Review: GIRL MADE OF STARS by Ashley Herring Blake
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake Also by this author: How to Make a Wish, Iris Kelly Doesn't Date (Bright Falls, #3)
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on May 15, 2018
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 304
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
MY REVIEW:
Ashley Herring Blake is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She has such a gift for handling very difficult topics with sensitivity and grace. I didn’t think she could top How to Make a Wish, which was one of my favorite reads last year, but she has outdone herself with her beautifully written and heartbreaking latest, Girl Made of Stars.
It’s not just a well-crafted story either. Girl Made of Stars is also an incredibly relevant and timely story, hitting the shelves in the midst of the #MeToo movement on social media that is calling out sexual predators and finally holding them accountable for their actions.
Girl Made of Stars follows the journey of Mara, high school student and founder of the feminist school publication, Empower. Mara has very strong convictions about giving a voice to those who wouldn’t normally have one, but when she finds herself caught in the middle of an impossible situation, her whole belief system is turned on its head and she doesn’t know what to do.
Her twin brother Owen is accused of rape by his girlfriend, Hannah, who also happens to be one of Mara’s best friends. Mara doesn’t want to believe that her beloved brother could be capable of such a heinous act, but Mara also doesn’t believe that Hannah would lie about such a thing so she just feels so lost and confused.
It also doesn’t help Mara’s state of mind that her own personal life feels like such a mess. She and Charlie, her best friend since they were kids, tried to take their relationship in a romantic direction and things didn’t go well. Now everything is awkward between them and Mara doesn’t know what to do about that either.
Girl Made of Stars follows Mara as she tries to make sense of all of the things that are happening in her life and as she tries to confront demons from her own past that are holding her back.
This is one of those books where I feel like I’m going to ramble and ramble and never quite do justice to just what a gorgeous and well-crafted story it really is.
One of the standout moments of the book is how the author sets the stage. The book opens with Mara and her twin brother Owen lying outside on a flat roof, gazing up at the stars, and reciting a story they made up when they were kids about some of the constellations. It’s this perfect portrait of innocence and because it seems so innocent and pure, it’s all the more shocking and hard to believe that just a few pages later, Mara’s brother will be accused of rape. Those two images are just so jarring and hard to reconcile.
I also loved that the story comes to us from Mara’s perspective. That way we don’t actually see the rape but instead, we learn of it the same way Mara does and have to make up our minds using the same evidence Mara does.
Speaking of Mara, I thought she was just such a loveable main character. I love that she founded a feminist publication and used it to stand up for what she believed in. I also spent those early pages ooh’ing and ahh’ing about how sweet her relationship with her sibling was so I became super invested in her once I read what her brother was being accused of because I knew it would tear her up inside. Mara has to face some tough facts in this story and I was right there with her every step of the way as she begins to watch her brother more closely at school and with his friends. She begins to see the possibility that just because he’s her brother and she loves him more than life, there is still the possibility that he could be guilty of what he’s accused of doing.
And then to complicate what Mara is feeling even further, there’s Hannah to consider. Hannah is precious and I loved her just as much as I loved Mara. Hannah is this kind, free-spirited, hippie type and she is absolutely adorable. That and she’s also head over heels in love with Owen. When we first meet them at a party, it’s almost nauseating how cute they are with each other. Her obvious love for Owen makes it all the more shocking that she later accuses him of forcing himself on her. At the same time, though, it lends that much more credibility to her story. If she loves him so much, what would be her motivation to accuse him of something so awful? It becomes so easy to see why Mara is so lost and confused and it made me all the more sympathetic to her as she tries to decide where her loyalties should lie.
In addition to the story of Hannah and Owen, which dominates much of the book, I also really liked the Mara/Charlie storyline that threaded its way through the narrative. I loved Charlie right away. Charlie is gender queer and is still trying to figure out exactly what that means, but uses music as a way to work through it. I kind of wanted to knock Mara upside the head for nearly messing up her relationship with Charlie and really wanted her to figure things out so that she could have at least one good thing happening in her life.
Have Your Tissues Handy. This is a book where I felt so invested in all of the characters that I ended up in tears several times while I was reading. I shed tears for Hannah, not just because of what happened to her but also because of how she was treated by Owen’s friends and others when she returned to school. Blake effectively exposes the ugliness and unfairness of victim blaming and Hannah’s experience serves as a stark and heartbreaking reminder of why so few rape victims come forward and report the crimes.
I didn’t just cry for Hannah though. I also cried for Mara as well. I cried for the impossible situation that she finds herself in, torn between her best friend and her brother. Not only is Mara’s whole world torn apart because she’s caught in the middle, but the whole experience serves as a trigger for Mara, reminding her of a traumatic event from her own past that has haunted her for years.
And lastly, I shed tears for the relationship between Mara and her brother. Bottom line, whether Owen is innocent or guilty, their relationship is forever changed. Those twins who would lie outside, look up at the stars, and make up stories about them are no more. The innocence is lost and there’s no way to get it back. Will they ever be close again? Where do they go from here? It’s heartbreaking to see that Mara could lose the person she has been closest to all her life.
