Good Morning Everyone :)
I hope your day is off to a great start, and that the weekend will find you with plenty of time for losing yourself in a great book!
I recently finished the sequel to a book that I'd really enjoyed a couple of weeks ago (Starflight by Melissa Landers), and today I'd like to share with you all what I thought about it.
Starfall by Melissa Landers:
Source: Bought for myself
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Sci Fi
Synopsis:
When Princess Cassia Rose fled her home world of Eturia to escape an arranged marriage, she had no idea her sudden departure would spark a war. Now after two years hiding as a ship hand, she is finally returning to her beloved home, but not in the way she imagined. Shackled by bounty hunters, she is violently dragged back to account for her crimes. Her only solace is that the Banshee crew managed to evade capture, including Kane Arric, her best friend...with occasional benefits.
Meanwhile, Kane and the rest of the crew of the Banshee plan a desperate rescue mission. But when they arrive on Eturia, Cassia isn't exactly in need of heroics—she's claimed her birthright as Eturia's queen, but has inherited a war-torn planet simmering with rebellion. Cassia must make alliances, and Kane, the bastard son of a merchant, isn't a choice that will earn her any friends. Kane knows he will never find someone to replace Cassia—and is certain she returns his feelings—but how can he throw away his own promising future waiting on a queen?
When the outer realm is threatened by the dangerous Zhang mafia, Cassia, Kane and the rest of the Banshee crew uncover a horrifying conspiracy that endangers the entire universe. In the face of unspeakable evil, Cassia must confront her own family's complicated legacy on Eturia and decide once and for all who her real family is.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I had really enjoyed Starflight when I read it a few weeks ago, and since I'd loved Cassia and Kane as side characters, I couldn't wait to see where Melissa Landers chose to take their story as the main characters in Starfall.
Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say that this one really fell flat for me. Probably my favorite part of the first novel was the banter and hi-jinks that occurred between all the members of the crew of the Banshee, and I felt like that this was missing in this one. This is mainly due to the fact that a large portion of the novel takes place with the crew being separated from one another, and I felt the story didn't stand as strong when it was done in an individualistic setting.
I was really into the idea of Cassia and Kane as a couple in the first book, but this one had me changing my mind. Cassia doesn't treat Kane the greatest for most of the book, despite the fact that he repeatedly gives up everything for her without even having to be asked. I absolutely loathe love triangles, especially when they really serve no purpose to the overall story, and I was not impressed that Melissa Landers chose to go this route with Starfall.
I can't post a review of this one without also mentioning how ridiculous I found the last quarter or so, and that I was seriously tempted to just start skimming over long passages. While I don't expect science fiction to be entirely plausible, I expect it to at least make some sense, and the way this plot twists for the last part of the book made absolutely no sense to me, and I couldn't wrap my head around it.
I'm also not a fan of the friends with benefits trope, especially in a book aimed at younger teenagers, and this really rubbed me the wrong way. A lot of the content felt really juvenile and immature, so the oversexualized scenes seemed even more so out of place, and I'm not sure who exactly the intended audience of this book was supposed to be.
Overall, I did enjoy the writing for the most part, the appearance of characters from the first book (especially Gage), Kane's character, the brief moments when the whole Banshee crew is together again, and the fact that the plot was actually set up to be something pretty amazing at the start. However, I didn't care for the weird sexual innuendos, the character of Cassia, the weird turns the plot takes near the end, and the fact that a love triangle had to be included. While Starfall is an okay read, it doesn't compare to the amazement that was Starflight, and I wish that this duology had ended on a much better note.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photos do not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owner.
I hope your day is off to a great start, and that the weekend will find you with plenty of time for losing yourself in a great book!
I recently finished the sequel to a book that I'd really enjoyed a couple of weeks ago (Starflight by Melissa Landers), and today I'd like to share with you all what I thought about it.
Starfall by Melissa Landers:
Source: Bought for myself
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Sci Fi
Synopsis:
When Princess Cassia Rose fled her home world of Eturia to escape an arranged marriage, she had no idea her sudden departure would spark a war. Now after two years hiding as a ship hand, she is finally returning to her beloved home, but not in the way she imagined. Shackled by bounty hunters, she is violently dragged back to account for her crimes. Her only solace is that the Banshee crew managed to evade capture, including Kane Arric, her best friend...with occasional benefits.
Meanwhile, Kane and the rest of the crew of the Banshee plan a desperate rescue mission. But when they arrive on Eturia, Cassia isn't exactly in need of heroics—she's claimed her birthright as Eturia's queen, but has inherited a war-torn planet simmering with rebellion. Cassia must make alliances, and Kane, the bastard son of a merchant, isn't a choice that will earn her any friends. Kane knows he will never find someone to replace Cassia—and is certain she returns his feelings—but how can he throw away his own promising future waiting on a queen?
When the outer realm is threatened by the dangerous Zhang mafia, Cassia, Kane and the rest of the Banshee crew uncover a horrifying conspiracy that endangers the entire universe. In the face of unspeakable evil, Cassia must confront her own family's complicated legacy on Eturia and decide once and for all who her real family is.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I had really enjoyed Starflight when I read it a few weeks ago, and since I'd loved Cassia and Kane as side characters, I couldn't wait to see where Melissa Landers chose to take their story as the main characters in Starfall.
Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say that this one really fell flat for me. Probably my favorite part of the first novel was the banter and hi-jinks that occurred between all the members of the crew of the Banshee, and I felt like that this was missing in this one. This is mainly due to the fact that a large portion of the novel takes place with the crew being separated from one another, and I felt the story didn't stand as strong when it was done in an individualistic setting.
I was really into the idea of Cassia and Kane as a couple in the first book, but this one had me changing my mind. Cassia doesn't treat Kane the greatest for most of the book, despite the fact that he repeatedly gives up everything for her without even having to be asked. I absolutely loathe love triangles, especially when they really serve no purpose to the overall story, and I was not impressed that Melissa Landers chose to go this route with Starfall.
I can't post a review of this one without also mentioning how ridiculous I found the last quarter or so, and that I was seriously tempted to just start skimming over long passages. While I don't expect science fiction to be entirely plausible, I expect it to at least make some sense, and the way this plot twists for the last part of the book made absolutely no sense to me, and I couldn't wrap my head around it.
I'm also not a fan of the friends with benefits trope, especially in a book aimed at younger teenagers, and this really rubbed me the wrong way. A lot of the content felt really juvenile and immature, so the oversexualized scenes seemed even more so out of place, and I'm not sure who exactly the intended audience of this book was supposed to be.
Overall, I did enjoy the writing for the most part, the appearance of characters from the first book (especially Gage), Kane's character, the brief moments when the whole Banshee crew is together again, and the fact that the plot was actually set up to be something pretty amazing at the start. However, I didn't care for the weird sexual innuendos, the character of Cassia, the weird turns the plot takes near the end, and the fact that a love triangle had to be included. While Starfall is an okay read, it doesn't compare to the amazement that was Starflight, and I wish that this duology had ended on a much better note.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photos do not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owner.
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