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magencorrie's review
4.0
"I don't know if it's about love, so much, as fate. Something bigger than Romeo and Juliet, something greater than any two people, pulled them to each other, entwined their lives like...like a knot that no one could untangle. They could no more change what happened than...than stop a star from falling.-Reed"
This book was beyond what I thought it would be.
It ensnared me, held me captive from first sentence to the last page.
I had no chance to escape once I read the first word.
Defy the Stars is stunningly written and beautifully told.
It's a swirl of emotions.
Depth of beauty and danger.
Dark and alluring.
I would first like to thank Stephanie Parent for allowing me to read this book.
Thank you!
This is a book, written in verse style. Something I am not used to reading.
I have, however, read books by Ellen Hopkins, so the writing style wasn’t all that new to me.
But, writing a review was a bit tough.
Julia Cape, a straight lace girl, who’s just trying to finish high school and leave her town behind so she can play.
Play her piano that is, the only thing in her life she truly and wholeheartedly loves.
Every day, in and out, she plays, thinking of nothing much, otherwise.
School, piano, friends and family.
That’s Julia’s world.
That all chances when she has a discussion on Romeo & Juliet with the stoner, Reed MacAllister, where she ‘scoffs’ love at first sight, and Reed tries to defend the classic love story.
With just that one discussion, Julia just can’t seem to keep that dark and mysteries stoner, Reed, out of her head.
Then, with one encounter after another, these two find a different meaning in love at first.
Julia finds hope and love, where she that there was none.
Reed enters her life so un-expectantly, changing so many things for her.
And there begins their story of star crossed lovers.
With a bang and swift movement, her hands poised over the keys, she tells her story. With the sounds of piano chords.
You are rushed on a symphony of verses and words.
You enter a world that is raw and heartbreaking.
The emotions run deep and consume you.
"Even when we’re not together, I still taste him on my lips, a collision of sweetness and dark like a night sky scattered with stars."
From first words Julia and Reed collide.
First kiss they are enraptured with each other.
From there, they can't escape the grip they have.
They can’t fight fate.
Throughout the story, I could feel the dark and encouraging emotions seeping off this page.
And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It made me, in a way, be consumed in this world that Parent created.
The flow of the story was smooth, and the plot was beautifully told.
Parent kept the pace of the book nice, I was never lost nor did it feel rushed.
Music plays a heavy theme in the book and the writing style reminded me of how music flows.
It was captivating.
Julia and Reed start off with a complicated relationship, not knowing each other, to not liking each other, complete with misunderstandings and miscommunication.
Then fate seems to take the wheel and with a stirring of actions,
Reed and Julia set forth on a path of love, self-discovery, tragedy and hope.
The characters felt somewhat real and strong.
They each had flaws, weaknesses that were exposed in the book.
I got to know Julia on a personal level; however, I felt I didn’t get to really know Reed that well. We only get to see certain sides of him, and I felt there was just so much more to learn about him.
They truly are the complete opposite of each other.
The only thing I felt was missing, was that we didn't get to know the characters but on certain levels.
Parent tells a story of faith, love darkness, hope, tragedy and discover.
It was a heartbreaking and a consuming read.
Raw, dark and twisted, yet hopeful, fresh and inspiring.
I don’t think I have ever cried so hard over a book…
This book held me captive, and with a swirl of emotions, I couldn’t put it down.
Defy the Stars is about a tragic love story, so if you need a stunning heartwarming and tear-jerking read. I highly recommend this book!
This book was beyond what I thought it would be.
It ensnared me, held me captive from first sentence to the last page.
I had no chance to escape once I read the first word.
Defy the Stars is stunningly written and beautifully told.
It's a swirl of emotions.
Depth of beauty and danger.
Dark and alluring.
I would first like to thank Stephanie Parent for allowing me to read this book.
Thank you!
This is a book, written in verse style. Something I am not used to reading.
I have, however, read books by Ellen Hopkins, so the writing style wasn’t all that new to me.
But, writing a review was a bit tough.
Julia Cape, a straight lace girl, who’s just trying to finish high school and leave her town behind so she can play.
