Lovin' los libros

A book blog dedicated to young adult and new adult novels

Review: Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood

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Inherit the Stars (Inherit the Stars #1)
   by: Tessa Elwood

Publication Date: Dec. 8, 2015
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC received via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 304 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Three royal houses ruling three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, and they must either ally together or tear each other apart in order for their people to survive.

Asa is the youngest daughter of the house of Fane, which has been fighting a devastating food and energy crisis for far too long. She thinks she can save her family’s livelihood by posing as her oldest sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the throne of the house of Westlet. The appearance of her mother, a traitor who defected to the house of Galton, adds fuel to the fire, while Asa also tries to save her sister Wren's life . . . possibly from the hands of their own father.

But as Asa and Eagle forge a genuine bond, will secrets from the past and the urgent needs of their people in the present keep them divided?

 
 
I am a huge science fiction lover, so naturally I wanted to try this series out. While I believe it had potential, there were too many other issues that just kept it from becoming a great read. I didn't hate this one, but I don't think it's going to be very memorable.
 
World building is a key element in any science fiction book, and I really felt we were lacking it here. I never really had a clear picture of the universe, the planets on which they lived, and the way the Houses were set up. So much felt jumbled and I really struggled to follow the direction the author wanted to take us. I am all for a slower reveal and build up if you don't want info dump to happen, but we never got that here.
 
Our main character is Asa, who is the youngest Daughter of Fane. After her older sister Wren fell into a coma, she is determined to help save her life. After seeing that her eldest sister Emmie, is going to be married off to the Westlet house, Asa decides to jump in and take her place, as long as she helps Wren. Of course, this causes quite the uproar because Asa is not the eldest, nor is she the Heir of Fane. Asa wasn't a bad character and I didn't hate her like some other readers did, but I didn't really connect with her either.
 
The romance in this one isn't horrible, but I wish it had been developed a bit more. Eagle starts out cold and distant, not really paying her much mind, but then he starts to be a bit more human. Once he does, I really liked him. I think he recognizes the good in Asa- that she isn't this manipulative girl, but a desperate one to save her world and her family. She also stands up for him and she genuinely sees the beauty in him, even though he has been badly scarred by an accident. I ended up really liking them together though.
 
I felt some of the writing was a bit choppy too. We would end a scene and then jump to another and there wasn't really a clear transition. That jarred me a bit and it made the story hard to follow at times.
 
Again, I felt this really had potential. However, the world building really needed a lot of work and we needed a clearer understanding of everything that was going on. I felt Asa's mother's storyline was thrown in to create conflict and it ended up being too much. Had it been introduced toward the end and led into the second book, I think it could have really worked. But there was already too much going on here that should have received more explanation. I am not sure if I will pick up the next book in the series, even though I am curious to see how things with Asa's mother progresses, as well as her relationship with Eagle.

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2 comments

  1. This one sounded so good, but I don't think I'll be giving it a go now. You need to have a solid world set up for sci fi otherwise it just lacks all around. Great review Jess!

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  2. This one archived before I could actually read it and I'm kind of glad now. It looks mediocre and not something I wouldn't want to waste my time with. The rushed romance and the choppy writing don't really appeal to me.
    Sorry this wasn't the greatest, Jess!

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