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A review by starsal
Stargazy Pie by Victoria Goddard
4.0
A review of one of these books complained that they read like "fanfic to a fandom I'm unfamiliar with." And you know what? They do. But the more I think about it, the more I think that's a feature, not a bug.
Goddard throws us very much in media res like books used to when I was younger, and you really just have to put things together and figure them out as you go along. It's a joyful sort of puzzlement, but there are pieces to put together to make the full picture. Even if you're just looking at the box, or just a tiny corner of the puzzle, it's beautiful and intricate and satisfying. But when you are able to put everything together and stand back to see all the stories Goddard has written, all the characters she knows, and all the ways she has woven them together, the whole takes your breath away.
I enjoyed this book even more after having read [b:The Hands of the Emperor|43525897|The Hands of the Emperor (Lays of the Hearth-Fire, #1)|Victoria Goddard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547081914l/43525897._SY75_.jpg|67696698]. The first time I read it (and, to be clear, I mostly picked it up because I really wanted to read the fifth book in the series [b:Love-in-a-Mist|55584334|Love-in-a-Mist (Greenwing & Dart, #5)|Victoria Goddard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602020523l/55584334._SY75_.jpg|86681260] because it was a pretty cover and had the silhouette of a unicorn on the cover), I was confused a lot. You are really dropped directly in media res and just expected to keep up. The second time through, having more context about the Fall, the world, and Mrs. Etaris herself, I picked things up much easier. And I liked the characters even more. I seldom reread books so quickly on the heels of reading them for the first time, but I'm making an exception for this one because 1) I'm having so much fun 2) the real world is awfully scary right now, and I just want to hang out with Jemis and Mr. Dart and Mrs. Etaris.
Goddard throws us very much in media res like books used to when I was younger, and you really just have to put things together and figure them out as you go along. It's a joyful sort of puzzlement, but there are pieces to put together to make the full picture. Even if you're just looking at the box, or just a tiny corner of the puzzle, it's beautiful and intricate and satisfying. But when you are able to put everything together and stand back to see all the stories Goddard has written, all the characters she knows, and all the ways she has woven them together, the whole takes your breath away.
I enjoyed this book even more after having read [b:The Hands of the Emperor|43525897|The Hands of the Emperor (Lays of the Hearth-Fire, #1)|Victoria Goddard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547081914l/43525897._SY75_.jpg|67696698]. The first time I read it (and, to be clear, I mostly picked it up because I really wanted to read the fifth book in the series [b:Love-in-a-Mist|55584334|Love-in-a-Mist (Greenwing & Dart, #5)|Victoria Goddard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602020523l/55584334._SY75_.jpg|86681260] because it was a pretty cover and had the silhouette of a unicorn on the cover), I was confused a lot. You are really dropped directly in media res and just expected to keep up. The second time through, having more context about the Fall, the world, and Mrs. Etaris herself, I picked things up much easier. And I liked the characters even more. I seldom reread books so quickly on the heels of reading them for the first time, but I'm making an exception for this one because 1) I'm having so much fun 2) the real world is awfully scary right now, and I just want to hang out with Jemis and Mr. Dart and Mrs. Etaris.