Lyrical, elegantly written and haunting, A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is a compelling young adult novel that is sure to enthrall and delight.

When Sante was a baby, she had been the only survivor of a tragic sinking of a ship that had been carrying migrants and refugees to a new life full of hope and opportunity, but instead they had been cursed by a cruel fate that had seen them lose their lives in the most heartbreaking way possible. Washed ashore in a sea-chest laden with treasure, Sante was the only one who had managed to emerge relative unscathed from this perilous journey, but life is going to be just as challenging for her and although her people will no longer be with her physically, their spirit will continue to haunt her…

Fourteen years later, Sante is a member of Mama Rose’s unique and dazzling circus whose life is about to get even more complicated when the spirits of the dead migrants who had lost their lies in that heartbreaking accident begin to call her from their watery grave to avenge them. With dangers from the real and the spirit world threatening to overwhelm her round every corner, will Sante succeed in her quest to vindicate the lives of her people who had lost their lives in that accident and who are relying on her from the other side? Or will she be the victim of dastardly enemies intent on causing untold harm and damage?

A bamboo flute. A golden bangle and a ripe mango which must not fall if Sante is to tell not just her story, but that of the people she must honour…

A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is a brave, bold, intelligent and topical read that tackles pertinent issues such as human trafficking and the plight of migrants and refugees guaranteed to make readers of all ages reflect, ponder and think about what is currently going on in the world and the current political situation. Yaba Badoe’s writing is rich, colourful and affecting, and despite the issues being discussed in the novel, is never didactic or preachy. My only quibble was that the pacing did flag slightly in the middle of the book, however, I was still riveted by Sante and the world Yaba Badoe brought to life so effortlessly.

One of the great benefits of being a book blogger is that you are introduced to books you wouldn’t otherwise have read and A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is one such book. I am very grateful to have read this entertaining, magical and imaginative read which I wouldn’t otherwise have picked.

A wonderful read I recommend to young adults of all ages and one which I don’t think they’d forget in a hurry, A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is not to be missed!

A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is a haunting contemporary debut by award-winning Ghanaian-British filmmaker Yaba Badoe. The story has a powerful, dreamlike narrative that weaves its way through a myriad of serious threats faced by Sante and her friends. Meet 14-year-old Sante, the survivor of a shipwreck, adopted daughter of traveler Mama Rose, playmate of twins Cat and Cobra, and her protector, a bird of prey named Priss, and a new friend, Scarlett, who knows more than she lets on.

Sante was a baby when she was washed ashore in a sea-chest laden with treasure. It seems she is the sole survivor of the tragic sinking of a ship carrying migrants and refugees. Her people.

Fourteen years on she’s a member of Mama Rose’s unique and dazzling circus. But, from their watery grave, the unquiet dead are calling Sante to avenge them: A bamboo flute. A golden bangle. A ripening mango which must not fall if Sante is to tell their story and her own.

Welcome to Mama Rose’s Family Circus for an evening of magical entertainment, incredible tricks, and daring feats created for your delectation alone – this is the introduction our main character, Sante, is all too used to hearing before her display of acrobatics designed to earn a coin from spectators. The traveling band of cobbled-together found family provides a rag-tag background for the plot, disappearing when needed and returning to cause further complications.

Sante herself is a headstrong character despite the lies she’s been raised believing. Her devotion to her adopted family is apparent throughout, even as she grapples with betrayal and her desire to learn about her birth family. She is also very brave, throwing herself full-bodied into danger’s way in order to rescue the desperate Scarlett when she’s in fits of despair. However, she is emotional, and sometimes her reactions don’t allow for full thought of consequences.

Badoe is a descriptive writer, and the world is seen primarily through Sante’s eyes, so the peripheral characters in the story are very much impressions from a narrow viewpoint. This means we never see much beyond the surface of their intentions until the ramifications are revealed – oftentimes to Sante’s confusion as she struggles to make sense of this dark world.

