Friday, October 11, 2013

Review: The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

The Chaos of Stars
 The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.
Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.
Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.
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Publishes in US: September 10th 2013 by HarperTeen
Genre: YA Fantasy Mythology
Source: Harper Teen
Series? Yes. Sequel in 2014

Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Author stalk away: site, Twitter and Facebook

    Okay, I will admit, got off to a confused start because I know nothing about Greek mythology much less Egyptian and the names and implications that I probably should know a bit about the backstory threw me for a bit, but I soon figured out the important pieces. I was sent for review though, so I kept reading, and boy am I glad that I did. 
    Things really picked up for me once Isadora came to the US. I came to appreciate her voice even more, and I liked that she was tough, I loved her snark, and I also admired the vulnerability under it all. It is fun to see her adjusting to the culture, and always lends a light moment. I can't imagine coming here and really only cultural experience is from tv or a teen movie, lol. 
    And oh man, do I wish there were a picture of Ry. My imagination does a pretty good job, but I feel for the slightly antisocial, hot and secretly sweet and amazing guy. It was hard to see how Isadora held love and friendship at arm's length though because she didn't want to get hurt and was convinced that love would end and wasn't worth it. 
    Also, Tyler was amazing. She is also "working" at the museum and she takes Isadora under her wing. She is just this side of awkward which makes me connect with her immediately, because that could describe me. 
    The characters are amazing, I loved every interaction, serious to funny, and always wanted more. Isadora was unique in her culture, the way she grew up with gods and goddesses but is not one, and also that she has a passion that comes through, her interior design. I love how that was a theme throughout the book and also kept Ry in the picture even when she decides that she is attracted but doesn't want to have a relationship but doesn't want to get hurt. There is action too, and that kept things moving. 
    It was also a lot of fun to see the relationship between Isadora and her parents, especially her mom Isis evolve. They learn so much about each other, and that was a great plot element. 
    The ending was well done, and glad it tied up things pretty well. I am still really eager to get the next in the series. 

Bottom Line: Great characters, so glad I picked it up.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
How would you feel if your family was immortal but you weren't.
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21 comments:

  1. I'm really glad you enjoyed this one, Brandi! It's gotten some very mixed reviews.

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  2. I think this book sounds awesome :D I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. <3 glad the characters were awesome :)

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  3. Sounds like a good one! I'd hate if my family was immortal and I wasn't...not that I WANT to be, but it would be sad if the rest of your family was

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  4. Glad you liked this too! A few of our fellow bloggers disliked Isadora because they see her as Whiney and selfish. I find her a normal and annoying teen. I wonder what the next book will be about.

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  5. I have heard some not so good reviews about this one and I was skeptical. So I should give it another chance I guess. Great review :)

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  6. I'm really happy to hear there's a strong relationship between Isadora and her parents. So glad you liked it! If my family was immortal and I wasn't, I would definitely feel left out!

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  7. Thanks for sharing that you found the characters amazing. Like Lauren, I guess I'd feel left out too if my family was immortal and I was a mere mortal. But at the same time, I think I'll have a deeper yearning desire to do things that I really love versus thinking I'll have the eternity to try out new stuff. Bet Isadora can't escape her divine destiny ;)

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  8. I love mythology and now a little about Egyptian mythology so your review has me excited. I actually think I was sent this..squee.

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  9. Sounds nice. I've been reading some mixed thoughts and I'm still not sure if it will be my sort of read, but I have enjoyed Kiersten White's writing in the past so I'll give it a try.

    -P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex

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  10. I have read a number of conflicting reviews of this one. I am curious about it though. I haven't read her Paranormalcy series yet and I have heard that it;s fantastic. I glad to see that you enjoyed the characters so much. I think it would suck if your parents were immortal and you weren't, I don't think I would be okay with that.

    Thanks for the review Brandi!

    Sara @ Just Another Story

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  11. I had an ARC of this one but I finally never read it, now I think I should have tried it. I'm glad it was that good.

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  12. This sounds awesome, Brandi! I love a story with great characters and now I really want to meet Ry! :)

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  13. Well, if my family were immortal but I weren't I'd be pretty pissed off, especially about the aging part (I assume my family members are immortal and free from aging). My mindset would also be a lot more different from theirs, so I dunno. Maybe it'd be like them waiting for me to die all the time, like the way families hover around the death beds of their loved ones for weeks or months. I would want to live around mortals who wouldn't be waiting for me to die.*ponders*

    I am glad Chaos of Stars is a great read! I saw it at the library.

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  14. I'm glad you were able to enjoy this one, I just couldn't get into it. Great review.

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  15. Sounds interesting! The Egyptian mythology seems to be picking up in popularity. I'm in the middle of listening to Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles trilogy on audiobook, and learning a ton about Egyptian myths in the process.

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  16. I'm so glad to see someone who enjoyed it! I've been seeing a lot of so-so reviews and it was making me sad because I love Egyptian mythology. Great review, it really sounds quite good

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  17. I've heard so many mixed things about this book! I'm not a huge fan of the author's work, so I'm not sure I'll pick it up, but I'm always curious to see opinions on it. Glad you enjoyed it!

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  18. I hope I wouldn't be as bratty as Isadora if my family was immortal and I wasn't-I got really annoyed with her whining. I loved the idea of Egyptian mythology being used but wanted a lot more from this book.

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  19. I really liked this book. This was my first White novel and after hearing some people harp about her writing style I was worried. But I don't see what they were complaining about! I thought the story flowed nicely and I really enjoyed her characterizations. Tyler was my favorite!

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