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Starglass #2
Starbreak
The Asherah has finally reached Zehava, the long-promised planet. There, Terra finds harsh conditions and a familiar foe—Aleksandra Wolff, leader of her ship’s rebel forces. As Terra and Aleksandra lock horns about how best to reach the alien city, they encounter violent beasts—and dangerous hunters. It’s only when they’re taken to the city as prisoners that Terra finally discovers Vadix, the boy who has haunted her dreams. But Vadix has a dark past of his own, and Aleksandra is intent on using violence to lead their tiny band to freedom. When the rebel leader gets humanity expelled from the planet, it’s up to Terra, with Vadix by her side, to unite her people—and to forge an alliance with the alien hosts, who want nothing more than to see humanity gone forever.
512 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 2014
11 people are currently reading
1741 people want to read
About the author
Phoebe North
11 books617 followersPhoebe North, a graduate of the University of Florida’s MFA program in poetry, is the critically acclaimed author of Starglass, Starbreak, and Strange Creatures, young adult novels from Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins. Under the name F. Fox North, they also publish queer upmarket fiction for grown-ups.
North was a finalist in 2018 with the Sustainable Arts Foundation. Other short fiction, critical work, and poetry has appeared Analog, Daily Science Fiction, Flash Fiction Magazine, the YA Review Network, Umbrella Journal, District Lit, 2river View and Strange Horizons (among others), and in anthologies such as the 2015 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, Among the Shadows and Speculative Fiction 2015. North was named a 2013 Flying Start from Publisher’s Weekly. North's short story "All Tomorrow's Parties" was the winner of 2019 Analog AnLab award for Best Short Story.
Writing from a home in the Hudson Valley, they also enjoy gardening, spending time with family, listening to obscure music on outdated formats, and fighting off the fear of death by curating an astonishingly comprehensive social media presence. They are a Girl Scout Leader and know more about the Beatles than you do.
North was a finalist in 2018 with the Sustainable Arts Foundation. Other short fiction, critical work, and poetry has appeared Analog, Daily Science Fiction, Flash Fiction Magazine, the YA Review Network, Umbrella Journal, District Lit, 2river View and Strange Horizons (among others), and in anthologies such as the 2015 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, Among the Shadows and Speculative Fiction 2015. North was named a 2013 Flying Start from Publisher’s Weekly. North's short story "All Tomorrow's Parties" was the winner of 2019 Analog AnLab award for Best Short Story.
Writing from a home in the Hudson Valley, they also enjoy gardening, spending time with family, listening to obscure music on outdated formats, and fighting off the fear of death by curating an astonishingly comprehensive social media presence. They are a Girl Scout Leader and know more about the Beatles than you do.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
June 9, 2020
phoebe north is a natural storyteller. and the thing about natural storytellers is that they can write stories about nearly anything, and even if it is outside of the scope of a reader's interests, it will still be compelling because of their gift.
Starglass was a YA space opera, which is probably the second-to-bottom rung of my reading interests, right above cozy mysteries. there is nothing wrong with cozies, or space operas for that matter; they have their devoted audiences, but those genres have just never stood out to me as something i would ever pick up. and yet, i loved Starglass - partly for the novelty of the reading experience for me, but also because of the characters and the complexity of her world-building. there was danger and intrigue, coming-of-age and family secrets, and many different versions of love and relationships.
for me, i am not big into love stories. and the only reason i liked this one slightly, only slightly less than Starglass is because in this one, the focus is very much on the love story elements. that is not to say there aren't also elements of danger and larger themes of diaspora and racism (or speciesism) and sociopolitical factors, but it is, at its beating heart, terra's love story with vadix, the alien boy from her dreamscapes.
and this is where it is so, so important that phoebe north knows how to tell a story. because in anyone else's hands, this could have gone horribly wrong. terra has basically forsaken everyone she knows, abandoned her people in their time of need, during riots and complete social upheaval to steal a ship to go to a planet to meet… a boy. and at first, it reads very stalker-y. he keeps saying "noooooo" and she keeps saying "yessss!" and making publicly demonstrative assertions of their love for each other and the rightness of their relationship, which has only been a dream-relationship up until then, without comprehending at all the dangers of the situation she has crash-landed into. and time and time again, she makes decisions based on their relationship over what is safe, or appropriate, which is not the norm in "good" YA.
in those Twilight books, which are perfectly entertaining but not particularly well-written, their best feature is the way she manages to convey perfectly the all-consuming whirlwind of teenage love, and how, when you are wrapped up in it, you make completely doltish decisions because you can't see the big picture and all you can see is your love-interest. and that energy is completely recognizable, but the surrounding story is just popcorn.
then you have books like Divergent, where tris and four have this burning love for each other, but they also have their own agendas, and tris has priorities which frequently tunnel-vision four right out of her path, and teen girls cheer at her independence and strength and get the best of both worlds: a love story that feels genuine and a female lead who doesn't embarrass them by thinking about boys all the time and wandering into traffic. it is better-written, and the surrounding story is not at all popcorn - it is rich and satisfying stew.
Starbreak is a Twilight scenario in a Divergent stew. terra is definitely making decisions based upon her heart, and some of these decisions are made in the blind-fug of teenage love without considering the consequences. but while vadix is never far from her mind, she still manages to be proactive. she does wander into metaphorical traffic sometimes, but you don't want to smack her the way you wanna smack bella. you root for her all-encompassing love, and even though she is not a tris-type who can mentally put the relationship on hold to get shit done, she still does get shit done, so you can still respect her at the end of the day.
there is a scene towards the end that i was conflicted about. and i'm glad i have waited so long to write the review for this one because today, in rereading parts of this and sitting down and thinking more broadly about it, it might actually be the best scene in the book to underscore what i am saying about this best-of-both-worlds situation. a spoiler in which i am going to be vague, but is probably still a spoiler so probably best for after-reading.
so even though i am still the worst audience ever for love stories, i think that this book was able to capture those intense teenage-infatuation feelings vividly and place them in a world whose action was not just a landscape in which the love story occurred.
and that is good storytelling.
come to my blog!
