3.5⭐️

Body of Stars is an enjoyable YA novel set in the near future. This is a world where the markings on a woman’s body predict the future for not only themselves, but for their families as well.

Instead of this phenomenon giving women autonomy over their own lives, it seems that it’s the same old story. Their bodies are a commodity, mapped out by a government organisation, checked over by their fathers when their markings change during puberty. They are warned not to show themselves off or be by themselves, lest men can’t control themselves as they’re driven wild with lust. So far, so stereotypical.

Celeste Morton is excited by the prospect of this transition, and her brother Miles is desperate to practice his interpretation skills on his sister. But when Celeste transitions, a terrible fate is revealed. And in a desperate bid to keep this a secret, Celeste experiences the worst thing that can happen to a changeling.

I have to admit to being very frustrated whilst reading this. There’s nothing feminist about this story - there is a good argument for why feminism is necessary though. Misogyny is rife in the world of this book! To be honest, the story could have run in exactly the same direction without the need for freckles, moles and other markings. It was depressing that even in an alternative near future, women would be experiencing the same restrictions and abuse that so many live through today.

This was a novel that I loved to hate - the frustration was immense! Do I recommend it? Well yes, but be prepared for the deep breathing, calming exercises that you’ll need!

I sadly tried to read this but it wasn't for me. Whilst I can see why people will love it, it just wasn't a book that I personally enjoyed. I think the writing was beautiful but a bit too much for me. I hope people do love it and I've seen lots of great reviews for it.

The premise of this novel about women’s bodies being able to predict the future was intriguing, but ultimately it’s left me with more questions than answers.
I could never figure out why they would be born with markings, which would then significantly change at puberty- what would be the point of juvenile markings if they would become redundant at 16?
Similarly, there seemed to be no point in the collective will of the authorities to ignore crimes against the changelings. What is the use to society of women who can no longer be productive members of it because they are being blamed for something which is clearly not their fault- it would negatively affect the economy at the very least.

Finally, I just couldn’t put aside the core question which was: if everyone knows, girls are more likely to be abducted for a few weeks after they change, why on earth would they not just stay at home for those few weeks? It seems like the simplest possible response to something that could effectively destroy your life, but was never addressed. We managed to stay indoors for longer than that during Covid. Frustrating!

This was an interesting fantasy drama about a world where birthmarks on a girls body predict the future narrative when they become women. Although some of the concepts were powerful, the novel was overlong and I felt there was something lacking in the story.

Body of Stars is one of those books that left me conflicted. On the one hand, I loved the messages within the book. On the other hand, I wished the story had been stronger. Thus, I found myself enjoying this one while also wishing for more.

Body of Stars is a book filled with messages that are sure to make you think. Although a fantasy world, there are elements in this one that reflect life and will hit hard. It makes people look at these aspects of life in a different way, forcing you to feel what is playing out. This was easily the strongest part of the story, and it is sure to make for great discussion. However, I feel like the story did not go as far as it could. It tried to do something different – it showed what led to a change in the world rather than the process of creating change – but it meant certain elements were left open. I liked this approach, but I could have loved it if details at the end had not been left open. I felt like I was left with too many questions about details I was curious about, and I wanted answers about certain elements. It would have made the book hit harder, rather than leaving me with the feeling that something was missing from the story.

All in all, this was a powerful read. While powerful, it didn’t quite work as well as I’d hoped. If nothing else, it is one that can create discussion and will make people think.

𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚?
-
I absolutely LOVED 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 by Laura Maylene Walter and am so glad to be starting my new year with it. I already know it's going to make my top reads list for 2023 🌟
-
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙈𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡. 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩, 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙚? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢? 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙥, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠?
-
Body of Stars follows our main protagonist Celeste Morgan, who is on the cusp between girlhood and womanhood. Like all girls she has been born with markings on her body that foretell her future, and she is anxiously waiting to morph into an ethereal 'changeling', when her markings will predict her adult future, and the fate of those closest to her.
-
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙋𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝘼 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙘 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘼 𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝘽𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.
-
Celeste and her brother Miles have an incredibly close relationship, and they even share a birthday even though they were born two years apart.
But like all siblings, as they grow older they grow a little apart from one another, and they both harbour secrets.
When they were children Celeste was completely comfortable with Miles reading and mapping her markings, but as they grow older it's no longer appropriate for either of them: Celeste must protect her chastity and purity by keeping her markings covered, and interpreting the future through markings is a profession open only to women, meaning Miles' dreams of following this career cannot be a reality.
-
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙒𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 ... 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙄’𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.
-
The premise of Body of Stars is SUCH an interesting one. It raises questions for the reader, and makes you wonder whether you'd prefer to know what events will transpire in your life, including whether you might get sick, and when your loved ones will die.
Despite having free will, would this mapping lead you to make decisions that weren't actually fated, but that you felt confined to based on what an interpreter told you?
-
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮, 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙠: 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣’𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙮. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨.
-
I feel it's important to include a few trigger warnings for Body of Stars, as I did find it an intense book to read. If you have difficulties reading about r*pe/sa and suicidal ideation please tread carefully.