The villains of the piece, whose actions ensnare the 14-year-old and her friends into a world of child trafficking, are reduced to snatches of descriptions – Grey Eyes, Barrel Man, The Captain. This works to dehumanize them and create almost pantomime-like bad guys, despite the layers to their cruelty. The effect is distancing to the reader, though Sante’s revulsion and horror are all too present and shocking on the page. It’s a bold choice to handle such sensitive topics with frank and unapologetic strokes.

With plenty of ghosts in the form of visiting spirits, flashes of memory, and a protective bird of prey, A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars steps effortlessly between the contemporary Spanish setting and spiritual African roots. While the dreamlike narrative and sometimes too-fluid scene transitions can make this a bit of a rolling ocean of a read, purposefully disorientating, it is nonetheless a vivid and inventive tale that frames its serious themes in a state of watchfulness and integrity.

I would be remiss not to mention the absolutely stunning artwork by Leo Nickolls that accompanies Badoe’s text, a stunning image that has depth, fire, beauty, and attention-grabbing colors. The spirits that work their way through the text are evident in the ocean of blue and the blazing ferocity of revenge in the reds and yellows.

A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is perfect for Potterheads and fans of The Gracekeepers and The Girl From Everywhere. Rich in the Ghanian legend, ghostliness, and African color framed by the dazzling circus and weighted, gritty, determined darkness, Yaba Badoe’s novel is a haunting story that demands a place on all shelves.

It's hard being a writer. In such a competitive industry, you really need a fantastic writing style to stand out from the crowd.
Yaba Badoe has that in spades. The richness of her writing, and the breadth of colourful imagery she uses, is absolutely enchanting, and creates a world in which issues like the migrant crisis exist side by side with magic to create something utterly unique. In short, it's great.
The story follows Sante, a young girl rescued when the ship her family was in sank off the coast of Europe and taken in by Mama Rose, a woman who runs a travelling circus. The circus family exist by staying off the grid, but when they take in a young runaway, Scarlett, they're plunged into a world of smugglers, pimps and abuse- and all the time, Sante's dead family are crying out for justice.
It's a fine balancing act to pull off: though the murder of Sante's family is described right from the start of the book, the proceedings are given a magical touch: she's discovered in a wooden chest filled with gold, and as the book proceeds we learn that she can 'mind-whisper' and talk to her faithful bird Priss. Likewise, the other two children in the story, Cobra and Cat, both have an uncanny affinity with their respective namesakes. The story itself has an almost dreamlike cast to it, as though the circus performers exist outside the regular world- and indeed, the only indication you have that you are in the present day are the mentions of migrants, the policemen and the mobile phones that some of the characters have.
Badoe weaves together her two plot strands nimbly- Scarlett's fate at the hands of the people smugglers and Sante's backstory as the survivor of a ship sunk by smugglers to make money off her family's deaths. Badoe handles the issue with a lightness of touch that belies the sensitive material: Sante's special powers allow her to talk to her parents beyond the grave and understand just what was robbed from her, even as the dead come back to the world of the living and cry out for vengeance. As the plot advances, these two strands come together and build towards a tense finale.
Through it all, though, there's a sense of lightness and wonder that really brings the story to life. Badoe keeps the plot well-paced, and weaves magic and reality together seamlessly to create a really compelling book. Even though it's a YA novel, it's worth giving this one a read.

I hadn't really heard of this book until I saw a picture of the cover on Twitter and I thought oh my goodness I need to read this. I looked into the synopsis a bit more and I liked the sound of it and the fact that it was written by a Ghanaian author was another tick. I then saw it was available for request on NetGalley and here we are. The story follows Santa who was rescued my Mama Rose and her family circus after washing up on a beach as a baby. We watch as Santa is constantly plagued by dreams about her past and becomes determined to find out who she really is and where she comes from. As you can see it's not a very plot heavy book. It focuses much more on the characters, especially Santa, as we follow her on her journey of self discovery. 

