Dark Star

Dark Star #1

by Bethany Frenette

From Book 1: Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities, so it''s hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she''s lured into the sweet night air by something human and not human—something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile. Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn''t fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers—livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago. Yet some have managed to escape. And they want Audrey dead, just because of who she is: one of the Kin. When an unthinkable betrayal puts Minneapolis in terrible danger, Audrey discovers a wild, untamed power within herself. It may be the key to saving her herself, her family, and her city. Or it may be the force that destroys everything—and everyone—she loves.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Demons, Romance, Superheroes

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2012

About the author

I’m an author of YA books, a keeper of small cats, a fan of all things geeky, and a lover of the absurd. I was born and raised in the great snowy north of Minnesota, from which I have never yet managed to escape.

In my spare time, I read, play video games, and do everything within my power to annoy my friends. Parlor tricks include making an eerily accurate frog noise and the ability to recite Maurice Sendak’s Outside Over There from memory.

Reviews

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I caught something else in his depthless eyes.
There are some places it's best not to look, I thought.
Some places look back.

3.5 stars. Consider Dark Star as leaning more to the paranormal side than the sci-fi side of the genre spectrum. True, there are "technically" superhero types of people, but not in the traditional sense. So much of the way this story flowed reminded me of Hex Hall, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe the snark wasn't quite as in-your-face as it was in HH, but I kept seeing miniscule tidbits of plot which reminded me of Sophie's magic-school world and band of misfit friends (without the school).

Here is where I should be breaking down my feelings about the plot, the world-building, and overall feel of the story. Uh...sorry, guys. You're out of luck. I might be sort of in the mood to ditch the logical breakdown of Dark Star in favor of a little gushing. I am so sorry to all of my less-girly fans who really want to know more about how techie or action-y this book is. I can say this : stuff did happen! The first few chapters almost had me pulling a DNF because it started out sort of young and uninteresting...but after I stuck out the first few chapters, I was happily surprised to find that there was "stuff" happening in this world. Action-y stuff, super-power-y stuff, and conflict-y stuff (those are all REAL words. I *cough* swear).

I was beginning to feel a little unhinged, and sitting in the parlor with my superhero mother, her sidekick, and my precalculus teacher was not very good for my sanity. And that was without adding demons into the mix.

But enough about "stuff." If you want to read a real review, there's several on the book's review page. I'm sorry to break tradition here and gush over a guy in a non-romance book but I have to.

I know, it's so wrong to kick the plot to the curb when we're dealing with a book about superheroes and superpowers. I feel like such a jerk for even contemplating it. But I don't have a choice.

Why, you ask? Because I was having embarrassingly swoon-like flashback moments of Dimitri Belikov - my fictional long-lost soulmate.

Okay, so Leon isn't quite nearly as epic as Dimka (the name Leon alone doesn't fit my image of badass...sorry to anyone named Leon out there!), but he's an older protective guardian type - complete with a big heart and a stern, disciplining attitude. He started out as this unassuming guy in dress slacks, but then he became this epic guy who came from out of nowhere. Btw, he can teleport, which is just awesome. Sigh. I guess my heart was ready to find love again...

He smelled like soap, not frosting, which meant he was once again lacking in baked goods. I glowered back up at him. "Did you need something?"
He didn't move. "Where are you going?"
"To plot your downfall," I snapped.

Leon was in his usual slacks and button-down shirt, his tie crisp and neat. I wasn't certain how he fought crime at all. With a cookie in his mouth and his wet hair sticking straight up, he looked about as menacing as a day-old puppy. It was a shame I couldn't just stick him in a kennel.

I gazed across the darkness at him. In the slice of moonlight, his blue eyes were black, his dark hair tipped with stars.

His eyes burned down on me. His voice was cool, quiet. "No, I don't fight fair," he said. "What makes you think a demon will?"

I turned toward him. His voice was low and controlled, his blue eyes focused. There was no hint of playfulness now, or even of the stubborn, argumentative sidekick. This was Leon the Guardian.

"You were looking out for me?"
Leon's gaze was unwavering. "I'm always looking out for you."

He jumped back, graceful and confident in motion. His arm shot out, parrying. His hair was mussed, his face damp with sweat, and I heard the heaviness of his breath, but the world about him seemed to shine, light clinging to him.

It's been a while since I've found a protective-type guy to get a little giddy for...the kind who is strong, stern and badass, but not a total controlling d-bag like so many alpha males are.

Should I even talk about the other characters? Nah, I think I won't. There's a wide cast of players here, all with something unique to bring to the table. There are definitely baddies at work, so I fully expect even more action and conflict to come in the future of this series.

I'll end this review with at least one little mention about the protag of these books, a stubborn girl named Audrey who is living in the shadow of her famous mother - the superhero dubbed "Morning Star." I mentioned nods to Vampire Academy and Hex Hall, so it's probably fitting that Audrey reminds me a little of both Rose and Sophie from those respective series.

"I can't resist a damsel in distress. Especially one as eager for trouble as our little dark star here."

[Keertana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I should start out by saying that, contrary to what you might read, Dark Star is not a superhero novel. I'll say it again: Dark Star is not a superhero novel. At least, not the usual type. When I think superheroes, I tend to think of a scene similar to The Avengers with a bunch of kick-butt people in colorful suits battling evil with their epic skills. Yeah, that scene from The Avengers? It's not there in Dark Star. In actuality, Dark Star is a novel about a teenage girl who discovers that her world is not quite what she thinks it is. Sounds familiar? It is. Yet, there are a few plot twists in this story that manage to make it shine just a tad bit despite its formulaic-ness.

