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emilyrandolph_epstein's review against another edition
5.0
Breathtaking. Kept me on the edge of my seat, may have forgotten to eat while reading.
careydnelson's review against another edition
5.0
Listened to the podcast version and was impressed by a lot of the choices made. This one felt superior to other podcasts in the same style. Mr. Rogers is improving! The actors are top notch with great direction/production. Everyone is distinct and interesting.
becnelli's review against another edition
3.0
The concept of the book was very interesting and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, but I found the ending to be very disappointing.
kortirion's review against another edition
3.0
Well done, but it's hard for me to enjoy such an all-consuming love story.
the_pooh's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
what the actual… did I just subject myself to?
cdeane61's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting cast of characters, interesting premise, interesting plot, but somehow it just felt bogged down for me.
Not enough so that I abandoned it, but enough for only 3 stars and an overall MEH from me.
Not enough so that I abandoned it, but enough for only 3 stars and an overall MEH from me.
kepheus's review against another edition
4.0
The first 75% of this book put me to sleep every night. As a heist book, it is mostly terrible. As a deep dive into one woman's sudden need to rebel - after a lifetime of conformity - at seeing a beautiful man, it's excellent.
The use of "you" in the book is especially jarring. It's one thing to write in first person, it's oddly different when it's first person being addressed to a second. You get used to it, but it doesn't really provide any satisfaction other than a very large foreshadowing. Let's face it, a woman writing a letter to her lover generally indicates that they are no longer together.
But this story does not end the way you'd expect. There are definitely some hints, but the ending is worth it. Soldier on through the dreck and you'll be rewarded.
The use of "you" in the book is especially jarring. It's one thing to write in first person, it's oddly different when it's first person being addressed to a second. You get used to it, but it doesn't really provide any satisfaction other than a very large foreshadowing. Let's face it, a woman writing a letter to her lover generally indicates that they are no longer together.
But this story does not end the way you'd expect. There are definitely some hints, but the ending is worth it. Soldier on through the dreck and you'll be rewarded.
bookladysreviews's review against another edition
3.0
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!*
First of all, the concept of this book is more than fascinating and I feel like it's worth reading just because of its uniqueness and authenticity. Second of all, the beginning was a bit confusing which is something I wanted to mention before moving on with this review, just because it's what kept me from being completely blown away by it. It took a while for me to get used to what was going on and the writing style didn't really help. This particular narrative isn't one that I'm too fond of, generally speaking, but as the story progressed more and more, I really got into it and by the end, it wasn't such a huge problem after all.
I would also like to mention that, the book itself is based on a podcast which I would have loved to listen to before actually reading Steal the Stars because that would make the experience even more interesting and exciting but, unfortunately, that didn't happen. I cannot say whether this particular novelization is exactly the same as the novel itself or if the narrative is similar or completely different so, if you have the chance to listen to the podcast, definitely go for it!
Moving on, the story follows Dak, a very different main heroine from what we're used to in Fiction and books in general. She's all about taking action first and asking questions later, which makes her quite aggressive and very determined to achieve her purpose. She's portrayed as a flawed character who lives in this extremely flawed world and always gets her way, through manipulating and lying. She uses her authority to get out of difficult situations and even abuses the power she's given, in order to see things done her way.
She hides a lot of skeletons in her closet and I'd go as far as saying that, she's completely relatable. She's, in a sense, the perfect reflection of the society she lives in and probably, the one we're asked to live in today. Which doesn't make her a bad or evil person at all. Quite the opposite actually. She's strong, physically and mentally, practical and knows how to make the choices she has to make, no matter the consequences. Same goes for Matt. Based on how he's portrayed through Dak's eyes, he appears to be the perfect man but, he has a lot of demons to deal with on his own. Which makes their relationship very interesting to read about. Their romance was very intense and well written, as was their chemistry. It definitely felt like one of those once in a lifetime experiences that you don't come across that often in life! And they definitely delivered!
While the narrative wasn't my cup of tea, I can't deny that it was quite interesting. I'm coming back to it because I feel like it's one of the most important parts of the story and something that readers will definitely appreciate! It's the combination of the first and second POV, which I personally haven't encountered in a while. Dak is the narrator of the story and actually addresses Matt as ''you'', which is what I personally found difficult to get used to when I started reading the book. It is an intimate way of telling a story, which not a lot of authors can see through successfully.
The pacing, for me at least, was extremely slow and started picking up way after the middle of the book. I prefer fast paced stories but was very glad that the story picked up after a while. The beginning was more of an introduction which I really appreciated because it cleared some things up, but I enjoyed the fast paced part of it a bit more. As Dak and Matt's relationship develops, so does what is happening around them. We're slowly introduced to everything that makes up this very peculiar story and it's like the setting and the world develop alongside these very interesting characters!
Lastly, the ending blew me away in the best and worst way possible. It really messed with my mind and my entire being which means that, it was perfect! I'm still not sure what happened and how it happened, which is something I've never encountered before. Don't get me wrong, I'm still confused and I had to read the last chapters a couple of times to get somewhere. But it really surprised me, both in a good and a bad way, that I still need a couple of days to process everything that happened. Overall, Steal the Stars is definitely a book worth reading because of its very different way of narration and development!