There are lots of elements of magical realism throughout the story, much of which seems to be rooted in African folklore, as well as some more hard hitting themes such as human trafficking and refugees. It is also a very diverse book with an eclectic mix of characters including a Ghanaian main character, a traveler group and a female/female romance. So all in all this sounds like the makings of what could of been a fantastic book but it didn't quite hit the mark in my opinion. 

The writing style was interesting. It took me a while to get into it, I found the very short 2/3 word sentences quite jarring to begin with but once I got into it it flowed quite well. On the whole I thought the writing was good. It was very magical and fairytalesque and in places it was beautiful and worked well with the story. The whole novel was written like a fairytale and, although I love fairytales, I didn't feel this quite worked with the more serious themes within the book. I would of liked the author to have dived more into the heart of these topics to explore them and their effect on our main characters a bit more. I also found some of Santa's dream sequences and internal monologues to be a bit confusing. I also felt there was a lack of world building, especially in the beginning. I didn't really know when this novel was set, sometimes it felt like we were in more olden day times and then at other times there was mention of modern day technology and places. I loved the fact that this novel was set around a circus, mention circus and I'm there it's one of my favorite settings, but I would of liked some more depth to the world. 

In terms of the characters I loved Santa. I loved how determined she was to keep searching for the truth and I felt empathy towards her. Her relationship with her bird Priss was heartwarming and I felt the author did a fantastic job of exploring Santa as a person. I also enjoyed Cobra as a character and how he was always looking out for both Santa and his sister Cat. He often came across as the voice of reason. On the other hand I didn't really like Cat or Scarlett. I did like how feisty Cat was but I often felt they both came across as a bit self centered. I also felt their romance was quite instalovey although I did appreciate the inclusion of a female/female romance on the authors part. I felt the author did a good job on Santa's character development but I would of liked a bit more in terms of these three, especially as they were quite central to the story. As for the other characters I loved the idea of it being based around a family and you could see how important each of them were to one another. They always seemed to be looking out for each other. 

Overall I loved the magical realism aspects and I liked the themes included however, I don't think they worked overly well together. I understand what the author was trying to achieve but I feel each of these things would of been much better in their own books. The author definitely demonstrated her ability to write and develop characters in parts of this story so I can see the potential there. I would definitely be interested in checking out what this author does in the future.

This book was a wonderful, quirky tale full of love, strength, friendship and magic. The story flowed really well and i really loved Sante as a character and the connection she had to others around her like Priss and Cobra. Also just need to add in here now delicious the cover is for this, absolutely stunning.

This story was just magical, beautiful and evocative but it also touched upon darker things like sex trafficking, especially underage children. It also brushed upon the topic of immigrants and how often people fleeing their own country for a better life are scammed by those who promise to take them to a better place, and they end up dying in the middle of a foreign ocean.

I just think this book and Yaba Badoe was able to blend the seriousness of a lot of the things Sante was facing up against with the beauty and freedom that was the subtle magic she possessed and the type that Cobra and Cat had as well. I really enjoyed it, and I also loved the glimpses into the circus life and the different acts they all performed.

I finished A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars last night. I think it is a solid 3 star read for a debut novel. It is enjoyable and intriguing at times. This book has magical realism and tells a story about a girl who survived a tragic event and ended up being adopted by a travelling circus where everyone in the circus has some kinds of "power" or "talent". She keeps dreaming about the same dream when she is growing up which makes her questions who she is and where she comes from. With the event being unfolded, she then started to discover her true identity....

First of all, what I like most about the book is Sante, the main heroine. I find the author did a good job in developing her storyline and making her a very likeable character. One of my favourite scenes in the book is the one she has with her parents in her dreams. I also love her interaction with Cobra, there is just something so sweet about their relationship and their affections for each other; and I love the way how the author wrote about them. I want to have a Cobra of my own! Secondly, I do like the author's attempt to tackle various different topics in the book, such as human trafficking and LGBT relationships, which I think is very important nowadays in YA books. 

