I've read and enjoyed Mark Lawrence's books before, and there was a lot to like about The Girl and the Stars, but for various reasons I didn't totally fall for this one.

He's a strong worldbuilder. Yaz, our main character, is a young woman born to an ice clan that lives a harsh life in a harsher world. They sacrifice any children found to be 'broken' (ie weak) by throwing them into a pit. Yaz, who also considers herself broken, falls down the pit after her brother. She's rescued by the other broken who live down there, while her brother is apparently lost to some evil spirits that also exist in the same realm.

It turns out what makes them broken could also be considered special powers (strength, speed, magic) and from the start Yaz is extra-super-special. It's a little bit annoying, but also interesting to see how she adjusts to her new surroundings and finding out that her weaknesses can actually be seen as strengths.

The community that lives under the ice faces danger every day - not only the people possessed by spirits, but also a mysterious underground city that seeks to keep them out by sending metal 'hunters' after them. They stay alive by collecting iron and trading it with the same priests up above who actually threw them underground.

However, the story soon turns into a risky hunt for Yaz's brother, with a group of misfits she's managed to befriend within a day or so of ending up in the pit. There's a lot of action and really I wanted to slow down, find out more about how they actually survived down there, what the others thought of the city and who left it there, to question why there were messages on its walls that only affected her. Instead, we are constantly running into more and more action and it left me feeling a bit disengaged. Others will no doubt love it!

Yaz is the most developed character and does suffer a little from all the male characters being super interested in her, and everyone being willing to risk their lives for her. Yes, yes, she's an agent of change etc, but do none of these people have minds of their own?

The book ends on a cliff. There are definitely questions I'd like answers to, so I think I'll be back, but I didn't enjoy it as much as any of the books in the Red Sister trilogy.

I fell in love with The Book of the Ancestor Trilogy when I read it and so when I found out that Mark Lawrence was releasing another series set in this world I was so excited. However, I think I let my expectations rise too high as while I did enjoy this novel and have every intention of reading the rest of the series, it just didn’t hit me the way that I had wanted and expected it to.

First off I loved learning more about this world and the world building is done so well in both series. This was by far my favourite part of this book and while I have been left with many questions I’m looking forward to having those questions answered in future books.

I also enjoyed the plot of this however felt that while there were times where I felt really engaged in the story and other points where my interest definitely waned for a period of time before something else caught my interest and those parts were usually related more to the world building than anything else.

Again I also liked the characters but I didn’t connect to them and wasn’t as invested in them as I was in the character from The Book of the Ancestor Trilogy and found myself comparing them at times.

Overall, I did enjoy this and I think the biggest barriers for me with this book were my own expectations. I gave this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Trigger warning for: violence, sacrifice, cannibalism

Yaz is of the Ictha tribe who live a life of ice and hardship - she joins her tribe for the pilgrimage where Broken children are sorted from the tribes and thrown into a black pit in order to maintain strong bloodlines and ensure survival. At this sorting Yaz is sure she will be thrown into the pit as she has certainty she is broken. But what her tribe considers Broken is actually an immeasurable strength which Yaz will learn as she falls into the void.

I haven't read any of Mark Lawrences books previously, it wasn't required to understand and enjoy this story. And I absolutely will be reading his other offerings because I loved this book. The characters in this story, the struggles and the world built are enthralling. I, alike Yaz, dived into the pit of this world and I was absorbed until the end. The Broken, the Tainted, the River - all tying together and demonstrating the fallibility of humans and how they will seek personal gain at the expense of all others.

This book is gritty, well written and I do hope there is more to come for Yaz as the ending left me wanting more.

I was really looking forward to this book but i was quite disappointed. The first half was interesting though it did drag at times but the second half was just really boring? I also didn't connect with any of the characters so I didn't feel much for them despite them being in a brutal ruthless world.

I guess this book just wasn't for me.

An incredible story by an incredible author. The world building was so fantastic, the writing so so captivating I just loved this from start to finish.

I was lucky enough to recieve a free advanced copy to review ( ARC ) however i also pre purchased the book allready on Amazon. Due to coronavirus / funerals etc. i ended up taking far longer to read the book than my usual week / few days, so long that halfway through the book was published and i finished reading the last half on my kindle.

This is the first book in the 2nd trilogy set in the freezing world of Abeth, though you can read this trilogy without having read the first. As soon as i realised this is it gave me hope this might mean another trilogy in the world of Impossible Times.