In Celeste's world, when girls become changelings (which is a temporary state) they become highly desirable to men. It's almost as though men are driven by a primal urge towards these girls, and so it is a very dangerous time for them.
This effect wanes once the transition to womanhood is complete, and I can't help but recognise the parallels between Celeste's world and real life in that regard. We live in a society where school-age girls are fetishised and catcalled far more than grown women, and while the world can be a dangerous place for girls from birth, it becomes particularly intimidating and pressurised during those young teen years.
-
𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.
-
Walter perfectly weaves misogyny through her fictionalised society, again perfecting parallels with real life experiences of women. There is a myth of chastity that is rooted in deep misogyny: the naive belief that if a girl dresses modestly and acts demurely they will be safe from harm.
There is also a reverence towards tradition, with some practices that are clearly established to maintain male control over women. Women in Celeste's world do not have body autonomy at any point in their lives, even around those they are meant to love and trust.
I felt so many acute emotions reading these elements of the book, as I often do when confronted with these ignorant and misjudged societal ideas, and I felt a keen bond with Celeste, who seemed to be feeling the same female rage and grief as me.
-
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧-𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮, 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙠.
“𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧,” 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. “𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜.” 𝙈𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮, 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡. 𝙄’𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨.
-
The sense of danger and animosity is heightened when we find out that changeling girls are being abducted; they are being assaulted, and not only are their bodies being stolen, but their private markings are being stolen too and sold on as explicit artwork through tarot cards, posters and comic books.
The women who are victims are treated like criminals, and the men conducting the assaults are not held to account, much like in the real world where we see this play out time and time again.
-
𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮.”
“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜,” 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮. 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣. 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩, 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙄’𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮. 𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙩?
“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.” 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛— 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.
-
I don't want to give any spoilers, but I loved the character arcs and the evolving relationships between the characters.
Celeste and Miles are bound together throughout, and after a period of growing apart from each other, they reunite and their relationship is stronger than ever as they learn to trust one another again.
Celeste and her friends have a somewhat frought relationship while they are teens and changelings, and I feel this is a very realistic depiction of relationships between young people - as girls leave childhood behind and push against boundaries, they do change, and they can push each other in different directions in an effort to understand themselves and come into their own.
Cassandra was an incredibly interesting character. There were times when I felt like I hated her, and she is a truly selfish friend. But on reflection, at times, Celeste is selfish too. We've all had friends like Cassandra, and I'm sure at times we've also been that friend.
I loved how, as adults, the friends were reunited, and they could respect each other for their differences despite all that has occurred between them.
-
“𝙎𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩, 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙊𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡.”
-
The settings throughout Body of Stars were stunningly depicted, with palpable, rich imagery that I wanted to reach out and touch.
From The Interpretation District to the Mountain School, I could clearly picture scenes in my mind as Celeste moved through her world.
I especially loved the setting of the Mountain School. It seemed like a real refuge, with valuable lessons that genuinely attempt to break the cycles of misogyny, and wonderful supportive women who take care of each other. I'd like to go and stay there for a while and have a break from the world.
-
𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡: 𝘼𝙣 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙮𝙩𝙝. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 . 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮. 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝. 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙩. 𝙄 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤. 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬.
-
I loved the mythology surrounding the Mountain School, and Celeste, and all the young girls she is surrounded by.
I'm not sure exactly what fairytale Walter had in mind with the reference to 'girls who were really birds, or maybe it was birds who were really girls', but for me, this conjures images of both caged birds and harpies, which perfectly mirrors the situations of the women throughout the novel.
The origin myth of the Mountain School is revealed in increments, and seems to depict birth, rebirth, and releasing grief and pain with the help of a sisterhood. It was a beautiful tale and for anyone else who has read the book I'd love to hear your thoughts on the mythology and folklore.
-
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡: 𝘼𝙣 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙮𝙩𝙝. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧-𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙊𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙄’𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙. 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.
-
Finally, I just want to touch on the LGBTQIA+ representation within the novel, which was wonderfully expressed by Walter.
Not only is the society in the book focussed on oppressing women, it also oppresses the LGBTQIA+ community, and anyone who doesn't fit into the mould stipulated by the powers that be (known as The Office of the Future).
At the Mountain School Celeste learns of different societies that take a different approach, and she is pleasantly surprised by the tolerance of others in her community who are all working together to gradually enact important change.
Although the story was dystopian to a degree, and was a perfect metaphor of r*pe culture, there is an undercurrent of hope throughout that adds buoyancy to the story. This leaves the reader feeling inspired by the journey the characters take, and by all the things they overcome.
-
𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙢. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙧-𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝, 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙. 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣. 𝘼𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮, 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚, 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙞𝙛 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡.
-
I'd highly recommend Body of Stars to all readers, and hope to read more from Walter in the future. This is an absolutely stunning debut novel, and it is one I will reread again and again.