I love when a book is so good that I have to leave this section blank.
I’ve been somewhat stingy with 5 star ratings this year, but I say without hesitation, that Girl Made of Stars is a 5-star read all the way. It’s a heart-wrenching read that tackles difficult subjects with sensitivity and understanding. I guarantee it will move you.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
“I need Owen to explain this. Because yes, I do know that Owen would never do that, but I also know Hannah would never lie about something like that.”
Mara and Owen are about as close as twins can get. So when Mara’s friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn’t know what to think. Can the brother she loves really be guilty of such a violent crime? Torn between the family she loves and her own sense of right and wrong, Mara is feeling lost, and it doesn’t help that things have been strained with her ex and best friend since childhood, Charlie.
As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie navigate this new terrain, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits in her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault.
About Ashley Herring Blake
Ashley Herring Blake is a reader, writer, and mom to two boisterous boys. She holds a Master’s degree in teaching and loves coffee, arranging her books by color, and watching Buffy over and over again on Netflix with her friends. She’s the author of the young adult novels SUFFER LOVE and HOW TO MAKE A WISH.
Discussion: Girls, Girls, Girls – Why Are There So Many “Girls” in Mysteries & Thrillers?
Designed at canva.com
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Frequently Used Words In [Insert Genre/Age Group] Titles.
Okay, so I have no clue if I’ve really properly addressed this topic or not, but what immediately popped into my head when I read it is how many times I’ve seen the word GIRL or GIRLS in the titles of mystery/thriller novels. And maybe it’s something I read too much into, but I can’t help but wonder why so many authors choose to use that word. I’m sure there are plenty of other words that are used equally often, but I just seem to see this one so frequently that I’m literally like “Oh look, it’s another ‘GIRL’ book” whenever I come across a new title that has it.
Every time I see it, the same series of questions pops into my head. Is it just a coincidence or are these authors making a conscious choice by selecting that word? If it’s a conscious choice, are they trying to make some kind of statement? If so, is it a statement about how often girls are victimized? Although in the case of a few of the titles I’ve highlighted below, said ‘girl’ is not necessarily a victim at all so I’m not convinced I’m on the right track in my line of thinking. (Did I mean that I might be overthinking this topic?)
Another question I often have when I see the word GIRL in the title of these kinds of books is why GIRL instead of WOMAN. Again, in the case of most of the titles I’ve listed below, the majority of the female characters are grown women, not girls at all. So why refer to them as girls? Are they coming at it from the perspective of the criminal? Do they think of their victims as girls? (Seriously, am I giving this too much thought?)
I don’t really know if there are truly any concrete answers to my questions but I know I would find it hard to believe that any author would painstakingly pore over every word in his or her novel only to then just willy nilly slap a random title on it. There’s a reason for GIRL; I just don’t know what it is.
Anyway, those are my ramblings about GIRLS in mysteries. I’d love to hear your take on it. Why do you think there are so many GIRLS in Mysteries/Thrillers?
Why Are There So Many “Girls” in Mysteries & Thrillers?
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Review: TWENTY-ONE DAYS by Anne Perry (A Daniel Pitt Novel)
Twenty-One Days (Daniel Pitt, #1) by Anne Perry Also by this author: A Christmas Revelation
Series: Daniel Pitt #1
Published by Ballantine Books on April 10, 2018
Genres: Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
MY REVIEW:
Anne Perry’s Twenty-One Days is the first book in a new series that follows Daniel Pitt, junior barrister and son of Detective Thomas Pitt (from Perry’s popular Thomas Pitt series). When the novel opens, Daniel has minimal experience in the courtroom and yet somehow finds himself assigned to defend a famous client, biographer Russell Graves, who is charged with having murdered his wife. When the trial doesn’t go well and Graves ends up sentenced to death even though he insists that he is innocent, Daniel is given twenty-one days to find out what really happened and file an appeal. If he can’t find something in those twenty-one days, Graves will be executed.
It’s a race against the clock that takes Daniel in a direction he never expected to go in, one that could ruin the reputation of London’s Special Police Branch, where Daniel’s beloved father works as a detective.
Will Daniel find the truth? Will the truth free or condemn his client? How does the Special Police Branch fit into the picture?
First, let me start by saying that even though the Daniel Pitt series is a spin-off series from Anne Perry’s popular Thomas Pitt series (Daniel is Thomas’ son and is still a child in the earlier series), it can still easily be enjoyed as a standalone. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything relevant by not having read the earlier series. That said, however, I enjoyed this book so much and was intrigued enough by every mention of Thomas Pitt that, at some point, I may go back and read the Thomas Pitt series.
