Scan barcode
tmholsman_1994's review against another edition
5.0
While Zodiac focuses on Rho trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and step into a role she was not ready for. Wandering Star focuses on her growth. All through out it seems like she is still not ready for a guardianship role she, but she is still the leader the Zodiac needs. She is a free spirited Cancer, but she has to follow the rules now bestowed on her when she accepts the role of “Wandering Star.” I was not ready for the plot twists this story held. This is an amazing story about growth, trusting your instincts, love, lost, and every now and then breaking the taboo.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed the sequel to this creative and character driven series! The plot was more complex, the character development was more substantial, the twists were mind-blowing, and the world building and lore continued to be fascinating.
I loved seeing more of the worlds in this universe and felt it grow for the audience. I hope to learn more about it in future books. That said, I was under no illusions that this was a story about struggles through tragedy and finding yourself. This was best shown through certain twists that really surprised me and through Rho herself. I grew to respect her a lot more in this book, and felt she matured and became even easier to relate to. I was also more than happy to see more of Hysan and Nishi, and I also learned more about Rho's family.
There are some new characters introduced who could make for compelling story arcs, and several familiar faces returned to the forefront. That said, there was one element to the story that, while it was a truly unexpected twist, does not seem to have an affect on the current storyline save for creating more unneeded drama.
With that one nitpick aside, there are some truly excellent scenes in here. There was a moment with Rho and her brother that truly pulled on my heartstrings, as well as a few moments with Nishi that made me want to give the girl a giant hug.
This has been a great book so far and given the way things ended, I am truly looking forward to seeing where these complex characters go next.
I loved seeing more of the worlds in this universe and felt it grow for the audience. I hope to learn more about it in future books. That said, I was under no illusions that this was a story about struggles through tragedy and finding yourself. This was best shown through certain twists that really surprised me and through Rho herself. I grew to respect her a lot more in this book, and felt she matured and became even easier to relate to. I was also more than happy to see more of Hysan and Nishi, and I also learned more about Rho's family.
There are some new characters introduced who could make for compelling story arcs, and several familiar faces returned to the forefront. That said, there was one element to the story that, while it was a truly unexpected twist, does not seem to have an affect on the current storyline save for creating more unneeded drama.
With that one nitpick aside, there are some truly excellent scenes in here. There was a moment with Rho and her brother that truly pulled on my heartstrings, as well as a few moments with Nishi that made me want to give the girl a giant hug.
This has been a great book so far and given the way things ended, I am truly looking forward to seeing where these complex characters go next.
frekinney's review against another edition
5.0
A quest for identity, a love triangle, a struggle with grief, and a crusade to save the universe. The emotional and political plotlines are wonderfully balanced. I liked this one better than the first. The characters felt like they had more depth. The world building was still fascinating. Every world is different and beautiful and the way the character interact with and react to them is fun to watch.
christie_esau's review
2.0
The first book in this series was surprisingly good, but this one was fairly 'meh' to me. I think part of that was having read the first book quite a while ago and thus having forgotten the details? I also have read much better sci-fi (*cough cough* Red Rising).
happyhaidi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
It’s been a long time since I read the first book in this series (I probably should have actually participated in the rereadathon of the first book, but I just didn’t have time), so it took me a little bit of time to remember what was happening, but once I got myself warmed up, I found that I was enthralled with the worlds of the Zodiac once again!
This second book picked up right where the first left off—after the destruction of Cancer, Rho and her brother are refugees of sorts on Capricorn. She’s overwhelmed with guilt over Mathias’s and her father’s deaths (not to mention many other citizens of Cancer) and she’s pretty much given up on being a leader. Of course, she might not get to choose whether or not to lead.
What Fed My Addiction:
The Zodiac worlds.
I just love the concept of the worlds of Zodiac and how they’re affected by their signs. Russell has done some amazing worldbuilding here!
The Risers.
I loved the concept of the Risers and how they are treated as outcasts in the Zodiac society. I don’t want to give too much away about them because you learn more about them as the book goes on, but I thought that these characters brought up a lot of questions about how we can build prejudices based on the actions of a certain subset of a group and also just based on the fact that someone is different. In this book, even Rho starts to question her own views and how she might have a skewed perspective that has led to some prejudices. I’m probably most interested to see where Russell goes with this aspect of the book and to see what happens with the Risers.
Lots of revelations!
This book was action-packed and filled with twists and turns. I’ll admit that I saw a few of them coming, but there were definitely still some surprises. Rho learns a lot about the history of Zodiac and she finds that she is tied to that history in certain ways. Actually, there are lots of revelations, but of course, I can’t talk about them in any sort of detail because I’d end up giving things away!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Still a love triangle?