For those who have yet to partake of the pleasure that is the book of the ancestor's trilogy ( Red/Grey/Holy Sister ) Abeth is a world mostly covered in ice, whose sun is old and feeble, unable to fully warm the world. The Hero of the story, Yaz, is a young woman who is part of an Eskimo like tribe, living in extreme cold where the tribe needs each other to survive, simple mistakes and weakness can kill. The varied tribes living in snow covered lands are meeting at a Black rock in the ice, where a priest makes sure no mutations weaken a tribe, killing those too weak to survive the harsh extreme cold. A pit of death exists at the black rock, a hole in the ground children are thrown into, thrown to die.

It is here the story really begins, for reasons you'll have to read, Yaz passes though the hole and ends up in a subteranean world bellow the ice, pretty soon we're introduced to a plethora of different wonders in this the new world deep underneath the ice. Hero's and demons, magic and science, robots and mutants, things old and things new. Those who survive the fall are divided between the normal survivors, and those infected by the black shadow like taint that lurks in parts of the ice, creatures who live in the light verses those who thrive in the dark.

As usual for Mark the world building is prodigious in scope and complexity, with myriad gossamer threads hinting at potential future plots in the trilogy. The prose is enchanting and the book is a pleasure to read. If you've read Marks previous books then i would dive straight into this one. For those who are new to Marks books i recommend you start with Prince of thorns, you'll have 4 entire trilogies you can read first by which time hopefully the next two books in this series would have come out. I've enjoyed reading the book and impatiently await the next two in the trilogy.

Yaz and her younger 12 year old brother, Zeen wait at the precipice, where some children across the tribes are selected each year and thrown into the Pit of the Missing. No one knows how deep it is or what happens to those cast aside, but they are never seen again.
The old priest and regulators seek to spot weakness. Yaz is worried that her weakness will be seen. She is aware that because she draws energy from the river, this is making her less resilient. However she was not prepared for the moment when Zeen is selected and without thought for herself throws herself into the pit after him.
After traversing through endless ice tunnels, she lands without sight of Zeen, yet running for her life from cannabilistic giants. However she is saved by the Broken as they notice the stars shine brighter when Yaz is near them.
She discovers the Broken survive amidst the Tainted, a clan led by Theus. They are infected by demons and protected by mechanical regulators. It is thought Zeen has been taken by the Tainted and unlikely to be himself anymore.
What transpires is a quest for Yaz to try and save Zeen, whilst also learning what life and survival in the pit means. It is brutal and there are 4 tribes existing together with differing traits of such a strength, swiftness and lesser magic. Yaz is a likeable character, aware of her weaknesses, yet emboldened by her need to rescue Zeen. It is a journey of self-discovery as she finds out she is a Quantel with strong powers. This makes her something of a match for Theus. Via a brutal and vivid landscape, all the characters are bold and develop nicely throughout. There is danger at every turn. It is incredibly imaginative. It does at times lack transferrable tension, yet is a very decent read with a great cliff hanger for book 2.

This was a book I had to sit back and digest once finished...the pace was non-stop and Yaz our protagonist is faced with challenge after challenge until the climactic finish.
Yaz is part of the Ictha tribe, one of four who live on the Ice of the dying world of Abeth. On the Ice you can't be too fast, too big, too weak or just different. Every four years children are taken to Black Rock and there they are judged by the regulator Kazik and if deemed Broken and pushed into the Pit. Yaz at 16 is on her second judgment and she is different - she fears her fate.
It is her brother Zeen who is pushed and on impulse Yaz follows him with an unwavering desire to save him. Beneath the Ice Yaz is taken in by the Broken and finds a world which turns the view she believed to be true on the Ice on its head. Here Yaz discovers she is a Quantal, gifted to work greater magics and walk the path. Wherever she goes the star stones glow brighter and over the days spent underground Yazs power grows.
Yaz discovers Zeen has been taken by the Tainted, containing shadows of the Missing who are their ancestors. To save him she must venture into the City guarded by mechanical hunters to find a star stone of sufficient size to drive out the shadows.
In the city Yaz meets Erris,who shows her a different world than the ice and who continues her awakening to a different way of being.
This is set in the same world as the Book of the Ancestors series. All views are my own and thanks to #NetGalley for providing the arc.

The Girl and the Stars is one of those books that just takes your breath away with it’s outstanding world building and deeply thought out characters. Yaz is such a brilliant character, selfless and determined, I was instantly drawn to her drive and hope. She doesn’t give up nor does she accept her fate. She is her own creation, a change maker and is a spark in a room full of tinder.

