A review by hagwife
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Star Daughter is an incredible portrait of family, history, and becoming. I am also deeply in love with the fact that Hindu culture and mythology is front and center.
The magical library whose location system relies on music to find books and everything is ordered according to the asanas is divine, no pun intended.
I love Thrakar's treatment of generational trauma and the core friendship between Sheetal and Minal is beautiful.
This is especially so given their differing secual orientations; Thrakar gives an amazing platonic friendship between the two and gives readers a delightful romance subplot between Minal and Padmini. Usually, I feel we get one or the other or some conflation of the two, and here we get both!


What is an issue for me is the pacing and the kitchen-sink plotting. This book is incredibly fast paced given the complex issues Thakar handles and the story arc she weaves them through. It's a lot and its hard to get attached to certain characters or pieces because it all moves so quickly. To be clear, I don't think Thrakar needs or should have to slow down introducing the readers to the Earthly cast or the Heavenly one – I love the "deep end and swim" approach. There's just one trope too many piled on top of each other at breakneck speed.
(Her boyfriend knew she was a star because someone asked him to keep an eye on her, one parent is divine and one isn't, the divine nature hurting someone as we hit the coming of age, familial trauma causing a rift between two worlds, a competition where suddenly the brand new divine being has to master their talent to save everything, etc.)
 

Overall, its a great addition to YA Literature and I'm excited to see what Thrakar writes next!
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