Star Mother

"A beautiful tale of #tragedy and #love , not necessarily always romantic love either. This #fantasy book was terrifically written and conveys this otherworldliness and reverence for the belief system displayed in this series. The ending is perfect, in that it ties up every loose end and (always my favorite!) ends happily. #happyending #gods #demigods #friendstolovers #beautifulwriting #legends_and_mythology (has that vibe)"

"Surprisingly, achingly beautiful! This books shows there are different kinds of happily ever afters. It's not always straightforward or the expected."

"I want to give this book a higher rating because of the awesome premise and world building, but the last 25% of the book fell flat for me. I almost wish it was written for adults and the clumsy lackluster love triangle was left out. The structural bones of the story a very unique...When a star dies a new one must be created; and a mortal womb must be chosen from a village of the sun Gods choosing. The "star mother" usually does not survive the birth of her star, but the sacrifice of her life is considered an honor, not only to her family, but to her entire village. When Ceris Wenden volunteers to become a star mother she believes that her story will be a brief one, but when she wakes up after the birth of her star, she becomes the first star mother to survive the impossible. Given more time alive she wants nothing more than to meet her star daughter, the being she was willing to sacrifice everything to create. A war between the celestials makes the timing poor so she asks to return to earth until it is safe to finally make the trip. When she arrives back in her village she discovers over 700 years have passed and now she is utterly alone... (read to know the rest)<br/> Ceris Wenden is awesome and full of love and heart. She has strength to question and make requests of the sun god, but her personality gets downplayed by her falling for Ristriel, a stranger godling who is on the run. We never learn much about Ristriel until the end of the book yet somehow she magically falls head over heals for him? Usually YA books have some build up so that even the reader is invested in the relationship but I felt no attachment to the "trickster godling" that was on her journey with her. This book had the opportunity to be an empowering novel for young girls, that shows them what strength of character and kindness can achieve in the world but it was tossed aside for a flimsy love based almost entirely on looks, the ability to keep a promise and proximity. Despite the flaws of the love triangle I find myself wondering if the second book can redeem this story..."

"This was BEAUTIFUL! An absolute gem. It reads like an epic like the stories of Homer and Odysseus. If you like #fantasy with a dash of romance (not at all over the top) then give this book a try 🥰"