The Stars in Their Eyes Blog Tour and Playlist!

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours for giving me an eARC and including me in this fun and exciting tour!

The Stars in Their Eyes is Kristy Gardner’s debut novel. Today, I have assembled a playlist that is inspired by this novel, but first let me share a little bit about this book!

Synopsis

The Stars in Their Eyes (The Broken Stars #1) by Kristy Gardner

Genre: Adult Science Fiction Horror

Publishing Date: October 18, 2022

Content Warning: Alcohol, animal death, intense emotions: anxiety grief depression, sexual harassment, moderately explicit sex scene, homophobia/biphobia, gore, cheating, death of a loved one, murder

The stakes were clear after the Change–survive together, or die. Calay and Tess’s love has kept them alive four years after the aliens decimated Earth. But when Calay finds herself fighting for her life and Tess missing, she hears death knocking. Banging, really.She has nothing. Scraps for food, the clothes on her back, no safe place for respite. And yet, she is determined to risk it all to reunite with the one woman she has ever loved. She only has one choice:she must find Tess.Reluctantly, Calay braves the new nightmares of a ravaged Pacific Northwest, alone. Thrust into the darkness, she is haunted by horrors beyond her imagination—alien executioners, a mysterious man whom she can’t quite put her finger on, the rise of a sinister cult, and a shocking family secret that challenges everything she thinks she knows.As the lines between good and evil blur, Calay’s desperation threatens to spill what’s left of her humanity. Her heart smeared across her tattered sleeve, she is pulled deeper into the madness of a world that has become kill or be killed. Calay realizes she must deny her feral instincts and resist becoming a monster herself, confronting her demons as share stares down the barrel of a terrifying truth: she may actually be forever alone. Time is running out and she knows it. Her only hope is to become who she is truly meant to be and unify with the love of her life once and for all. But, at what cost? To survive, Calay must choose between the unthinkable: give up, or give ‘em hell. Fans of Falling Skies, Wilder Girls, or The Walking Dead will love this queer sci-fi horror love story!

Goodreads | Barnes & Noble

Playlist

I know my usual taste in music doesn’t necessarily give a sci-fi horror aesthetic, but these are the songs that really just reminded me of this book’s aesthetic and themes.

Bad Idea–Girl in Red

Lampshades on Fire–Modest Mouse

Stars Around Her–The Mountain Goats

About the Author

Kristy Gardner is a queer sci-fi fantasy writer.Her debut queer dark sci-fi novel, THE STARS IN THEIR EYES, is coming October 18, 2022

Furnished with degrees in Gender Studies and Sociology, she crafts complex female characters that adventure through space, time, and emotional maelstroms questioning what identity–and home–really mean.Her debut novel, THE STARS IN THEIR EYES, comes out October 2022. She is also the author of the award-winning cookbook, COOKING WITH COCKTAILS.When she’s not jet-setting words on her laptop, she’s chasing stars, mountain adventures, belly laughs, coffee, big dog cuddles, and planning her next trip to SE Asia. She resides in Vancouver, B.C.,with her partner and 90-pound rescued American Bulldog, Riley.She is represented by Julie Gwinn at The Seymour Agency.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Storygraph | TikTok

Don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour!

Followers: a Review

I do not like writing negative reviews, hence why it’s taken me so long to put my thoughts on this book into words. However, it all stems from the one question I had the second I finished the book:

What did I just read?

Followers by Megan Angelo tells the stories of Orla and Marlow. Orla lives in 2016 and works as a blogger in New York City, hoping to make it big as a writer someday. Marlow is a reality star, living in the future (2051) where almost every second of her life is on camera for others to see. At first it seems like they have nothing in common, but then finally a common thread emerges. Orla begins to help Floss, her roommate in her quest for fame. Surprisingly, their cunning plan works and Floss begins her rise to stardom. Marlow has Floss in her life as well: as her mother. Her world is turned upside down when Floss’s husband turns out to not be her father and she goes on a quest to find her biological father. Despite Floss, this common thread that seemingly promised to tie the story together, I still felt like I was reading two different books at the same time.