Daniel Pitt was absolutely my favorite part of Twenty-One Days. I found him to be witty and charming, which made him a fun character to follow, but at the same time, I also loved how naïve and unsure of himself he could be at times because he’s brand new to his chosen profession and has been thrown into this huge case by chance. I’m always a sucker for a likeable underdog and that description fits Daniel to a T. Daniel had many qualities that I found endearing, such as his fierce loyalty to his father. But even as devoted as he is to his father, Daniel is still determined to find out the truth to see if it could help his client, even if the truth could possibly turn out to be something Daniel ultimately doesn’t want to hear because it could negative impact the Special Police Branch and by extension, his father. I really admired that he was willing to make such tough choices.
In addition to Daniel, I also really liked the secondary characters, so much so that I hope they will all continue to play active roles in future books. There’s Kitteridge, the senior barrister that Daniel gets partnered with on his big case. At first these two are like oil and water because Kitteridge feels put out that he has to work alongside this newbie on such a major case, but they eventually come together as a pretty dynamic duo when it comes to working all aspects of the case in and out of the courtroom.
Then there’s Miriam, who adds a touch of Feminism to the story. She has gone to medical school and studied to become what we would probably now consider to be a Medical Examiner, but because she’s a woman, she was never awarded an actual degree. She’s clearly a little bitter about this but is excited when she is called upon to help Daniel with his case. Miriam is smart, tough, funny, and I think she and Daniel may have a bit of a mutual attraction going on. It’s subtle but adorable, and I would totally ship it if they do in fact become a couple.
In addition to this fun cast of characters, the setting of Twenty-One Days also very much appealed to me. It’s set in London in the 1910’s, and the author does a wonderful job of capturing the time period and the location. Although this book is set a bit later than Arthur Conan Doyle’s books, I still got a bit of Sherlock Holmes vibe as I was reading it. I love the Sherlock Holmes series, so this was definitely a plus for me.
I’m kind of a CSI junkie so one of my favorite elements of this book was the forensic science that comes into play. With the story being set in the 1910’s, we’re still in the very early days of fingerprints, etc. so sometimes it could be risky to try to introduce a science that was still so little understood. I loved the tension that the use of forensics actually added to the story because Daniel and his scientist friend Miriam have to find just the right balance – they need to explain how fingerprints work in such a way that there is no misunderstanding how the science works but without coming across as condescending to the jury. The last thing Daniel needs to do is alienate the group of people who hold his client’s fate in their hands.
And speaking of Daniel’s client and his case, the mystery in this first book was really solid too. It had lots of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and kept me on the edge of my seat for much of the book.
The only real issue I had was that occasionally, especially in the early pages, the pacing was a little slow. I’m chalking it up to all of the setting the stage that is in involved in starting a new series and introducing all of the major characters, etc. Once I settled into the story though, it moved along at a nice, steady pace.
Twenty-One Days is a solid first book in Perry’s new series. I think fans of the earlier Thomas Pitt series will enjoy seeing young Daniel all grown up, but I also think that those who have never read about the Pitt family before will enjoy this new series just as well. The characters are well drawn and it’s a lot of fun watching them come together as a team. I look forward to continuing the series and watching them work their way through more twists and turns to uncover the truth on future cases.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
In this first book in a new series, Thomas Pitt’s son Daniel races to save his client from execution, setting him against London’s Special Police Branch.
It’s 1910, and Daniel Pitt is a reluctant lawyer who would prefer to follow in the footsteps of his detective father. When the biographer Russell Graves, who Daniel is helping defend, is sentenced to execution for the murder of his wife, Daniel’s Pitt-family investigative instincts kick in, and he sets out to find the real killer. With only twenty-one days before Graves is to be executed, Daniel learns that Graves is writing a biography of Victor Narraway, the former head of Special Branch and a close friend of the Pitts. And the stories don’t shed a positive light. Is it possible someone is framing Graves to keep him from writing the biography–maybe even someone Daniel knows in Special Branch?
The only answer, it seems, lies in the dead woman’s corpse. And so, with the help of some eccentric new acquaintances who don’t mind bending the rules, Daniel delves into an underground world of dead bodies and double lives, unearthing scores of lies and conspiracies. As he struggles to balance his duty to the law with his duty to his family, the equal forces of justice and loyalty pull this lawyer-turned-detective in more directions than he imagined possible. And amidst it all, his client’s twenty-one days are ticking away.
About Anne Perry
Anne Perry (born Juliet Hulme) is a British historical novelist.
Juliet took the name “Anne Perry,” the latter being her stepfather’s surname. Her first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published under this name in 1979. Her works generally fall into one of several categories of genre fiction, including historical murder mysteries and detective fiction. Many of them feature a number of recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt, who appeared in her first novel, and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in her 1990 novel The Face of a Stranger. As of 2003 she had published 47 novels, and several collections of short stories. Her story “Heroes,” which first appeared the 1999 anthology Murder and Obsession, edited by Otto Penzler, won the 2001 Edgar Award for Best Short Story.
Recently she was included as an entry in Ben Peek’s Twenty-Six Lies/One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year’s Finest Crime and Mystery Stories