Some Books Ago: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Some Books Ago is a shout out to all those books published some years ago. I don't want you to forget them!

Hey there! A few days ago I saw the news about a sale for this book and I can't stop thinking about it since that day. For Darkness Shows the Stars is one of my favorite books ever! I haven't re-read it once, but I remember many things and I love it that way, I kinda like to feel nostalgic over a story I loved that much.

I once compared this book to 100 Years of Solitude by Gabo (sorry, this is how everyone calls him here), and I still think it was a little magical like that. 

Now, please, if you still haven't read this book. DO IT!

Check it out! 

This book was published on June 12th 2012 by Balzer + Bray

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

 

 

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Book review: Across a Star-Swept sea by Diana Peterfreund

Across a star-swept sea

Author: Diana Peterfreund

Series: Companion novel to For darkness shows the stars.

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Source: ARC provided by publisher for review.

Summary:

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

My thoughts.

Across a star-swept sea is the breathtaking sequel to For darkness shows the stars by Diana Peterfreund.
This companion novel is a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, beautifully created and with unforgettable characters. 

In this new book we have Regs and Aristo instead of Posts and Luddite.
Persis Blake is an Aristo whose frivolous life hides her alter ego, Wild Poppy, the most famous spy all over New Pacifica.
I’m thrilled to say that this book was even better than For darkness shows the stars. To say that I loved it to pieces is not enough for such an amazing master piece.
Diana Petefeund did an amazing job creating a story than once again mixed perfectly the old fashioned ways on a modern and technologically advanced setting. The words, the descriptions, the story telling, everything was perfect!

I am not a person that really enjoys reading from different POVs because sometimes they’re not well created or they're confusing, but while reading Across a star-wept sea I never had that problem. Each character was unique and so, it was their voice.
Persis, the Wild Poppy is one of the best heroines I have ever known. I loved Elliot in the first book, she was strong and brave, and she was really mature and serious. But this Persis Blake was totally different to Elliot. She was funny and elegant, loyal and so smart. And when Persis was the Wild Poppy it was entirely different as well: Brave and intelligent, cold but always trying to help the people that needed her the most.
Justen in the other hand is a medic who’s trying to fix the mistake he made in the past. His POV was utterly different from Persis’s because he was more logical and thinks like a scientist. Justen is brilliant. And while we see the fake relationship he and Persis had, we learned to understand the way he sees the world.
There are also POVs from Justen’s sister and cousin. They’re so important because they tell and show the story of the other side.

The politics and aristocratic conflicts are well based and make the story more believable and understandable.
 The romance was well made, it wasn’t insta-love (thanks God!), but it grew slowly as the main characters start knowing each other. Both of them knew they couldn’t fall in love, but they did, they see through the facades make a beautifully real love story.
And for those who were pining for a Kai-Elliot cameo. They are in the right place and at the right time. The Cloud Fleet play an important role in the last part of the story. They are back bringing with them all the things we loved –and hated –before.
On my personal opinion, this book is one of the best of the year. There wasn’t a moment I didn’t like it, I never got bored and I enjoyed every part of it.
Across a star-swept sea is an unforgettable story about love, friendship, justice and equality. A must read.

 

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Book review: For darkness shows the stars by Diana Peterfreund

For darkness shows the stars.

Author: Diana Peterfreund.

Pages: 402

Goodreads rating: 3.98

Buying links: Amazon/ B&N/ TBD

Summary:

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

 

  

 

For darkness shows the stars by Diana Peterfreund is the weirdest book I’ve ever read.

Yeah, not the best way to start a so-called review but it’s the truth. This book was weird in the best way of weirdness.

To be honest, probably I’m the only girl of my country who never read a book by Jane Austen, yet, I saw the movies (loved them!) and I know how awesome this author is. When I read that For darkness shows the stars was inspired by a Jane Austin’s book I got curious, but I never had the chance to read it until I was approved to and ARC of Across a star-swept sea.

I’m not going to lie, this book was really difficult (to me) to understand in the first chapters. I don’t know if it was because of the terms or that I didn't put enough attention, but I was really, really lost. But then, when I got everything clearly, I wasn't able to put it down.

Yes, this was a dystopian book with no violence or horrible death, but it was cruel, and at the same time it was truly romantic.

I loved the letters between Elliot and Kai because I think it was a great way to let us understand the plot even better.

A world destroyed because the men played God was really unique. And after that a young girl trying her best to make her lands a better world for those weaker was so beautiful and charming.

In my honest opinion, this book reminds me a little of 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez but in a future world. The fleet is a lot like the gypsies in the novel by Garcia Marquez. Traveling around the world, being as close as a real family, discovering new things. Yeah, that was really special, and I loved to see it in a book like this.

Elliot was the strongest and the most loyal character that I’ve known. She doesn’t fight with a sword, she doesn’t shoot, she doesn’t organize a revolution but she fights for love, for justice, for her lands.

And Kai… he was so lovely. He was cruel almost the half of the book but we come to see him as he really is, we can understand him.

The fleet is unique! I loved each one each one of them specially Donovan and Andromeda…

And the names? If you think I loved all the things mentioned above, just must to know that I loved the names almost as much as the story itself.

The only sad thing is that the romance “romance” had to wait until the last chapters of the book. I thought that there will be a sequel of this story but I’ve seen now that the ending was meant to be like that and now I understand. And know I like it.

So, if you’re a Jane Austen fan, if you liked One hundred years of solitude, if you like weird and sad dystopian worlds, then you are going to love this beautiful story by Diana Peterfreund.

“Envy hurt exponentially more than heartbreak because your soul was torn in two, 

half soaring with happiness for another person, half mired in a well of selfpity and pain.”

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