Starglass was a YA space opera, which is probably the second-to-bottom rung of my reading interests, right above cozy mysteries. there is nothing wrong with cozies, or space operas for that matter; they have their devoted audiences, but those genres have just never stood out to me as something i would ever pick up. and yet, i loved Starglass - partly for the novelty of the reading experience for me, but also because of the characters and the complexity of her world-building. there was danger and intrigue, coming-of-age and family secrets, and many different versions of love and relationships.
for me, i am not big into love stories. and the only reason i liked this one slightly, only slightly less than Starglass is because in this one, the focus is very much on the love story elements. that is not to say there aren't also elements of danger and larger themes of diaspora and racism (or speciesism) and sociopolitical factors, but it is, at its beating heart, terra's love story with vadix, the alien boy from her dreamscapes.
and this is where it is so, so important that phoebe north knows how to tell a story. because in anyone else's hands, this could have gone horribly wrong. terra has basically forsaken everyone she knows, abandoned her people in their time of need, during riots and complete social upheaval to steal a ship to go to a planet to meet… a boy. and at first, it reads very stalker-y. he keeps saying "noooooo" and she keeps saying "yessss!" and making publicly demonstrative assertions of their love for each other and the rightness of their relationship, which has only been a dream-relationship up until then, without comprehending at all the dangers of the situation she has crash-landed into. and time and time again, she makes decisions based on their relationship over what is safe, or appropriate, which is not the norm in "good" YA.
in those Twilight books, which are perfectly entertaining but not particularly well-written, their best feature is the way she manages to convey perfectly the all-consuming whirlwind of teenage love, and how, when you are wrapped up in it, you make completely doltish decisions because you can't see the big picture and all you can see is your love-interest. and that energy is completely recognizable, but the surrounding story is just popcorn.
then you have books like Divergent, where tris and four have this burning love for each other, but they also have their own agendas, and tris has priorities which frequently tunnel-vision four right out of her path, and teen girls cheer at her independence and strength and get the best of both worlds: a love story that feels genuine and a female lead who doesn't embarrass them by thinking about boys all the time and wandering into traffic. it is better-written, and the surrounding story is not at all popcorn - it is rich and satisfying stew.
Starbreak is a Twilight scenario in a Divergent stew. terra is definitely making decisions based upon her heart, and some of these decisions are made in the blind-fug of teenage love without considering the consequences. but while vadix is never far from her mind, she still manages to be proactive. she does wander into metaphorical traffic sometimes, but you don't want to smack her the way you wanna smack bella. you root for her all-encompassing love, and even though she is not a tris-type who can mentally put the relationship on hold to get shit done, she still does get shit done, so you can still respect her at the end of the day.
there is a scene towards the end that i was conflicted about. and i'm glad i have waited so long to write the review for this one because today, in rereading parts of this and sitting down and thinking more broadly about it, it might actually be the best scene in the book to underscore what i am saying about this best-of-both-worlds situation. a spoiler in which i am going to be vague, but is probably still a spoiler so probably best for after-reading.
so even though i am still the worst audience ever for love stories, i think that this book was able to capture those intense teenage-infatuation feelings vividly and place them in a world whose action was not just a landscape in which the love story occurred.
and that is good storytelling.
come to my blog!
Read
June 9, 2013This is a love story, but the story of how this book came to be is a love story, too: a distant hope, a justified true belief that maybe one day I would be able to write this, the book of my heart. This book was always there--the end of Terra's story, the second half of the coin that was Starglass--but I didn't know what form it would take, and couldn't predict how writing and publishing Starglass would change me and change my characters and change this narrative. So it was a difficult birth, painful, for me and Terra both. But in the end, I'm very proud of it; this book makes me cry, and not only because it's the type of book I have always, always wanted to both write and read, but because of Terra, because of her love and life and future, because of individuation and self-actualization. Because she doesn't start out her story a hero, but becomes one, though every step is painful and difficult. She is young, and she is, perhaps, foolishly naive, hopeful, and so, so vulnerable. But she has hope, and that means something.
It means the world.
Not our world, though. Another world, a world we can't imagine now. When I was fourteen, I remember helping my mother carry groceries inside, and getting stuck, staring up at the stars. There was the fuzzy little Andromeda Galaxy, best glimpsed through the binoculars I inherited from my father. And I wondered if there were people out there. A kid, maybe, staring up at the stars, too. Some lifeform I couldn't imagine. And I wondered, did this weird, different, unknown person feel like I did, too? A little weird and a little lonely? This is a book about those questions, a book about looking up in wonder, about the way that light attaches to a girl. I invented a language for this book. I drew maps. I plotted, and schemed. And I loved--Terra and her boy and everyone on that planet and on that ship. And though I don't believe in miracles, it feels no less than miraculous, that this book, the book of my heart, Terra's whole big story, will come to fruition in a year. That you will get to read it. And maybe, if I'm lucky, you'll cry a little, too.
It means the world.
Not our world, though. Another world, a world we can't imagine now. When I was fourteen, I remember helping my mother carry groceries inside, and getting stuck, staring up at the stars. There was the fuzzy little Andromeda Galaxy, best glimpsed through the binoculars I inherited from my father. And I wondered if there were people out there. A kid, maybe, staring up at the stars, too. Some lifeform I couldn't imagine. And I wondered, did this weird, different, unknown person feel like I did, too? A little weird and a little lonely? This is a book about those questions, a book about looking up in wonder, about the way that light attaches to a girl. I invented a language for this book. I drew maps. I plotted, and schemed. And I loved--Terra and her boy and everyone on that planet and on that ship. And though I don't believe in miracles, it feels no less than miraculous, that this book, the book of my heart, Terra's whole big story, will come to fruition in a year. That you will get to read it. And maybe, if I'm lucky, you'll cry a little, too.
October 29, 2014
I was really impressed with Starglass last year, so I was very eager to read Starbreak. I didn’t quite like it as much as Starglass mainly due to the romance. I just don’t see me shipping an alien plant with a human. That was really hard and my brain rejected that idea. I was hooked for the first half of the book, but the second half became all about the romance, something that I couldn’t care less about. Otherwise, the writing was beautiful and the plot very solid. I also loved how things ended and that this is not a trilogy!
February 14, 2018
(adult review of YA book).
ADULT READER VERDICT: 2.6 stars, rounded up to 3. Probably an easy 3.5+ for most YA readers.
IN SHORT: As a YA romantic tale with a sci-fi veneer, STARBREAK will satisfy many younger genre readers. If you prefer logic, gripping plot, and futuristic technology instead of girls who can't go thirty seconds without thinking of planting kisses, proceed with caution here. This is YA fiction that truly belongs to the young adults.
STARBREAK is Book #2 in a series. Here, our oft-childish but spunky heroine (TERRA) finally reaches the so-called promised land. She proceeds to seduce who conveniently never is told that humans
This is a truly sappy (and different) teen romance with some sci-fi elements. I didn't like it quite as much as Book #1 (Starglass), but it was an imaginative and mostly successful diversion from reality. (Note: I'm an adult reader and a harsher-than-average reviewer, so feel free to add a star to my rating if you are in the target reading age.)
* Will artistic, lonely, unloved TERRA save the rag-tag bunch of humans whose ancestors fled a dying Earth 500 years ago?
* What exciting events will take place on this alien world, under a blazing white sun and three strange moons?
* More importantly: Will TERRA ever get, um, pollinated ?
Read and see! But take your antihistamine tablet first, cuz there's gonna be some pollen in the air (wink, wink). You may want to cover the eyes of small children and sensitive pets. Ok, I'm kidding. It's not overtly sexy at all, unless talking to celery (or stalking celery) turns you on.
