjoyed. The dialogue flowed naturally, and the descriptions detailed a world foreign to me, which sounded very intriguing. However, the world-building stayed highly focused on Vika, so I couldn't immerse myself in a world I didn't know much about.
I did find the plot highly entertaining. Vika has been chosen to marry a billionaire's son, and he only gets his inheritance if he weds her. On his way to meet Vika, his spaceship explodes, ejecting him into space. Once Vika goes to live with the couple that ended up inheriting the money by default, she makes it her mission to learn the killer's identity before they strike again. This is a very compelling plot and leads to many thrills, spills, and shocking twists.
Characters:
The main character, Vika, is so shallow that I had a tough time with her. She professes to love her family, but she jumped at the first chance to get off the planet and live a life of luxury with complete strangers. In many instances, I didn't understand her choices versus the words she said or thought. I would have understood, however, if she went with the couple to solve the mystery. Still, she didn't decide to do this until further into the story.
None of the characters are particularly well-developed. They seemed to me to be almost as cartoonish as the cover. This story could have used more character development to add the depth it lacked.
Narration & Pacing:
I loved the story's fast pace and the many thrills and spills. And the third-person focused narration was well done. I particularly loved the little breakaway sections that focused on the culprit and what they were thinking and feeling. This kept the intrigue up throughout the entire story.
Setting:
This book is set on two different planets: Philomenus and Ploutos. Philomenus was for the lower classes of this world's society, while Ploutus was the planet for the upper classes. Travel between the planets frequently happened as the people on Ploutos often had business dealings in Philomenus.
To Read or Not to Read:
I think this story is perfect for younger YA readers unfamiliar with sci-fi and who want to get a touch of the genre. I can see where the story would positively captivate their young minds.
The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill is a cozy sci-fi mystery for YA readers.
Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
The first thing I noticed about the book is the cover. The stars forming a beautiful ballgown are so stunning. The cover's cartoonish quality tells me this book is more of a light read, perhaps even humorous. The book description, interestingly, reads like a sci-fi thriller. So, I feel like I'm getting mixed messages about the book, which I've learned to take as a warning to the reading experience.
Actual Reading Experience:
The Stars Between Us, read as a cozy mystery, is compelling, and has some shocking twists and turns – all of which I enjoyed. I knew the culprit early on, but I had no idea the why. There is a predictability to the story, but that really wasn't a huge concern until I became bored with reading it. At that point, I could see what the predictability was doing to me as the reader in this case.
The writing, though otherwise, is wonderfully accessible and flowed with an ease that I enjoyed. The dialogue flowed naturally, and the descriptions detailed a world foreign to me, which sounded very intriguing. However, the world-building stayed highly focused on Vika, so I couldn't immerse myself in a world I didn't know much about.
I did find the plot highly entertaining. Vika has been chosen to marry a billionaire's son, and he only gets his inheritance if he weds her. On his way to meet Vika, his spaceship explodes, ejecting him into space. Once Vika goes to live with the couple that ended up inheriting the money by default, she makes it her mission to learn the killer's identity before they strike again. This is a very compelling plot and leads to many thrills, spills, and shocking twists.
Characters:
The main character, Vika, is so shallow that I had a tough time with her. She professes to love her family, but she jumped at the first chance to get off the planet and live a life of luxury with complete strangers. In many instances, I didn't understand her choices versus the words she said or thought. I would have understood, however, if she went with the couple to solve the mystery. Still, she didn't decide to do this until further into the story.
None of the characters are particularly well-developed. They seemed to me to be almost as cartoonish as the cover. This story could have used more character development to add the depth it lacked.
Narration & Pacing:
I loved the story's fast pace and the many thrills and spills. And the third-person focused narration was well done. I particularly loved the little breakaway sections that focused on the culprit and what they were thinking and feeling. This kept the intrigue up throughout the entire story.
Setting:
This book is set on two different planets: Philomenus and Ploutos. Philomenus was for the lower classes of this world's society, while Ploutus was the planet for the upper classes. Travel between the planets frequently happened as the people on Ploutos often had business dealings in Philomenus.
To Read or Not to Read:
I think this story is perfect for younger YA readers unfamiliar with sci-fi and who want to get a touch of the genre. I can see where the story would positively captivate their young minds.