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A review by vhenderson93
Count the Nights by Stars by Michelle Shocklee
5.0
Wow. Literally wow. Going into this, I wasn't 100% sure what I was hoping for or expecting but by the end, I was blown away by...everything. There are a couple cons still which I'll get into but overall, this was such a heartfelt and captivating read. I literally gave up an entire night of sleep because I had to know how it ended. And the cover is great- every time I look at it, I think of Utah. My family went there last year and I dunno. Just something about the stars and the colors... I'm rambling.
Pros/Likes:
1) The past and present intertwined so satisfyingly. I marked this under my time-traveler shelf. It's not exactly time travel but the past (1897) and present (1961) definitely blend together to create an amazing story. And while I'm on the topic of history- this was the first time I'd ever heard of the Tennesse Centennial Exposition. It was neat learning something new.
2) I loved the frequent POV switches. They flowed so well, and I never had trouble keeping up.
3) The unexpected Christmas setting. I was definitely not expecting this to take place during Christmas (it seems more summer-y to me) but it was a fun surprise.
4) And, of course, we have to hit on the characters. At first, I was not a fan of Priscilla. She's the very definition of a strong female lead. Not that this is a bad thing, but she started out kind of annoying and snotty. As the story progressed, I had a better idea of why she craved her independence so badly. With her overbearing mom, absent dad, and Kenton (Blah!)- it's either cave to their every whim and be miserable or step out and be her own person. So, I can understand her motives and attitude for that reason. Her situation reminded me of Rose in the Titanic movie.
Luca was the best and I love his relationship with his sister, Gia. Audrey's character was very down-to-earth and relatable. Her relationship with her brother, Emmet, came off very real to life. I appreciated that all the characters were flawed and had regrets. They all had to overcome some sort of obstacle.
Cons/Dislikes:
1) Kenton. Need I even say more? Like he was the perfect villain to hate, and he was so well-written that I utterly despised seeing his very name in print.
2) I felt there was no well-deserved justice. It was very disheartening and frustrating to see evil people get off scot-free.
This is not a pro or a con but more of a content warning. A big theme of this story included prostitution and human trafficking. HOWEVER...there were no inappropriate scenes. I want to say there wasn't any language either. Never once did the content become too uncomfortable. I strongly believe the author handled this delicate and sensitive topic with both class and tact. Not only that but she offered hope and light rather than dwelling on the doom and gloom.
All in all- I very much enjoyed this. I loved the history, the sweet romance between Priscilla & Luca, and the message of hope and redemption. 4.5 star rating!
Pros/Likes:
1) The past and present intertwined so satisfyingly. I marked this under my time-traveler shelf. It's not exactly time travel but the past (1897) and present (1961) definitely blend together to create an amazing story. And while I'm on the topic of history- this was the first time I'd ever heard of the Tennesse Centennial Exposition. It was neat learning something new.
2) I loved the frequent POV switches. They flowed so well, and I never had trouble keeping up.
3) The unexpected Christmas setting. I was definitely not expecting this to take place during Christmas (it seems more summer-y to me) but it was a fun surprise.
4) And, of course, we have to hit on the characters. At first, I was not a fan of Priscilla. She's the very definition of a strong female lead. Not that this is a bad thing, but she started out kind of annoying and snotty. As the story progressed, I had a better idea of why she craved her independence so badly. With her overbearing mom, absent dad, and Kenton (Blah!)- it's either cave to their every whim and be miserable or step out and be her own person. So, I can understand her motives and attitude for that reason. Her situation reminded me of Rose in the Titanic movie.
Luca was the best and I love his relationship with his sister, Gia. Audrey's character was very down-to-earth and relatable. Her relationship with her brother, Emmet, came off very real to life. I appreciated that all the characters were flawed and had regrets. They all had to overcome some sort of obstacle.
Cons/Dislikes:
1) Kenton. Need I even say more? Like he was the perfect villain to hate, and he was so well-written that I utterly despised seeing his very name in print.
2) I felt there was no well-deserved justice.
Spoiler
Like the whole time I was eagerly waiting for Kenton to be found out, the family to be forever shamed and some jail-time. But what happened? He had a heart attack. That's it. He ruined countless lives and literally got away with murder and all he is dealt is a lousy heart attack. I'm sorry, but no. And then there was the threatening phone calls and the fire. We all know who was responsible and nothing came of it! Some rich snob got away with arson and...end of story. Nothing. Nada.This is not a pro or a con but more of a content warning. A big theme of this story included prostitution and human trafficking. HOWEVER...there were no inappropriate scenes. I want to say there wasn't any language either. Never once did the content become too uncomfortable. I strongly believe the author handled this delicate and sensitive topic with both class and tact. Not only that but she offered hope and light rather than dwelling on the doom and gloom.
All in all- I very much enjoyed this. I loved the history, the sweet romance between Priscilla & Luca, and the message of hope and redemption. 4.5 star rating!