Starglass

I'm still not entirely sure what to make of Starglass. It's a strange quiet book about a sad girl in a sad stifling world. The gray mood of the story can be overwhelming at times. I don't think I ever felt particularly excited about what I was reading, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

I appreciate that Phoebe North didn't want to tell the typical rebellion against authority story. She didn't want to create the typical beautiful girl who doesn't know she's beautiful character. And she certainly didn't want to tell the usual love story. This book boxes its hero, Terra, into a corner until she has no choice but to break out of the box entirely.

Terra is deeply real and deeply relatable, as are many of the other characters, and the setting is an innovative take on a generation ship. North certainly did her research, there was never moment where I thought, “Well, THAT wouldn't happen.” Maybe Starglass is a little too real. Terra doesn't get to save the day, she doesn't woo the boy of her dreams, she loses the biggest parts of her life tragically and painfully, and even though she proves herself a good friend in the end, she makes some terrible misteps along the way. I sympathized with this girl, and I wanted to be there for her journey, even if it wasn't the most enjoyable trip to ride shotgun on.

I can definitely see Terra becoming a stronger person in the next book, and I am very much looking forward to that. Starglass is worth the read, if anything for its fresh take on a futuristic post-apocalyptic society, and its honest treatment of its teenage characters. The writing is lovely and evocative, everything about this feels touchable. It could have just been a little...warmer, maybe is the word I'm looking for. It was at the end when Terra really started to get focus, when she finally began to define what she wanted and how to get it, that I felt the story was moving towards something interesting. Hopefully, there will be more of that in the next book.