Children in this world are thrown into a pit if the regulator sees something within them that means they are different or would not survive on the ice. It is seen as a kindness by the tribes on the ice as the world is so bitter and cold that its preferable to dropped into the hole than have the wind take you. No ones knows what happens to the children that are thrown in, the assumption is that they die after they are thrown, but do they?

Yaz, knowing something is wrong with her, feels like her end is coming, that she won’t pass the test and will be thrown in, separated forever from her tribe and the boy who so desperately wants to be with her. She passed her first test and the second will mark her as an adult within the eyes of her tribe, only if she passes. Despite this, her hopes aren’t too high.

What follows the events at Black Rock brings about a change in this harsh world. The missing are more than they seem, tales are told and powers discovered. What has long been believed turns into lies, new relationships are formed, discoveries made and betrayals aplenty.

This world is as beautiful as it is harsh. I love Lawrence’s characterisation, especially with Maya and Erris, I also can’t help but to have a big love for Thurin too! There’s just something about him.

The ending took my breath away and many pages were flipped hoping that wasn’t the end.

A beautiful story and I cannot wait to find out the conclusion. Simply amazing! Easily a five-star read.

The Girl and the Stars carried every inch of intense fantastical world-building and flawed yet utterly human characters in the same way Red Sister did, and I applaud Mark Lawrence for it.
I have yet to find another author who can take me somewhere so vividly different and yet keep close hold of my heart the entire way. And though I did not love Yaz, quite as much as I did Nona (which I believe is rooted more in the growing with Nona we got in the Book of the Ancestor series) I am certain I will be just as obsessive about the rest of the books in her story.

But lets get to the actual review of this book.
As the Book of the Ice is taking place in the world of his former series, there are certain aspects of the world that are already familiar to former readers. However, these are gently introduced again, and somehow I wish that I had gotten to read this story before the one of Nona Grey. But it is still a very deep diving Fantasy with hints of Sci-Fi and dystopia.

Yaz is a beautifully intricate character who is both flawed and strong. And the themes Lawrence explore in the Girl and the Stars are one of great importance - Mainly it seems to be a commentary on how we treat those different to ourselves.

The plot is fast-paced, and well written, and the motly crew which become family though the chapters (even when they are disliked) tells me I am sure to become far too attached to these characters.

However, the book does have a tendency to go off on tangents of morality, about feelings, and choice, which can feel a little bit jarring when you are preparing for a battle to begin on the page before you.
Yaz is introspective and hesitant at times, where I would want her to charge ahead, she doubts her choices and her heart and as a reader you just want her to believe like you do.

I am without question deeply in awe at this masterpiece, and though it did not quite get five stars from me, I can barely contain myself till I hold the next piece of this series in my hands. (which will not come soon enough)

The first book in a new series by the author of Book of the Ancestor series had me hooked from the start. The world-building is incredible; I swear I could see my breath turn to mist as I read about the icy tundra and frozen caves. The descriptions of the landscape and lifestyle are closely entwined with the story so that I never felt overwhelmed with pages and pages of information.
The story focuses on Yaz and how her understanding of the world is challenged following the annual sacrifice, where the weak are cast out and only the strong survive. Whilst she is not (yet at least) the complex character that Nona (introduced in 'The Red Sister') is, I hope that her character grows and develops as the series progresses. She is an interesting and brave heroine and the shock she experiences at the close of this first book had me gasping along with her. Roll on book 2.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the copy in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the eArc.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't click with me. I've been wanting to read Mark Lawrence for years now and Harper Voyager has monopolized my shelves, so this should have been a jackpot.

Sadly something just put me off. Perhaps it was the flowery prose and the endless descriptions, or the odd pacing. I neither cared about nor was able to remember who the characters were.

It had very typical YA tropes, the "not like other girls" girl rising and leading despite others being better suited. The 3 people in love with her after knowing her for 5 minutes. The Lord of the Flies plot sort of recycled (Maze Runner under the ice).

The worldbuilding was gorgeous executed, very vivid and atmospheric, and the traditions and physiology of the people were creative and interesting, but the magic system was very confusing and just dropped in the story.

Perhaps this should be read only after reading The Book of the Ancestors trilogy (which I still plan on doing), however it's unlikely for me to try again since I was not gripped, on the contrary, quite bored and starting to skim read it.

DNF at 25%

Overall
Loved it! My favourite part was how the world unfolded around the story. Yes, the characters were good too, but there were too many people interested in Yaz as if she was the only girl there. Also, I didn't feel like I got to know the characters. I thought I did when I read the book, but then I sat don't to write the review and I don't know them. I have very little to say about them. I know stuff they do but I can't describe their personality. I'm not sure why.