It's not a bad story. I liked the first part best, where there is more tension. For tweens or teens who love romantic-ish cupcakes with some space opera sprinkles on top, it's probably a 4+ star affair.
But it's sometimes about as logical as a Twilight / The Host / Farmville mashup would be. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. I'm apparently far too old to be reading this book. I can't recommend it for most readers over the age of 17 or so (yet I read it, and Book 1 also, so maybe I'm wrong!).
Details hidden as a big ol' spoiler:
=================
PARENTS & PRUDES:
No cursing that made any impression on me. Some brief and not dwelt-on violence. No graphic sex, unless you really read between the leaves. Brief mentions of religion/Israel/etc, which was interesting (as in Book #1).
As in most YA books, adults here are mostly irrelevant or incapacitated/dead, and thus have no real effect on anything. Yeppers, it's all up to the super-inexperienced teens, whom any adults still alive readily defer to. I fully realize that youth-centricity is intentional in YA books, but too much of it detracts from suspension of disbelief for me -- but maybe not for you.
VERDICT: 2.6 stars for me (an old fogie who used Isaac Asimov books as a teething ring). Gee, I wish GR allowed half and quarter stars!In fairness, I probably should round up to 3 -- as I'm beyond the target teen reading audience -- and I may do so upon further reflection. (Done! After looking at lesser YA books I've given 2 stars, this one definitely deserves a Roundup to 3).
I had hoped for more on the science side of science fiction here, but there is a bit of action and some danger, and it's all well-written. And Terra is pretty cool, even if her budding romance is a bit... corny.
SIMILAR-ISH TALES:
1) Across the Universe
2) Stardoc
3) Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (sorry, couldn't resist a final bad pun).
ADULT READER VERDICT: 2.6 stars, rounded up to 3. Probably an easy 3.5+ for most YA readers.
IN SHORT: As a YA romantic tale with a sci-fi veneer, STARBREAK will satisfy many younger genre readers. If you prefer logic, gripping plot, and futuristic technology instead of girls who can't go thirty seconds without thinking of planting kisses, proceed with caution here. This is YA fiction that truly belongs to the young adults.
STARBREAK is Book #2 in a series. Here, our oft-childish but spunky heroine (TERRA) finally reaches the so-called promised land. She proceeds to seduce who conveniently never is told that humans
This is a truly sappy (and different) teen romance with some sci-fi elements. I didn't like it quite as much as Book #1 (Starglass), but it was an imaginative and mostly successful diversion from reality. (Note: I'm an adult reader and a harsher-than-average reviewer, so feel free to add a star to my rating if you are in the target reading age.)
* Will artistic, lonely, unloved TERRA save the rag-tag bunch of humans whose ancestors fled a dying Earth 500 years ago?
* What exciting events will take place on this alien world, under a blazing white sun and three strange moons?
* More importantly: Will TERRA ever get, um, pollinated ?
Read and see! But take your antihistamine tablet first, cuz there's gonna be some pollen in the air (wink, wink). You may want to cover the eyes of small children and sensitive pets. Ok, I'm kidding. It's not overtly sexy at all, unless talking to celery (or stalking celery) turns you on.
It's not a bad story. I liked the first part best, where there is more tension. For tweens or teens who love romantic-ish cupcakes with some space opera sprinkles on top, it's probably a 4+ star affair.
But it's sometimes about as logical as a Twilight / The Host / Farmville mashup would be. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. I'm apparently far too old to be reading this book. I can't recommend it for most readers over the age of 17 or so (yet I read it, and Book 1 also, so maybe I'm wrong!).
Details hidden as a big ol' spoiler:
=================
PARENTS & PRUDES:
No cursing that made any impression on me. Some brief and not dwelt-on violence. No graphic sex, unless you really read between the leaves. Brief mentions of religion/Israel/etc, which was interesting (as in Book #1).
As in most YA books, adults here are mostly irrelevant or incapacitated/dead, and thus have no real effect on anything. Yeppers, it's all up to the super-inexperienced teens, whom any adults still alive readily defer to. I fully realize that youth-centricity is intentional in YA books, but too much of it detracts from suspension of disbelief for me -- but maybe not for you.
VERDICT: 2.6 stars for me (an old fogie who used Isaac Asimov books as a teething ring). Gee, I wish GR allowed half and quarter stars!
I had hoped for more on the science side of science fiction here, but there is a bit of action and some danger, and it's all well-written. And Terra is pretty cool, even if her budding romance is a bit... corny.
SIMILAR-ISH TALES:
1) Across the Universe
2) Stardoc
3) Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (sorry, couldn't resist a final bad pun).
July 11, 2014
About 2 - 3 stars.
I had great expectations for this book. I loved Starglass - come on, a spaceship full of Jews? Oy!
Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. I'm not sure what it was.
I loved Terra in the first book. In this book she became a girl with a crush on an alien - a plant based alien. OK, I know it's science fiction and I need to suspend belief, but I just couldn't see them together. So, there's a love story without (thankfully) a love triangle. There were some aspects of this relationship that were kind of neat - they could communicate telepathically and meet each other in their dreams. Aside from that - he's a plant!
Next, the planet. For some reason I kept picturing Pandora from the movie Avatar. The planet is full of sentient plants and is colored violet. The planet is populated with the Vollu who are plant based and the Ahadizhi who eat meat. There's also some big scary beasts in the forest.
The Jewish cultural references seemed to work best on the spaceship. On the planet the references didn't seem to make much sense. When Terra says "Oy Gevalt" after a failed escape attempt of the Asherati captives, it sounds out of place.
The pacing was a little slow for me. I found myself considering the possibility of not finishing the book but since I enjoyed the first book, I had to finish it. As I was reading Starbreak, I wondered about the target audience. It may move along a little slowly for younger readers.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for a review copy of this book.
I had great expectations for this book. I loved Starglass - come on, a spaceship full of Jews? Oy!
Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. I'm not sure what it was.
I loved Terra in the first book. In this book she became a girl with a crush on an alien - a plant based alien. OK, I know it's science fiction and I need to suspend belief, but I just couldn't see them together. So, there's a love story without (thankfully) a love triangle. There were some aspects of this relationship that were kind of neat - they could communicate telepathically and meet each other in their dreams. Aside from that - he's a plant!
Next, the planet. For some reason I kept picturing Pandora from the movie Avatar. The planet is full of sentient plants and is colored violet. The planet is populated with the Vollu who are plant based and the Ahadizhi who eat meat. There's also some big scary beasts in the forest.
The Jewish cultural references seemed to work best on the spaceship. On the planet the references didn't seem to make much sense. When Terra says "Oy Gevalt" after a failed escape attempt of the Asherati captives, it sounds out of place.