Rho can’t let go of Mathias, even when he’s dead. She holds onto the guilt she feels over his death and she holds onto his memory. And as the book goes on, things just get more and more … complicated. I’ll confess that I was never really much of a fan of Mathias in the first place, so I just wanted to see her move on with Hysan. but she couldn’t really do that. (On the positive side, we did get some nice moments between the couple). I did understand some of Rho’s feelings and actions when it came to the romance, but there were a few times when she just made me more than a little crazy.
This book digs us deeper into the history of the Zodiac and propels the story toward an uncertain future! I’m excited to keep reading and find out where Russell takes us in Black Moon! I give this book 4/5 stars
(The love triangle almost makes me want to reduce that to 3.5 stars, but I’m intrigued with some of the revelations that Rho made about herself—with Hysan’s help—at the end of the book, and I think that the triangle helps her explore those, so I’m more on board with it than I would otherwise be.)
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
It’s been a long time since I read the first book in this series (I probably should have actually participated in the rereadathon of the first book, but I just didn’t have time), so it took me a little bit of time to remember what was happening, but once I got myself warmed up, I found that I was enthralled with the worlds of the Zodiac once again!
This second book picked up right where the first left off—after the destruction of Cancer, Rho and her brother are refugees of sorts on Capricorn. She’s overwhelmed with guilt over Mathias’s and her father’s deaths (not to mention many other citizens of Cancer) and she’s pretty much given up on being a leader. Of course, she might not get to choose whether or not to lead.
What Fed My Addiction:
The Zodiac worlds.
I just love the concept of the worlds of Zodiac and how they’re affected by their signs. Russell has done some amazing worldbuilding here!
The Risers.
I loved the concept of the Risers and how they are treated as outcasts in the Zodiac society. I don’t want to give too much away about them because you learn more about them as the book goes on, but I thought that these characters brought up a lot of questions about how we can build prejudices based on the actions of a certain subset of a group and also just based on the fact that someone is different. In this book, even Rho starts to question her own views and how she might have a skewed perspective that has led to some prejudices. I’m probably most interested to see where Russell goes with this aspect of the book and to see what happens with the Risers.
Lots of revelations!
This book was action-packed and filled with twists and turns. I’ll admit that I saw a few of them coming, but there were definitely still some surprises. Rho learns a lot about the history of Zodiac and she finds that she is tied to that history in certain ways. Actually, there are lots of revelations, but of course, I can’t talk about them in any sort of detail because I’d end up giving things away!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Still a love triangle?
Rho can’t let go of Mathias, even when he’s dead. She holds onto the guilt she feels over his death and she holds onto his memory. And as the book goes on, things just get more and more … complicated. I’ll confess that I was never really much of a fan of Mathias in the first place, so I just wanted to see her move on with Hysan. but she couldn’t really do that. (On the positive side, we did get some nice moments between the couple). I did understand some of Rho’s feelings and actions when it came to the romance, but there were a few times when she just made me more than a little crazy.
This book digs us deeper into the history of the Zodiac and propels the story toward an uncertain future! I’m excited to keep reading and find out where Russell takes us in Black Moon! I give this book 4/5 stars
(The love triangle almost makes me want to reduce that to 3.5 stars, but I’m intrigued with some of the revelations that Rho made about herself—with Hysan’s help—at the end of the book, and I think that the triangle helps her explore those, so I’m more on board with it than I would otherwise be.)
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
diana_acc's review against another edition
4.0
❤️ Junio 2021 ❤️
Perdí un poco el hilo de en que me había quedado al terminar el libro anterior, eso me pasa por dejar pasar tanto tiempo entre uno y otro.
Pero sigo amando a Hysan, ese libriano es precioso, tanto en apariencia como en sentimientos.
Me llevé varias sorpresas, una era bastante obvia y la otra me la esperaba pero no de esa manera y estoy hablando del final del libro.
Una mención especial a Deke y Nishi, me gusta bastante su participación, de hecho no me esperaba tanto de Deke, y se muestra más su relación con Rho.
Perdí un poco el hilo de en que me había quedado al terminar el libro anterior, eso me pasa por dejar pasar tanto tiempo entre uno y otro.
Pero sigo amando a Hysan, ese libriano es precioso, tanto en apariencia como en sentimientos.
Me llevé varias sorpresas, una era bastante obvia y la otra me la esperaba pero no de esa manera y estoy hablando del final del libro.
Una mención especial a Deke y Nishi, me gusta bastante su participación, de hecho no me esperaba tanto de Deke, y se muestra más su relación con Rho.
stiftare's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ravencourt23's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Murder
mandi_luvgood's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0