I love the story and the road it took. I was constantly reminded after she jumped, that this world is so much bigger and the scheme is so much grander than this first book/story. I could visualise there being a whole series from this world and I loved that. Several points in the story came unexpected and I didn't understand Yaz decisions but quickly after her decision comes clear. It left me on my toes.

Worldbuilding
The world-building in this book is special to me. It's amazing how the author has described a world which doesn't contain much but as the story unfolds so does the world. There are layers to this world I didn't even know I missed. I thought we were in a certain type of universe but turns out we were a lot closer to home (*dramatic music; da-da-DAAAA!*)

The Magic
The magic in here is bedded on elemental magic but at the same time very original. It's divided into groups but the groups themselves and their powers are fairly original. There are 4/5 different kinds. Some people can bend elements to their will. Some can bend shadows around themselves. or like Yaz see the road in the world which connects everything which also means she can control the start used as light below the ice. Something no one else can.

Summary
Definitely reading more by Mark Lawrence! and continuing with this series. This book ends on a small cliff hanger and I want to know what happens after. I want to know if Yaz goes to find this other essence. And I loved Erris!

Mark Lawrence is one of those fantasy authors for whom I have heard and read magnificent things, so as soon as I heard he had a brand new series coming out I thought it was my time to jump into the bandwagon.

The Girl and the Stars is the first in the Book of the Ice series, which is set in the same world as the Book of the Ancestor series. Not having read the latter, I probably missed out on some of the references, but The Girl and the Stars can be perfectly read without any prior knowledge of Lawrence's universe.

I really liked the general premise of the story and many of the ideas presented and explored in the novel. A fantasy world set on ice (and the ruthless world beneath it), with a female character who wants to escape the set path that has been prepared for her and find her own calling, while going against the corrupt dominant hierarchy sounds nothing but compelling. I enjoyed Lawrence's writing style and the book was for the most part filled with action scenes and a very intriguing world.

However, I found myself feeling bored several times while reading this novel. Some of the passages seemed way too descriptive than they should be and some descriptions just went on for ever. Yaz, the main female lead, although initially presented as a strong and quick-witted character, very quickly turned into a character whose actions were compulsive and dangerous to everyone, and without any hint of thought process behind them. I also disliked how three of the male characters seem to be attracted to her, two of them after only knowing her for a few hours - it just didn't seem natural at all.

Even though it wasn't the mind-blowing read I expected, I overall enjoyed reading The Girl and the Stars, despite its shortcomings. I will probably read the second book as well when it comes out, since this one ended on a cliffhanger and I would like to see how the story and the characters progress.

It can’t be a surprise this review is coming given that Mark Lawrence’s previous three fantasy trilogies all make it into my favourites all the time. Something between a squeal and a yelp escaped when I saw The Girl and the Stars available on Netgalley and I was ready for another adventure in the icy world of Abeth.

I love the uniqueness of the world that’s created. While we get to know it a little in the Holy Ancestor trilogy, this time we’re venturing out into the ice: the unknown, the deadly cold and the place where survival depends on whether you’re strong enough to brave the cold – and pass the regulator’s test. It’s a brutal type of existence, but it is all Yaz has known and thinks she wants until her life is turned upside down – quite literally.

I loved returning to the magic of this world, with different characteristics lending characters abilities: speed, size or magic of a deeper sort. Our main character is a quantal: she can handle magic in not so much a physical way, but a more magical way, manipulating the mysterious “stars”, a source of light and warmth but with a deadly power of being able to crack even the toughest of minds.

Numerous secondary characters display the other abilities though, giving the reader a good understanding of what everyone can do even if they hadn’t been introduced to the concepts in Holy Ancestor.

What’s always made these books for me is the characterisations. Yaz is powerful; she’s also vulnerable. She’s thrust into a world she doesn’t understand (more than once) and is terrified for her life and the lives of her friends. She never stops fighting, though, never stops trying to find a way to save as many as possible. She’s never too powerful; never too weak; never relying too much on others; but never trying to do everything herself. You relate to the characters and, to be honest, you hope to heck you’d react in a similar situation.

The other characters are also intriguing and they all bring out the best and worst in Yaz, pushing her to be the best she can be, even if it is just to prove it to herself that she can handle this.