Audrey has known she was special ever since she was the little girl. It's hard not to, really, when you're the daughter of Morning Star, the superhero vigilante who saves the city by night and saves her one-mom household by day. But, in addition to that, Audrey has always had her Knowing - abilities that enable her to Know what lies in the past and future and conduct tarot card readings with expertise. (In other words, she's a psychic...more or less.) So, when girls mysteriously begin to disappear in her small town, only to be found dead a few days later with their ankles slashed, she doesn't just know something is wrong, she Knows something is wrong. When Tink, Audrey's best friend, nearly gets kidnapped herself, Audrey takes it upon herself to find out once and for all just what is happening, why her mother isn't putting a stop to it, and just who - or what - she really is.

Yeah, not many superheroes in that synopsis, I know. I actually think I would have enjoyed this novel a lot more if I wasn't expecting it to be a Marvel-comic-book-turned-YA-adventure, so perhaps other readers can avoid the disappointment I felt when I first cracked open the spine of this novel. That being said, Dark Star still has a lot going for it. For one, it was a relatively engaging read and while I thought the world-building came in just a tad bit too late, I really enjoyed Frenette's take on demon lore and the manner in which she explained her world. Furthermore, I think the characters she created were remarkably interesting and I truly loved the lack of a missing-parent syndrome. Morning Star, Audrey's mother, was very much apart of her life and I was thrilled to see that and experience their mother-daughter relationship. In addition, I really have to give Frenette props for the unexpected plot twist at the end. It was something I definitely wasn't expecting and I loved it.

Nevertheless, despite its many positive aspects, Dark Star had a few qualities that were good, but could have been better. For one, the romance. Leon, Morning Star's sidekick and, as we later find out, Audrey's romantic interest, is one hell of a guy. Not only is he remarkably different from most male protagonists, he is kind, intelligent, kick-butt, and his relationship with Audrey is a firm friendship filled with witty banter. While I loved it, and him, to pieces, I was surprised when their friendship quite unexpectedly turned to romance during the last couple of pages of this story. Up until that point, I had loved the fact that Dark Star had been devoid of romance - no he-stared-into-my-eyes, no he-held-onto-my-hand-for-longer-than-was-strictly-necessary, nothing. Zip, zilch, zero. It was refreshing and put a well-deserved amount of focus onto the scintillating plot, but all that changed suddenly. I was hoping that their road to a love story would be a little more well-developed, especially as I didn't sense any romantic intentions from Leon's side, so I'm holding out for an explanation in the sequel as well as more growth to both their characters.

In addition to my qualm with the romance, I found I was a tad bit let down by the characters. I loved the cast of secondary characters that graced this novel, from Audrey's best friends Tink and Gideon to her cousins, grandparents, math teacher, and friendly-neighborhood-cop. Yet, I failed to feel a true connection with any of them. Yes, I liked seeing them interact and found them to be interesting and original as they failed to mold into stereotypical roles, but Frenette failed to make me really care, not only for her secondary characters, but for Audrey as well! While I admired Audrey's stubbornness, determination, and her nature in general, I didn't truly feel for her and by the end of this novel, I was left feeling as if I had only gotten a glimpse into her life opposed to a full-fledged novel. I am hoping that this is a simple debutante's error as I have seen more than one author develop their protagonist in later novels as they know their story is a series, but I was still a tad bit disappointed.

Overall, I would not say that Dark Star, is, by any means, a bad read. I found myself to be disappointed with it as it didn't contain the superhero awesomeness it promised and its story was relatively formulaic. However, it was still enjoyable and I'm holding out for a better sequel than debut. Dark Star is the type of novel that I know for a fact a lot of reviewers will gush over, but I'm just not one of them. It reminded me a little too much of City of Bones in some ways, except with less humor, hot guys, kick-ass characters, action, and a different take on demon lore. So, while I have to admit that I liked Clare's take on this paranormal creature much better, Dark Star was still a fascinating mystery to read and I'll be keeping my eye out for the sequel when it releases.

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.

[shady boots · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is also available over at my blog.

______________________

Book, I am disappoint.

Right off the bat I was so excited to read this, because it's about damn time there was a friggin superhero YA novel. Unfortunately though, I'm gonna have to wait a little longer for that time to come, because there were really no superhero qualities at all in this book.

For me, the whole superhero thing was kind of false advertising, because this book was purely, 100% paranormal YA. It has demons and Guardians and magic powers and, yeah. I was so disappointed, like really. This was a lot like when I realized Alice in Zombieland wasn't an Alice retelling at all. But I was like "Okay, so the faux superhero theme was a bummer, but maybe there would be other things that I'd like about it" and I decided to give it a chance and read on.

I was bored from beginning to end. Literally, there was barely any action in the book. I couldn't follow the plot because these things just kept stacking up over each other, with the thing about these demon creatures called Harrowers, and then this "Remnant" thing that everyone seems to be looking for, and this powerful Harrower called Patrick Tigue, and I'm pretty much just lost at this point.

Audrey was an extremely passive heroine. She doesn't really do anything the whole book, and those "powers" she has aren't nearly as badass as I thought they were gonna be. She has this thing called a Knowing and it's basically like...reading someone's mind, I guess? But more than that. I dunno, it's hard to explain. But yeah, her powers aren't that useful, since she can't use it as an offense or defense. But I guess the fact that she's helpless most of the time isn't really her fault, since her mother kept her in the dark all her life.

One positive thing I will say about this book is the romance. It was barely there, and the love interest, Leon, is someone Audrey's known for a long time. Most of the book, they're bickering and arguing, and Leon's being all overprotective of her. Audrey gets some moments of fluttery-ness around him but very few. In fact, they don't even kiss until the final chapter, and there weren't even any almost-kisses before that, which I applaud.

The ending was cliche for me, and my expression stayed the same as it did when I started. This book overall really just lacked originality. I really was hoping for a superhero book, because YA needs that, but all I got was just another paranormal that doesn't really stand out from others. On top of all of that, it was a major borefest. There were very few engaging moments that it took me so long to finish the book. If this were to become a series, which I definitely think it will, I doubt I'd continue it, simply because the world of the book just doesn't interest me.