Play her piano that is, the only thing in her life she truly and wholeheartedly loves.
Every day, in and out, she plays, thinking of nothing much, otherwise.
School, piano, friends and family.
That’s Julia’s world.
That all chances when she has a discussion on Romeo & Juliet with the stoner, Reed MacAllister, where she ‘scoffs’ love at first sight, and Reed tries to defend the classic love story.
With just that one discussion, Julia just can’t seem to keep that dark and mysteries stoner, Reed, out of her head.
Then, with one encounter after another, these two find a different meaning in love at first.
Julia finds hope and love, where she that there was none.
Reed enters her life so un-expectantly, changing so many things for her.
And there begins their story of star crossed lovers.
With a bang and swift movement, her hands poised over the keys, she tells her story. With the sounds of piano chords.
You are rushed on a symphony of verses and words.
You enter a world that is raw and heartbreaking.
The emotions run deep and consume you.
"Even when we’re not together, I still taste him on my lips, a collision of sweetness and dark like a night sky scattered with stars."
From first words Julia and Reed collide.
First kiss they are enraptured with each other.
From there, they can't escape the grip they have.
They can’t fight fate.
Throughout the story, I could feel the dark and encouraging emotions seeping off this page.
And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It made me, in a way, be consumed in this world that Parent created.
The flow of the story was smooth, and the plot was beautifully told.
Parent kept the pace of the book nice, I was never lost nor did it feel rushed.
Music plays a heavy theme in the book and the writing style reminded me of how music flows.
It was captivating.
Julia and Reed start off with a complicated relationship, not knowing each other, to not liking each other, complete with misunderstandings and miscommunication.
Then fate seems to take the wheel and with a stirring of actions,
Reed and Julia set forth on a path of love, self-discovery, tragedy and hope.
The characters felt somewhat real and strong.
They each had flaws, weaknesses that were exposed in the book.
I got to know Julia on a personal level; however, I felt I didn’t get to really know Reed that well. We only get to see certain sides of him, and I felt there was just so much more to learn about him.
They truly are the complete opposite of each other.
The only thing I felt was missing, was that we didn't get to know the characters but on certain levels.
Parent tells a story of faith, love darkness, hope, tragedy and discover.
It was a heartbreaking and a consuming read.
Raw, dark and twisted, yet hopeful, fresh and inspiring.
I don’t think I have ever cried so hard over a book…
This book held me captive, and with a swirl of emotions, I couldn’t put it down.
Defy the Stars is about a tragic love story, so if you need a stunning heartwarming and tear-jerking read. I highly recommend this book!
private_reader's review
3.0
I’ve had this one on my Kobo for ages. I finally read it late one night when I couldn’t sleep. Like The Humming Room, Defy the Stars is also inspired by a classic piece of literature – Romeo and Juliet. Unlike The Humming Room, I think Defy the Stars does enough new with the source material to make it a worthwhile read. it moves at a very fast clip, and while Julia and Reed do seem to fall in insta-love at least Julia seems to take time to reflect on this. She knows, in other words, how unlikely it is, and that makes a difference to the reading.
This is packed with intrigue and melodramatic, maybe a bit much for my adult sensitivities. But as I read I thought, “this might not be for me, but teens will LOVE it”. And perhaps when you are writing YA, there is no higher praise.
This is packed with intrigue and melodramatic, maybe a bit much for my adult sensitivities. But as I read I thought, “this might not be for me, but teens will LOVE it”. And perhaps when you are writing YA, there is no higher praise.
andmarstan's review
5.0
Hey, you guys! So, for the first time ever and author contacted me and asked me to review her book. I, of course, was super excited and said yes! I was even more excited to learn that it was an "edgy contemporary Romeo and Juliet retelling in verse." I love books like that (Hi, Prom and Prejudice). Stephanie Parent is an amazingly kind lady and I'm sure that her book is going to get super popular in the near future. (By the way, I will be posting the Amazon link for her book at the end of this post. It's only available in Kindle at the moment.) She got the cover done with a zero dollar budget which is so impressive! Now, please enjoy a review of Defy the Stars by Stephanie Parent.
