Star Daughter

i am so sad that i didn't love this book as it had so much promise but didn't reach quite what i wanted from it. while i did appreciate the nods to hindu mythology, the complex governing star politics, and the motivation to save her dad, the writing did not work for me. i couldn't tell if my main issue was the YA speak or the pacing or the repetitiveness, but i wish that more of the word count had been spent describing this beautiful world that was crafted and less on... kissing dev. however i believe there's lots of potential for great books to come from thakrar!!

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 9
Writing: 9
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 7
Logic: 5
Enjoyment: 8

I was honestly pleasantly surprised by this book. I had pretty low expectations and was worried about another one of those action-filled competitions that make no sense. But this one was art-based and played to each person's strengths. This book is definitely in that new category of contemporary fantasy. Other than being part star and traveling to where the stars live, this could be a contemporary book abotu someone learning who they truly are.

At times fascinating and at other times frustrating, this was one of the more culturally interesting books I have read recently. Star Daughter pretty much does what it says on the tin - it is the story of the daughter of a star, where the star came to Earth to act as a muse for someone, fell in love and had a child. The cultural interest came from the Indian cultural nods that pervade this story - this is no western YA fantasy. I really have not read much in the way of Indian fantasy and myth, and this story certainly throws you in the deep end with some of it. It is definitely refreshing to read something outside of ones cultural norms, so for that reason alone I would have been glad to have read this story.

The frustration comes from some of the inanity of the characters. The lead character somehow decides that breaking into other peoples rooms to prove her innocence of something that noone is exactly challenging her on seems like a stupendously bad idea. Somehow, that stupendously bad idea leads to nothing and that plot line almost peters out. I am also slightly disturbed by her obsession with feeding someone blood (and how slow she is to realise that her own blood will do, once she has completed her transformation). The whole competition at the center of the plot is also a bit bizarre - it all just seems very contrived.

The cultural interest here is good and I do appreciate being exposed to different cultural references, but the plot and the characters are a bit lazy and tropey

I had quite a bit of fun seeing stories from Hindu mythology and so many of the names that are very familiar to me represented in this way in a YA fantasy debut. But it also made me feel old when compared to the protagonist, so I think younger readers will appreciate this one more than me. Still a fun read and I can only hope for more amazing things in the future from this author.