Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg

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A woman’s heart proves as infinite as the night sky in a breathtaking fantasy by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

When a star dies, a new one must be born.

The Sun God chooses the village of Endwever to provide a mortal womb. The birthing of a star is always fatal for the mother, and Ceris Wenden, who considers herself an outsider, sacrifices herself to secure her family’s honor and take control of her legacy. But after her star child is born, Ceris does what no other star mother has: she survives. When Ceris returns to Endwever, however, it’s not nine months later—it’s seven hundred years later. Inexplicably displaced in time, Ceris is determined to seek out her descendants.

Being a woman traveling alone brings its own challenges, until Ceris encounters a mysterious—and desperate—godling. Ristriel is incorporeal, a fugitive, a trickster, and the only being who can guide Ceris safely to her destination. Now, as Ceris traverses realms both mortal and beyond, her journey truly begins.

Together, pursued across the Earth and trespassing the heavens, Ceris and Ristriel are on a path to illuminate the mysteries that bind them and discover the secrets of the celestial world. 

Source: gifted paperback

I've had the pleasure of reading my first 5-star novel of 2022. I hadn't heard of Star Mother until I saw my good friend's brief review of it on Goodreads which immediately caught my interest.  She loved it so much that she gifted me a copy and what I discovered was an exceptional story unlike anything I've read recently. 

Ceris is a young woman on the cusp of leaving home to be wed when the Sun God sends a signal to her village that he is looking for a new young woman to birth a star.  Two young women are up for the honor but it's Ceris who volunteers.  Realizing her betrothed is in love with one of the possible contenders for, and wanting to secure a legacy for her family that would make them proud, she gives up her mortal life.  She defies all expectations when she survives the birth of her star and  gets the Sun God to agree to let her return home.  Only it's 700 years later and Ceris fis now alone in a world that has moved on from her.  She resolves to find her descendants so she can make a home amongst them and on her journey encounters the godling, Ristriel.  Ristriel is running away from something and is cagey about himself. They make a pact to protect each other until they reach their destinations.

Star Mother is a truly unique experience in that as a reader, I had to leave my preconceptions at the door and allow the story to flow.  A majority of it feels abstract, like the idea of the Sun God needing a mate to birth a star, and then wrapping my head around the concept of how that unfolds.  Then there's a big section where Ceris is finding her way to another city and she befriends Ristriel.  Talk about abstract! Not only is he ethereal, there's also so much about him that's mysterious and jolting.  He carries a sadness within him that's so tangible, and even had one of the most heartbreaking lines in the novel.  In a way, parts of this story were challenging for me.  While the world-building is impressive it's also describing the obscure.  Midway through something just clicked for me and I couldn't set it down.  A lot of that had to do with Ceris who's a formidable personality.  She's astute, circumspect, and loyal.  Definitely not someone to be underestimated as evidenced when she questions the Sun God and the gods' laws.  The romance that eventually grows between her and Ristriel is one borne out of a shared understanding of their immeasurable losses.  Finally they are honestly loved for themselves. I was so entranced and moved by them.

When I finished Star Mother I was left with a deeply contented feeling. I couldn't believe how much I ended up loving it.  It challenged my own senses at first before I happily surrendered to the story.  I see that a sequel will be coming out in March, this time about the Sun God and I know I'll be getting my hands on that real fast. In the meantime,  for a quietly satisfying and mystical read, that feels like the creation of a new mythology, I wholeheartedly recommend reading Star Mother.

~ Bel

Dreamless by Jospehine Angelini

***1/2

From HarperTeen:

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

If you have been following the blog, you know that Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini was one of my top 10 of 2011.  I LOVED Starcrossed.  I could not read another book until I read it for a second time.  Given this, you can imagine how much I have been anticipating Dreamless.  I was thrilled when we got the ARC.  So, enough gushing, let's get to the review.

The Bad:

I was hoping we would get further into the story in Dreamless.  Don't get me wrong, there is a ton of action in Dreamless, but for such a long book (a whopping 496 pages), I was hoping to get further.  I was also really hoping for more Helen and Hector time, because they are definitely the comic relief in the series.  Hector is there, but not nearly enough.  In fact, most of the Delos family are only peripherally in Dreamless.  Their roles were small and mostly they were all angry at Helen, but I am not entirely sure why.  I also found Helen's father's obliviousness unbelievable, especially given how close the two were in Starcrossed. 

The Good:

Dreamless is lyrical and poetic.  Despite the length, I did not want the story to end.  I was completely enthralled.  So involved that there were a number of times I wanted to yell at Helen "Don't do it, it's a trap you idiot!" - Of course, I didn't because somewhere in the far reaches of my mind I actually realized she is a fictional character and could not hear me...