So final verdict, this book was very boring and lacked originality, but the non-annoying romance made up for it, in my opinion. Would I recommend this book? Not really, cause it really doesn't differentiate itself from other PNR YA out there. But if you wanna give it a shot, I won't stop you. I don't think this book was bad by any means, it just wasn't great.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - Aw, come on. I had high hopes for this book, which had promised superhero awesomeness. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad book, and I liked it because there was some funny dialogue. But it was your just typical paranormal book.

You know how there are those books that try to draw out what's going on as long as they can to keep you curious? Well, this was one of them. The first chapter was truly a waste of time because it talked about dreams, and it showed a scene with Gram saying she needs to tell Audrey about herself, but it never tells us anything. And the first few chapters were so bogged down with the past that I just wanted to skip them to find out what was going on right now. And this wouldn't have been a problem, but all that did not tell me anything about what was going on.

It picked up about halfway through the book, and the story wasn't bad, but it was your typical paranormal book - girl in the dark about her heritage, girl experiences some life changing event, girl wants to know about herself but people trying to protect her by not telling her, girl decides to take matters into her own hands, and of course makes you want to throw your book across the room because she makes everything more difficult.

I think my problem with the book is the pacing and story progression. At times, I felt the scenes went by too quick where it barely tells us much and skips to the next scene. At other times, it seems like Frenette went on and on, and you didn't get much out of it. I felt the explanations for the Knowing, the Guardians, the Kin, the Remnant, the Beneath and everything else were 1) offered so late in the book and 2) so scattered and a bit incoherent that I had a hard time grasping the concepts, how they were different and how they all tie in together (because it's not just hereditary). And I think I understand what's going on, and I have theories about the Remnant from Frenette's hints, but she kind of threw me off, too, and I'm not 100 percent.

Also, after finishing the book, I think I understand everyone's role in the book except for Tink. With Gideon, we were told about how they met as kids and how he found out about their family. With Tink, she just popped in a scene with her craziness, so we couldn't even tell if she was just some random friend or the BFF. And I know that Frenette kept her shady for a reason, but it was really hard to get a feel on her character early on. And now that we know certain things about Tink, I still don't see how she ties in to the whole story, though I have some theories.

Like I said, overall, it's not a bad book. And it can be quite entertaining at times. But the story progression really aggravated me, and I think the end leaves us a lot of things unanswered. I just wasn't satisfied enough.

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

RESEÑA COMPLETA EN LEE.SUEÑA.VUELA :D

Me gustó, es entretenido y bastante original, con ritmo y sentido del humor. Además de una pareja que shippeo con todas mis fuerzas.

Quiero leer los que siguen!!

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original review posted on The Book Smugglers

Ana’s take:

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

I’ve wanted to read Dark Star since I first heard about it because it was supposed to be a superhero book (this impression was based on the blurb as well as the cover). Given my recent bad experiences with this subgenre, I was hopeful this would break the bad streak I was having.

Imagine my disappointment (and anger) when I realised how mislead I was when it turned out this is not, and I repeat, NOT a superhero book. At all.

It is a book about angels and demons. Sorry, kin and harrowers. Even though their origin story is utterly familiar: ancient creatures that have existed since before the “light” and became fascinated by humans and they way they experienced life and so they crossed over to become like them. And some of those became their guardians. Those who stayed behind ended up hating humans, inhabiting a world of darkness in the emptiness “beneath” and they attack Kin and Humans for sport because they hate them so much.

SO not Angels and Demons, right?

But ok, let’s forget about the initial disappointment over the Not–A-Superhero-Book thing or the disingenuous approach to this world’s mythology – what about plot and character development?

Well, I can’t say these worked for me either. The main character Audrey is a Kin but she doesn’t know it – her family thinks she shouldn’t know. EVEN THOUGH Kin are being killed around them and this knowledge could save Audrey’s life. So her mother keeps being secretive and obviously not telling her things which just results on Audrey running around, getting into trouble because of her Knowing (she just “knows” things < — that’s her power. It is exactly as it sounds) and then getting rescued.

The book goes something like this:

Info dump
Heroine runs into trouble
Heroine gets rescued
Info dump
Heroine runs into trouble
Heroine gets rescued
“You are an angel” info dump
Heroine runs into trouble
Heroine gets rescued

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Well NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I read 60% of the book and decided it was enough.

Thea’s take:

I started Dark Star with an edge up on Ana – she forewarned me that this was Not a Superhero Book, so I went in with slightly lowered and adjusted expectations. I think this is a classic case of misleading marketing copy – because having known that this was not a book about superheroes, I was able to sidestep that “You ripped me off!” feeling and, I think, approach the book in a slightly more charitable light.

And you know what, folks? Since I wasn’t blindsided, I was able to read this book. And I liked it! I liked it a lot.

Yes, as Ana says, this is decidedly not a book that features traditional superheroes – but I disagree that it is a book about Angels and Demons per se. There is no denying that the Harrowings are Demons – they are called such throughout the book, and they live in the “Beneath” – a world that is reminiscent of Kim Harrison’s Ever After.1 I personally didn’t see the Kin as “angels” per se – they are humans whose blood has been mingled with that of the Ancient Ones. They are normal people, except some Kin have supernatural abilities – in Audrey’s mother’s case, the ability to move incredibly fast and showcase inhuman strength; in Audrey’s case, a powerful clairvoyance called “Knowing” (which I agree with Ana – it’s silly name for a superpower). Some Kin are amplifiers of power, some are teleporters, but the vast majority are just every day people without ability, without even the knowledge of their ancient lineage. The Guardians are small subset of the Kin, who are selected (or “Called”) by some larger unknown force – there is no choice involved.

