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A review by booklover160
Star Eater by Kerstin Hall
4.0
4.5 stars - I recommend reading content warnings before reading the novel!
CW:
This was read for the #DTReadAlong group!! Feel free to join us for any of our read alongs!!
I really didn't think I'd like this one because I don't usually go for horror. Buuut "cannibal nuns who fight zombies made of their own STDs" sounded awesome and so, so weird.
[b:Star Eater|55077680|Star Eater|Kerstin Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599778721l/55077680._SY75_.jpg|74138070] follows Elfreda, an ordinary Sister in her order. Except that the Order runs their floating island because the Sisters have magic... magic that they get by consuming the flesh of their mothers. Along with running the government and keeping the island floating, they also fight zombies, called Haunts, which are very rare. They're rare because they're created when a Sister has sex with men. The men slowly turn into Haunts, but the Sisters need to continue their line so they use criminals. The criminals are kept locked up and when they're too far gone, they get literally pushed off the edge of the floating island.
Elfreda gets tangled up in several plots and various political pulls. She agrees to spy for another Sister so long as she can get out of Renewals (the act of trying to get pregnant to continue the Sisterhood). But as she delves deeper into this plot, she learns things about herself that could change the future of the Sisterhood, and the whole island, forever.
WOW. SO MUCH happens in this book and I can't believe I kept up with it. (I don't think I did tbh)
Elfreda felt so real to me. She could keep her cool under pressure, but I loved being in her head and seeing her freak out and have all these dilemmas and weigh her options heavily. I loved seeing her interact with other characters and try to figure out who she can trust, even questioning those closest to her. She did take the news of who she is remarkably well and I was glad she went through with things, but it felt a bit... easy. Like there weren't many pages left and everything wrapped up a little too neatly or conveniently.
I liked the other characters; but there's A LOT. Thank goodness for the cast list at the beginning. I found it sorted oddly as our main character is at the bottom of the list but I was just happy to have it.
I think the plot was awesomely twisted and wicked. This world is cruel and hard mentally on the Sisters but they do what they need to do to survive. There were so many twists and turns that I was hanging on to every page. I think it was paced poorly, however. The beginning takes a while to get into and the end wraps up too neatly in my opinion. But it's still a fun and wild ride.
I also didn't find this as dark as I anticipated. Yeah, it's brutal but not as bad as I expected for a book in the 'horror' genre. I think it was much more of a political thriller?
All in all, it was better than I expected!! I'm grateful to my book club for making me step outside my comfort zone for this one!! I would read more from Kerstin Hall!!
CW:
Spoiler
cannibalism, religious trauma, implied rape, violence, body horrorThis was read for the #DTReadAlong group!! Feel free to join us for any of our read alongs!!
I really didn't think I'd like this one because I don't usually go for horror. Buuut "cannibal nuns who fight zombies made of their own STDs" sounded awesome and so, so weird.
[b:Star Eater|55077680|Star Eater|Kerstin Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599778721l/55077680._SY75_.jpg|74138070] follows Elfreda, an ordinary Sister in her order. Except that the Order runs their floating island because the Sisters have magic... magic that they get by consuming the flesh of their mothers. Along with running the government and keeping the island floating, they also fight zombies, called Haunts, which are very rare. They're rare because they're created when a Sister has sex with men. The men slowly turn into Haunts, but the Sisters need to continue their line so they use criminals. The criminals are kept locked up and when they're too far gone, they get literally pushed off the edge of the floating island.
Elfreda gets tangled up in several plots and various political pulls. She agrees to spy for another Sister so long as she can get out of Renewals (the act of trying to get pregnant to continue the Sisterhood). But as she delves deeper into this plot, she learns things about herself that could change the future of the Sisterhood, and the whole island, forever.
WOW. SO MUCH happens in this book and I can't believe I kept up with it. (I don't think I did tbh)
Elfreda felt so real to me. She could keep her cool under pressure, but I loved being in her head and seeing her freak out and have all these dilemmas and weigh her options heavily. I loved seeing her interact with other characters and try to figure out who she can trust, even questioning those closest to her. She did take the news of who she is remarkably well and I was glad she went through with things, but it felt a bit... easy. Like there weren't many pages left and everything wrapped up a little too neatly or conveniently.
I liked the other characters; but there's A LOT. Thank goodness for the cast list at the beginning. I found it sorted oddly as our main character is at the bottom of the list but I was just happy to have it.
I think the plot was awesomely twisted and wicked. This world is cruel and hard mentally on the Sisters but they do what they need to do to survive. There were so many twists and turns that I was hanging on to every page. I think it was paced poorly, however. The beginning takes a while to get into and the end wraps up too neatly in my opinion. But it's still a fun and wild ride.
I also didn't find this as dark as I anticipated. Yeah, it's brutal but not as bad as I expected for a book in the 'horror' genre. I think it was much more of a political thriller?
All in all, it was better than I expected!! I'm grateful to my book club for making me step outside my comfort zone for this one!! I would read more from Kerstin Hall!!