StarCrossed (2010)

by Elizabeth Bunce

Opening: “I couldn’t think. My chest hurt from running, and I wasn’t even sure I was in the right place.”

Digger is a thief, an outsider in a world where politics and religion are inextricably linked and danger is always lurking around the corner. When her partner in crime gets caught by the frightening Greenmen, she finds herself entangled with a motley crew of young aristocrats. Things quickly become a lot more serious, however, especially when Digger is blackmailed into stealing from her hosts.

I really loved this book! I wasn’t that wild about Bunce’s first book, A Curse as Dark as Gold, but this one was beautiful. One of the most amazing and lovely things about it was the mix of religion and politics. So often books that talk about these two issues, especially in conjunction, become overly preachy. But here I never felt pushed. I think part of that is because neither religion seems too much like Christianity. Anyway, Bunce did a marvellous job of creating an intricate world that seemed real without seeming like it was simply a mouthpiece for her own opinions.

Digger is also a fascinating character. And yes, I’m going to say it: she reminded me of Gen. Not entirely, of course, but in a lot of significant ways. She’s a thief, but she has a conscience. She’s sneakier than you realize at first. She has a complicated family history.

There are hints of a possible romance too, which I am TOTALLY IN FAVOR OF. Please, please, please let it happen! And this is a book that I’m happy to see is the start of a series (sometimes I finish a book and then hear that there’s going to be a second one and think, REALLY? Not here).

In short, this a book that’s smart and funny and interesting, with fascinating characters and a great heart.

Book source: public library
Book information: Arthur Levine, 2010; YA

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Remember what I said in the Mistwood bit about fantasy books with politics? It applies here as well, with the added bonus of a main character who reminded me of Eugenides and a spot of possible but quite understated romance. Yaaaaay. AND it’s the first book in a series. [2010 in books] ( )

I thought this was a pretty solid book. I liked the world it was set in. While there is clearly a larger world out there, we only get details about where the story takes place, which is nice - the book isn't bogged down in hundreds of pages of details we don't need. I really like the fleshing out of the religion(s) and the politics plaguing this particular world.

I really liked that it was a young-adult novel without a really irritating romance dogging the whole story. We don't have to deal with longing and love triangles and that crap.

The intrigue was fun, and the pacing (I though) went nicely. It was slow during some of the set up time, but not slower than I would expect. I would, however, expect the sequel to move faster, so we'll see how that goes.

Most of the characters were nicely done. The downside is that they were a little two dimensional.

There were a lot of shakey plot devices in the book, and I don't know how the rebellion gets such a good start when there are some seriously talky characters. No one can keep a secret to save their lives and are even open about information that they should not be, while it works great for the reader to know everything, it makes the rebellion a little implausible.

All in all, it was pretty decent, and I like that it was a self-contained story even if it was the first in a series (no irritating cliff hangers necessitating me reading the next book, even though I will). ( )

I thought this was a pretty solid book. I liked the world it was set in. While there is clearly a larger world out there, we only get details about where the story takes place, which is nice - the book isn't bogged down in hundreds of pages of details we don't need. I really like the fleshing out of the religion(s) and the politics plaguing this particular world.

I really liked that it was a young-adult novel without a really irritating romance dogging the whole story. We don't have to deal with longing and love triangles and that crap.

The intrigue was fun, and the pacing (I though) went nicely. It was slow during some of the set up time, but not slower than I would expect. I would, however, expect the sequel to move faster, so we'll see how that goes.

Most of the characters were nicely done. The downside is that they were a little two dimensional.

There were a lot of shakey plot devices in the book, and I don't know how the rebellion gets such a good start when there are some seriously talky characters. No one can keep a secret to save their lives and are even open about information that they should not be, while it works great for the reader to know everything, it makes the rebellion a little implausible.

All in all, it was pretty decent, and I like that it was a self-contained story even if it was the first in a series (no irritating cliff hangers necessitating me reading the next book, even though I will). ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Fun fantasy with a great heroine and a great story filled with action and adventure.

Opening Sentence: I couldn’t think.

