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alexperc_92's review
5.0
OHH This little gem is hiding! Why hasn't anyone given this beauty more attention!
darquedreamer's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
No Ordinary Star is an immersive, fast paced story that reads like a dream. It is elegantly emotional and captivating. Prepare yourself for an astronomical amount of imagery!
The Plot: In a futuristic world where hunger, sickness, and human emotions are things of the past, a soldier and an unusual girl cross paths in the North Pole. He is summoned to fix the great Clock responsible for bringing in the new year, 2525. She is a criminal on the run having come close to death in the icy wilderness. Together they uncover secrets of their pasts, and a long forgotten library beneath an icy shack in the middle of the snow.
Can I just say WOW! The entire time I was reading, I felt like I was in a dream state. M.C. has written this with such amazing imagery and sensory emotions! I became lost (in a good way) in the story and each time I looked away from the book, I was oblivious to my surroundings. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and the way the book made me feel towards our two, lost characters.
Felix was so intriguing and complex. He gets broken down layer by layer. Literally, he went from being an emotionless soldier who doesn't eat real food, or sleep, to being an actual human being! Everything broke away, revealing someone who held a hunger for the world and for human companionship.
Astra was mysterious and fierce. She was brave, complex. and emotionally open. She added a layer of innocence and depth to the story while bringing out sympathy and empathy from the reader. I loved her and her fiery red hair!
Though the book was short, it packed a punch. It drew me in and brought me closer to our main characters. I felt sympathy for the lives they led. Both different lives, but both devoid of true human companionship and many other things we take for granted, such as access to books and the safety and comfort of a bed. I learned so much about both the characters and the background story of the world. I am so excited to jump in to the next two books very soon!
Thank you to the author for providing me with this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review and as part of being a proud member of the street team!
The Plot: In a futuristic world where hunger, sickness, and human emotions are things of the past, a soldier and an unusual girl cross paths in the North Pole. He is summoned to fix the great Clock responsible for bringing in the new year, 2525. She is a criminal on the run having come close to death in the icy wilderness. Together they uncover secrets of their pasts, and a long forgotten library beneath an icy shack in the middle of the snow.
Can I just say WOW! The entire time I was reading, I felt like I was in a dream state. M.C. has written this with such amazing imagery and sensory emotions! I became lost (in a good way) in the story and each time I looked away from the book, I was oblivious to my surroundings. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and the way the book made me feel towards our two, lost characters.
Felix was so intriguing and complex. He gets broken down layer by layer. Literally, he went from being an emotionless soldier who doesn't eat real food, or sleep, to being an actual human being! Everything broke away, revealing someone who held a hunger for the world and for human companionship.
Astra was mysterious and fierce. She was brave, complex. and emotionally open. She added a layer of innocence and depth to the story while bringing out sympathy and empathy from the reader. I loved her and her fiery red hair!
Though the book was short, it packed a punch. It drew me in and brought me closer to our main characters. I felt sympathy for the lives they led. Both different lives, but both devoid of true human companionship and many other things we take for granted, such as access to books and the safety and comfort of a bed. I learned so much about both the characters and the background story of the world. I am so excited to jump in to the next two books very soon!
Thank you to the author for providing me with this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review and as part of being a proud member of the street team!
celinbean's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 stars actually. This was a cute and interesting story that i enjoyed very much! The writing was a little messy at times but I'm curious about the next installment. More precisely about the character and the plot development. Also, how gorgeous is the cover?!
alysar's review
3.0
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
No Ordinary Star has a great premise, set in the year 2524 in a world inspired by Ray Bradbury a fugitive and a soldier meet while each runs from their past. Their histories are complicated, overlapping in ways neither expects or understands.
The problem I had with this book isn't the plot at all, but rather the voice. Not only does the book jump back and forth between points of view, each chapter is inconsistent and at times even confusing. It would have benefited from an outside editor, and then I might have been compelled to await the second instalment.
No Ordinary Star has a great premise, set in the year 2524 in a world inspired by Ray Bradbury a fugitive and a soldier meet while each runs from their past. Their histories are complicated, overlapping in ways neither expects or understands.
The problem I had with this book isn't the plot at all, but rather the voice. Not only does the book jump back and forth between points of view, each chapter is inconsistent and at times even confusing. It would have benefited from an outside editor, and then I might have been compelled to await the second instalment.
itsspfw's review
4.0
*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
In the year 2524, where the males and females were living separately, books were abolish and everyone have to take pills to keep them in line and being feed for days without feeling hungry. A designed soldier named Filex has been told to fix the great Clock at the North Pole for a the New Year celebration which it was made by the infamous Clockmaster, and he finds out later that his grandfather was the Clockmaster himself, and he was dead.
In his adventure, he encountered a girl named Astra, who ran away from the people who was hunting her because of her father's crimes. She was dying on the ice, and been taken to the Clockmaster's shack by the last polar bear left alive.
While they were trying to get easy on each other, they were discovering the mysteries surrounding in the Clockmaster's shank, and one of the discoveries was a basement full of books. And from there, the real adventure begins.
I really loved this book. M. C. Frank did a very great job on writing it and making this world.
