Sky Full of Stars by Sabine Berlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is just a draft of what, I am sure, will be published soon.
Sabine’s story is interesting and unique for YA (there are no werewolves or vampires).
Setting: It’s in Utah! In rural Utah. And, while they setting is not described much, it is adequate to show the busy of southern Utah and the incredible range of scenery.
Plot: It is the classic girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy back kind of story. Yet, it is not really formulaic. The plot flows from the action organically. There are some good twists and turns along the way as the heroine, Catelyn, learns about her family, the boy she loves, and who she really is.
Conflict: This story focuses on the Catelyn’s conflict with Eri, the boy she loves and who supposedly loves her too, until she finds out some disturbing news about him (da da dum). She has to fend off another would-be suitor and deal with being kidnapped, thinking that Eri is dead (yet there is no prolonged depressive bout with this girl (unlike in another now-famous book – hurray!). She also has to deal with the brutal tendencies of her long-lost aunt, and with the reality of who her parents were and what they did.
Character: This is perhaps the strongest part of Sabine’s writing. The characters felt real, and well-rounded, with complex thought and emotion. We especially see this of Catelyn since we are in her head the entire book (as is typical for first person-told story). At times I felt like it was too much thought and exposition without enough action, but the uniqueness and interesting story kept me going.
Text: This is a draft, so I won’t comment on grammar or style here. I will say that the writing is clear and easy to read.
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