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debbiebarr's review
4.0
The first 50 pages were a bit slow, but well worth getting through for the rest of the story. Thieves, blackmail, conspiracy, and hidden identities abound! A little Megan Whelan Turner, and a little Robin McKinley mixed together for an exciting first book in a new series.
suzemo's review
3.0
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 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).
nattyg's review
5.0
I loved it. It was a bit confusing to figure out what the author was talking about when she left her cryptic bits, but I was well rewarded. She did an AMAZING job of making me feel like I was already a part of the world, the politics, and the lifestyle while explaining it all without talking down to her audience. I've already got her previous book on hold and waiting for the second book to this series!
brandypainter's review
2.0
Review originally posted here.
Starcrossed has a lot of characters and I found many of them to be intriguing. Unfortunately Digger wasn't one of them. She is a master thief, but she is not an overly intelligent one. She continuously made decisions that had me questioning her critical thinking skills. You can't blame her naivete either, because she is not naive. While talented at picking up objects that don't belong to her, she is neither observant or capable of analyzing information, making her terrible at the espionage she becomes involved in. She also has a hard time keeping things to herself. How she made it as long as she has in her chosen profession I could never quite figure out. The villains are stereotypical and predictable, almost farce like. Some of the supporting characters are what kept me interested. Raffin and Durrel were intriguing for the five seconds they were in the book. Then Meri, the Sarists, and Wierolf were fascinating as well. When Digger was with any of these characters the book was interesting. When she was not, which was too often, I had a hard time continuing.
Even as a lover of political intrigue stories, I was never engaged by the plot. I did feel there were way too many major coincidences used to move along the action or explain things. Not one single revelation in the whole story surprised me. I was never even puzzled or curious. I couldn't shake the feeling while I was reading that it had all been done before. This in itself doesn't bother me. It is just that it has been done so much better that this book suffers in comparison. When the book first came out it was being mentioned as something fans of [a:Megan Whalen Turner|22542|Megan Whalen Turner|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1241223424p2/22542.jpg] might enjoy. People should really be careful about comparing other books to hers. It sets up unrealistic expectations. Reading Starcrossed I was reminded more of [b:Crown Duel|21060|Crown Duel (Crown Duel / Court Duel)|Sherwood Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1295508165s/21060.jpg|4398231] and [b:Mara, Daughter of the Nile|406186|Mara, Daughter of the Nile (Puffin Story Books)|Eloise Jarvis McGraw|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299405805s/406186.jpg|1956]. Both of these books have similar elements but they are better executed than in Starcrossed.
Starcrossed has a lot of characters and I found many of them to be intriguing. Unfortunately Digger wasn't one of them. She is a master thief, but she is not an overly intelligent one. She continuously made decisions that had me questioning her critical thinking skills. You can't blame her naivete either, because she is not naive. While talented at picking up objects that don't belong to her, she is neither observant or capable of analyzing information, making her terrible at the espionage she becomes involved in. She also has a hard time keeping things to herself. How she made it as long as she has in her chosen profession I could never quite figure out. The villains are stereotypical and predictable, almost farce like. Some of the supporting characters are what kept me interested. Raffin and Durrel were intriguing for the five seconds they were in the book. Then Meri, the Sarists, and Wierolf were fascinating as well. When Digger was with any of these characters the book was interesting. When she was not, which was too often, I had a hard time continuing.
Even as a lover of political intrigue stories, I was never engaged by the plot. I did feel there were way too many major coincidences used to move along the action or explain things. Not one single revelation in the whole story surprised me. I was never even puzzled or curious. I couldn't shake the feeling while I was reading that it had all been done before. This in itself doesn't bother me. It is just that it has been done so much better that this book suffers in comparison. When the book first came out it was being mentioned as something fans of [a:Megan Whalen Turner|22542|Megan Whalen Turner|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1241223424p2/22542.jpg] might enjoy. People should really be careful about comparing other books to hers. It sets up unrealistic expectations. Reading Starcrossed I was reminded more of [b:Crown Duel|21060|Crown Duel (Crown Duel / Court Duel)|Sherwood Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1295508165s/21060.jpg|4398231] and [b:Mara, Daughter of the Nile|406186|Mara, Daughter of the Nile (Puffin Story Books)|Eloise Jarvis McGraw|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299405805s/406186.jpg|1956]. Both of these books have similar elements but they are better executed than in Starcrossed.
luisasm's review
4.0
This was a thrilling book. Although it was very complicated, and Digger is really annoying sometimes, I liked all the other characters. I felt the plot was a little complicated, and had so many twists, some were underdeveloped. And although from a critical point of view, that mattered, from a reader's point of view, that provided for "can't-put-it-down-reading". It was so enthralling. Couldn't stop reading. The end was great.
geekbrocade's review
4.0
Brilliant storyline with great characters and a strong protagonist. Looking forward to the sequel and I want to know Digger's love interest!
The only thing missing is a map. It was hard keeping track of where everything is in relation to everywhere else.
The only thing missing is a map. It was hard keeping track of where everything is in relation to everywhere else.
acrosstickx's review
5.0
Great read, fast paced, interesting plot, and unpredictable twists. The only (slight) criticism I have is the sheer number of characters - I'm not usually a person who has trouble keeping track of everyone, but there were so many people involved in this story and all with such unusual names that I found it very difficult to keep track of who was who at times. (Once I discovered the Lexicon at the back of the book it helped some, but didn't assist me keeping track of who had said/done what.)
Having said that, though, I still loved this book and am looking forward to the sequel!
Having said that, though, I still loved this book and am looking forward to the sequel!
cjyu's review
5.0
4.5 stars
Yummy mysterious medieval story.. But no romance. Oh well, enjoyable either way, although would've been 5 stars if romance could've been seamlessly woven into the story. The font of the book nearly killed my eyes though.. SO TINY. AND NO MAP! I actually flipped to the front and back to look for a map, I was so confused the heck out of there about where everything is. Excellent mysterious fantasy story- definitely looking forward to the next book, Liar's Moon.
Yummy mysterious medieval story.. But no romance. Oh well, enjoyable either way, although would've been 5 stars if romance could've been seamlessly woven into the story. The font of the book nearly killed my eyes though.. SO TINY. AND NO MAP! I actually flipped to the front and back to look for a map, I was so confused the heck out of there about where everything is. Excellent mysterious fantasy story- definitely looking forward to the next book, Liar's Moon.
readerpants's review
4.0
Not spectacular, but a solidly enjoyable genre read. I'm surprised to hear it compared to the Attolia books, because I definitely didn't see similar depth and compelling complexity in the story or the characterizations. It reminded me more of Lloyd Alexander's [b:Westmark|24783|Westmark (Firebird)|Lloyd Alexander|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167543734s/24783.jpg|2994137], which I haven't read in years but loved as a tween.
I'm not gonna gush about it to everyone I know, but I'll certainly read the second when it comes out and keep this one in mine when I'm booktalking to fantasy readers.
I'm not gonna gush about it to everyone I know, but I'll certainly read the second when it comes out and keep this one in mine when I'm booktalking to fantasy readers.
mikig's review
3.0
Character of Digger is nicely done and the setting is well drawn. However, there were some leaps of logic and plot devices that made it a bit less believable. I will read the next one just to see if things improve.