The pacing was a little slow for me. I found myself considering the possibility of not finishing the book but since I enjoyed the first book, I had to finish it. As I was reading Starbreak, I wondered about the target audience. It may move along a little slowly for younger readers.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for a review copy of this book.
June 15, 2015
Phoebe North doesn't disappoint. I will admit... this made me cry. When you get to the end you will understand. Review to come.
It was wonderful to be back with Terra again. Phoebe North is amazing at world building. The "aliens" were fascinating and complex. I will admit to be a little squeamish about the romance. I understand that the point is that if two people love each other then they should be together, but I still wasn't comfortable. Of course, that is my problem not the book's. And the ending did make me cry so I couldn't have been too upset by Terra and Vadix. I don't know if there will be another book because this one wrapped up everything in a box with a pretty bow. I hope that there will be more, maybe from Ettie's POV. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good sci-fi book with great world building and characters.
It was wonderful to be back with Terra again. Phoebe North is amazing at world building. The "aliens" were fascinating and complex. I will admit to be a little squeamish about the romance. I understand that the point is that if two people love each other then they should be together, but I still wasn't comfortable. Of course, that is my problem not the book's. And the ending did make me cry so I couldn't have been too upset by Terra and Vadix. I don't know if there will be another book because this one wrapped up everything in a box with a pretty bow. I hope that there will be more, maybe from Ettie's POV. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good sci-fi book with great world building and characters.
July 21, 2014
A very beautiful ending to a very beautiful story. I must say that Aliens aren't a theme i enjoy to read so when i started the Starglass series i was a little skeptic.
Of course soon i was in love with the first book and now i fell in love even harder with the second one. I really enjoyed the way the story continued and even though the ending of Terra's and Vatik's story wasn't exactly as i was expecting it to be, it was definitely awesome. I'm sure next time i won't be afraid to try reading a story about aliens. Thank you Phoebe North for showing me that aliens can be cool in the hands of the proper author.
October 31, 2014
I loved Starglass, and this was a very different book. I found it hard to connect with it at first, but it grew on me and I ended up enjoying it.
After the events in the first book, Terra finally leaves the ship to explore Zehava, but the planet is not the promised land she expected. There are overcrowded alien cities and terrible beasts that live in the forests, it seems that there's no room for humans to settle. But Terra finds that Vadix, the alien boy who has been haunting her dreams is real, and with him by her side she'll work towards a future for her people.
I admit that my issue with this book was the romance, I had a hard time trying to connect with Terra and Vadix's love, every time I tried to picture the alien boy in my mind it was really weird :P. Also, my mind kept questioning the "technicalities" during the implied hot scenes, I mean... their bodies obviously don't work the same way xD but this being YA I guess the author wasn't going to give details even if she had it figured out (not that I wanted details, my interest is purely scientific here, I swear!).
Anyway, the way their relationship was written ended up convincing me eventually, and I really liked the ending. I'll definitely be in the lookout for future books from this author, her themes and the way she handles them remind me a bit of Ursula K. Le Guin books, only with a dash of teenage angst. I just hope I'll never have to read about alien-human love again, my mind's not ready for it yet xD
After the events in the first book, Terra finally leaves the ship to explore Zehava, but the planet is not the promised land she expected. There are overcrowded alien cities and terrible beasts that live in the forests, it seems that there's no room for humans to settle. But Terra finds that Vadix, the alien boy who has been haunting her dreams is real, and with him by her side she'll work towards a future for her people.
I admit that my issue with this book was the romance, I had a hard time trying to connect with Terra and Vadix's love, every time I tried to picture the alien boy in my mind it was really weird :P. Also, my mind kept questioning the "technicalities" during the implied hot scenes, I mean... their bodies obviously don't work the same way xD but this being YA I guess the author wasn't going to give details even if she had it figured out (not that I wanted details, my interest is purely scientific here, I swear!).
Anyway, the way their relationship was written ended up convincing me eventually, and I really liked the ending. I'll definitely be in the lookout for future books from this author, her themes and the way she handles them remind me a bit of Ursula K. Le Guin books, only with a dash of teenage angst. I just hope I'll never have to read about alien-human love again, my mind's not ready for it yet xD
July 23, 2014
A problem I had with the first book is that the only likable character was Terra, and that carried over for me. The love story was kind of meh. Really, I thought the first book was solid, though it started to unravel at the end. This time, I think that unraveling just continued for me. The plot of the first half was interesting, but after that it felt sort of stagnant...like nothing was really happening and nothing that we weren't expecting and even then it didn't feel particularly interesting or high stakes to read about. , Starbreak just didn't engage me at all.
August 9, 2014
*Won from first reads*
I could not have asked for a better ending to such a beautiful story. While reading the first book, I was a little skeptic towards Terra's character, but this book totally made up for that! Terra went from a very weak and naive child to a mature and strong adult, and that character development is what makes this story so inspiring.
The second book does focus on more of the love story, which I actually liked, since the whole first book is essentially set up for the romance that occurs in this book. The romance, I felt, was a little on the cheesy side. I kept feeling like Terra was constantly throwing herself at Vadix, while he barely returned the affection. However, it was easy to overlook considering the entire story!
Overall, this is a great read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone! Phoebe North did an amazing job creating a whole new world and environment, and it was bittersweet to see it come to an end.
I could not have asked for a better ending to such a beautiful story. While reading the first book, I was a little skeptic towards Terra's character, but this book totally made up for that! Terra went from a very weak and naive child to a mature and strong adult, and that character development is what makes this story so inspiring.
The second book does focus on more of the love story, which I actually liked, since the whole first book is essentially set up for the romance that occurs in this book. The romance, I felt, was a little on the cheesy side. I kept feeling like Terra was constantly throwing herself at Vadix, while he barely returned the affection. However, it was easy to overlook considering the entire story!
Overall, this is a great read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone! Phoebe North did an amazing job creating a whole new world and environment, and it was bittersweet to see it come to an end.
August 18, 2015
How disappointing...
Starbreak picks up immediately after the events of the first novel, Starglass. Terra and a few random people board a shuttle and descend to the planet where they discover live beings and a very different world they were not expecting.
The beginning of this book is what made me rate this book 2 stars instead of 1. Starbreak has such beautifully descriptive passages about the planet that makes it easy to visualize what it looks like without it feeling too information heavy. The actual beings on the planet were incredibly interesting and unique, however the lack of information about their culture, social etiquette, and overall world building made me ultimately dislike the book very much.
There's a moment about 3/4 of the way through the book that made me want to throw it across the room. Without going into spoilers I'll just say that there's instalove. It ruined the book. I understand where the author was going with the story, but the way it was executed made it feel cheap and weird.
Overall, Starbreak began as a great sequel but ultimately fell apart because of plot decisions.
Starbreak picks up immediately after the events of the first novel, Starglass. Terra and a few random people board a shuttle and descend to the planet where they discover live beings and a very different world they were not expecting.