So what did I read?

Was it the story of Orla pursuing her dream of being a writer? Was it the story of Marlow finding her father? I hate to spoil anything, but it really wasn’t.

The first half of this really long book was good, leading me to believe that even though the characters had gotten themselves into a mess, they would emerge from it victorious and find a way to make their dreams come true. Orla and Marlow were well written characters in a world that is harsh, cruel, and obsessed with a celebrity’s every move. Halfway through the story, it seemed to change its direction, throwing in the sci-fi element I wasn’t expecting, a worldwide reaction that seemed rather unrealistic to me, and a change in everyone’s plans and motivations.

I think I was supposed to read a story about how privacy and friendships are better than millions of followers online, but it fell short of its intended purpose by telling a tale that changed its trajectory around halfway through, leaving me confused and dissatisfied.

I know other people really do like this book and the views expressed here are simply my own personal opinion after reading this book. While I struggled to read and to enjoy this, I know that others might have better luck with it!

*thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review*

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Mini Reviews: Readathon Edition

It’s been a while since I’ve done a collection of mini reviews, hasn’t it? Since my To Be Reviewed list is nearing the size of my To Be Read, I figured I could summarize last week’s reading in one post.

Last week I took part in the TBR Monster Readathon hosted by @nighttooisbeautiful on Instagram. I finished six books and they’re listed in the order that I read them.

Let me know if you’ve read any of them, and which one you’re planning on reading next!

1. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood ★★★★☆

The main character is a Handmaiden in the new utopian society of Gilead. However, Gilead’s ideals are not necessarily new, pulling their rules straight out of the Bible and puritan culture. As a handmaid, she endures psychological torment (brainwashed to believe this society is okay), rape, and loss of personhood. She is a vessel to produce babies, and that’s it. It’s terrifying to see how the Bible can be used in such horrible ways when taken literally. While this society is definitely extreme, I still think it’s important for everyone to read this book and remember why we have feminism and why it’s a good thing.

2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz ★★★☆☆

**SPOILERS**(sorry!) I’ve heard such great things about this book, but honestly it didn’t wow me, and seemed slightly problematic. I knew that it was about a gay couple, but until the very end, I saw absolutely no indications that Ari was into Dante at all. Therefore, his parents’ intervention seemed wrong to me (you wouldn’t convince your gay son that he was into a girl right?). Also Ari’s “coming out” was seemingly the cure to his anger issues. Like, no. You need to see a therapist for that, ’cause the second the romance wears off, you’re going to hurt Dante and that’s not okay. The writing style and the really cute moments saved this for me.

3. North! Or be Eaten by Andrew Peterson ★★★★★

This is the second book in the Wingfeather Saga, and my favorite. It was wonderful reading this again and revisiting this tale from my childhood. Perhaps the nostalgia is why I rated it 5 stars, but it really is a hilarious story full of wonderful writing and dynamic characters. It follows the three Wingfeather children, their mom, grandpa, and friend Oskar N. Reteep as they escape from the Fangs of Dang. They run into the vivacious vigilante, The Florid Sword; outsmart the Stranders of the East Bend; escape the Fork Factory; and fight Snickbuzzards and Bomnubbles along the way. Definitely worth a read! **I received a copy from Netgally in exchange for an honest review**

4. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green ★★★★☆

John Green’s brother, Hank, makes his debut with this novel. It is sci-fi following April May as she becomes famous overnight after documenting Carl–a mysterious sculpture. Turns out Carl is present in every single major city in the world, and no one knows where they came from. She faces a lot while trying to unravel the mystery of Carl and present someone the world will like over social media. I really liked the story and the message, and found April to be an enjoyable character with a different narration style. My only problem is that I didn’t like her name and how we get no explanation as to why she’s called that.

