Shooting Stars

by Leslie Hodgson

Earth’s scientists say stars are burning balls of gases—but what if what we see is just a veil to hide what is truly there? There are numerous worlds in our Universe and in the realm of the twelve Zodiac Constellations, the tyrant Gershon has overpowered the true ruler of the Zodiacs and he wants all in the royal line killed.

Hidden on Earth from him are two teenage siblings, Stella and Isaac. They have had a very unique life on Earth, but don’t know they are out of the ordinary until a series of mysterious, tragic and exciting events open their minds to the real Universe they live in, who they are, and that they have the powers to possibly free the Zodians.

Isaac and Stella are caught in a whirlwind of events both tragic and exciting as they travel the Universe and team with creatures from Constellations such as Pegasus and Draco to help protect them from Gershon who is fiercely hunting them.

Shooting Stars is refreshing fantasy that will keep young adult readers turning the pages as they encounter a new kind of magic, the possibilities the Universe holds, escape, animal companionship, self-discovery and budding relationships.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

309 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2012

About the author

Leslie Hodgson (pronounced with a silent “g”, Hod-son) currently resides in the Seattle, Washington area with her husband and three young daughters. Leslie has always had a fascination with the night sky and has lived with horses her entire life. Her nickname growing up was “barn girl” as she was never far from her horses. She started a business combining two of her three favorite things: kids and horses. Her other favorite thing is writing, and she hopes to share the magic of the night sky, animal companionship and endless possibilities with you!

Reviews

[Ruthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is my first YA r2r and i am happy that i decided to join.. from the title, cover and synopsis, i gathered that this book would mainly target children readers, but i was pleasantly surprise to find myself enjoying every page..
stella and isaac lived in a normal, although secluded, life with their parents, isolde and eli.. but everything changed during an event that not only took their parents' lives but also changed theirs.. truths started to come into light and they have to decide which path to take: to be what they were born to be or to go back to what was..
stella's character has quite low self-confidence in the start but became braver and stronger near the end.. she's kind of a mother figure to isaac: very caring and protective.. i think if she has to choose between the zodians and her brother, she'd choose isaac.. but knowing that many are looking up to her, she slowly gained confidence and became the queen she ought to be.. isaac sort of reminds me of harry potter.. he found out his abilities even before he knew the truth.. he suffered from thinking that he might be a freak but later found pride in being able to use his powers to help others.. he was a natural leader with great qualities you'd rarely find in other 15 year old teenagers.. unlike his sister, he was able to use his powers very easily and quickly.. he also didn't hesitate in helping the prisoners escape even if it would cost his life.. but the one character that intrigued me very much was maximus.. he was the son of orel, brother of eli, and uncle to isaac and stella.. he was believed to be dead.. he became isaac's and stella's guardian and mentor.. i am quite excited to know his back story which i hope i'd find in the next book..
just some technical thingy: there are a few spelling errors i found in the ebook.. i assume it's either from autocorrect or the author's own excited fingers typing rapidly.. a few cleanup should be good.. but other than that, i find the whole story very good and exciting.. i was reading another book when i started this one, but i just got hooked with shooting stars that i kind of forgot the other one.. this one deserves these 4 stars.. and i am really looking forward to the next part of the story.. :)

[E. Bard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shooting Stars was a pleasant surprise. I found the creativity behind the story to be a wonderful change from the more common selection of supernatural beings and creatures in some of the YA/MG literature I've read. As the title suggests, this is an exciting adventure that takes place in the stars. It begins with Stella, a teenage girl, awakening at the scene of a car crash involving her parents and brother. She is confused an doesn't know what is going on. At first I thought that the story would be told from this girl's point of view, but as the story progresses, the reader is treated to different perspectives from several different characters. That too was a nice change from a lot of my recent reading material.

The idea that Stella and Isaac (the main characters) aren't your average teens raised in moderate seclusion on a mountaintop but are really descendants from humans with extraordinary abilities doesn't seem that original at first. That is until the reader discovers just what those abilities are and where in the universe they come from. One of those abilities was delightful to read about. After all, who wouldn't want want to be able to travel through space in a stream of atoms that looks just like a shooting star?

It really was an exciting tale and I can see it appealing to many middle graders and their parents. It has a good story, an evil tyrant with his minions, and constellation creatures. What more can the reader ask for? The main characters, Stella and Isaac, were quite innocent for teens but that makes sense within the framework of the story. In fact I thought it was refreshing. I strongly recommend it.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I only gave this book two stars I did enjoy the story. The main reason why I gave it two stars was that the Author failed to edit correctly. I found that as I was reading through the book I found words that were repeated and others that were not intended to be in the places they were and seemed very out of place.

It took me a while to get into this particular way of writing. It confused me at first but I soon got the hang of it, and enjoyed the way it was written. The story was very original and I was finding myself wanting to know what’s next.
Overall not a bad read, but could be vastly improved.

[Brenda Hebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give the story line, characters, and plot a 5! I read a lot of the comments here and I have to agree that it just needed a little more editing to polish it for the more critical readers. But, I can't complain, I was intrigued from the beginning and couldn't put the book down until I finished. I thought it was great! I think with a little more editing this book could rival Brandon Mull and could become one of those types of series... :) Great job Leslie!!!!!