The reasons why I am not rating it higher than 3 stars is because I feel like the story would have really benefit from a more detailed set out of the world building at the beginning of the book. It can be quite confusing at times when reading it for the first time and trying to understand this world and piece all the information together. Also, while I enjoy the author's writing most parts, I do feel that from time to time some of the events which happened in the book were a bit of a rush... one example is the insta love between Cat and Scartlett, I wish there is more explanation as to how "love" works in this world...

Overall, comparing to the synopsis, I feel like the book can do so much more and it has great potential. But given this is the author's debut novel, I will still keep any eye out for her future work!

I found this book to be highly confusing. It was too short to do what it set out to achieve, namely combining magical realism and Sante's story with the story of the circus and establishing characters and settings. 

The aspect I enjoyed most was Sante as a character and the story of her parents and the discussion of refugees. What I disliked most was the confusing plot. I didn't really understand the role of the magic throughout and I was forced to reread passages of the plot to really get what was going on. Furthermore, I found that the characters other than Sante were really underdeveloped and two dimensional. I also found the writing style wasn't really to my taste and I not come to like Badoe's voice all that much.

Overall, this is a book that doesn't live up to the promise of its glorious cover but I am glad to see YA books by BAME authors being published in the U.K. even if I wasn't taken with this one.

DNF at 73%

I really wanted to like this book. I love that it is a story about an African girl from an African author--I think diversity and own voices is so important! That's what really drew my interest. I loved the idea behind the story and I found many of the themes beautiful, such as talking about refugees, and connections to ancestors, and justice and redemption. Plus Sante's connection with the eagle, Priss, was the best part. I love human/animal connections in stories.

But the writing itself was confusing and distracting, as was the magical realism with Sante's powers. The plot just dragged for me. I started and stopped this novel 2 or 3 times, and finally a little over halfway through I skimmed ahead a bit before calling it quits. I just don't think this style or type of book is for me.

Fourteen-year-old Sante is haunted by a past she doesn’t remember. A recurring dream shows her a shipwreck which Sante, as a baby, survived, hidden in a treasure chest. Raised by Mama Rose, Sante and her nomadic family make a living by performing on the streets of whichever city they happen to be in. During one of their performances, Sante recognizes two men from her dream and goes after them, determined to find out what happened and where she comes from. But the truth is never simple enough and Sante and her family walk into a dangerous web.

For anyone who is easily unsettled, this book deals with topics such as human trafficking and (implied) underage sex work.

Looking at the rest of the reviews, it looks like you either hate this book or you love it. I’m, as usual, in some sort of middle ground where I neither hated, nor loved it. Let’s say I enjoyed it, but with a few strings attached.

It was hard for me to get into this book. The main reason, I believe, is the writing style. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad, but it is unusual and it takes a while for the reader to get used to it. Additionally, I did fall into a bit of a reading slump after last month’s excessive reading, so that too attributed to my rocky start. I didn’t particularly like the writing style, however, the story picks up and it gets easier to read (and, thus, enjoy).

Because of my difficulty of the writing style, it took me a while to grasp the world, despite its modern setting, as well as the characters. I did, in the end, begin to care for Sante and her family, but it took a long time (nearly the whole book). Still, I love family dynamics and the found family trope, so I was really happy to see the characters working together and being supportive despite their differences.

The ‘magical realism’ aspect didn’t register fully with me, I think, which I’ll take as a good thing since it didn’t seem like I was reading a book with any magical elements. Mostly, I thought of it as nothing out of the ordinary. While I didn’t fully understand this part of the plot, it wasn’t out of place for me either. It felt like an essential leg of Sante’s journey.

Overall, A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars was a bit of a turbulent read but with a satisfying conclusion. It takes a while to get used to the scenery, which does take away a lot from the experience, but once you begin to make sense of the story, it turns into a profound and emotional journey.

I was disappointed by this book. It had so much that should have made it an excellent book: magical realism, diversity, important issues such as human trafficking and the plight of refugees. But what it didn’t have was a coherent story – in fact it had two stories, Sante’s and Scarlett’s, with a fairly tenuous link between them, neither of which really grabbed me. The cutting back and forth from one to the other made the whole plot very confusing, especially with all the dream sequences.