I don’t think this one was for me, I was massively intrigued by the blurb but then it fell a little bit flat, I can’t decide if it was the plot or the writing style but I just didn’t really connect with this one

A curious and high concept tale, girls bodies being interpreted but their prophecies can change at puberty. Unfortunately the story didn’t vibe with me as much as I hoped. It was well written.

This was certainly a unique read with a great concept which really intrigued me.

Girls are born with markings on their bodies that reveal the future. This is an interesting concept, each girl has their future literally mapped out which raises questions around free will and fate.

The story doesn’t stop there though, when a girl goes through puberty they become a Changeling. As a Changeling, they have heightened senses and men find them irresistible. During this time women are often abducted and raped, when they’re no longer a Changeling they’re dumped back into their lives but are shunned and treated like outcasts.

While this set up seems a bit extreme, the world this book is set in and the gender politics feel frighteningly familiar. It’s quite clearly a commentary on misogyny and rape culture and at times a hard read.

It was a fascinating read and a really interesting way of exploring these topics. I did find the pacing a little slow at times and the characters themselves didn’t grab me but I’ll be interested in seeing what this author comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC

A very strange story. but an in interesting concept

I loved this book. What a completely different thing - mapping your future on the body in the form of your moles, freckles etc. and interpreting them once you hit adulthood. The relationship between Celeste and her brother Miles was touching, it was almost like they were twins.

I didn't like this book at all. I realised around half way through that this book wasn't for me. I found it a bit too long but also wasn't keen on the characters either. After the first chunk it stopped interesting me.. I've kinda come to the realisation that this wasn't the book for me. Ended up not finishing this book.

This was a very strange story with an inborn destiny , which can change at puberty but over which they have no control. but one responsible for everything their nature makes them do. I didn't really connect with this story.

I love anything to do with stars, the night sky, galaxies, constellations and so on, so naturally, I was drawn to this book instantly. I had no idea how much I would fall in love with it! It's beautifully written, addressing such potent topics while still being enjoyable, and has a fantastic sense of mysticality and magic realism alongside a torrent of emotion. It's a coming-of-age story with a strong feminist core that I think readers of varying ages can appreciate. It's not actually about /stars/ exactly, but rather the constellations of marks that females have across their bodies that can give insight into what one's future holds. All girls go through a 'changeling' period when they gain they adult markings. For this time, the girls have a sort of ethereal glow about them that draws others in. Many girls look forward to this time, but it can be extremely dangerous.
The book follows one particular girl, Celeste. She sees older girls becoming changelings, and often going missing. Then when they return, no longer in their changeling phase, they often can't remember a thing. Walter avoids any explicit details of what happens to these girls, but it's not hard to piece together. When they return, there is a huge amount of stigma around these 'taken' girls, and they are always blamed for what happened to them, rather than the men who actually abducted and abused them. Sound familiar? Yeah.
As I mentioned above, there is a lot of relevance in this book in regards to misogyny in society. Not just the blame on the taken girls, but also the amount of strange rules women and girls have to abide by, including showing their new marks to their fathers. In fact, the girls' bodies in this book are hardly their own; their marks must be regularly documented and interpreted.
There are also some key moments in Celeste's personal life. For one, her brother, Miles, has always been fascinated by the markings on his sister's skin. Boys don't get markings; they're also unable to pursue the career of interpreting, which is what Miles dreams of. When Celeste changes into her adult markings, Miles is desperate to see them, but Celeste refuses. She hides her marks from everyone; the stars on her skin have revealed a terrible truth that she is not ready to face.
There's so much more to this book than what I've written, though. There are girls who'd dreams are dashed by the abuse they suffered; girls who are raising children when they are hardly more than children themselves; there are even girls who are 'fated' to be taken. But I won't get into all that.
If you can't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though I know the plot, I think it's one of those books I'd happily reread. It's definitely on my favourites list for 2021 - 5 stars!

This was a good dystopian debut. The writing was good and because of the subject matter, it makes you frustrated. the characters were engaging and you root for them. All in all, it is a successful debut and I'd be interested in what Walter comes up with next.
Thanks a lot for this copy.

Really interesting concept for a plot, it took me a while to get into this book but I did enjoy it in the end.

This book is a spectacular work of fiction. It submerges you utterly into the world, and allows you to get completely lost in what is going on. What I thought was most clever about the set up for this novel is that at first, we’re very much given the impression that girls and women have more control and success in this alternative world, with their futures maped out, and that of their male relatives, it seems they’re the ones holding the cards. However, as the book progresses, it becomes more and more clear that in this world, there are just different ways and motivations for girls and women to be controlled and abused.