The Review:

Digger is a thief and she is pretty skilled at it, but a job has just gone terribly wrong. She lives in the city of Gerse and now she is on the run. Her partner for the last few years didn’t make it out and she needs to find a way out of the city and fast. She happens to run into some nobles who decide to take pity on her and help her. She ends up as a Lady’s maid to the sweet young Merista Nemair. They end up traveling with Merista’s parents to a castle far up in the mountains where all it does is snow. They are preparing for Merista’s kernja-velde,which is a celebration of a girl becoming of age and entering into society. Digger is now going by the name of Celyn and she is noticing that she is becoming soft and use to the luxuries of the nobility.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t last too long. Visitors come to stay with the Nemair’s and one of them is the devious Lord Daul. He is like a brother to Lord Nemair or at least he pretends to be. He discovers some of Diggers secrets and starts blackmailing her for information. He has Digger looking for things to try and implement the Nemair’s in a traitorous plot against the king. As Digger starts to uncover the truth she finds that not everyone is who they seem to be and she starts to doubt where her true loyalties should lie. Digger also has lots of secrets that she doesn’t want discovered, but that is becoming harder and harder all the time.

I really loved Digger as a character. She is smart and funny with lots of wit. Yeah, she is a thief and a spy, but she has a sense of loyalty to those that have helped her. She had an interesting upbringing, but she has really tried to make a better life for herself away from her past. As she starts to open up to those around her, she ends up making great friends, and discovering that she is stronger than she knew. I instantly connected to her and I can’t wait to hear more of her story in the coming books.

This was a really fun read for me. I found the story really intriguing and it flowed really well. The beginning was a little slow for me and it took me some time to get into, but once I did I was totally hooked. The only thing I felt that it lacked was in the romance department. Not all books have to have romance, but I felt that this plot would have been a little better if some romance would have been added. There were hints of some romance so I am hoping that in the next book this is explored more. The plot defiantly kept me interested and it kept me pleasantly surprised the whole way through. This is the first book that I have read by Bunce, but it will defiantly not be my last. I would highly recommend this book to people that are fans of any kind of fantasy.

Notable Scene:

“I see you brother is a very powerful man.”

My hand jerked, and I felt Daul flinch. Damn.

“Not so powerful,” I said tartly – and loudly. “He couldn’t even get nuns to hold on to me!”

The audience laughed again, and I pulled my hand back, easy, easily…

He slapped me. Under the table, fingertips to the back of my wrist. The look on his face shifted to sharp awareness as he met my eyes, and then back again as smoothly as a moon disappearing behind fog. “Well, I think it’s as well that someone should look after you, Lady Celyn,” he said. “There is a darkness looming in your future, I’m afraid. As well as a new association.”

“Not one of the Cwalo boys, I hope!” I tried to laugh with the others, but my wrist stung like I’d been burned, and my heart was a frantic flame in my chest. I couldn’t believe it. I never got caught.

FTC Advisory: Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic provided me with a copy of Star Crossed. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

I came across this book laying on a table at the local library (it drives me nuts when patrons do not put away the books. Must be my OCD!). From the look of the cover, I honestly thought it was a book aimed at very young children, so I almost passed it up. I picked it up to set it on the "return to shelf" cart (I'm so helpful), but decided to read the jacket first. I thought to myself, "Wow....this actually sounds promising" so I checked it out with my other finds of the day. I am so thrilled that I decided to give this book a go. First, let me say this book is not aimed at the very young. It does contain what some may consider violent situations. I think it would fine for older middle school-aged children and above. Okay, parental advisory over.

Star Crossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce is story about 16-year-old Digger, who is a thief/spy among the feuding religious factions of Gerse. In the beginning of the story we find out that a job goes terribly wrong for Digger and her partner/lover, Tegen. She believes Tegen is killed and disguises herself in hopes to escape. A group of young nobles befriend her and invite her for a ride on their pleasure boat. She gives them a fake identity and life-story. As Celyn Contrare, she sneaks out of the city with them and becomes a lady-in-waiting for one of the young noblewomen at the stronghold of the powerful Nemair. Digger/Celyn continues to collect "loot" while enjoying a "vacation" from her reality when she gets caught. She is then blackmailed into spying on her hosts, who are believed to be planning a rebellion. That's the blurb in a nutshell without giving away any spoilers.

First off, I absolutely loved the heroine, Digger/Celyn. She is smart, independent, and strong, but she also has her faults and fears. I will not lie, there were times that I wanted to throttle her when she could have asked for help instead of digging herself deeper into the mess she was in. Then I remembered where she came from and how she was so use to depending on only herself, so I forgave her.

There were many supporting characters in the book and although the author could not deeply develop every single one, the characters she did develop were very well-rounded.

I believe what I enjoyed most about this book was that it was reminiscent of the Hunger Games. No, it is not a dystopian world where children kill each other. The resemblance was in the fact that the authors in both books chose not to focus fully on romance, but instead on the heroine's trials and growth through-out the novel.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys strong heroines and fantasy. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the Thief Errant Series, Liar's Moon. ( )