It didn’t help that so many characters were given descriptors like Grey Eyes and Barrel Man rather than actual names. I know it’s because Sante didn’t know their names (although I think the author could have contrived some way for her to find out their names early on), but it made it really confusing to remember who was who, and it added to the confusion when we later found out some of their names because I kept forgetting they were the same person.

None of the characters felt properly fleshed out, not even the main characters like Cat and Cobra or the other members of the family circus like Bizzie Lizzie and Midget Man*. We hardly get any detail about them beyond a few superficial details such as Cat and Cobra’s skin colour and that they were found in a forest (although I’m not sure if this is meant to be true or not). It’s really hard to relate to a character whose motivations, likes and dislikes and general character traits are completely unknown.

And speaking of motivations, I never quite understood why they risked so much to help Scarlett. I got why Sante saved her from drowning and why they were moved by her story, but it’s made clear that human trafficking is not unusual in their world so why did Sante, Cat and Cobra all feel moved to help her rather than the many other victims they would undoubtedly have met? The fact that they keep risking their lives even after they have had *yet another* lucky escape makes little sense.

I didn't buy the insta-love between Cat and Scarlett either, which *literally* happens the second they lock eyes and before they have even said a word to each other, so I don’t see that as a decent motivation for them getting so deeply involved in her story. I didn’t really feel much romance between Sante and Cobra either – if I hadn’t been explicitly told in the narrative that they were in love, I would have considered them brother and sister because that’s more in line with how they act (plus they did grow up together, making the whole romance a bit icky).

Sante wanting to understand her personal history made more sense, but it seemed to play second-fiddle to the need to save Scarlett. I’d have preferred for the author to focus more on Sante’s own feelings as she discovers more about her family. There were a few introspective moments where she considers the impact of her new knowledge, but these are few are far between because the characters end up rushing off to sort out Scarlett.

There wasn’t much world-building either. We’re told we’re in Spain, and a lot of characters have Spanish names, but the story could have taken place pretty much anywhere because it was really lacking in description. We didn’t really find out what happened to create such a dystopian world either – there’s a brief mention of environmental collapse forcing people to migrate out of Africa, but it doesn’t delve deep enough into the issues for it to feel satisfying. The writing style adds to this feeling of shallowness; just as it’s getting interesting, the sentences become short and half-finished, leaving me longing for more.

“I stand on Taj’s broad back, and with both hands arched above me, do a toe-touch-sky arabesque. Keep my balance. Hold the pose for as long as I can. Drop onto Taj’s back again and do another handstand.” 
The difference between the first part of this quote and the last is stark – one part is vivid and engaging, the rest is just telling us what happened, not what it looked or felt like. This gets annoying after a few chapters, and it’s all the more frustrating when it’s set alongside beautiful prose that shows the author’s potential. I wish the whole book had been written in a style more like the first sentence of this quote.

It took me a week to read this book despite it being less than 300 pages long. There are two reasons for this: firstly, because of the confusing story I was constantly flicking back to re-read things, and secondly, I found it so hard to get immersed in the story and I had to force myself to keep reading. I kept waiting for the narrative to draw me in, for that ‘can’t put it down’ feeling to start, but it sadly never happened.

I don’t like ending reviews on a negative note, so here are some bits I liked:
-	Priss, the bird who helped rescue Sante as a baby. I loved the relationship between them, especially the way Sante sees her dreams from Priss’ point of view.
-	The description of trafficking victims washed up on the beach, completely ignored by the tourists who choose not to see the devastation around them. It’s eerily reminiscent of the photos of Syrian refugees which have been filling newspapers for the past few years, yet so many still feel able to ignore what’s going on. 
“(...) they took us one summer to the Spanish beach (…) we saw brown bodies lying dead on the shore, women tanning themselves a stone’s throw away” 
“We travelled (…), to find a better future. We paid for our passage in full. Paid in dollars. Thousands of dollars.” 
-	The briefly-mentioned backstory about environmental disaster as a cause of migration – I wish this had been expanded on more, because it’s very likely to happen and is something we all need to take more seriously.
-	Scarlett’s succinct but accurate explanation of abuse and grooming: “That’s what they do best, (…) ‘Pull you apart, trash everything you hold dear, so they can use you.” 
So it wasn’t all bad, but it could have been so much better.