5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon ★★★★☆

This story follows Christopher as he tries to uncover who killed his neighbor’s dog. What starts as a simple mystery soon unravels secrets that will change his life and how he sees those around him. I loved his narration and seeing how his autism allows him to see the world and solve the mystery. He’s also super smart, losing me when he tries to explain all the math he does in his head. I do not have a lot of personal experience with autism, so I cannot say if the representation is accurate or not. However, I know the author worked with kids with autism, and the book does not paint it in a negative light at all.

6. Air Awakens by Elise Kova ★★☆☆☆

This book started off well, I originally liked Vhalla (although not her name cause how do you pronounce that?) because she loved to read and was an apprentice in the library. Then the magic system is introduced. Turns out Vhalla is the first airbender–I mean Windwalker–in over a century after the fire nation–I mean the West–attacked the Air nomads–I mean the East. She also has approximately three boys in love with her. The one is against her magic, the other keeps telling her to smile (can I punch his teeth in?), and the other is the hot sexy specimen who says he’d let the whole world burn just so long as he can have her(possessive much?). Vhalla falls for the sexy Bad Boy™️ fire bender, but unlike Zuko, he’s actually a terrible person. I wish there were less cliches and Avatar: The Last Airbender rip-offs.

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Congratulations on reaching the end! I hope that wasn’t too much for you. I really enjoyed reading most of these books, and hope that you found your next read in here.

You may also like: Fahrenheit 451|Autoboyography|A Thousand Perfect Notes|Shadow and Bone

I love writing these mini reviews! It’s a good way to get a lot done at once. What do you think? Should I keep doing them? Let me know!

-Cath

Batman: Nightwalker Graphic Novel review

I keep meaning to finish reading the DC icons series. I love the premise of superhero novelizations written by popular young adult authors, but I haven’t read past the Wonder Woman adaptation.

Then I received an advance reader copy of the graphic novelization of Batman: Nightwalker from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t read a lot of graphic novels, so please take this review with a grain of salt. I thought the artwork was good and loved the colors that they used. I was able to understand who was talking when, and the story in general. However, graphic novels are really short and therefore I always find them lacking in some way. This graphic novel seemed to be lacking a lot of backstory and plot points. It was missing the origin of Batman (like the name and the outfit) and just seemed to be about everything changing because of a girl.

I’ve really enjoyed Marie Lu’s writing in the past, and because of that I hate giving this graphic novel only three stars. However, I just didn’t understand the character motivations and the conclusion. Maybe sometime in the future I will get my hands on the novelization, which I am certain I will like much better due to its more lengthy nature. Graphic novels are a hit or miss for me, and this was somewhere in between. At least it has motivated me to continue reading the novels, and hopefully when I’m done I’ll be able to return to this graphic novel with a better understanding of the story behind it.

So I do not recommend reading this book unless you have already read the novel. If you do like graphic novels, you may enjoy this more than I did.

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Amazon | Goodreads

You may also like:

Wonder Woman | Warcross

Wildcard: Review

This was the perfect sequel to Warcross! Often I’m left disappointed with sequels. Part of that is because I have my own expectations of what will happen and become upset when they aren’t met, but also because I’ll often get tired of the story. Not with this dulogy!

Wildcard is a fast paced story told through vivid imagery and well-placed flashbacks. The writing was clear and easy to follow. The characters were bright and varied, and I loved learning more about them in this story. There was a lot of diversity, and it didn’t feel forced. They all come from different religious and cultural backgrounds, with differences in sexuality and physical ability. That’s something I really appreciated about this book.

There’s also a mystery that doesn’t end from the first book. We think at the end of Warcross that everything is going to go straight towards the goal. You know who the bad guy is, and who the good guy is, but Wildcard turns that all onto its head, showing you that you have to be careful who you trust, and evaluate ethical decisions for yourself.

I don’t think there was anything I disliked or didn’t understand about this book. Emika is a strong powerful character with a reliable moral compass that she follows even when it’s difficult; the Phoenix Riders are a diverse group of intriguing, wonderful friends who are definitely worth reading about; and the plot is well done and thought provoking–it made me wonder about what I would do if I was ever in those situations–and definitely worth reading.

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