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Shooting Stars #5
Falling Stars
All The World's A Stage -- but What If The Play Doesn't Go As Planned?
Four talented girls from vastly different pasts share a dream of stardom: Cinnamon, the edgy actress; Ice, the phenomenal vocalist; Rose, the beautiful dancer; and Honey, the first-rate violinist. The four meet at the prestigious Senetsky School of the Performing Arts -- housed in an ornate New York City mansion -- and become instant friends as they take off on a dazzling whirlwind of intense classes, theater outings, and celebrity-studded parties. And together they bend the strict house rules of Madame Senetsky, a famous actress who guarantees success for students under her tutelage.
But they soon realize this is no ordinary school. Madame Senetsky pushes the girls' studies beyond reason. She controls their social lives. And they get the strange feeling someone is watching them.
But who...and why?
Cinnamon, Ice, Rose, and Honey set out to untangle a shadowy web of Senetsky family secrets. As they explore dark corners and hidden rooms, every creak and moan of the old mansion tells a story too frightening to repeat. A devastating story that can destroy their dreams...
Four talented girls from vastly different pasts share a dream of stardom: Cinnamon, the edgy actress; Ice, the phenomenal vocalist; Rose, the beautiful dancer; and Honey, the first-rate violinist. The four meet at the prestigious Senetsky School of the Performing Arts -- housed in an ornate New York City mansion -- and become instant friends as they take off on a dazzling whirlwind of intense classes, theater outings, and celebrity-studded parties. And together they bend the strict house rules of Madame Senetsky, a famous actress who guarantees success for students under her tutelage.
But they soon realize this is no ordinary school. Madame Senetsky pushes the girls' studies beyond reason. She controls their social lives. And they get the strange feeling someone is watching them.
But who...and why?
Cinnamon, Ice, Rose, and Honey set out to untangle a shadowy web of Senetsky family secrets. As they explore dark corners and hidden rooms, every creak and moan of the old mansion tells a story too frightening to repeat. A devastating story that can destroy their dreams...
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
28 people are currently reading
2277 people want to read
About the author
V.C. Andrews
370 books9,073 followersBooks published under the following names - Virginia Andrews, V. Andrews, Virginia C. Andrews & V.C. Endrius. Books since her death ghost written by Andrew Neiderman, but still attributed to the V.C. Andrews name
Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.
While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.
Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.
After William Andrews died in the late 1960s, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.
Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.
Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the bestseller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.
Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many bestseller lists within its first two weeks.
Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.
Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels—Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts—were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by
Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.
While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.
Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.
After William Andrews died in the late 1960s, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.
Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.
Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the bestseller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.
Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many bestseller lists within its first two weeks.
Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.
Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels—Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts—were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by
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December 28, 2014
A short summary is basically needless for this book. One who's read its predecessor Shooting Stars--the compilation of the four girls' separate stories--knows that each protagonist ended up with a place of enrollment in the Senetsky academy for a study of performance art. It's obvious this next novel is about their time of residence in the academy.
It's also just about as obvious that the book contains some of the infamous V.C. Andrews plot points: outrageous family scandal, dark secrets, tension, and breasts (Neiderman's personal favorite). A newer reader might not have such expectations, especially considering the last book was very tame (this is a big reason why I enjoyed that book more than the ghostwriter's other literary progeny...each girl's life seemed more believeable than his usual "let's just throw together some wacky shit"). Well, okay, Rose's and Cinnamon's are more unusual than what could occur in a normal girl's life, but believe me, they're much better than the usual rides he takes us on.
Unfortunately, this book falls way, way behind the one that came before it...in all points.
1.) The author decided to pick one girl and stick with her viewpoint throughout the entire novel. After reading each girl's separate point of view just before, it's an uncomfortable change...it doesn't seem to work somehow. We go from being inside each girl's head, first person, to having to read about the other three only from Honey's point of view. It's frustrating, especially if the reader feels more connected to one of the other girls, rather than the protagonist chosen to relate the story.
That being said, I don't think it would be possible for the author to assign a different girl's viewpoint to each different chapter. If it were a novel in which the characters do separate things at separate times, in different places, that method would work, but here the girls are all in the same place at the same time. They're not separated except when they have separate lessons or when they go to sleep. There isn't enough difference in their day-to-day life to make the separate viewpoint work. I acknowledge that. Yet, it still feels like sabotaging the original stories to just fall back on one girl here. We spent time in each girl's mind before, getting to know her, only to now be able to see them there, but only through the veil of Honey's interactions with them, not able to get closer. Which leads to...
