A review by laurak483
The Stars are Dying by Chloe C. Peñaranda

fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book had so much promise and on paper had all the ingredients for me to love it. But I was so close to DNFing, only finished it since we were reading it for my book club. The main character's complete lack of deductive reasoning, curiosity, or agency throughout the book was infuriating. By the end of the book, not only does she need all the OBVIOUS pieces of critical info spelled out to her, but she only completed one single trial of her own skill/competence and basically had someone else do the rest for her. I also felt like every 2-3 pages she did a complete 180 in both her feelings towards the mysterious love interest and whether she knew who she was or didn't know who she was. It felt like the author almost kept forgetting or couldn't make up her mind. Then when the love interest gives her more red flags than a Canadian gift shop and PLENTY of reasons for her to stick with hating him (or at least mistrusting him) she still continues to flip flop every chapter between hatred and mistrust or miplicit trust and he is the love of her life. It was exhausting. And considering how many of those red flags were also things he did to coerce, manipulate, control, and remove her agency, AND SHE STARTS THE BOOK AS A PRISONER WHO IS BEING SEXUALLY ABUSED AND DOESN'T SEE THIS AS A DEALBREAKER? Come on!!!!!

It also felt like if I had been watching this as a movie, it was missing frames and super jittery. It felt like the characters would be in one place and then suddenly another, or go from one physical position to another that was impossible unless I missed something. I doubled back and reread paragraphs SO MANY TIMES because I was questioning myself if I missed something? Like did we enter a new room and I missed it or did someone say something to pivot the conversation this way? Nope, just wasn't there. It was jarring writing and had me questioning my sanity at times. I would also deduct an entire star anyway for the main spicy scene of the book. Start spicy time WEARING CLOTHES IN A BATH and then COME OUT OF BATH ONTO BED MAKING THE SHEETS SOAKING WET and then SLEEPING IN THE SAME BED, NO CHANGING OF SHEETS???? Not sexy, cold, wet, slimy, gross.
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