The beginning of this book is what made me rate this book 2 stars instead of 1. Starbreak has such beautifully descriptive passages about the planet that makes it easy to visualize what it looks like without it feeling too information heavy. The actual beings on the planet were incredibly interesting and unique, however the lack of information about their culture, social etiquette, and overall world building made me ultimately dislike the book very much.
There's a moment about 3/4 of the way through the book that made me want to throw it across the room. Without going into spoilers I'll just say that there's instalove. It ruined the book. I understand where the author was going with the story, but the way it was executed made it feel cheap and weird.
Overall, Starbreak began as a great sequel but ultimately fell apart because of plot decisions.
April 18, 2016
This is a horrendous book. I seriously can't believe a publisher thought this would be a good idea. Here's the basic story line:
Girl rebels against the wrong thing, and witnesses a murder.
Girl drunkenly hijacks a shuttle, and flys to the surface of an alien inhabited planet. For safety.
Girl discovers boy of dreams. Literally.
Boy of dreams is not a boy.
Boy of dreams is a blue, widowed, virgin plant.
Girl has sex all night with blue widowed virgin plant alien.
Boy is no longer virgin. Boy turns red.
Girl convinces over 80 percent of ship to stay and build city, where they will protect other red, non virgin plant aliens while they hibernate all winter.
Reader is finally done with book. Reader decides never to read another book about plant aliens.
The end.
Girl rebels against the wrong thing, and witnesses a murder.
Girl drunkenly hijacks a shuttle, and flys to the surface of an alien inhabited planet. For safety.
Girl discovers boy of dreams. Literally.
Boy of dreams is not a boy.
Boy of dreams is a blue, widowed, virgin plant.
Girl has sex all night with blue widowed virgin plant alien.
Boy is no longer virgin. Boy turns red.
Girl convinces over 80 percent of ship to stay and build city, where they will protect other red, non virgin plant aliens while they hibernate all winter.
Reader is finally done with book. Reader decides never to read another book about plant aliens.
The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2016
Well its nice for a form media to finally not be stretched into trilogy.interesting planet though i wish the culture had more focus. Despite my dy disbelief adults would submit to a teenage authority I like how Terra turned out in the end finding joy in simple things
July 6, 2015
awwww
February 6, 2017
Starbreak is a wildly successful sequel to Starglass, a must read!
Full Review - http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/reviews/...
Full Review - http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/reviews/...
January 5, 2016
Spoilery review! Probably being a bit too nostalgic with this rating. Like many sequels, this one does not live up to the original.
Terra chases her dreams down to Zehava--or Aur Evez as the natives call it. North's narrative shines most in the beginning as she builds up this intriguing planet with sentient plant life. Would be a good chance for Terra to make a mark for herself as a botanist and painter, but instead she gets waylaid by an incredibly cheesy love story. She tries to equate this alien romance to gay relationships (forbidden by the council) but ugh. It would have been better character development, IMHO, if Terra had challenged the status quo of the married, heterosexual lifestyle by choosing to remain single, and realizing that she didn't need a guy to complete her.
It's a standard trope in YA that we get beat over the head with here--how teenagers feel isolated (and unique in said isolation) and lacking in love, but this story didn't transcend to offer more thorough commentary. It makes a big deal about how Aleksandra (who was a caricature in arrogant evilness, and by the way, how did everyone suddenly know she was the leader of the Children of Abel?) didn't acknowledge what she did to her mother, but Terra didn't acknowledge what she did to Mar Rafferty either. At least she didn't admit it to his closest kin, which to me reads as the way of holding yourself accountable.
Terra is certainly more self-righteous here as she took on the leadership mantle. When Rachel claims she wants to return to Earth, Terra is incredulous that she is hanging "your children's future on a chance." But wasn't that exactly what her ancestors did by choosing to travel 500 years to a planet that, unbeknownst to them, had been inhabited for millennia? The narrative doesn't seem to want us to engage with these hypocrisies. Political problems are also lazily swept away without explanation, as Terra blithely tells us that once she returned to the ship, her people stopped the violence that the Council wasn't able to quell. (I'm also still annoyed by the backstory. If Zehava's state was so uncertain, why did the ancestors settle all of their hopes on it? They should have based their space travel on the "Star Trek" exploration method--plenty of Jews there--but I suppose I should have known they were doomed when, instead, the first book made reference to "Gilligan's Island." :p)
Of course, the Asherati people's quest for a homeland is kind of/sort of an allegory for the Jews, constantly expelled and looking for the promised land. In history, we are often seen as both colonists and refugees, similar to the people here. But as Rachel grows more religious (sadly, also more fundamentalist and intolerant, though I respect that this is a believable response to social unrest) it becomes clear to me how incongruous religious Judaism is with the extraterrestrial--all of our myths, our narrative about Israel, they're all Earth bound. Rachel invoking them as the reason to turn back to our planet of origin is the most Jewish content in this book (other than her also saying the blessing over the wine. :p). On the other side of things, the biologist, Jachin, believed in "HaShem," although the council dissuaded belief, and that led him to the Children of Abel. I also liked how they changed the words of the Kaddish to signify life on Asherah, but it was still seen as a tradition, even in changing times.
Overall, though, what little Judaism existed in this series was mostly appropriation. I can only blame myself, to a degree, to expect this book to embrace a more complicated Judaism; North's attention was on creating the archetypal individual-centered YA dystopia. If only someone would write something perhaps a little more adult, where Jews in space maintain and adapt a more thorough religious and cultural communal identity while charting out to unknown solar systems. Might that person have to be me? Oy gevalt.
Terra chases her dreams down to Zehava--or Aur Evez as the natives call it. North's narrative shines most in the beginning as she builds up this intriguing planet with sentient plant life. Would be a good chance for Terra to make a mark for herself as a botanist and painter, but instead she gets waylaid by an incredibly cheesy love story. She tries to equate this alien romance to gay relationships (forbidden by the council) but ugh. It would have been better character development, IMHO, if Terra had challenged the status quo of the married, heterosexual lifestyle by choosing to remain single, and realizing that she didn't need a guy to complete her.
It's a standard trope in YA that we get beat over the head with here--how teenagers feel isolated (and unique in said isolation) and lacking in love, but this story didn't transcend to offer more thorough commentary. It makes a big deal about how Aleksandra (who was a caricature in arrogant evilness, and by the way, how did everyone suddenly know she was the leader of the Children of Abel?) didn't acknowledge what she did to her mother, but Terra didn't acknowledge what she did to Mar Rafferty either. At least she didn't admit it to his closest kin, which to me reads as the way of holding yourself accountable.