[May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shooting Stars by Leslie Hodgson.

I'll start with a summary. This book centers on a pair of siblings-a sister and a brother (Stella and Isaac)-who discover that they are descendants from extraordinary humans with amazing powers. Oh, and they're also from a royal descent. Although the idea seems to have been done before, the author put her own spin on it and took it to the stars. Literally.

In this narrative, stars aren't actually balls of burning gas. They're a 'veil' to cover up what lies beneath. The story progresses when we learn that Gershon, an evil tyrant who wants to rule all of the Zodiacs wants to kill both Stella and Isaac as they could threaten his claim to the throne.

I thought this book was quite intriguing.The author does spin a good yarn and the twist on the 'They're descended from [this] important/magical/royal person and now they have to deal with it' cliche is quite refreshing. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter were fun and a great way to keep the plot flowing quite smoothly. The descriptions of the settings were detailed and you could really picture the lighthouse, accident, prison etc.

However, there were still a few grammar mistakes here and there. The phrasing of certain sentences left me a bit puzzled and I couldn't get used to this style of writing fast enough. There was a definite overuse of 'said' and 'answered' and I would have loved to see 'punchier' verbs. I would have also like to see more detail when it comes to certain expressions and feelings.

[Excerpt]
Instead of "Isaac stopped and looked extremely sad". try. "Isaac stopped in his tracks and a look of grief passed over his face."
[End excerpt]

Try exploring more subtle flaws in every character, not just the mains. Even though the Shooting Stars might have been brought up on constellations, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't have any visible flaws. And one more point, try using different names to call your characters. Here's an example.

[Excerpt]
Instead of "This made it difficult for Sarge and Sarge was grumbling under his breath" try "This made it difficult for Sarge and the ill tempered horse was soon grumbling under his breath"
[End Excerpt]

Other than this, I thought the book was pretty good. Refreshing plot and likable main characters.
3/5

~May Anderson

[Tumili · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read 200 pages yesterday. I love it. It kinda reminds me on what Hitler (Gershon) did with his brain washing and also about the bible story when Lucifer (Gershon) got sent away from heaven because he was looking for more power...Also the injured people who got send to "heaven"(Orel) and live there with no pain anymore is for me a remider to the bible story! This book is encouraging to really live for what you believe, even if you get punished for it. The good way is most of the time the hard way, but it is worth it! Even this book is a fantasy novel, it still helped me to get my mind set right again, to live my life as a christian eventhough it sometimes means to get rejected from others and it would be easier to life by what the "world" does. I JUST LOVE THE BOOK, it has everything a good book needs: little love story ;-), horses and a fight for the good! I am already looking forward to the second part. People who like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or the twilight series should also love this book!

[Crystal (Books Are Sanity!!!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shooting Stars by Leslie Hodgson wasn't anything like I thought it would be. I was expecting some sci-fi type novel. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find what I would consider a fantasy novel. When I began reading I was immediately drawn in by the action and the characters. Stella was a very realistic teenage girl who isn't so sure of herself and needed constant reassurance. Issac was the typical teenage boy, thinking he can do anything. I enjoyed the relationship between the siblings and the bond that they shared. Added into their lives were mythical creatures like winged horses and dragons! I loved the twists and turns that came at every corner. This novel was so full of action and the unexpected that I could not set it down! Overall this book is a great read! I was sad at the ending, I felt that it ended rather abruptly. I hope that means that there is another novel in the works to wrap up all of the loose ends. If so, I will be reading it!

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

[Elsa Carrion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the idea, the plot, and the characters, but the story the way it is written is more for the younger group even safe enough to say for the middle school age group. The story is about a brother and sister that is raised secluded with little contact from the outside world. So they do not discover how special they are until later. They have to learn how to believe in themselves in order to succeed and grow into their power. It’s up to them to save the people/entities that live on the stars that make up the constellations from a power hungry individual. The story makes the reader go threw all sorts of emotions, and had me close to shedding a tear twice. I will be reading the next book because I have to know what happens between the brother and Rikenzia a female character that was introduce toward the end of the story. All in all I give the story 4 stars.

[Morgun Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the creative premise of Hodgson's shooting stars. Stella and Isaac, the stories central characters are believable teenagers dealing with their parents' disappearance and a series of revelations about themselves that carry the story through to a satisfying end. However, I found myself struggling with the author's tendency to tell rather than show her story; additional edits or rewrites would strengthen this work. Thus my three star rating. Overall, it is a memorable first novel by Hodgson.

[Briisme · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book from a first time author. (trying to be unbiased as I know the author) :). It was an interesting and new concept that I haven't read for a YA novel/series. It was a little slow for me in some parts but an overall enjoyable read. I loved a lot of the symbolism used in this book and enjoyed the characters as well! Well done Leslie.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. It was different and fun. Stella and Isaac were sweet and willing to take the risks and responsbilities needed as royality. It was nice that the friends that the two made, become great partners and allies in the end. I love dragons, and "winged horses". It was refreshing and keeps me interested. Thank you Leslie.

[Wendy Bushman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book by a first time author. An imaginative story with dragons, winged horses, high-speed travel and all the good things a teen fantasy novel should have.