A friend of Miles’ is abducted and we see through Celeste’s eyes the sterotypes that exisit in her world, mirroring those of our own; that it’s the outgoing girls, the girls who draw attention to themselves, the ones who are proud to be drawing extra attention. In summary, the ones who deserve to be taken. There are so many people who think something similar in our world where it comes to rape and sexual assault, and it is mainly thought or said without thought for what that actually means. They don’t really think anyone deserves to be raped. They just think that some draw attention to themselves more than others.

Celeste learns the hard way that this isn’t how it works when she is drugged, and wakes up on the ward dedicated for ‘ruined’ girls. Her father blames her. She is no longer allowed to attend university. It’s not expected she’ll return to school. She will have to submit her paperwork of being abused for two weeks every time she applies for a job in the future.

Later she takes blood flower, an substance that helps recover memories. When she goes to the police with the ability to describe her attacker, who she remembers being a teacher, they tell her to go home and adjust to her new life. This occurs about two thirds of the way through the book; there is still plenty to experience, and enjoy, after this distressing part. I’m being very specific as a sexual abuse survivor as I would encourage readers to keep going through and after, as the outcome of the book is worthwhile.

Throughout the horror included within the storyline, it’s important to state that the book doesn’t use sexual abuse as a plot device in ways that have been seen previously; simply for thrilling drama. What happens here is that there is a young woman who rebuilds herself from her trauma. Who is “no longer the girl they had known”, but who looks forward, onwards. For me, for everything I have been through, I found hope, maybe in a time when I needed it most.

Body of Stars manages to be both beautiful and harrowing at the same time, demonstrating that in so many ways, even science fiction doesn’t allow for a world where women are safe, and will be forever blamed for what they go through. I found it to be one of the most powerful words of fiction I have read, and is so reflective while capturing a dystopian world it was almost painful at points. The world is a better place for books like this.

This is such a unique book, and it is so beautifully written. The characters are perfectly drawn and the plot flows well, keeping you turning the page from start to finish

TL;DR recommendation:
Loved it. Grab this if you’re looking for a dystopian female adventure that cuts close to the bone and has The Handmaid’s Tale vibes about it. Shines a light on our world and its stance on gender violence.

Not graphic but mentioned trigger warnings:
Sexual violence, rape, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny & confinement.

I don’t think my heart was quite ready for this book. Other than reading a smidge of the blurb thing, I pretty much went in charging in blind ready to be mad at another dystopian world. The plot in a nutshell? Girls are born with markings all over their bodies that layout their fate (and their family’s) and some men think it’s their god-given right to own them. Here are a few other nuggetos:

✨ One girl (our pal Celeste) forced to deal with her changed life because men decided their pleasure was worth more.
✨ One boy (Miles) determined to help women / change a very, very shitty living experience.
✨ One world which should technically be very, very different to our own little planet but creepily similar.

Women are literally the future. They don’t believe in luck; they believe in fate. Mainly ’cause any marking that dances over their bodies will predict their future. If you’re destined to become a doctor, it’ll happen. If your markings depict a life helping whales fight off the dolphins, then that will happen, too. Maybe.

The other issue is that when girls hit puberty, they turn into Changelings – a time in their life where all senses are heightened, they literally have a weird aura around them and, you guessed it, they become irresistible to men. So irresistible that men can’t ‘control themselves’ *insert intense eye twitching emoji here* and the underground women trafficking market is rife. It’s deemed the most dangerous time in a women’s life and whilst their parents want to protect them, their new bodies urge to be outside.

If the above wasn’t enough of a fucking issue, the women who get returned to society after their two weeks of confinement, drugging and assaults are seen as outcasts to society. They were asking for it, they put themselves in that situation and their kidnappers/rapist were never, ever punished. Their lives and social standing were ruined.

It’s hard to get into the deets as they’re like major spoilers but this is the story of how Celeste takes control.

It’s a hard read and I’m absolutely going to make my next read a little more lighthearted because my feelings are smashed all over the floor. If you grab this book, be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. The ride will fill your mind with anger, rage and frustration with a hint of hope that perhaps, just perhaps, things might change in our little world as well.

In a world very similar to our own, girls are born with markings that foretell their future. As they reach puberty they develop their adult markings but go through a phase of being a changeling, when they become irresistible. This is a dangerous time as they may be abducted & returned ruined. Cleste has grown up very close to her brother Miles. He has always been more interesting in her markings than she is. He would love to be an interpreter of marking, but being male it is a path not opened to him. He does work along with an interpreter who understands & respects his talents. As Celeste grows up there are many things that make her question the world in which she lives.

I found this a fascinating read. It showed a world where women were in one way revered, but in another controlled & lacking choices. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read this unusual book.