First things first, can we talk about that cover??? It gives me life with its beauty!! Simply gorgeous. 

I really wanted to love this book. The premise sounds so good and the potential is all there. A book exploring the status of refugees, exploring the ugly depths of human trafficking... Fantastic right???

But I think where the book went wrong for me was the actual genre. This is very much a book of the magical realism variety and in my opinion it didn't work here. I'd like to point out that magical realism in YA is actually my favourite genre so it pains me to say this. But I found the story to be initially very hard to get into and at times the writing just got very muddy as it mixed the fantastical with the harsh realities of what was actually occurring. I enjoyed the main theme of the book: the MC Sante's exploration into her identity was very touching and it was quite haunting to think here was this beautiful, bright young girl who viewed a bird as her maternal symbol because she did not know who she was. All she had were these vague memories of a shipwreck. It just really brought home to me as a reader the risks that refugees have to take just to escape to freedom. How Sante's birth family risked and lost their lives in the quest for a somewhere to feel safe, a place to call home. But this emotional search for her true identity was marred by a confusing plot line and supporting characters that I could never truly connect with because of the writing style. I very much felt that this was a book missing those initial basic introductions to the cast and also to the world that they inhabit. Sadly for me the writing became rather tedious to read and the book fell flat and dull. 

I do think that the author has wonderful potential but is in need of some help with story editing regarding setting the scene for the book (aka world building) and a guiding hand with plot structure.



*A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher Head of Zeus, Zephyr via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

One star

I really thought I'd like this book, but there was nothing I liked about it in the end. 

It had an interesting enough plot, but unfortunately it wasn't very "mysterious..." anyone familiar with the YA genre knows that *shock-horror* whatever the MC has recurrent dreams about her childhood 100% of the time ACTUALLY happened. Therefore, most of this book was repetitive revisiting the dreams and disappointing when the "big truth" was no less than what had been read on the first page. 

Aside from the origins of the MC and other characters, which where mildly interesting and involve African Princesses for approximately 2.5 seconds before the author never mentions it again, the rest of the plot? I don't even know what I read. Something to do with moths? A circus? No clue.

This book was just disappointing after having a beautiful cover and premise. I didn't like the writing style but I liked the slang and accents found in the speech, perhaps the only thing I liked about this book.

// Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review //

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

This story was as beautiful as the cover. 

Sante doesn't remember her heritage, having been found in a treasure chest as the sole survivor of a shipwreck. After being adopted into a travelling circus, Sante discovers she has some kind of magical connection to 'the great beyond', and uses this on her journey to self discovery.

The writing of this was lovely, wth a lot of character development in under 300 pages. Sante never felt contrived, and I enjoyed the hint of magical realism and Ghanaian folklore laced throughout. It wasn't entirely clear at first what time period this was set in, so I went into the story thinking it would be more historical than it actually was, however this didn't really effect the story. 

It also managed to handle the ongoing issues of human trafficking delicately, and in this current climate I do feel it's an important issue. I know I don't read enough stories relating to this, and I'm currently trying to educate myself about other cultures. I'd even go so far as to say it would be a book I'd recommend my son to read, who's seven. 

In short, a great little story.

The start was so promising and I wanted so badly to like this book but. 

As a Romany, Roma, Sinti (or any other number of words you can use for us that isn't Gypsy which is a slur) woman I just can't read this I'm sorry I tried but everytime that word was used it was like being splashed with cold water, I wanted to love this book but between the words used and stereotypes invoked it just got too much. 

