Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 402pgs
The Story
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.
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.
The Review
A big thanks to the lovely (and awesome) Brodie for swapping books with me to get a copy of this book!
A big thanks to the lovely (and awesome) Brodie for swapping books with me to get a copy of this book!
Sometimes retellings of some of my favourite stories just cannot live up to my expectations nor impress me on a very high level. But with me having a lot of cover love for this book and with the story being a retelling of my favourite of all favourite Jane Austen book's, Persuasion (trust me READ the original book you guys), this book just needed to be read by me. I'm pretty much sold on any Jane Austen retelling. So considering everything I've just read, the author not only stays true to the original work but it also presents new readers a very lush and imaginative storyline that holds its own.
Wow. Wow. Wow. You guys, I have so many feels for this book alone. FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS is a story unlike any other I have read before - at least for a retelling, and it's the kind of book that makes your heart warm, tingly, and achy in all of the right places. It was just bittersweet. So while some readers may not be a fan of the dystopian elements featured in this particular book, but I actually thought it fitted and suited well - and so perfectly too - for the storyline such as Persuasion and if you can't tell already . . . it totally won me over!
Then there is the romance section of the book. Oh my god, the romance! It was the bittersweet kind going on between the independent and sometimes-closed off young girl, Elliot, whom I loved as the main character, and her childhood sweetheart boy now turned independent-rude-brush-off of a man whom Elliot hasn't seen in what seems like a lifetime and whom I loved to hate and love all over again, that being Captain Malakai Wentforth aka Kai. Like in the original book, Persuasion, I think Diana Peterfreund did such great justice to her own set of characters and managed to weave the original characters' personalities into them and so well too. She just got everything right both with the characters and the romances between them. Just damn. If you have read the original book you will understand my emotions here . . . it was utter sweet perfection! You could FEEL the conflict, the anger, the confusion of feelings going back-and-forth between the characters Elliot and Kai . . . it was all of these unresolved feelings going on and it just sparked with passion in this book. Just sparked! SO MANY FEELS!
Overall, I could honestly go on and on about this book and it was everything I was hoping for! Jane Austen would be proud of this one. Very proud indeed. FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS is one of the best retellings - if not my favourite book retelling by far - that I have read in a long time and it's something I would highly recommend to everyone within a heartbeat! Again, SO MANY FEELS!
The Rating
5/5 stars
I haven't read the original story, but I can't wait to try this one out! I'm in love with the cover. The romance sounds really good :D I'm so happy you loved it!
ReplyDeleteMel@thedailyprophecy.
EEEP I love that you're fangirling over this book! I haven't read PERSUASION or FOR DARKNESS, but I have been wanting to read both for a long time. I'm so glad to hear that Peterfreund stays true to the original story, but is able to add awesome dystopian twists here and there as well. I'm quite curious about the love triangle, I hope I like it! Lovely review, Erin. :)
ReplyDelete