Her writing is so clear and engaging, she amazingly made the world so easy to imagine and gives you a thrill about what is going ta happen in the future.
The characters were so mysterious and I like that because I love when it comes to get to know the characters slowly not rapidly.
The world building was a bit creepy but I find it attractive and that gives a credit on making the story absorbing.
And fun fact that it's super short but full of interesting things.
I really can't wait to read the sequel!
In the year 2524, where the males and females were living separately, books were abolish and everyone have to take pills to keep them in line and being feed for days without feeling hungry. A designed soldier named Filex has been told to fix the great Clock at the North Pole for a the New Year celebration which it was made by the infamous Clockmaster, and he finds out later that his grandfather was the Clockmaster himself, and he was dead.
In his adventure, he encountered a girl named Astra, who ran away from the people who was hunting her because of her father's crimes. She was dying on the ice, and been taken to the Clockmaster's shack by the last polar bear left alive.
While they were trying to get easy on each other, they were discovering the mysteries surrounding in the Clockmaster's shank, and one of the discoveries was a basement full of books. And from there, the real adventure begins.
I really loved this book. M. C. Frank did a very great job on writing it and making this world.
Her writing is so clear and engaging, she amazingly made the world so easy to imagine and gives you a thrill about what is going ta happen in the future.
The characters were so mysterious and I like that because I love when it comes to get to know the characters slowly not rapidly.
The world building was a bit creepy but I find it attractive and that gives a credit on making the story absorbing.
And fun fact that it's super short but full of interesting things.
I really can't wait to read the sequel!
tracie_nicole's review
5.0
No Ordinary Star
By MC Frank
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
He is the tin soldier; she, the match girl. Together, they discover the sparks that change the world. In themselves. In each other.
As they both discover the world isn't what they thought it is. For one, its lies and chains and a light in the dark. For the other, its discovery and learning and a savor on the ice.
Wow... This book blew me away. I found it deeply unique and creative, but I could still feel the hands of the authors who inspired this (From Lowry and The Giver to Bradbury and The Illustrated Man and Pullman's His Dark Materials). I loved how the author used our world, but drastically modified it, creating new inventions, and getting rid of animals and food, but also disease. Her creation really makes you think about the morality of things and makes you question your ideas.
I liked the characters. I liked watching them grow and learn in different ways. Especially Felix. He learned and grew so much in his short time on Alaska. Not only about himself, but about his roles in the world and about the society in which he lives.
The plot was rather slow, but I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. This is more of a character based story where you see lots of growth with the people. This is also a set up story for the next books. So I'm sure we'll see a lot more later on. I know I for sure can't wait for the next books. I absolutely loved this story.
By MC Frank
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
He is the tin soldier; she, the match girl. Together, they discover the sparks that change the world. In themselves. In each other.
As they both discover the world isn't what they thought it is. For one, its lies and chains and a light in the dark. For the other, its discovery and learning and a savor on the ice.
Wow... This book blew me away. I found it deeply unique and creative, but I could still feel the hands of the authors who inspired this (From Lowry and The Giver to Bradbury and The Illustrated Man and Pullman's His Dark Materials). I loved how the author used our world, but drastically modified it, creating new inventions, and getting rid of animals and food, but also disease. Her creation really makes you think about the morality of things and makes you question your ideas.
I liked the characters. I liked watching them grow and learn in different ways. Especially Felix. He learned and grew so much in his short time on Alaska. Not only about himself, but about his roles in the world and about the society in which he lives.
The plot was rather slow, but I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. This is more of a character based story where you see lots of growth with the people. This is also a set up story for the next books. So I'm sure we'll see a lot more later on. I know I for sure can't wait for the next books. I absolutely loved this story.
alexandra_92's review
5.0
OHH This little gem is hiding! Why hasn't anyone given this beauty more attention!
cinnabans's review
3.0
I was sent an ARC in exchange for an honest review about the book. Thank you!
Starting off, this story may give the short but fleeting impression of it being similar to other dystopian novels (especially to a reader who has read quite a bit of dystopia) but as we delve in further chapter by chapter, we realize that it is not necessarily so. While other dystopian novels may seem to be close to impossible or extremely far into the future, this book portrays a world that is uncomfortably close to the path we are on today.
The story opens with the Academy's top pupil - Felix and his life. Void of emotions and the need for basic life necessities like water and food, he is shown to be like most men in that Universe - simply robots in the hands of the Army. But one thing sets him apart from the rest and that is what leads him on an incredible journey to look for the Clockmaster and after receiving a cryptic message from the same.
Enter Astra - a female, much unlike others in a world where females are simply used to provide eggs for artificial insemination in labs. With a past that brings more questions than answers, the two characters come across a library - 'a storehouse of illegal weapons' and what they find inside changes their lives forever.
This story is not necessarily a love story yet, but the direction it is going in is pretty clear.
This book is an interesting fast paced read, which does not drag for too long and yet manages to give us the history of the characters without info dumping on the readers. I cannot wait to see where this series takes us!