First of all, the concept of this book is more than fascinating and I feel like it's worth reading just because of its uniqueness and authenticity. Second of all, the beginning was a bit confusing which is something I wanted to mention before moving on with this review, just because it's what kept me from being completely blown away by it. It took a while for me to get used to what was going on and the writing style didn't really help. This particular narrative isn't one that I'm too fond of, generally speaking, but as the story progressed more and more, I really got into it and by the end, it wasn't such a huge problem after all.
I would also like to mention that, the book itself is based on a podcast which I would have loved to listen to before actually reading Steal the Stars because that would make the experience even more interesting and exciting but, unfortunately, that didn't happen. I cannot say whether this particular novelization is exactly the same as the novel itself or if the narrative is similar or completely different so, if you have the chance to listen to the podcast, definitely go for it!
Moving on, the story follows Dak, a very different main heroine from what we're used to in Fiction and books in general. She's all about taking action first and asking questions later, which makes her quite aggressive and very determined to achieve her purpose. She's portrayed as a flawed character who lives in this extremely flawed world and always gets her way, through manipulating and lying. She uses her authority to get out of difficult situations and even abuses the power she's given, in order to see things done her way.
She hides a lot of skeletons in her closet and I'd go as far as saying that, she's completely relatable. She's, in a sense, the perfect reflection of the society she lives in and probably, the one we're asked to live in today. Which doesn't make her a bad or evil person at all. Quite the opposite actually. She's strong, physically and mentally, practical and knows how to make the choices she has to make, no matter the consequences. Same goes for Matt. Based on how he's portrayed through Dak's eyes, he appears to be the perfect man but, he has a lot of demons to deal with on his own. Which makes their relationship very interesting to read about. Their romance was very intense and well written, as was their chemistry. It definitely felt like one of those once in a lifetime experiences that you don't come across that often in life! And they definitely delivered!
While the narrative wasn't my cup of tea, I can't deny that it was quite interesting. I'm coming back to it because I feel like it's one of the most important parts of the story and something that readers will definitely appreciate! It's the combination of the first and second POV, which I personally haven't encountered in a while. Dak is the narrator of the story and actually addresses Matt as ''you'', which is what I personally found difficult to get used to when I started reading the book. It is an intimate way of telling a story, which not a lot of authors can see through successfully.
The pacing, for me at least, was extremely slow and started picking up way after the middle of the book. I prefer fast paced stories but was very glad that the story picked up after a while. The beginning was more of an introduction which I really appreciated because it cleared some things up, but I enjoyed the fast paced part of it a bit more. As Dak and Matt's relationship develops, so does what is happening around them. We're slowly introduced to everything that makes up this very peculiar story and it's like the setting and the world develop alongside these very interesting characters!
Lastly, the ending blew me away in the best and worst way possible. It really messed with my mind and my entire being which means that, it was perfect! I'm still not sure what happened and how it happened, which is something I've never encountered before. Don't get me wrong, I'm still confused and I had to read the last chapters a couple of times to get somewhere. But it really surprised me, both in a good and a bad way, that I still need a couple of days to process everything that happened. Overall, Steal the Stars is definitely a book worth reading because of its very different way of narration and development!
lyrrael's review against another edition
5.0
Hey! Fair warning, the publisher gave me access to the first five episodes ahead of time in exchange for my review, BUT the podcast is free and available at your podcast location of choice. I use Pocket Casts, and the first three episodes are already up. A link to get to them is here.
Steal the Stars is part of a new project by Tor, Tor Labs, which will apparently be putting out serialized fiction -- basically audio drama -- podcasts in the future. Think about stuff like The Truth, Limetown, The Bright Sessions -- this one belongs right in those hallowed halls right alongside them.
Steal the Stars begins with a mystery -- what the hell is this weird alien thing? It's huge, and seemingly mostly dead, and covered in moss, and in a crashed ship, with a thing.... but that's honestly not what the podcast is about. It's more about the human drama of the people surrounding him in the secret paramilitary base trying to figure out their own lives -- and figure out the mystery going on at the center of it.
This is slightly more romantic in nature than I really expected it to be, but I'll tell you what -- I loaded this thing up on a four hour driving trip, and my husband, who isn't really into my fiction podcasts, kept asking for the next one. We listened to all five episodes we were provided in one sitting, and I'm dying to listen to the rest of them now.
Very diverting and very worth listening to. Five stars.
Steal the Stars is part of a new project by Tor, Tor Labs, which will apparently be putting out serialized fiction -- basically audio drama -- podcasts in the future. Think about stuff like The Truth, Limetown, The Bright Sessions -- this one belongs right in those hallowed halls right alongside them.
Steal the Stars begins with a mystery -- what the hell is this weird alien thing? It's huge, and seemingly mostly dead, and covered in moss, and in a crashed ship, with a thing.... but that's honestly not what the podcast is about. It's more about the human drama of the people surrounding him in the secret paramilitary base trying to figure out their own lives -- and figure out the mystery going on at the center of it.
This is slightly more romantic in nature than I really expected it to be, but I'll tell you what -- I loaded this thing up on a four hour driving trip, and my husband, who isn't really into my fiction podcasts, kept asking for the next one. We listened to all five episodes we were provided in one sitting, and I'm dying to listen to the rest of them now.
Very diverting and very worth listening to. Five stars.