This, I feel, is where there is a nice contrast between Superhero books and Dark Star. In the classic superhero (or even supervillain) arc, a hero may have special abilities or she may not – the thing that makes her assume the mantle and become a hero or a villain is choice. In Dark Star, there are absolute rules: you do NOT get to choose to be Kin, and you certainly do not get to choose to become a Guardian. You are born into the Kin, you may be born into a power, but you can only become a Guardian if you are Chosen by some higher force. It’s a very interesting and definitive distinction – and one I’m not sure I like, but it certainly is interesting fodder for a series arc.

Beyond a disagreement on nomenclature, I also have to agree that heroine Audrey puts herself into danger far more than she should – BUT I think that the irritating “we’re not telling you about your past for your own good” and Audrey’s idiotic desire to jump into the fray and fight even though she has no supernatural edge makes sense. The motivations and reasons behind these actions – both from Audrey’s mother (and her heartbreaking past – GUH), and from Audrey and her need to feel accepted and feel worthy of being the daughter of the Morning Star – feel genuine and make sense (even if both mother and daughter go about these secrets in very silly ways). From a character perspective, I actually liked Audrey very much as a heroine. She’s certainly not perfect, but there’s something endearing about her dedication to doing what is right, and in her subconscious need to prove herself to her mother and to Guardian Leon. The other standout relationships are between Audrey and her mother, Lucy, and the relationship Audrey has with Lucy’s “sidekick” Leon – the implied romantic angle is obvious, but I like that it isn’t hammed up in the book.

From a writing perspective, I also have to disagree with Ana – I thought that the info dumping was minimal and justifiable, given that Audrey has never known anything about the Kin or her heritage. Also, there’s a fantastic, heartbreaking sequence when she learns the truth about her mother, the past, and her father – very Harry Potter pensieve-ish. I mean that in a very good way. Finally, I don’t want to spoil anything but for the record – I loved the way the book ended, and the twist of the villain’s identity. Completely unexpected, and a kickass ending point for the next book.

The only thing I found myself regretting and wishing for as I read this book? That the novel was centered around Audrey’s mother, the Morning Star herself – who has a hell of a story and I think deserves a full novel of its own.2

I enjoyed this book, and will definitely be back for more.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

first of all, there seems to be argument over whether or not this book is a superhero novel. It is, just in a different way. The guardians are supers (I know they aren't running around in tights--but they are a tad bit cooler than that), and Audrey just happens to be the psychic daughter of the most badass super out there? (Sound familiar? Damien Wayne, son of Batman.) But Audrey's actually pretty cool, sarcastic, witty, fearless. Just the personality traits a good super should have. But she's not (I actually liked that twist) She's relatable to all the kids trying to live up to their great parents and then she's got these two awesome best friends. (To be honest at the beginning of the book I was hoping she'd end up with Gideon but that all change during the cake fight). And then there Leon, her mother's sort-of-but-not-really sidekick, aka Audrey's perpetual babysitter (who bakes!) and he's hot, brooding, and has perfect hair. And he can teleport.
Personally I enjoyed this book quite a bit, heck, the plot was so different that I'd put it up with Anna Dressed in Blood in my rankings of favorite books. Read it, but go in knowing that it is an off-kilter superhero book, and they aren't battling giant robots--but eminant evil, aka demons.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars I like this one! Review to come.

[Antonella · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Aquellos que tienen el corazón adormecido, que viven en el medio, no están ni vivos ni muertos"

Ufffff.
Necesitaba una lectura fresca después de tanto tiempo de estar estancada con Ready Player One y cofcofRequiemcofcof y esta fue la lectura perfecta.
Fui a la biblioteca y saqué este libro, la señora que estaba atendiendo en ese momento me dijo "¿te alcanzará para leerlo en 15 días?" y yo dudaba, teniendo en cuenta lo que tardé con RP1 + época de finales y le dije algo temerosa "espero que sí". Y bueno, finalmente, me lo leí en 4 días #sorrynotsorry
Es una lectura amena, con cortos capítulos (thank you, yisus), diálogos y descripciones que no se hacían para nada pesados y lo mejor de todo (en mi opinión) un buen equilibrio entre escenas de acción y escenas que carecían de acción.
Los personajes me gustaron, normal, por ahí me faltó un poco de los secundarios como Gideon o Tink, pero Audrey, Lucy, Adrian (lo poco que aparece), Ester y Leon (♥) me gustaron mucho, tienen personalidades muy distintas y tienen sus momentos de luz y de oscuridad, sin tirar mucho para un lado ni mucho para el otro.
Algunas cosas me sorprendieron mucho, sobretodo al final que hay un gran plot twist que me encantó y también cobran importancia todos los detalles pocos importantes que van apareciendo a lo largo de la historia.
Para resumir, un young-adult un tanto diferente a los típicos que estamos acostumbrados, personajes queribles, una protagonista muy buena y nada insportable y capítulos que dejan con la boca abierta y con muchas ganas de más.

PD: Cuando Iris y Audrey van al Inframundo me hizo acordar mucho al Inframundo de Once Upon a Time :D

"Ahí parada, el vacío me habló. Me susurró que se habían olvidado de mí. Que me habían abandonado. Me susurró que esto era sentirse olvidada en la nada misma. Que esto era sentir dolor, ira, sentir nada más que terror y odio inflándose como una burbuja en el espacio vació que debía alojar al corazón. Sentir que la corrupción se devora la luz interior hasta que solo queda corrupción. Pudrirse.
'Morirás aquí', me decía la nada. 'Querrás morirte'."

2016 Reading Challenge:

A book recommended by someone you just met ✓ La señora de la biblioteca muy amablemente me recomendó algunos libros que les habían llegado nuevos. Esta trilogía estaba dentro de ellos y yo hacía unos meses le tenía ganas, así que ¡ni lo dudé!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¿Quién tiene que rendir en unas horas y se quedó enganchada leyendo? Sí...yo.