2.) ...character personality deterioration (ooh, that's a nice term, should I capitalize to make it "a thing"? ;D). We can have a sense of our former protagonists' selves; they're all basically the same girl since they all seemingly have the same train of thought. One girl will say something and then another will finish the sentence, and I get the impression that Neiderman was just keeping track of how many times each person got to say something so that he could be like, "Hmm, well, Rose has five sentences so far and the other girls have eight; I should let her say this instead of letting Honey say it."
And since they otherwise seem to be the same girl, Neiderman decided he'd just give each girl one defining characteristic and exaggerate it to give some semblance of difference to each. Cinnamon becomes the Fearless Leader, the one who acts as spokesperson for all the girls and doesn't afraid of anything. Ice becomes the Sassy Black Girl, which I have a problem with not just because of the racial stereotype but also because...she's not the Ice we were introduced to. The author still makes a point of saying how silent she is, and that her words are all the more intimidating just because she's silent, but Ice didn't originally ever make sarcastic jabs at anyone. Even if she was angry--which she seemed incapable of being, almost--she kept her thoughts to herself. So what is this now?
Even our voice of the story--who, being such, should have more opportunity for a fleshed out personality--is given the same treatment. Honey's mostly bland in personality save for being the Innocent One; although we don't read anything about her that makes her seem more naive in thought, every character who comes across Honey mentions how ~she's so different from everyone else, so innocent~ so hey, if they say it, it must be true.
And Rose...Rose is the Pretty One Who Says "Ya'll" All The Time.
3.) continuity error. Some others might say this is minor, but Balwin Noble was my favorite boyfran out of all the protagonists' boy-toys in the previous novel. Before Ice gets accepted to the Senetsky Academy, she and Balwin have a falling out, but it gets mended. I assumed they'd still be together here, yet when asked if she has a boyfriend, Ice says no and doesn't even mention Balwin at any point. He had such an important role in helping her get where she was that I find that a peeve point.
4.) the cheesiness of the sex scene. "And when he touched me, I felt like we were ascending to a cloud, high above all creation in our love; I could feel our minds becoming one, coloring our very worlds with rainbow joy~" etc. etc. and the like (not a direct quote, but seriously, the real thing is JUST LIKE THIS). HAHA, gurl no, he's just a random who'll be out of your life in a few months since you guys have nothing to talk about and don't even see each other but once every 15 weeks. He's a college guy, come on, he's not thinking that you two are having some spiritual transcendental journey; he's just excited to dip his wick. Let's be real nao.
5.) the unrealistic closeness of the girls. Neiderman describes them being "like sisters". They all get along right off the bat. Honey and Rose seem easy to get along with, but Cinnamon's extreme gothic look would, in real life, likely be off-putting to the majority of people, and I feel that girls like Honey and Rose would be more likely to at least be uncomfortable about her for a long while. Furthermore, Cinnamon always seemed to be pleased at the idea of turning people away purposely, so I'm surprised she was treating them as friends immediately. Same goes for Ice, except in her standoffish ways. She and Cinnamon NEVER had any girl friends, and Cinnamon at least was always outgoing...Ice barely spoke to people before!
Their "sisterhood" is just built up way too quickly to be believeable. Especially because right away, they all seemed willing to share the details of their lives that were most mortifying. They'd just be sitting around when Rose, for instance, would be like, "Yeah, my dad got another woman pregnant while he was married to my mom and then killed himself..."...that is not something anyone would tell people after knowing them for so short a time! Even people who have been extremely close to others for a long time would not come forward with something like that so easily!
I find it hard to buy the concept of their closeness when there isn't even any dynamic of their friendship really featured in the novel...more like the author's attempts to force them together and claim they're like foster sisters just so plot can unfold. I'm not getting it.
6.) bad ending. Not only is it rushed, but there's no real tying up of conflict. Someone who's been isolated in one room for years has also just been raped several times, and we don't get to see what's done for the poor girl! Everyone's just like, "welp, now that we've explained things, time to get back to the party! Rape victim? What rape victim?" and then cut to Honey talking about being on stage years in the future, which means we also don't find out what becomes of each girl (though I guess we're just to assume they all go on to be super successful and maintain their bond for the rest of their lives, w/e).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
trashy trash. Though I don't think it's as bad as Runaways (...maybe), the sequel to Orphans, another story about four girls. Like this one, it starts out with four separate novellas and then the sequel is in first person P.O.V. from one of the girls. And like this sequel, that one is absolutely terrible, so this sequel formula doesn't have a history of going well. I know Wildflowers, another series, starts out with four separate protagonist P.O.V.'s and although I haven't read the sequel, I'm pretttttyyy sure it'll be the same thing there, and maybe also in the Broken Wings series. Just fair warning.