Starting off, this story may give the short but fleeting impression of it being similar to other dystopian novels (especially to a reader who has read quite a bit of dystopia) but as we delve in further chapter by chapter, we realize that it is not necessarily so. While other dystopian novels may seem to be close to impossible or extremely far into the future, this book portrays a world that is uncomfortably close to the path we are on today.
The story opens with the Academy's top pupil - Felix and his life. Void of emotions and the need for basic life necessities like water and food, he is shown to be like most men in that Universe - simply robots in the hands of the Army. But one thing sets him apart from the rest and that is what leads him on an incredible journey to look for the Clockmaster and after receiving a cryptic message from the same.
Enter Astra - a female, much unlike others in a world where females are simply used to provide eggs for artificial insemination in labs. With a past that brings more questions than answers, the two characters come across a library - 'a storehouse of illegal weapons' and what they find inside changes their lives forever.
This story is not necessarily a love story yet, but the direction it is going in is pretty clear.
This book is an interesting fast paced read, which does not drag for too long and yet manages to give us the history of the characters without info dumping on the readers. I cannot wait to see where this series takes us!
queendarcy's review
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
*by now I've read all 3 "books" and can say that the whole thing is pretty bad, but this first part was actually decent so yeah...that's why this review is still "positive" XD*
When I read the summary I was very intrigued, and the whole thing sounded like it would be a sci-fi/fantasy/magical realism mixed all together. And it truly was - it was mysterious and not many answers were given, but considering this is actually just the "first part" of a "full book" and has only 150 pages, I'm not complaining. Anyways, the characters were interesting and the thing with the polar bear was cool along with all the technology they use and the world-building.
On the other hand, we don't learn much about anything, we just "meet" the characters. Also, all of these dystopian things happening sound familiar and we've seen them a million times before. Basically, it's nothing special and it didn't really pull me in - BUT it was still intriguing enough for me to continue the series....which I now know was a bad choice XD
P.S. that scene when they see the library for the first time totally reminded me of Tenth Doctor :D
"Books.
'Oh.' she gasps.
In here there are thousands of them. A room full of weaponry - illegal weaponry."
P.P.S. the covers for the whole series are gorgeous *u*
*by now I've read all 3 "books" and can say that the whole thing is pretty bad, but this first part was actually decent so yeah...that's why this review is still "positive" XD*
When I read the summary I was very intrigued, and the whole thing sounded like it would be a sci-fi/fantasy/magical realism mixed all together. And it truly was - it was mysterious and not many answers were given, but considering this is actually just the "first part" of a "full book" and has only 150 pages, I'm not complaining. Anyways, the characters were interesting and the thing with the polar bear was cool along with all the technology they use and the world-building.
On the other hand, we don't learn much about anything, we just "meet" the characters. Also, all of these dystopian things happening sound familiar and we've seen them a million times before. Basically, it's nothing special and it didn't really pull me in - BUT it was still intriguing enough for me to continue the series....which I now know was a bad choice XD
P.S. that scene when they see the library for the first time totally reminded me of Tenth Doctor :D
"Books.
'Oh.' she gasps.
In here there are thousands of them. A room full of weaponry - illegal weaponry."
P.P.S. the covers for the whole series are gorgeous *u*
foksha_1996's review
1.0
*The author of this book sent me this paperback copy in exchange for an honest review, so don’t expect anything less than that. I will always give an honest review, be it a positive one or a negative one.*
I feel like this entire book was just an intro for the rest of the series. A super. Long. Dragged out. Intro. The conflict was introduced but nothing ever really happened with it.
I wanted to like this book.... actually I wanted to love it, but I didn't. I had a very hard time getting through this novel. I even had to take a break from it completely, and I only kept reading because of the encouragement from others that had read it, insisting that it would get better. It didn't get a whole lot better for me.
I guess my biggest problem was that I was bored for most of the novel. I was bored with the story, the characters.... everything. And it was so confusing, I kept reading until chapter 5 and then I had to take a break, NOTHING MADE SENSE. Also too much details about the world, and less dialogue. the same problem with the characters, I didn't know enough about the characters and the life they were living to really care about them. It felt like a very long prologue to another story.
This had an intriguing plot but lacked a little uniqueness, for me. I am interested in continuing on with the series but my expectations and excitement have, unfortunately, waned a little. I already have book 2 and hopefully it's better! :)
I feel like this entire book was just an intro for the rest of the series. A super. Long. Dragged out. Intro. The conflict was introduced but nothing ever really happened with it.
I wanted to like this book.... actually I wanted to love it, but I didn't. I had a very hard time getting through this novel. I even had to take a break from it completely, and I only kept reading because of the encouragement from others that had read it, insisting that it would get better. It didn't get a whole lot better for me.
I guess my biggest problem was that I was bored for most of the novel. I was bored with the story, the characters.... everything. And it was so confusing, I kept reading until chapter 5 and then I had to take a break, NOTHING MADE SENSE. Also too much details about the world, and less dialogue. the same problem with the characters, I didn't know enough about the characters and the life they were living to really care about them. It felt like a very long prologue to another story.
This had an intriguing plot but lacked a little uniqueness, for me. I am interested in continuing on with the series but my expectations and excitement have, unfortunately, waned a little. I already have book 2 and hopefully it's better! :)