A review by sophonax
Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah

challenging emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I'm not sure what I'd think if a child turned up claiming to be an alien from the stars, from a whole other galaxy, but Jo and Gabe's journey with Ursa was so lovely. Jo is recovering from loss and her own illness when Ursa turns up on the doorstep of the cabin she's working in collecting data for her graduate research. What follows is a fantasy tale which soon turns into something more sinister and frightening.   The only thing which I would have changed if I could was the author's use of 'he said' 'she said' 'Jo said' at times it felt repetitive and the language felt stilted in some cases. This was minor and the story more than compensated for this.  The past trauma of each individual member of the trio pulled them together and forged wonderful understanding healing relationships, the twists and turns in the story were approached with communication which I loved. No storming off never to return over little things, and misunderstandings never lasted long between Gabe and Jo because they talked then had time to think. The backstories of all of the characters had wonderful dept and it really meant that as a reader I rooted for them, celebrated with them in the happy moments and was worried for them when they were in peril.
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