The Girl and the Stars

Mark Lawrence has rapidly become one of my favourite authors, and with the start of his new series - The Book of the Ice - I don't see any sign of that changing any time soon. This series is set in the same world as his Book of the Ancestor, but rather than being in the narrowing inhabitable belt in the middle of the planet of Abeth, this is set on the giant ice caps that make up the majority of the planet.

Lawrence's Abeth based books have been far more character driven than some of his previous work. His earlier Broken Empire and Red Queen's War series followed thoroughly unlikable characters and the brutal things that they did. His Abeth books have been a much more sympathetic take on things. The brutality is still here though, just seen through the eye of someone on the receiving end of it or with a greater sense of justice behind it. Yaz is his most sympathetic and selfless character to date -she is genuinely thinking beyond just herself in most of her actions.

Lawrence has such an easy to read writing style and The Girl and The Stars is no exception to this. The world building and cultural stylings he puts up are refreshing and different, helping to drive the story forward. The underlying menace is there which helps build the suspense and danger.

In summary, this is the most sympathetically written character that Lawrence has made to date. The Girl and the Stars, keeps the dramatic story telling and world building but actually gives you a character you don't feel guilty for rooting for. A highly enjoyable read - it took me less than a day to read this as I struggled to put it down!