Tarnished Are The Stars // review

Hey lovely!

Before we get on with the post, WHOA.

I reached 200 followers yesterday night- two-hundred!! I can’t believe that so many people have read my posts and thought them worthwhile. Thank you so much for making my blog journey so fulfilling!

Welp, on to the post!

Here I am, back with another blog tour (don’t worry, the onslaught of blog tours is over ~for now~) and woah, I’m impressed! Cue another huge ranting post!

First off, can we talk about how the cover is actually so neat?? I love love love the nut-and-bolt-metal font and the constellations– THANK YOU to FFBC and Scholastic for the beautiful book in my mail!

Before we get on to the book, here’s the synopsis (in my words, and spoiler free).

Anna, a teen girl living in a secluded, hidden town off the coast of the Settlement, a gated area on the planet where everyone else lived, has a secret: not only does she have an illegal mechanical heart, banned by the Commissioner, but she sells and makes those illegal parts to help out her clients, going under the name of ‘The Technician’.

Nathaniel, the Commissioner’s son, desperately wants to prove to his father that he is worthy of being his heir, and that he is worthy enough to outgrow his shadow that is him being the living proof of everything his father fought to eliminate. The obvious way? Capture the Technician, a tyrant who sneaks around and has never managed to be found.

Eliza, who lives out in space with the nobles and the Queen, has dedicated her life to the Queen’s services by charming and sweet-talking the liars and criminals, turning them into the Queen as soon as she can. She’s built her life off of secrets and lies, so her dream of becoming the Queen’s successor comes crashing down when she’s sent to the planet to meet her betrothed, whom she struggles not to hate for his part in ruining her dreams– and, while she’s at it, discover the Commissioner’s secrets.

When these three figures all meet, it happens in an explosion of stars, steel, and secrets, making each of them question what their world has taught them and what they believe in. Is the preservation of a community’s lifestyle worth human lives?

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Ok, woah, I like my synopsis! First off, this is pretty awesome- so much queer rep yes!! I was interested in the book for that reason, firstly, and it took some time for the romance to actually develop, but it was definitely worth it 😀

“Nathaniel had been just as ignorant only weeks ago, but now his hands itched to fill in the map, to see and know and care what else their world had to offer.”

I… really love this book, and it’s so hard to pinpoint why, but I’ll try my best!

Characters

• a n n a  –  w i l d f i r e s ,  l i t t l e  b a b i e s ,  p h o e n i x ,  r e b i r t h

Anna is a very likable and fierce character- her motivations are clear, her fury makes sense, and overall, Rosiee Thor developed her into someone the reader could safely connect with, someone the reader hoped for a happy ending. Also, Anna’s relationship with Thatcher, her grandfather, is so interesting- he loves her, but he doesn’t show it often, leading her to believe that he won’t care for her.

• n a t h a n i e l  –  w a v e s ,  g e n t l e  m o o n ,  s o f t  f l o w e r s ,  m o s s

Nathaniel (my bean!!) is an abused, misunderstood and constantly underestimated character who loves his father- the Commissioner, the man who ruin lives. Including his own son’s self-esteem. Nathaniel never experienced love before– romantic or platonic or familial- so he has no experience at all with ‘friends’ and ‘family’. But Anna and Eliza come into his life, and he’s awed by having people who care about him *sobs* but also… their stolen glances, piercing gazes, and the tension between the girls. He realizes that that’s something he doesn’t want…. And Nathaniel, just do you! Be asexual and aromantic- that’s great!

• e l i z a  –  s e c r e t s ,  s i l v e r e d  c a k e s ,  t h i c k  v o l u m e s  o f  b o o k s

Eliza… ok. Eliza is all over the place! Imagine Celaena from Throne of Glass. Now make her a couple years younger, less ruthless, and more loyal- you’ve pretty much got Eliza. First of all, I loved Celaena. I loved her for her snark, her killer instincts (quite literally XD) and for all the flawed, distrustful anger she has. I think I might love Eliza in the same way- she is definitely even more fiercely loyal to the Queen, the woman who was her teacher, mentor, and mother all at once, but she learns to think for herself and I love the character growth!

Plot

The plot was a unique, really cool idea, in my opinion. I love the idea of the Tarnished, and the science fiction aspect was much appreciated!! Normally I’m *not* a sci-fi person, but this definitely changed my mine- it was all approached really well. I do have a criticism- we still don’t really know what happened to Anna’s parents. It was mentioned a few times, but what actually happened??

And the romance developed over just a few days, so it didn’t leave very much room for slow-burn. Even so, I think the author did her best to make it as gradual as possible! I wish that Thatcher and Anna’s relationship would have been mended- it’s her grandfather, the man who literally raised her for her whole life, and she still thinks that he doesn’t care about her?? mwahhhh *murderous gaze*.

Representation

f/f romance, lesbian MC, bisexual MC, asexual and aromantic MC

Final Rating

I really liked this book, but I’m unable to give it a five star rating because I think there was a distinct absence of being immersed in the story. I felt disconnected the whole time. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it! But maybe the third-person narrative did that to me.

f o u r  b e a u t i f u l  f e a t h e r s

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About the Author, Rosiee Thor

Rosiee Thor became a storyteller by demanding that her mother listen as Rosiee told bedtime stories instead of the other way around. She lives in Oregon with a dog, two cats, and four complete sets of Harry Potter, which she loves so much that she once moved her mattress into the closet and slept there until she came out as queer.

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Giveaway

You can win a signed copy of ‘Tarnished Are The Stars’ by Rosiee Thor (signed!!) by entering for free!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link:
here

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Have you read this book? Do you want to? YOU SHOULD. Also, sign up for my blog tour for my collaboration blog, The Diamond Village, HERE. Please sign up- it will be a blast! 

Have a wonderful day!