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A review by zeljana
Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter
3.0
Imagine you are a woman in the universe of this book, wherefrom the moment you're born you have markings on your skin that tell your future. Then, around the age of 16 you undergo a process of change into your adult person and you get more detailed markings, that set your future in stone. You are also overwhelmingly attractive for that short period of time, which can lead you to your doom.
It is a privilege to know, the characters tend to believe, and men who do not have this privilege are obsessed with knowing. They reserve the right to read the markings of their family members in order to learn more about themselves. They also get strangely attracted to all the changelings and that is when many girls are abducted, their future ruined. Because it is only their fault for allowing it to happen.
The setup for this novel was genius. What a great way to explore female agency and objectivization of the female body. But, the delivery was not great. The characters remained superficial, there were some plot holes and strange deus ex-machina solutions. More importantly, I didn't care much for the characters as there was not much depth to them. This book is centred around its message, but whenever the message is so strong, I prefer seeing more substance in the actual novel.
It is a privilege to know, the characters tend to believe, and men who do not have this privilege are obsessed with knowing. They reserve the right to read the markings of their family members in order to learn more about themselves. They also get strangely attracted to all the changelings and that is when many girls are abducted, their future ruined. Because it is only their fault for allowing it to happen.
The setup for this novel was genius. What a great way to explore female agency and objectivization of the female body. But, the delivery was not great. The characters remained superficial, there were some plot holes and strange deus ex-machina solutions. More importantly, I didn't care much for the characters as there was not much depth to them. This book is centred around its message, but whenever the message is so strong, I prefer seeing more substance in the actual novel.