Terra is certainly more self-righteous here as she took on the leadership mantle. When Rachel claims she wants to return to Earth, Terra is incredulous that she is hanging "your children's future on a chance." But wasn't that exactly what her ancestors did by choosing to travel 500 years to a planet that, unbeknownst to them, had been inhabited for millennia? The narrative doesn't seem to want us to engage with these hypocrisies. Political problems are also lazily swept away without explanation, as Terra blithely tells us that once she returned to the ship, her people stopped the violence that the Council wasn't able to quell. (I'm also still annoyed by the backstory. If Zehava's state was so uncertain, why did the ancestors settle all of their hopes on it? They should have based their space travel on the "Star Trek" exploration method--plenty of Jews there--but I suppose I should have known they were doomed when, instead, the first book made reference to "Gilligan's Island." :p)
Of course, the Asherati people's quest for a homeland is kind of/sort of an allegory for the Jews, constantly expelled and looking for the promised land. In history, we are often seen as both colonists and refugees, similar to the people here. But as Rachel grows more religious (sadly, also more fundamentalist and intolerant, though I respect that this is a believable response to social unrest) it becomes clear to me how incongruous religious Judaism is with the extraterrestrial--all of our myths, our narrative about Israel, they're all Earth bound. Rachel invoking them as the reason to turn back to our planet of origin is the most Jewish content in this book (other than her also saying the blessing over the wine. :p). On the other side of things, the biologist, Jachin, believed in "HaShem," although the council dissuaded belief, and that led him to the Children of Abel. I also liked how they changed the words of the Kaddish to signify life on Asherah, but it was still seen as a tradition, even in changing times.
Overall, though, what little Judaism existed in this series was mostly appropriation. I can only blame myself, to a degree, to expect this book to embrace a more complicated Judaism; North's attention was on creating the archetypal individual-centered YA dystopia. If only someone would write something perhaps a little more adult, where Jews in space maintain and adapt a more thorough religious and cultural communal identity while charting out to unknown solar systems. Might that person have to be me? Oy gevalt.
August 8, 2014
I'm conflicted about this book. Here's why:
The previous book, Starglass, frustrated me greatly due to how much Terra seems to just coast between events, failing to really make any sensible action in spite of being the protagonist and a first-person narrator. The general uselessness that she displayed in Starglass really prevented me from enjoying the book for what it could have been.
This book, Starbreak, is hugely different, and I enjoyed it and empathized with and connected with the characters... but it couldn't exist without the first book. Starbreak is well-thought-out look into a setting that is very rarely explored in detail (generation ships), as well as a unique and original setting. The aliens and their society are entirely new to me as a lifelong fan of sci-fi and I would encourage any other SF enthusiast to peruse the book at least so that they can experience that one expertly-executed element.
To sum up:
If you managed to struggle through - or, somehow, enjoy! - Starglass, Starbreak is the conclusion you dreamed of... but it's probably at least twice as good as you think it is.
The previous book, Starglass, frustrated me greatly due to how much Terra seems to just coast between events, failing to really make any sensible action in spite of being the protagonist and a first-person narrator. The general uselessness that she displayed in Starglass really prevented me from enjoying the book for what it could have been.
This book, Starbreak, is hugely different, and I enjoyed it and empathized with and connected with the characters... but it couldn't exist without the first book. Starbreak is well-thought-out look into a setting that is very rarely explored in detail (generation ships), as well as a unique and original setting. The aliens and their society are entirely new to me as a lifelong fan of sci-fi and I would encourage any other SF enthusiast to peruse the book at least so that they can experience that one expertly-executed element.
To sum up:
If you managed to struggle through - or, somehow, enjoy! - Starglass, Starbreak is the conclusion you dreamed of... but it's probably at least twice as good as you think it is.
October 22, 2014
In my opinion I liked the first book much better. I just liked how many things were going on how complicated it all was, but the second book was rather predictable. I knew what was going to happen before it did, and everytime I guessed something was going to happen-it always did. But of course it would, I couldn't see any other alternative twist that could possibly happen and still end well.
Alien boy was kind of cute especially in his language but sometimes I felt like he was kind of a jerk, mostly when he referred to her as an animal even as seeing her as his lover. How do you see your lover as an animal? No matter how strange she is? I understand that she's an alien to him, but surely after nights and nights of touching her and knowing her, you'd think that he would've grown used to that. But nope, she's an animal. That's a nice way of describing your lover. And also I feel like he never loved her like he loved Velsa. I feel like she'll always just be second best.
Overall it was an okay book, but it wasn't as great as the first one.
Alien boy was kind of cute especially in his language but sometimes I felt like he was kind of a jerk, mostly when he referred to her as an animal even as seeing her as his lover. How do you see your lover as an animal? No matter how strange she is? I understand that she's an alien to him, but surely after nights and nights of touching her and knowing her, you'd think that he would've grown used to that. But nope, she's an animal. That's a nice way of describing your lover. And also I feel like he never loved her like he loved Velsa. I feel like she'll always just be second best.
Overall it was an okay book, but it wasn't as great as the first one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2017
This alien society is rich with details and depth. It is truly a pleasure to unveil. There’s lots of action and the ending is sweet and hopeful. I’m so glad I picked the first book up on a whim. I’m looking forward to more books from this author. http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/reviews/...
July 23, 2019
I AM GROOT... seriously that's all I could think for the entire book.
An improvement on the first book... but I mostly think it was because of Vadix.
Also I feel like Phoebe contradicted herself a lot? Like maybe she forgot what she wrote and instead of looking back in it she just wrote something completely new? Idk maybe that's just me.
An improvement on the first book... but I mostly think it was because of Vadix.
Also I feel like Phoebe contradicted herself a lot? Like maybe she forgot what she wrote and instead of looking back in it she just wrote something completely new? Idk maybe that's just me.
July 26, 2016
Read as digital ARC.
Starbreak is an excellent continuation of the story that Starglass started. You'll probably be surprised by how much you learn about liberty, "aliens" AND Jewish culture. (How cool is the word bashert, right?)
Starbreak is an excellent continuation of the story that Starglass started. You'll probably be surprised by how much you learn about liberty, "aliens" AND Jewish culture. (How cool is the word bashert, right?)
Want to read
March 24, 2014*grin*
December 15, 2016
I didn't think I'd dig this kind of romance, but it grew on me. #puns
May 4, 2018
The writing was decent, but damn it got weird.
February 18, 2021
I'm disappointed that this sequel to Starglass has failed to capture (or, as the second novel, hold) my heart quite as well. Terra (now firmly sixteen) is much more than a child of a rebel or the intended of a future captain; she is now a leader of the revolution by the Children of Abel in what Phoebe North would claim is her own right. Following the hectic mess of riots at the end of Starglass, Terra's heart and dreams propel her to the surface of the inhabited planet. Terra is determined to reach her alien lover, Vadix, and is willing to place others in danger for her to do just that. Like any heroine, she has her flaws, discussed and drawn out throughout the novel—but this level of self-centeredness is never made so blunt to the reader. In taking her drunk classmates of a tamlid pilot and her lover, a grandfather, and a mere child on the shuttle to the hostile planet, Terra not only endangers them all but becomes the direct cause of several deaths. Her dreams may help guide them, once on the surface, but inability to lead also brings her group, and Aleksandra's group, into danger.