*Reseña decente pendiente*

[Natasha Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reseñado en mi blog Nanny Books

Dark Star es una novela adictiva, muy fresca, con excelentes personajes y un argumento que se desarrolla de manera impecable. Me he enganchado muchísimo, tanto que la he leído en un solo día (simplemente no he podido soltarla). Y estoy muy impaciente por leer la segunda parte.

Audrey es una chica que no resalta del montón, a solo que saque sus cartas y comience a leerlas... Como protagonista me ha parecido bastante genial. A medida que vamos conociendo su mundo (y que ella también lo conozca) se van destacando un rejunte de elementos que complementan la historia y que la hacen especial. A grandes rasgos podría compararla con Cazadores de sombras, aunque si he de elegir, prefiero la versión moderna que nos cuenta Frenette.

"-¿Ya estamos a mano o estás planeando meterme en el horno ahora?"
Algo que destacar es la variedad de personajes y sus respectivas personalidades (e historias). Hay un gran desarrollo alrededor de los personajes secundarios. La mamá de Audrey, la superheroína Morning Star / Lucy, tendrá gran relieve y logrará escenas muy emotivas (ni que decir que me encantó su onda de mamá soltera) Mi favorito ha sido León, otro héroe que siempre logra enojar a nuestra protagonista (todo hombre que sepa cocinar se gana mi admiración). Gideon, el mejor amigo, simpático chico que me ha caído muy bien (me alegro del papel que le buscó la autora).


La novela es una fantasía urbana paranormal que se centra en el conocimiento (en aumento) que tiene Audrey del mundo en el que vive, de su relación con su madre y sus amigos, y en última parte, un toque de cómico romance. Tiene varias escenas de acción, un pelín terroríficas y mucha emoción. ¡Y nada de triángulos amorosos!

Dark star me ha gustado muchísimo, me emocioné en varias escenas, enloquecí totalmente por León y quedé enganchadísima por el cierre abierto que tiene (propio de las trilogías, lo sé, pero este es más especial, porque los interrogantes aún abiertos quedan colgando pero de manera sutil).

Frenette se destaca con este comienzo de saga, especialmente porque logra unos diálogos poderosos y unas descripciones muy "gráficas" que con las palabras justas te pinta todo el panorama. Una historia sencilla, pero original, con elementos muy modernos y altas dosis de adicción.

[Hallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have got a much higher rating, except for the dire overuse of something I find irritating even in smaller doses; the parent (who knows about the fantasy stuff) doesn't tell the child anything about it, causing the child to rebel against the seemingly overprotective or arbitrary rules the parent has laid down, and behave TSTL-ly, causing the parent to lay down more... etc. In this case it's particularly annoying because Audrey's mother has got to know from her own past (which we, along with Audrey only learn after too long) that there's no way to protect Audrey by keeping her uninformed of their world.

The unfriendly relationship between Audrey and Leon, whom she disparages as her mother's 'side-kick', is more than a bit of the same, and also causes Audrey to behave more like an immature brat. The story is quite fun aside from that, and it may be I'm overreacting to the Keep Her in Ignorance! part anyway, but that's how it was.

[Booknut 101 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life's not easy when your mum is basically a superhero.

And not in the metaphorical sense either. Audrey Whitticomb's mother is a honest-to-God superhero - single mother and frazzled by day, crime fighting and lethal at night. With her teenage sidekick Leon, she's the 'Morning Star' and Audrey's ok with that. Kind of. Dealing the Nav cards and telling fortunes is Audrey's way of dealing with the unexplainable craziness that is her upside-down life.

But what really sucks...are the demons. The party-crashing ones.

The Drought and Deluge - the home of ginger ale and greasy mozzarella sticks, and apparently the 'snack bar' for demons, or Harrowers as they're called. After a near scrape with one, Audrey discovers that her mother does more than fight crime. Audrey and her mother (+ Leon) are Kin, gifted with supernatural abilities. It's a dangerous world out there.

Girls are going missing...only to turn up drained of blood.

But no one will tell Audrey anything. So, as per usual, she'll have to take matters into her own hands - whilst trying not to get grounded, or destroying the kitchen by means of an icing and flour war against Leon. Who is the pinnacle of self-righteous fury and the King of Pep Talks. Not that Leon, or demons, could stop Audrey's curiosity from getting the better of her.

It's Audrey's time to shine and show the Kin, Harrowers and those closest to her what she's really made of.

[Flor Méndez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gracias a Editorial El Ateneo por el ejemplar

Reseña disponible en el blog desde el 20/9

Dark Star es de esos libros que cuando lo ves en la librería/te lo ofrecen para reseña/te lo regalan no es ni fu ni fa. La portada me gusta mucho pero no la amo, con los superhéroes he tenido buenas experiencias (vean Steelheart, sino) pero no son ni por cerca mis favoritos, y con el urban fantasy me decepcioné después de que el primero de CdS me gustara lo mínimo como para seguir la saga y el segundo tan poco como para abandonarla antes de la mitad.

Por eso tenía mis dudas a la hora de comenzarlo. Fui tanteando terreno poco a poco, fui conociendo a los personajes y me fui amigando con la historia. Y no es por alardear, pero ahora nos queremos tanto como Audrey quiere a Gideon.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

So I went into this thinking Superheroes! Yay! Sadly, that's not the case. Turns out it's more paranormal than superhero. So don't get your hopes up comic book fans!
But it was still a pretty good book, even though I'm still not sure I'll continue with the series.

Audrey has grown up knowing the family secret...her mother is the superhero Morning Star! Except it turns out she's not exactly fighting criminals. More like demons from another dimension. And there are more secrets that she finds out about herself (and her friends) along the way.

It was good enough to hold my interest, and it's clean enough for a younger crowd. Keep it in mind when you come across a tweenage girl looking for something fun to read!