Summary:
"Julia Cape: A dedicated classical piano student just trying to get through her last semester of high school while waiting to hear from music conservatories.
Reed MacAllister: A slacker more likely to be found by the stoners’ tree than in class.
Julia and Reed might have graduated high school without ever speaking to each other…until, during a class discussion of Romeo and Juliet, Julia scoffs at the play’s theme of love at first sight, and Reed responds by arguing that feelings don’t always have to make sense. Julia tries to shake off Reed’s comment and forget about this boy who hangs with the stoner crowd—and who happens to have breathtaking blue eyes—but fate seems to bring the two together again and again. After they share an impulsive, passionate kiss, neither one can deny the chemistry between them. Yet as Julia gets closer to Reed, she also finds herself drawn into his dark world of drugs and violence.
Then a horrific tragedy forces Julia’s and Reed’s families even farther apart…and Julia must decide whether she’s willing to give up everything for love.
Defy the Stars is written in an edgy free-verse style that will appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins and Lisa Schroeder; however, the writing is accessible enough to speak to non-verse fans as well. The novel’s combination of steamy romance and raw emotion will appeal to fans of Gayle Forman, Simone Elkeles, Jennifer Echols, and Tammara Webber. With a plot, language and form that both pay homage to and subvert Shakespeare’s play, Defy the Stars is much more than just another Romeo and Juliet story.
Please note that this novel contains mature language and themes, including drug use."
Review:
Firstly, I know what you all are thinking: "I thought she was uncomfortable reading books about drugs... A book that has to do with drugs?" Let me tell you: the author is NOT condoning drug use this book. Yes, it IS a major part of the story, but drugs ruin the characters' lives - the main character experiments with it, but decides to stop taking it before she gets addicted.
And about being uncomfortable with drugs, aren't a lot of people? I don't like drugs and I don't approve of them in the slightest, but as a teenager I know that it is a major influence in a lot of people's lives. If I understand why authors include drug use in a book and it makes sense, it doesn't take away from the book, in my opinion. I hope that cleared things up.
I loved the way this book was written - the verse, I mean. It was so... cool, for lack of a better word.I had never read a book like that before and it made everything so much more dramatic and interesting.
The way she wrote it was fantastic - I legitimately cried at the end. I have read Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare several times (I love it), and although I knew how it would ultimately end, it was really interesting to see the way she had everything happen. It was awesome how she used drugs as the poison.
I loved how some of the characters had names that began with the letter of the name of the shakespeare character they were "portraying": Julia - Juliet, Reed - Romeo, Perry - Paris, etc...
I loved the characters except Perry, but I don't think anyone was supposed to like Perry.
One complaint - I wish Perry had gotten stabbed. I'm not one to be like, "GO VIOLENCE!", but I don't mind battle scenes and all that stuff. However, Perry made me so angry, I wanted him to get stabbed by one of those big powerful guys. He made my skin crawl, but I think he was supposed to.
I also really liked Julia and Reed's relationship. They were just so good together. The only time I was annoyed is when Reed gave Julia drugs. That was not good (I understand why it happened, I was only mad at the character).
Another cool thing was Julia and her piano. I play the piano, and her talent made me wish that I could play as well as her. It was just so cool to see how she connected with piano and how that difficult piece of music was only difficult until she went through the type of pain that the music was portraying. It was beautiful, really.
In all, I give it five stars. I read it in a few hours (a few days ago) because I was super into it. I recommend this book, but please do remember the warning in the summary/blurb thingie.
Please check out my blog post where I post this exact same review - and I include an excerpt of the book and an interview with the author! Hope you enjoyed:
http://princessofpages.blogspot.com/2012/08/defy-stars-by-stephanie-parent-review.html
Summary:
"Julia Cape: A dedicated classical piano student just trying to get through her last semester of high school while waiting to hear from music conservatories.
Reed MacAllister: A slacker more likely to be found by the stoners’ tree than in class.