Setting the stage for the war to come the final installment of the trilogy, Dreamless moves more slowly than Starcrossed, but introduced us to many new characters, including some of the gods.  The mythology of this world portrays some of the gods as horrible creatures, which I never thought I would like, but the evil, ugly gods have grown on me (though I am hoping Apollo will still be beautiful if he is ever introduced).  The portrayal of Ares was creepy, disturbing and fascinating.  I enjoyed Dreamless and cannot wait to read what happens next and hopefully all of my questions will be answered!  Oh, and definitely more Hector and Lucas time.

~Shel

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

I am reposting this review in a shameless attempt to win Josephine Angelini's Dreamless ARC contest.  Starcrossed is one of my favorites of 2011, so I am desperate to read Dreamless!  :-)

****1/2

Book description from HarperCollins Publishers:

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Starcrossed introduces an entirely new spin on the Greek Gods, mythology and demigods.  There is a lot of information and action in this book. Not only does the book set up a new mythology, it also introduces you to Helen and the rather large Delos family. Eventually, Helen comes to be close with the family, as they teach her about demigods and controlling and using her gifts. Obviously, I enjoyed Helen's relationship with Lucas; however, I hope that Dreamless (Book 2 releasing May 2012) focuses more on Helen's relationship with the rest fo the Delos family.  I especially enjoyed Helen's friendship with Hector, which provided comic relief during Helen's combat training.  Josephine Angelini did a fabulous job of relaying this new mythology and weaving the story. 

This book could have easily felt as if you were getting a mythology lecture, but Ms. Angelini artfully sidestepped that pitfall.  I was oblivious to the world while reading this book and did not want it to end.  So much so that I could not really focus on reading anything else until I read Starcrossed a second time.   

All in all, I definitely recommend Starcrossed and give it 4.5 stars (I still cannot stop thinking about it)!

~Shel

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep, author of two successful adult series, introduces a new young adult series.  Touch of Frost is the first book, released July 26, 2011.  First Frost is a prequel short story, which you can grab for free from most ebook sellers.  First Frost chronicles the events that lead to Gwen's attendance at Mythos Academy.  Touch of Frost picks up the story a few months after Gwen's admittance.  From Kensington Publishing:

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy -- a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why – especially since I should have been the one who died …

We have already discussed my love of mythology, so it should not surprise anyone that I would be drawn to this book.  Mythos Academy sounds like an ideal high school to me. 

This book creates another whole world of alternate mythology which unites all cannons of myth to fight "The Chaos" led by the Norse God, Loki (very timely with Thor's release this summer).  Mythos Academy is where the children of myth learn the skills to wage the war against the Chaos.  After tragedy strikes, Gwen finds herself enrolled in Mythos.  She has no idea why she is there or why her family seemed to view her enrollment as inevitable.  After Gwen finds the body of a fellow student, she becomes obsessed with finding out why the popular, beautiful student was murdered and no one seems to care.

Gods, monsters and heroes, what's not to love?  The characters are snarky and sarcastic.  Like Buffy, except with mythology.  Jennifer Estep did an amazing job of honestly dealing with the emotional issues Gwen faces as she struggles to find her place among the students at Mythos.  I felt like Gwen was perhaps a little too accepting of certain things when I wanted her to stand up for herself, but this was a minor irritation in an otherwise fantastic book.  More than anything, this story is about empowerment, friendship and the lengths one will go to understand and deal with loss.  I give Touch of Frost 4.5 stars and encourage you all to pick it up! 

I also want to KISS someone at Kensington Publishing for only making me wait until November 29, 2011 for Kiss of Frost (Book 2)!  Thank you for only torturing me for a few months instead of a year!  Book 3, Dark Frost is scheduled for release June 2012 - I will forgive you for this because I only have to wait until November for Kiss of Frost.  Check out the awesome cover for Kiss of Frost -

I leave you with one of my favorite exchanges in the book:

"Are you actually ... going to eat lunch with me?" I asked.

"No," Daphne said, breaking a buttery breadstick in half and dipping it into the spicy marinara sauce on her plate.  "I'm a figment of your imagination.  You're only imagining that I'm sitting here eating with you.  Because I'm just so freaking awesome that people daydream about being seen with me." 

"Funny," I muttered.

The Valkyrie smiled at me and took a bite of her breadstick.

"But why?" I asked.  "You hate me."

Daphne chewed and swallowed.  "I wouldn't say hate, exactly.  You're kind of like fungus, Gwen.  After a while, you start growing on people."

"So I'm mold.  Wonderful."  p. 131 - 132.

~Shel