The Girl and the Stars
by Mark Lawrence
Recommend
A world of endless ice is a rough place to live, especially when the consequences of not being deemed fit to handle the world means being thrown into a pit. Children are judged and tossed away with no second thoughts, and Yaz finds her life turned upside down when she faces the harsh reality those that are rejected must go through. She soon learns there is more to the world than she thought there was, and she must find the strength to face it.
The Girl and the Stars is the first book I’ve read by Mark Lawrence, and I really enjoyed his writing style, especially for the type of novel he has written. It is sophisticated yet easy to follow. I was never lost or confused unless it was intended, and his use of limited third person allowed me to be close to Yaz while still keeping me far enough from the events to understand that I was someone just visiting this world. Sometimes narration can be a difficult thing to balance, but Lawrence does it very well. Very often chapter breaks keep you reading by ending in a place that makes you want to turn the page and see what the next sentence is going to be. Often, you are denied satisfaction by being jumped into the future and must read further in to find out what happened between the end of the last chapter and where you are in the next one.
Yaz, our heroine, is a bit of an enigma. She is a naive character who leads you through a world she is also discovering, but the more she learns, the more she changes and advances. Throughout the entire storyline, Yaz is tough as nails and sticks to her convictions. If a path isn’t available for her to move forward, she makes one without a thought to the costs. Even from the very beginning, it is shown that Yaz has some connection to a mysterious power that helps her and those around her. Change is her only consistent, and she breaks boundaries that have never even been attempted by those around her. I think you will come to admire her spirit and determination.
As for the use of fantasy elements, Lawrence uses a much subtler integration of magic and mystical items and creatures. It is unique to many other high fantasy novels I have read which was refreshing. It often made me think of the Song of Fire and Ice series (aka Game of Thrones) in terms of having those elements be more incorporated into world building and culture. If you are looking for more showy magic and obvious mythical creatures, this is probably not the best book for you. However, there are many ways that the world of Abeth uses magic. Some people do possess some magical abilities that allow them to control water and ice. The regulator who judges which children are unfit to live on the ice does so by seeing into each of their souls. There are mystical stars that people depend on for survival while the dark places of the world where the stars don’t shine, contain black ice that no one in their right mind would go near.
Overall, I think this novel was a great start to the series. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a new unique world to dive into with interesting characters and surprises around every corner.
Pros
- Excellent writing style.
- Closeness with main character
- Plot surprises
- Seamless fantasy elements
- Excellent world building
Cons
- Plot loops to similar events
- Slow start
Recommended for readers who like:
- High fantasy
- Modest fantasy elements
- In-depth and complex storyline
- Sophisticated writing style
- Determined, strong willed heroine
- Slow building tension
- Third person point of view
Book Detials
- Published: April 21, 2020
- Series: Book of the Ice
- Book Number: 1
- Pages: 384
- Publisher: Ace
If you want to see my rating system Click Here
If you’re interested in book 2 of this series The Girl and the Mountain I have a review here.