[Whitley Birks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Star is just so delightfully clichéd. I don’t really know how else to put it. This book is not just a mediocre YA urban fantasy, but it’s basically what I wish mediocre all books were like. Weird thing to say, I know, but it’s true. This book, however, has somehow managed to combine all sorts of trite and overused story elements, contribute very little original content, and completely fail to be offensive. It’s sad that I have to point that out, but considering the market these days, it seems I do. If truly good books only happen a few times a year, then this is the kind of novel you want to read while waiting. The kind that’s fun, entertaining, worth the cover price, and doesn’t insult your intelligence along the way.

THE GOOD
Audrey, the main character, was a solid narrator. She really came through as a normal teenage girl, going through a normal high school experience. A bit bland, but no more so than is normal for a first-person narrator. She’s funny, snarky, but still gets bowled on her ass when heavy shit starts falling. She’s allowed to feel fear, she’s allowed to react strongly to that fear, and she experiences real consequences because of it.

Girls, girls, girls! There’s a delightful preponderance of girls in this novel! All kinds of girls! There’s cheery girls and creepy girls and good girls and evil girls and strong girls and weak girls AND THEN THERE’S MORE GIRLS! Most of the cast of this novel is female, which just tickles me pink.

The plot-to-fluff ration is heavy on the plot. If that’s not your bag, sorry, but I loved it. Romance, while present, was properly put in its place: a few dozen steps below the impending end of the world. And the plot is fairly decently paced. It stays the focus of the novel and progresses well, never petering off into neglect for the sake of some subplot.

The writing is really, really funny when it wants to be.

The side characters are all gold. I love them. Every one is interesting, and every one feels like there’s so much more to tell. It’s almost like Audrey’s is brushing against other stories that we only get to see a glimpse of. Which, really, is how it should be. These side characters do have their own adventures and histories and stories; they’re not just props that exist for the sake of Audrey’s story. And while they’re all connected, there’s so much more beneath the surface, inviting us to fill the rest in with our imagination. (Or with sequels.)

THE BAD
The plot may be paced well, but the rest of it isn’t. Audrey doesn’t just learn about the impending end of the world here; she also learns about a whole new race (that she’s part of) and new group of people who have their own new culture. Only…she doesn’t really learn much. She goes to ‘lessons’ where we’re told that her teacher taught her ‘all about’ the history and organization and yadda yadda of this group…but then we never see the group. We never see that culture and that organization and that yadda yadda. We barely see any people from that group outside of the handful of the main cast.

The romance, also, is poorly paced. There’s very little of it, which I honestly liked, but that doesn’t seem to have changed the ending. In the last few pages of the novel, Audrey suddenly decides it’s passionate make-out time. She skips straight from ‘maybe I have a crush on him, but it’s very slight and new’ to ‘yup, done deal, kissing time now.’ Very awkward.

While the writing is sarcastic and funny, all the comedy was similar. The characters tend to have good, distinct voices…until it’s time to banter with Audrey, and then they all do their verbal sparring in exactly the same way.

The characters are a bit tired. They’re all tropes we’ve seen before, and even though I do love them, it’s hard to deny that there’s nothing really new to be found. It’s just that, for me, I actually like the tropes being represented here, so I don’t really care how many times I run across them.

The bad guy is completely absent from the novel, and his boogieman status wasn’t set up well enough for that to actually work.

Audrey’s powers work better as an abstract concept than as actually portrayed. They’re very spotty and show up only at the most convenient moments, and most of the time used only to deliver ham-fisted insights into other character’s pasts.

The writing is very vague, especially when it comes to describing monsters and action. There’s a lot of metaphor that actually fails to describe anything; it just comes off as waffling, inexact poetry. It works fine when Audrey is supposed to be scared and disoriented (works great for that, really) but the rest of the time, not so much.

THE UGLY
Not much ugly in this book, like I said before. Just irritating. However, I was not happy that Audrey didn’t get her first crush-y heart-flutter for the love interest until right after he pinned her down and kept her from leaving the kitchen by force. Just…not even close to what I’d call a romantic action.

[Hilda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Wow, this book is absolutely not your normal definition of superhero book.

Audrey has always been idolizing her mother, the superhero Morning Star. It’s bad enough that her mother doesn’t seem very keen to have Audrey following her path, but it’s even worse when her mother’s sidekick, Leon, keep tugging her patience. Strange things are happening in the city with high school girls gone missing, but Audrey’s mother refuses to give out any information to her. When Audrey’s friend is falling victim and almost dead, Audrey decides to take matters into her own hands and uncovers what her mother and Leon has been fighting all this time. But like Gram said, there are some places it’s best not to look…

The writing in Dark Star is great and very easy to follow. I also like the relationship between Audrey and her mother. Although they fight at times because Audrey’s mother tends to keep her in dark, it’s clear that both of them love each other very much. I like how Audrey keeps first aid kit everywhere in their house because her mother doesn’t want to get Audrey worry when she comes home injured. Leon, with her cookies smell, flour in his hair, and ironed shirt also get some pieces of my heart too.

However, I felt like the characters in this book are not used wisely. They have just the right characteristics to make them even more awesome: a bit reckless and justice-must-be-served heroine, a vigilante superhero as her mother, a mysterious sidekick, stern grandmother, and supporting best friends, but I feel like I didn’t know them much better in the end. I also wished for more romance in air because really, Audrey needs more time to talk to Leon without getting into banter and later, fight.

In overall, Dark Star is a good read but it’s not something that I expected. Although this book gives sense of comic-like superhero, it’s nothing near. It’s a great book but with the superhero thing stamped in the synopsis, I think I raised my expectation bar too high. I think devoted fans of paranormal stories (who can endure slow pacing in their books) would fall in love with this book. I hope there would be a sequel because for me, Dark Star felt more like an opening for an enjoyable series.