As with other books by this author, there’s never just one bad guy. We’ve got a demon infecting innocent people to try and find the missing part of himself. We’ve got an ambitious leader trying to take over a group of people. A more conventional bad guy on the surface pulling more strings than he has a right to hold. Oh, and there may be some kind of monster destroying a city that is sentient. Every chapter throws the suspense and the impossible at both the characters and the readers.

A breath-taking read that I couldn’t get through quickly enough. I had my hand over my mouth for the final chapter, and finished the book swearing out loud. Best reaction in my books!

Yaz is different in a community which abhors dissimilarities. She has resigned herself to the life of an outcast that will be cut short as she is sacrificed to the Pit of the Missing. But this is not what happens. Instead it is her solid and dependable brother who finds himself thrown over the pit's edge and Yaz, in a tumult of emotions, races along after him and journeys in the dark unknown world that is waiting for them both there.

This is set in the world of Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor series, which I concluded reading last month and absolutely adored. I could not imagine giving this anything but the same stellar ratings, but, despite the many similarities, this felt like a very different style of book.

Many of the world politics and fantastical systems, which were very prominent towards the end of the Book of the Ancestor series, were further explored here. I found them fascinating and greatly admired the complexity of their creation. It did, however, make this largely feel like a slower-paced and theoretically-focused read. Action does pick up and begin to dominate again, towards the dramatic ending, but the majority did feel far more focused on the workings of this world, rather than an exploration of it.

This in-depth focus was not a negative point for me. Lawrence's creation of world and character were so sublime as to make me adore his writing, regardless of the where the focus lay. Yaz, like his previous Nona, was also a brilliant badass of a perspective, through which we view the world, and I'm anticipating many deadly adventures in her future.

Mark Lawrence proved that the strongest heroines are not selfish, but full of heart. He created a terrifying world with fantastic and diverse characters that kept me tense from the beginning until the end.

Full review is available at:
https://somanybooksnighty.wordpress.com/2020/05/27/review-the-girl-and-the-stars-by-mark-lawrence/

I try not to go into books with high expectations, but it's pretty difficult to do that with an author like Mark Lawrence; it seems as though everyone and their goldfish loves him. I really wanted to swim along with everyone and their goldfish in this bowl of joy, but I felt absolutely nothing aside from embarrassed that I'm clearly not part of the cool club!

The answer to why is really obvious to me and is completely specific to what type of reader you are, I think. I rely upon fantastic character development and endearing friendships and growth between characters to form any connection to a story. This doesn't mean I don't appreciate great world building, I absolutely do, and this novel has it in spades. But it does mean that even the most fantastic world won't stick with me after I finish reading if the characters don't dance around in my mind or feel tangible to me.

Unfortunately, in the gloriously barren and terrifyingly bleak land east of the Black Rock where broken children are thrown through a hole in the ice to fend for themselves or die, none of the characters resonated with me at all.

I think the concept is fascinating and is super thought provoking without being suffocating and deliberate. The world composed of ice feels enormous, treacherous and genuinely quite scary and proves that survival isn't always about being the fittest. In fact, survival in this world requires resilience, bravery and a small amount of bull-headed stupidity. Basically, you need to be a Gryffindor to make it!

I really liked the subtle questions, the bleak world and the genuine fear I felt towards the monsters Mark Lawrence created. But the story centres around Yaz, a girl who willingly follows her brother through the hole for broken children, to then spend a large amount of time looking for him. She meets outcasts, a variety of people of almost mythical proportion, and learns what it really means to be resilient. Which is cool, but I didn't care for her. There was no hope for the secondary characters either, because she was the most well imagined of the bunch!

I think something was just missing for me, more so than just a host of characters I grew to love. I went into this book with high expectations, presuming this to be quite a dense adult fantasy of epic proportions. But I didn't feel like it was those things and instead it just left me feeling a bit flat.

ARC provided from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a massive fan of Mark Lawrence’s previous series which is set in the exact same world as this one and I was so excited to read more about this intriguing world.

What I love most about this book (and the other series) is that it borders on sci-fi, fantasy and a dystopian (due to spoilery theories that I won’t mention here).

This was a fantastic book, which I must recommend to any one who’s a fan of fantasy, excellently crafted world building, and fantastic characters.

I can’t wait for the sequel!

The Girl and the Stars is full of amazing worldbuilding. There’s little fat to the writing as it drops us straight into a frozen landscape and the harsh conditions faced by its protagonist. It’s a dark world, where little is fair and choices are even harder for Yaz, a young girl of the Ictha tribe. When she decides to save her brother from the Pit, she discovers worlds hidden beneath the ice along with terrible secrets and frightening truths.