Julia and Reed might have graduated high school without ever speaking to each other…until, during a class discussion of Romeo and Juliet, Julia scoffs at the play’s theme of love at first sight, and Reed responds by arguing that feelings don’t always have to make sense. Julia tries to shake off Reed’s comment and forget about this boy who hangs with the stoner crowd—and who happens to have breathtaking blue eyes—but fate seems to bring the two together again and again. After they share an impulsive, passionate kiss, neither one can deny the chemistry between them. Yet as Julia gets closer to Reed, she also finds herself drawn into his dark world of drugs and violence.
Then a horrific tragedy forces Julia’s and Reed’s families even farther apart…and Julia must decide whether she’s willing to give up everything for love.
Defy the Stars is written in an edgy free-verse style that will appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins and Lisa Schroeder; however, the writing is accessible enough to speak to non-verse fans as well. The novel’s combination of steamy romance and raw emotion will appeal to fans of Gayle Forman, Simone Elkeles, Jennifer Echols, and Tammara Webber. With a plot, language and form that both pay homage to and subvert Shakespeare’s play, Defy the Stars is much more than just another Romeo and Juliet story.
Please note that this novel contains mature language and themes, including drug use."
Review:
Firstly, I know what you all are thinking: "I thought she was uncomfortable reading books about drugs... A book that has to do with drugs?" Let me tell you: the author is NOT condoning drug use this book. Yes, it IS a major part of the story, but drugs ruin the characters' lives - the main character experiments with it, but decides to stop taking it before she gets addicted.
And about being uncomfortable with drugs, aren't a lot of people? I don't like drugs and I don't approve of them in the slightest, but as a teenager I know that it is a major influence in a lot of people's lives. If I understand why authors include drug use in a book and it makes sense, it doesn't take away from the book, in my opinion. I hope that cleared things up.
I loved the way this book was written - the verse, I mean. It was so... cool, for lack of a better word.I had never read a book like that before and it made everything so much more dramatic and interesting.
The way she wrote it was fantastic - I legitimately cried at the end. I have read Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare several times (I love it), and although I knew how it would ultimately end, it was really interesting to see the way she had everything happen. It was awesome how she used drugs as the poison.
I loved how some of the characters had names that began with the letter of the name of the shakespeare character they were "portraying": Julia - Juliet, Reed - Romeo, Perry - Paris, etc...
I loved the characters except Perry, but I don't think anyone was supposed to like Perry.
One complaint - I wish Perry had gotten stabbed. I'm not one to be like, "GO VIOLENCE!", but I don't mind battle scenes and all that stuff. However, Perry made me so angry, I wanted him to get stabbed by one of those big powerful guys. He made my skin crawl, but I think he was supposed to.
I also really liked Julia and Reed's relationship. They were just so good together. The only time I was annoyed is when Reed gave Julia drugs. That was not good (I understand why it happened, I was only mad at the character).
Another cool thing was Julia and her piano. I play the piano, and her talent made me wish that I could play as well as her. It was just so cool to see how she connected with piano and how that difficult piece of music was only difficult until she went through the type of pain that the music was portraying. It was beautiful, really.
In all, I give it five stars. I read it in a few hours (a few days ago) because I was super into it. I recommend this book, but please do remember the warning in the summary/blurb thingie.
Please check out my blog post where I post this exact same review - and I include an excerpt of the book and an interview with the author! Hope you enjoyed:
http://princessofpages.blogspot.com/2012/08/defy-stars-by-stephanie-parent-review.html
sugardustedbooks's review
5.0
*Originally reviewed on Pages Of Forbidden Love
I can’t even begin to tell you how much this book broke my heart. When Stephanie emailed me about reading Defy The Stars I knew two things 1) I had to read this book and 2) This wasn’t going to be a happy book. I went in knowing I was in for some hard times but I really didn’t expect all the water works this book had me going through.