But that night I lay awake thinking of girls lured out into the sweet night air, the darkness that awaited them, vanishing lights and a rising wind. Tricia and Kelly and those other nameless girls, bound to me by a shared ancestry and by the cuts above our heels. And when I slept, my dreams were filled with blood.

[Aneeqah]

I clicked "Add" when I read the word superhero. Excuse me, but doesn't that sounds super amazing?

[Logan Mendivil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sort of a super hero book but not quite? Delved more into paranormal aspects than anything else and there are quite some differences that would keep me placing it amongst other superhero lore. It has a unique take on the lore but I found the book... I don't know? Boring? That might be the word? I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Rashika (is tired) · Rating 4 out of 5]

YAY
this book is like a dream come true.
Its like the author read my mental list of problems with YA's these days and she changed that in her book so to make her book as awesome as possible.
I didnt know it was a series and now that i know.. i seriously cannot wait anymore.
there are people who said that this book could have been better but for crying out loud its the first book in a series the author is trying to introduce you to this world she has created. The next book will be where the awesomeness takes place (hopefully.
LALALALALAlA I feel so happy right now after reading this!
i am so glad i gave in to the book!

[Kaylee Magic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, no one rocks more than Mimi for lending me her copy before she even had a chance to read it herself!!!! *megahugs* This book is SERIOUSLY. EPIC. Like, superheroes epic times twenty -- and this book is about superheroes!! ;) <3333333

Read this book, you must!

[Isabella]

I'm simply dying to read this.

***
Le mie aspettative per questo romanzo non sono misurabili (lo so, lo so che non dovrei!! T_T)

[Lil · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I could not put this book down! I was excited for this one because of the fact that it had superheroes! And while it did have superheroes, this isn't exactly a superhero story. It's about Guardians, an evil that lurks in another dimension Beneath, a girl finding her place in the world while fulfilling her dreams, and so much more. And the addition of the superhero parent just made it that much cooler.

The plot in this novel was totally engrossing. The lore behind the good Kin and the evil Harrowers and how they both share a common ancestry was fascinating. The places within the Kin such as the Remnant, the Guardians, the regular Kin, and the kick ass Morning Star was astonishing. I truly couldn't get enough. The creativity exuded in this debut makes me beyond excited for any of Frenette's future novels!

My favorite part about this book was the characterization. While Audrey was a very strong lead, I did feel disconnected from her at times. She never listened to what Leon and her mother told her, even when they were just trying to protect her. Audrey's mother, the amazing Morning Star, was very stern, but the type of secret super hero mother any girl could ever wish for. But my favorite character, without a doubt, was Leon. Immaculately dressed, intelligent, cute, and incredibly protective, I could never get enough of him and his witty remarks and crooked smiles. Sidekick to Morning Star, he was never a thorn in my side the way Audrey originally viewed him. Next to Leon, I really enjoyed Audrey's best friend, Gideon, who was nerdy and brought a lot of humor to the story. Tink was also an enjoyable character, but she was stubborn and her stubbornness and dislike of the Kin was slightly frustrating at times. All other characters, for the most part, were enjoyable as well.

The romance was adorable as well. It was very slow moving, almost non-existent for most of the book. We saw hints of it coming out when Leon and Audrey had their flour fight in the kitchen while baking a cake and when he took her to his secluded thinking spot to get her some much needed fresh air, but otherwise it was almost as if it wasn't there. Then, at the end, the romance escalated incredibly fast. While I loved the story and the fact that there was romance, I think it could have been fleshed out more properly while still remaining a subplot to the overall amazingness that is the main plot. (Yes, I used amazingness even though it's not a word because there simply is no other word to describe this plot. It's just that amazing.)

My one other problem with this novel was the pacing. At times, the pacing was magnificent and the attention to detail was really enjoyable, but there were other times in the story, especially near the end, where everything went by really fast and there was almost a lack of detail. I felt as if events occurred in too quick of a succession, so much so that I could barely wrap my head around one before the other began. Secrets were revealed all to quickly when we weren't even curious about them to begin with. Sure, I really enjoyed some bombshells, like Leon's true identity, but others were dropped too quickly with no back story. The ending, I wish, was written with more detail and less rushed. It made me want a lot more from the novel and is what made me drop the half star from this rating. As happy as it made me, it was incredibly unsatisfying compared to the rest of the novel.

All in all, this is definitely a book worth checking out if you like fantasy and action. It's cute and serious all at once, with amazing lore, description, and sprinkles of hilarity throughout. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel and waiting to learn more about the mysteries of the Kin, the Harrowers, and the true identity of the one who can single-handedly protect or destroy the entire world...the Remnant.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked this! It's definitely out of my comfort zone. I like fantasy but don't read a lot of urban fantasy or paranormal. Demons aren't really my thing. I'm definitely curious to see where the series goes! I liked Audrey and the rest of the characters so much.

[Dani Shuping · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley

Audrey Whitticomb has never led a normal life. Her mom is the superhero Morning Star, the most revered and feared superhero in the Twin Cities. But there is a whisper in the night that something in town isn’t quite right. She keeps having dreams of burning down the city. And young girls are disappearing and found dead weeks later with no clue as to who is committing the crimes. Then...they come for Audrey. She escapes, but discovers that her mom isn’t fighting your typical criminal. She’s fighting demons. And Audrey has the power to fight them as well. But will she use her powers to defeat them....or will her dreams come true?

I think what I like most about this work is that it isn’t your typical superhero novel. You aren’t reading the story of Audrey’s mom, Morning Star. Instead you’re reading the story of a young girl who discovers that there’s more to the world than what she’s been led to believe. And that there is more to her life than she knows. And while there are some formulaic plot points to the work, such as the romance that develops between Audrey and her mom’s ward/partner (which frankly just annoyed the crap out of me), there are some good moments to this book--such as the characters themselves. Although they could have use a bit more depth to them Audrey and her friends weren’t your stereotypical oversexed, perfect, confident teens. Instead...they act like real teens, with bursts of confidence, but mostly still trying to feel out who and what they are. Audrey’s friend Gideon is probably my favorite, because I recognize myself in him. He’s kinda of that shy, somewhat awkward kid that everyone likes because he’ll stand by his friends when they need him and because you can kinda sense that there’s something special about him.

