This was my first Mitchard novel, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it. It's the story of a pre-teen who indirectly witnesses the murder of her two younger sisters, who then attempts to come to terms with this throughout the remainder of her teen and young adult life. Coming from a Mormon background & a fairly religious community, she deeply struggles with the forgiveness aspect & instead begins to think of revenge, despite the fact that the murderer was mentally ill at the time of the crime & is deeply remorseful for his act. Though I didn't always empathize with the main character, I did think that Mitchard captured the varied emotions of a devastated family well, creating a very thought-provoking and possibly controversial novel. The last third of the novel flowed a little less smoothly than the rest, but it ended up coming full circle and I was satisfied with the ending. ( )

The concept of forgiveness is at the forefront of Jacquelyn Mitchard's Cage of Stars. As a Christian, forgiveness is akin to redemption, salvation, and freedom, but before we can expect God to forgive us for our sins, we must forgive those who have sinned against us.

We might have to forgive someone for lying to us, lashing out at us when they have a bad day, or betraying our confidences. (We might even have to ask forgiveness for these offenses ourselves.) But would we be able to forgive someone for the ultimate crime: the murder of a loved one?

That's the predicament the Swan family must endure in Cage of Stars. A mentally ill young man butchers Ronnie Swan's little sisters while she is hiding in a shed (not hiding to avoid a similar fate, but hiding as part of a game of Hide and Seek). Obviously, the Swan family is changed forever. Ronnie feels guilt, she feels "stuck." Her mother, understandably, is most profoundly affected, withdrawing from life and the baby boy she delivers shortly after the girls' deaths. She's afraid to love, for fear of losing what she still has, what she now realizes is so, so fragile.

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AN inside look at the Mormon faith when Ronnie tries to cope with the brutal murder of her younger sisters. How she plots revenge and what happens twists and turns. From start to beginning it was well worth the ride! ( )

This book is about a 12 year old mormon girl (Veronica) whose life is shattered when her two younger sisters are brutally murdered by a mentally ill man. When her parents forgive the killer she (years later) sets out alone to avenge her sisters' deaths.

There is good detail on the mormon faith, if you know nothing about it and the journey Veronica takes to discover the meaning between compassion and sin is interesting.

This was a fast read. The book had enough detail and substance to keep you turning the page. For me the build up through out the book fizzled out at the end. ( )

Mormon teenager Ronnie Swan has to sort out her feelings after the murder of her sisters. A lot of questions are raised about mental health, compassion, punishment and forgiveness. Very thought-provoking. ( )