Julia is an innocent girl. She plays piano and just wants to get through the rest of her school year so she can graduate and hopefully get into a good music school. She has a plan and she likes to structure things, even spending class planning out her schedule and practicing her music in her head. She isn’t looking for change but she can’t plan everything and one day while rushing to class she runs into Reed and somehow change is what she gets. After an in class reading of Romeo and Juliet and continuously running into him Julia can’t stop thinking about Reed. She catches herself daydreaming about him and wishing to stop. After all, Reed isn’t what she needs and it could never work.
Reed is the complete opposite of Julia. He doesn’t really have a plan and is just trying to get by. He’s had a hard life and he is stuck in it. He doesn’t have parents that care about him and his brother is scum (putting it kindly) but that is all he has. Reed is such a sad and broken character. He’s never had much and deals with life the only way he knows how. He has things rough but he is deep and when he talks about Romeo and Juliet or fate and destiny I just can’t help but love him. I couldn’t help but love him but I also hated him too, for not being everything I knew he could be. For letting his brother get the best of him and for letting Julia be dragged (even though it was willingly) into his world, even when I was wanting her in his life.
It’s very clear that Reed and Julia are from different worlds but the pull between them is so strong that it doesn’t stop them. Their relationship becomes intense so quickly but it is written so well and I really appreciated the fact that although Julia had such strong feeling she still thought about what her feelings really meant and not jumping straight to declaring her love for him. Reading about them together was just beautiful and heartbreaking. I wanted so much for them. I wanted things to work out so badly.
I haven’t read many books in verse, besides most of what Ellen Hopkins has written, but I was ready to read more and I think Stephanie did an amazing job. I was sucked in with her writing from the very first pages. I was wowed from the beginning and I really wanted to read the whole book in one sitting. I love what she did with the story and how deeply she allowed me to feel for her characters. I got so emotional reading her words. Defy The Stars was perfect even with all the darkness within its pages and it is going to stick with me for a long time. Definitely one of my favorites. I can’t wait to read more of Stephanie’s work.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much this book broke my heart. When Stephanie emailed me about reading Defy The Stars I knew two things 1) I had to read this book and 2) This wasn’t going to be a happy book. I went in knowing I was in for some hard times but I really didn’t expect all the water works this book had me going through.
Julia is an innocent girl. She plays piano and just wants to get through the rest of her school year so she can graduate and hopefully get into a good music school. She has a plan and she likes to structure things, even spending class planning out her schedule and practicing her music in her head. She isn’t looking for change but she can’t plan everything and one day while rushing to class she runs into Reed and somehow change is what she gets. After an in class reading of Romeo and Juliet and continuously running into him Julia can’t stop thinking about Reed. She catches herself daydreaming about him and wishing to stop. After all, Reed isn’t what she needs and it could never work.
Reed is the complete opposite of Julia. He doesn’t really have a plan and is just trying to get by. He’s had a hard life and he is stuck in it. He doesn’t have parents that care about him and his brother is scum (putting it kindly) but that is all he has. Reed is such a sad and broken character. He’s never had much and deals with life the only way he knows how. He has things rough but he is deep and when he talks about Romeo and Juliet or fate and destiny I just can’t help but love him. I couldn’t help but love him but I also hated him too, for not being everything I knew he could be. For letting his brother get the best of him and for letting Julia be dragged (even though it was willingly) into his world, even when I was wanting her in his life.
It’s very clear that Reed and Julia are from different worlds but the pull between them is so strong that it doesn’t stop them. Their relationship becomes intense so quickly but it is written so well and I really appreciated the fact that although Julia had such strong feeling she still thought about what her feelings really meant and not jumping straight to declaring her love for him. Reading about them together was just beautiful and heartbreaking. I wanted so much for them. I wanted things to work out so badly.
I haven’t read many books in verse, besides most of what Ellen Hopkins has written, but I was ready to read more and I think Stephanie did an amazing job. I was sucked in with her writing from the very first pages. I was wowed from the beginning and I really wanted to read the whole book in one sitting. I love what she did with the story and how deeply she allowed me to feel for her characters. I got so emotional reading her words. Defy The Stars was perfect even with all the darkness within its pages and it is going to stick with me for a long time. Definitely one of my favorites. I can’t wait to read more of Stephanie’s work.
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