Nothing awful happens to them because this is, after all, YA targeted at 15-year-olds. Not only is that not realistic (in a world of aliens, I know), but it also makes clear Terra's focus: not her family or friends on the ship, but finding and being with the alien Vadix. The complete book hinges on this "love" between them—even her discussions with him are always centered around Vadix and Velsa, her past, or some other aspect of lost "love." The events of the plot and the aims of the people are only furthered by Terra's romantic connection with Vadix. I wasn't counting, but I'm 95% sure this book, even having a female lead, wouldn't pass the Bechdel test.
Despite all that, though, Vadix is the most important element of the story, and one the author did get right. He is not an alien. The inhabitants of the planet are just that—the inhabitants. Animal or plant, humanoid or not, they belong there and our humans from the spaceship do not.
Interestingly enough, Phoebe North did successfully discuss the idea of religion and morality. In the short bursts between Rachel and Terra, we see the hardheadedness that so often characterizes religion today and its definite rejection of homosexuality. But our protagonist also champions equality: when asked by Rachel if she would allow religion to be practiced on the planet, she assures her friend "of course"; and beyond that, we see a scientist who believes firmly that the religion of God and the science of evolution are not mutually exclusive. I'm thoroughly impressed by these small, yet highly-redeeming, tidbits thrown into the novel.
In much a similar way, one scene in particular speaks to the idea of colonization. When Aleksandra leads her people to "conquer" the natives, Terra speaks up once—and only once. Beyond her initial horrified emotion at the thought of violently destroying the peoples there, colonization is simply and wholeheartedly accepted. That Terra's people—who are presented as "having nowhere else to go," despite the lack of truth in that statement—turn to the southern and 'uninhabited' continent of the planet is one thing; that Terra and the botanist Mara Stone actively choose to bring species of plants and animals that have not been seen for centuries since Earth back to life on the planet is, to mildly put it, disgusting.
So, generally speaking, Starbreak does advance the overall conversation on morality, even if I disagree with much that is presented there. 3 stars for being a good story, but really being just that—a story.
Nothing awful happens to them because this is, after all, YA targeted at 15-year-olds. Not only is that not realistic (in a world of aliens, I know), but it also makes clear Terra's focus: not her family or friends on the ship, but finding and being with the alien Vadix. The complete book hinges on this "love" between them—even her discussions with him are always centered around Vadix and Velsa, her past, or some other aspect of lost "love." The events of the plot and the aims of the people are only furthered by Terra's romantic connection with Vadix. I wasn't counting, but I'm 95% sure this book, even having a female lead, wouldn't pass the Bechdel test.
Despite all that, though, Vadix is the most important element of the story, and one the author did get right. He is not an alien. The inhabitants of the planet are just that—the inhabitants. Animal or plant, humanoid or not, they belong there and our humans from the spaceship do not.
Interestingly enough, Phoebe North did successfully discuss the idea of religion and morality. In the short bursts between Rachel and Terra, we see the hardheadedness that so often characterizes religion today and its definite rejection of homosexuality. But our protagonist also champions equality: when asked by Rachel if she would allow religion to be practiced on the planet, she assures her friend "of course"; and beyond that, we see a scientist who believes firmly that the religion of God and the science of evolution are not mutually exclusive. I'm thoroughly impressed by these small, yet highly-redeeming, tidbits thrown into the novel.
In much a similar way, one scene in particular speaks to the idea of colonization. When Aleksandra leads her people to "conquer" the natives, Terra speaks up once—and only once. Beyond her initial horrified emotion at the thought of violently destroying the peoples there, colonization is simply and wholeheartedly accepted. That Terra's people—who are presented as "having nowhere else to go," despite the lack of truth in that statement—turn to the southern and 'uninhabited' continent of the planet is one thing; that Terra and the botanist Mara Stone actively choose to bring species of plants and animals that have not been seen for centuries since Earth back to life on the planet is, to mildly put it, disgusting.
So, generally speaking, Starbreak does advance the overall conversation on morality, even if I disagree with much that is presented there. 3 stars for being a good story, but really being just that—a story.
June 17, 2022
My review contains discussion of the chemistry of cremation and decomposition. I speak frankly about death and funerary rituals. I don't think I get super graphic but discretion is advised. The Holocaust is mentioned briefly, but only in reference to why cremation wouldn't have been desirable for the group that left Earth on the ship, even if cremation on a spaceship with fire could be done.
Also contains detailed discussion of different ways Jewish people relate to Israel, Zionism and diaspora politics.
My only criticism is that when the shuttle crashed and they decided to cremate the body of the person who died, it's unclear if they did it poorly because of never having used fire and the knowledge of cremation techniques being lost, or if the author also didn't know that open air cremation requires at least 8 hours of actively tending the fire and adding fuel to ensure that it stays hot enough and doesn't burn out. This is necessary because the human body is mostly water.
I was half expecting the planet's inhabitants to come upon the body and accuse the settlers of pollution, or for the unattended pyre to have sparked a forest fire before it burned out.
The information on cremation may have been in the library in its digital archive that was destroyed by the Council in a prior generation, and it would have been a curiosity rather than something the settlers would have considered, because even in secular Judaism, cremation has a very strong association with the Holocaust, so the initial group that left Earth wouldn't have considered it important to preserve the information beyond "some cultures on Earth burned their dead instead of burying them."
In either case, I forgive the characters for not understanding the chemistry of cremation.
I am super curious about their burials on the spaceship though. A traditional Jewish funeral uses no embalming and the body is put in a white shroud, in a plain box or directly into soil. At the right depth, with good oxygen access, and with the right microorganisms in the soul, a human body placed directly in the ground could completely decompose with nothing left behind (not even bones) in a matter of weeks. So were the ship's gravesites permanent? Did they rotate cemeteries by generation and reuse gravesites older than x generations? In 500 years of ship residents dying, there wouldn't be enough*space* for all those permanent graves!
I really like this duology as an allegory for the diversity of ways Jewish people relate to Zionism and Israel. The ship's original mission was establishment of a secular Jewish homeland on an uninhabited planet. This was the Council's form of Zionism initially. Later, the Council favored a religious state, and wanted to return to Earth to claim the land that was once the state of Israel, and it's unclear whether they would choose to conquer or negotiate with any existing people once reaching Earth, but they intend to build a new Temple and create a Jewish state. Alexandra's position was that the planet should be conquered, and its inhabitants subjugated under the rule of the settlers' state. Terra's position is to create a city where humans, Xollu and (I can't remember the other species name) live alongside each other as equals not in a new state but as a part of the planet's existing system of federated cities. Terra's position aligns with Bundism, which is best summarized by the Yiddish expression "Where my home is, there is my country."