When it was just used by people who were clearly antagonistic it was rough but I understood, then she called them "true gypsy's" as if by sheer power of wanderlust gadje can become one of us, we aren't magical,  mythical creatures we're real people with real problems. 

If this word is being used for a reason I'm not interested in finding out. 

The prose is gorgeous.

I had heard little to nothing about A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars prior to requesting it on NetGalley. I've been trying to expand my reading of literature by authors of cultures foreign to my own and the book's premise spoke to me, so I was more than delighted than we'd been accepted for this novel.

A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is pitched as a contemporary but I believe magical or animist realism describes it best. The story combines contemporary themes such as people-trafficking, the flow of refugees from Africa to Europe, and the search for identity and belonging with magical elements of African folklore.

If this storyline had a rhythm, it'd be a quiet one. Badoe laid the focus on Sante's past, her discovery of self, and her struggles rather than spinning a fast-paced plot with twists and turns. Character-driven as it was, A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars delved into intra- and interpersonal developments. Where the Ghanaian main character was concerned, the storyline involved a lot of dreaming and remembering and interactions with ancestral spirits, which slowed down the pace but gave it a special touch. I love human-animal relationships in literature, so the close bond between Sante and her golden eagle Priss was delightful to me. Badoe brought the – what I believe to be Ghanaian – folklore to life with its images rich in colour, making the spirits of the dead an integral part of the story and the theme of redemption and justice. I was curious how an author of Ghanaian heritage was going to handle questions of race and 'othering'. From Sante's point of view, there seemed to be a wider gap between civilised and travelling folk than dark- and fair-skinned people, but Badoe allowed adult characters to voice political views. Badoe addressed the dehumanisation of refugees and the sinking of their ships at our doorstep in a subtle manner, I thought, and raised the focal point of our lives' worth depending on our skin colour. Though there are, of course, many points of view to be considered with regard to the flow of refugees, the voice of an African refugee girl who survived the sinking of her boat is a powerful and relevant one. Badoe also beautifully illustrated this dehumanisation with the spirits of the dead who had come to raise their voices and make their deaths meaningful.

    "Strangers pitch up on our shores and we herd them into camps. They come in broken boats and we let them drown."

Although the plot certainly involved the horrors of people-trafficking, I didn't feel like this was the story's core at all. On one hand, this disappointed me because the book is pitched as a contemporary read, and I expected to see a broad scope of this issue; on the other hand, I hadn't bargained for so much magical realism which was a pleasant surprise. I think I would have preferred it, though, if Badoe had zeroed in on one central theme, rather than trying to combine several contemporary issues in one short book.

The exquisite prose further underpinned the book's whimsical atmosphere. I did feel, however, that the storytelling (as well as any romantic content) had a juvenile touch, so I'd place A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars in the younger section of YA. At fourteen, Sante was a young narrator but her voice captured me from the first page nevertheless. Relationships were certainly part of the storyline, yet mostly took place of an emotional level (as in "crushes") rather than a physical one, which was absolutely fine by me. What Badoe did well was depicting the less pretty sides of romantic feelings, such as jealousy and disagreements. It is noteworthy that A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars features an f/f romance (involving a side character), which almost seemed more important than the main character's relationship.

Overall, A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars addresses important themes, narrated by an authentic main character and enhanced by African folklore, and excites with a whimsical note and lovely writing. With regard to its themes, I loved how the story communicated through images, for example the spirits, more than through words. However, I feel like the story swayed between several points of focus, capturing neither at the end. Both the dehumanisation of refugees/migrants and people-trafficking are relevant, but I'd have preferred a more in-depth discussion on one topic rather than having several issues addressed briefly, especially since the book was really short.

**Quotations may be subject to change in the final copy.**

I was first drawn to this book because the cover (I know, I know) it's simply captivating. I found the writing was a bit too young for me but I enjoyed the topics discussed such as the immigration crisis and child trafficking. The fact that not all the romance in this book was heterosexual was a pleasant surprise too. I also loved the magical realism aspect (Sante has a spirit animal of sorts) which was reminiscent of African folklore. Would I recommend to my friends? Not really. But I would recommend it to their children.