My one complaint about the book (other than the romance) is that I really want this to be a series, where the world and the mystery of the demons is developed further. And while the ending hints this maybe the case, to me the ending almost felt force, just so that if there wasn’t a second book we’d at least have something to wrap the story up with. Even with that complaint about the ending though, there are still some really nice plot twists happening at the end that will catch the reader off guard (in a good way.)

This is engaging and fast paced book and I really do hope there’s a second book in the series, because this is just the right combination of paranormal and hero all thrown together. I’d recommend this to teen readers +.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ordinary is not a word Audrey would use to describe her family. Between her mother the superhero/vigilante ‘Morning Star’, the psychic abilities she shares with her grandmother and her mother’s side-kick/teleporter Leon, Audrey is well accustomed to strange happenings in her household. But none of that could have prepared her for learning (rather violently) that her mother isn’t fighting criminals, but demons. And something is stirring in this new world she finds herself in – something which threatens to destroy the family she has only just discovered. Something that Audrey might just be able to stop.
This is quite honestly the best urban fantasy novel I have read since City of Bones. The world building is through but efficient, using Audrey’s ‘Knowing’ as a way of discovering the new reality that she is falling into. The plot is well-paced and gripping, addictive in a way that had me wishing I could stay on the train just a little longer before I got to work. Audrey makes for a tough yet believably vulnerable heroine whose growth as a character feels incredibly natural. The more peripheral characters are similarly well developed and used with purpose. Audrey’s relationships with those around her, particularly her mother, are beautifully explored and refreshingly real. While there is a love story (with a positively gorgeous guy as Audrey’s love-interest) it doesn’t take over the story, which is primarily one of good-vs-evil – with a few quirky twists. I live in hope that Dark Star leads to the revival of the ‘superpower’ fantasy genre. City of Bones meets Everneath meets Storm in this thrilling and captivating YA read.

See review on my blog at www.thenextreadya.wordpress.com

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Source: I own a copy of this book.)
16-year-old Audrey knows that her mom is a super-hero, and she knows that she can ‘know’ things about people’s futures, what she doesn’t know is that she may be unusual for a reason.
Why is Audrey able to ‘know’ things about people’s futures? And what else is her mother hiding from her?


This started off confusing, became bearable, then became deathly boring.

Audrey was an okay character, but she was a bit silly at times. She didn’t always think about what she was doing before she did it, and seemed a little slow to catch on at times too.

The storyline in this was just dull. Well, it might not have been the storyline, maybe it was just the way it was written, but I was so bored. I tried to alternate reading chapters of this with reading chapters of something else in the hope that it would help me get through it, but unfortunately even that didn’t work. After the initial confusion of the first few chapters we had info-dump after info dump, after info dump, followed by boredom, followed by another couple of info dumps. Really not entertaining unfortunately.
There was also a bit of a surprise romance, which only happened right at the very, very end, and was quite unexpected. I suppose it was a nice surprise in the end, but it was a bit sudden really.
The ending was okay, there were a couple of surprises, but they weren’t enough to save this book for me. The constant info-dumps and snooze-fest just killed this for me. I really hope the second one is an improvement!
Overall; dull,
4 out of 10.

[Haven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good! I really enjoyed it and am excited to read the second one, hopefully in the near future! I loved that this was not a cliche superhero book with cliche superpowers, but a completely different realm of superheroes that I was totally not expecting! I was very intrigued and after the first 100 pages or so, I got hooked and couldn't put it down (except I had to because of school :( ).

Audrey was extremely relatable. She was kind and caring, but not without that bit of teenage sass and sarcasm. She was flawed, but yet lovable.

And now we come to Leon... LEON. He is precious and I love him. He had the obvious flaw of being self-righteous and bossy, which came from his desire and need to protect Audrey from harm. Their romance was very small and didn't take over the entire book, which I liked. Audreys refusal to have feelings for him, even if it wasn't expressed, was obvious through her denial that she could love someone who she had despised for so long. Her realization at the end was quite adorable.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves superheroes, supernatural, or sci-fi!

Age: 13+

[Arooj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Star had a pretty interesting premise. It was the whole "superhero" part that got me interested. But, sadly, this book turned out to be just another one of those typical YA paranormal books.

I was around half way into the book when I got bored. There was some mega info dumping going on, and the story wasn't even all that original. So I didn't even bother trying to follow the story or remember the details, because at that point I knew I wasn't going to continue the series. The rest of the book lacked action, and I didn't particularly like any of the characters.

And the romance. It was just...blah. At first Leon and Audrey reminded me of Beck and Riley from The Demon Trappers series, both whom I love, but I soon changed my mind. Audrey likes to make it known that she doesn't like Leon, but one kiss and BAM! Apparently they liked each other. Um, what? They definitely lacked chemistry.

So, while it was a decent book, I don't think I'll be continuing this series. It was nothing new or different.

2.5/5

[Dahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the characters, love the dialogue, love that the mother plays an active role (so super rare in YA), and love that there's a guy/girl BFF pairing that doesn't turn romantic. I'd personally hoped it'd be more contemp-y than it was (this is obviously my own limitation, NOT remotely the author's), and I think this is great for people who are tired of "genre" YA that's actually primarily romance lightly wrapped in in a fantasy world. Can definitely think of people I'll be rec-ing this to, even if it wasn't the perfect fit for me for genre reasons. If Frenette ever writes contemp, though, I'd pick it up in a heartbeat.

[krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

No sabía qué esperar de este libro, pero me ha sorprendido gratamente. Es muy adictivo.