The author did a really excellent job at portraying nuance to the positions that the settlers had about how to respond to the planet being inhabited. I have no idea what her personal position is regarding Israel and Palestine, and that's how I know she did a good job with the allegory.
Also contains detailed discussion of different ways Jewish people relate to Israel, Zionism and diaspora politics.
My only criticism is that when the shuttle crashed and they decided to cremate the body of the person who died, it's unclear if they did it poorly because of never having used fire and the knowledge of cremation techniques being lost, or if the author also didn't know that open air cremation requires at least 8 hours of actively tending the fire and adding fuel to ensure that it stays hot enough and doesn't burn out. This is necessary because the human body is mostly water.
I was half expecting the planet's inhabitants to come upon the body and accuse the settlers of pollution, or for the unattended pyre to have sparked a forest fire before it burned out.
The information on cremation may have been in the library in its digital archive that was destroyed by the Council in a prior generation, and it would have been a curiosity rather than something the settlers would have considered, because even in secular Judaism, cremation has a very strong association with the Holocaust, so the initial group that left Earth wouldn't have considered it important to preserve the information beyond "some cultures on Earth burned their dead instead of burying them."
In either case, I forgive the characters for not understanding the chemistry of cremation.
I am super curious about their burials on the spaceship though. A traditional Jewish funeral uses no embalming and the body is put in a white shroud, in a plain box or directly into soil. At the right depth, with good oxygen access, and with the right microorganisms in the soul, a human body placed directly in the ground could completely decompose with nothing left behind (not even bones) in a matter of weeks. So were the ship's gravesites permanent? Did they rotate cemeteries by generation and reuse gravesites older than x generations? In 500 years of ship residents dying, there wouldn't be enough*space* for all those permanent graves!
I really like this duology as an allegory for the diversity of ways Jewish people relate to Zionism and Israel. The ship's original mission was establishment of a secular Jewish homeland on an uninhabited planet. This was the Council's form of Zionism initially. Later, the Council favored a religious state, and wanted to return to Earth to claim the land that was once the state of Israel, and it's unclear whether they would choose to conquer or negotiate with any existing people once reaching Earth, but they intend to build a new Temple and create a Jewish state. Alexandra's position was that the planet should be conquered, and its inhabitants subjugated under the rule of the settlers' state. Terra's position is to create a city where humans, Xollu and (I can't remember the other species name) live alongside each other as equals not in a new state but as a part of the planet's existing system of federated cities. Terra's position aligns with Bundism, which is best summarized by the Yiddish expression "Where my home is, there is my country."
The author did a really excellent job at portraying nuance to the positions that the settlers had about how to respond to the planet being inhabited. I have no idea what her personal position is regarding Israel and Palestine, and that's how I know she did a good job with the allegory.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2021
This sequel offered a unique take on the story of trying to settle a new planet, including some pretty cool alien life forms. I really enjoying seeing the collaborative social structure that North designed for these aliens, as well as the dream space that was introduced to us in the first book.
I did have a few points in the book where I found myself struggling with the believability of some characters' reactions. Terra's love interest in this book has a very dark compulsion, and we as readers know he will either change his mind or he will not. For me, this became the most compelling question pulling me forward throughout the book; it was much more interesting than the question of whether or not Terra's people would find a home, as I already felt I knew how that would pan out (I was right). However, Terra's reaction to the compulsion felt a bit flat. This was something that was completely normal in their alien culture but that would not be accepted without question in our human culture; in fact, to accept it without question would itself be morally questionable. In the book, Terra respects their cultural differences immediately and never tries to talk him out of the compulsion at all. She just accepts it. I found that incredibly unbelievable, especially after her own personal exposure to it in Book 1. I think that even if she respects their cultural differences, she wouldn't be able to stand aside and allow someone she loves to do something like that without even saying a word about it.
Additionally, there were some elements of the ending that I also felt unbelievable.
Even so, this was an interesting read and I enjoyed how the duology wrapped up.
I did have a few points in the book where I found myself struggling with the believability of some characters' reactions. Terra's love interest in this book has a very dark compulsion, and we as readers know he will either change his mind or he will not. For me, this became the most compelling question pulling me forward throughout the book; it was much more interesting than the question of whether or not Terra's people would find a home, as I already felt I knew how that would pan out (I was right). However, Terra's reaction to the compulsion felt a bit flat. This was something that was completely normal in their alien culture but that would not be accepted without question in our human culture; in fact, to accept it without question would itself be morally questionable. In the book, Terra respects their cultural differences immediately and never tries to talk him out of the compulsion at all. She just accepts it. I found that incredibly unbelievable, especially after her own personal exposure to it in Book 1. I think that even if she respects their cultural differences, she wouldn't be able to stand aside and allow someone she loves to do something like that without even saying a word about it.
Additionally, there were some elements of the ending that I also felt unbelievable.
Even so, this was an interesting read and I enjoyed how the duology wrapped up.
September 24, 2023
VERY different from Starglass. Reminds me a little of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell— symbiotic alien society, cross species communication, different feelings among the crew as to how much they wanted to blend in.
Interesting Jewish things: believers and not-really-believers both being Jews, Judaism and The Gays, and Zionism. It’s hard to not at least consider Zionism when reading a book about Jews wandering through space in search of a new homeland, and then discovering the place they’ve reached is already someone’s home. The analogies aren’t direct enough for the book to make an explicit stand, but it certainly uses sci-fi to explore different ways Jews finding a new home could go.
Only downside for me is some implausible alien kissing. Otherwise, really excellent. A couple scenes hit really hard in a lovely way.
Interesting Jewish things: believers and not-really-believers both being Jews, Judaism and The Gays, and Zionism. It’s hard to not at least consider Zionism when reading a book about Jews wandering through space in search of a new homeland, and then discovering the place they’ve reached is already someone’s home. The analogies aren’t direct enough for the book to make an explicit stand, but it certainly uses sci-fi to explore different ways Jews finding a new home could go.
Only downside for me is some implausible alien kissing. Otherwise, really excellent. A couple scenes hit really hard in a lovely way.
August 4, 2025
The Space Jewish Diaspora continues in this sequel to Starglass. I really wish I could give it four stars because I loved the ending journal entry from Terra. However, everything was still all about her. I suppose she did organize the settlement accord with the senate but she constantly bemoaned the fact that she would be alone if Vadix fulfilled his obligation to sprout with Vesla. I also didn't believe that some of the group would choose to return to an Earth which had likely been destroyed by an asteroid. Wasn't that the reason they left 500 years previously? And one more thing - why did Vadix have all those teeth when he didn't eat and was protected by the Guardians?
March 9, 2018
3 1/2 Stars
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