First of all I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book which I might have not picked up if I had not seen it on their website.

Before starting to talk about the book itself, please, let us all take a moment to admire that marvellous cover. Those bright colours! 

One last notice: This book is not really what I am used to read, and as I said, I don't think I would have picked it up in a bookshop, but still it was a great reading.

Badoe's writing is so rich and captivating it was hard to put the book down. Every description is so real but, at the same time, so poetic that makes you feel like you are inside a dream. Also the entire narration was very fluid and fast-paced that having had more time I would have finished in one sitting.
I loved the idea of Sante having a spirit animal, a sort of guide and protector from the very beginning it made the entire story even more magical and gave me the feeling of an african folklore tale.
I also appreciated the fact that even if the book deals with real horrors, Badoe never goes into the details, she sort of tells you without really doing it, which does not take away importance to what's happening but makes it more bearable.

In conclusion, this is a great book (even if not in my personal tastes) that could be really helpfull in sensibilizing people about issues such as immigration and child traffic and abuse.

This is a YA book but honestly the writing felt like a Middle Grade book instead. Nothing wrong with that though! But the content does touch on sex trafficking as well as illegal immigration so I suppose it fits as a YA novel. 

Sante is 14 and the lead of this book, she was adopted as a baby by a group of travellers of a circus and it's not clear at the start in what era this is set in. Later on they mention things like phones and mopeds and computers, so I'm pretty sure it's at least in the last 10 years. 

ANYWAY Sante has some kind of mental powers or a connection to 'the great beyond' and has known all her life, however when performing somewhere in Spain, she spots someone in the audience who triggers her powers to go a bit haywire. The key here is that Sante knows literally nothing about her origins, only that she's of African descent and was found in a treasure chest filled with jewels, a dagger and a flute. 
Overall I though this book was a really good approach to discussing hard topics such as sex trafficking as well as the current immigration crises. Despite feeling like the writing was a bit too young, it was still engaging and interesting! I did appreciate that not all the romances in this book were heterosexual...!! 

https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress.com/

Fourteen year old Sante is a member of a traveling circus, adopted by Mama Rose after being washed ashore as a baby. Sante was the sole survivor of the sinking of a ship carrying migrants and refugees and remains haunted by the idea of her lost people even years later. Arriving in Cadiz with her adopted family and the circus, Sante encounters trouble in the form of figures from the past and a deep web of corruption and crime.
A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is a wildly original novel and something really different in YA. The juxtaposition of Sante's past as a refugee and the tragedy of her lost family with the modern day issues of human trafficking and forced prostitution which arise later on create something quite shocking and very hard-hitting. In combination with this, there are varying kinds of magic realism within the novel too; Sante is literally haunted by the ghosts of those who didn't survive the shipwreck, and she has strange psychic powers. It's ambitious for Badoe to combine these realistic and magical features into one narrative, although it is also quite confusing; I sometimes felt like I was reading two books spliced together and it was occasionally difficult to keep track of everything that was happening.
For some reason, I've read a handful of novels set in and around circuses this year, and, as in the others, I really enjoyed the descriptions of Sante's act and the rest of the troupe's performances; although these bits didn't use magic, there was something really special about the descriptions that made it easy to feel absorbed into the action. The risks involved in the circus performances are reflected in the sense of danger seen throughout the novel, as Sante and her friends take on the sex traffickers who threaten a newfound acquaintance. The book certainly conveys a sense of danger throughout, particularly in the sections that see Sante in direct conflict with the villains.
A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars is an ambitious, diverse and challenging novel, the like of which I'm really pleased to see in YA. It's vastly different to anything else being marketed at teens and also features plenty to engage an adult reader. I found it a little too free-wheeling, with dramatic plot events preventing me from fully caring about the characters, which is a shame given the seriousness of the subject matter. It's definitely an interesting and intriguing book though, and one which is worth looking up.
Review to be published at wildeonmyside.wordpress.com on 7th September.