It's also just about as obvious that the book contains some of the infamous V.C. Andrews plot points: outrageous family scandal, dark secrets, tension, and breasts (Neiderman's personal favorite). A newer reader might not have such expectations, especially considering the last book was very tame (this is a big reason why I enjoyed that book more than the ghostwriter's other literary progeny...each girl's life seemed more believeable than his usual "let's just throw together some wacky shit"). Well, okay, Rose's and Cinnamon's are more unusual than what could occur in a normal girl's life, but believe me, they're much better than the usual rides he takes us on.
Unfortunately, this book falls way, way behind the one that came before it...in all points.
1.) The author decided to pick one girl and stick with her viewpoint throughout the entire novel. After reading each girl's separate point of view just before, it's an uncomfortable change...it doesn't seem to work somehow. We go from being inside each girl's head, first person, to having to read about the other three only from Honey's point of view. It's frustrating, especially if the reader feels more connected to one of the other girls, rather than the protagonist chosen to relate the story.
That being said, I don't think it would be possible for the author to assign a different girl's viewpoint to each different chapter. If it were a novel in which the characters do separate things at separate times, in different places, that method would work, but here the girls are all in the same place at the same time. They're not separated except when they have separate lessons or when they go to sleep. There isn't enough difference in their day-to-day life to make the separate viewpoint work. I acknowledge that. Yet, it still feels like sabotaging the original stories to just fall back on one girl here. We spent time in each girl's mind before, getting to know her, only to now be able to see them there, but only through the veil of Honey's interactions with them, not able to get closer. Which leads to...
2.) ...character personality deterioration (ooh, that's a nice term, should I capitalize to make it "a thing"? ;D). We can have a sense of our former protagonists' selves; they're all basically the same girl since they all seemingly have the same train of thought. One girl will say something and then another will finish the sentence, and I get the impression that Neiderman was just keeping track of how many times each person got to say something so that he could be like, "Hmm, well, Rose has five sentences so far and the other girls have eight; I should let her say this instead of letting Honey say it."
And since they otherwise seem to be the same girl, Neiderman decided he'd just give each girl one defining characteristic and exaggerate it to give some semblance of difference to each. Cinnamon becomes the Fearless Leader, the one who acts as spokesperson for all the girls and doesn't afraid of anything. Ice becomes the Sassy Black Girl, which I have a problem with not just because of the racial stereotype but also because...she's not the Ice we were introduced to. The author still makes a point of saying how silent she is, and that her words are all the more intimidating just because she's silent, but Ice didn't originally ever make sarcastic jabs at anyone. Even if she was angry--which she seemed incapable of being, almost--she kept her thoughts to herself. So what is this now?
Even our voice of the story--who, being such, should have more opportunity for a fleshed out personality--is given the same treatment. Honey's mostly bland in personality save for being the Innocent One; although we don't read anything about her that makes her seem more naive in thought, every character who comes across Honey mentions how ~she's so different from everyone else, so innocent~ so hey, if they say it, it must be true.
And Rose...Rose is the Pretty One Who Says "Ya'll" All The Time.
3.) continuity error. Some others might say this is minor, but Balwin Noble was my favorite boyfran out of all the protagonists' boy-toys in the previous novel. Before Ice gets accepted to the Senetsky Academy, she and Balwin have a falling out, but it gets mended. I assumed they'd still be together here, yet when asked if she has a boyfriend, Ice says no and doesn't even mention Balwin at any point. He had such an important role in helping her get where she was that I find that a peeve point.
4.) the cheesiness of the sex scene. "And when he touched me, I felt like we were ascending to a cloud, high above all creation in our love; I could feel our minds becoming one, coloring our very worlds with rainbow joy~" etc. etc. and the like (not a direct quote, but seriously, the real thing is JUST LIKE THIS). HAHA, gurl no, he's just a random who'll be out of your life in a few months since you guys have nothing to talk about and don't even see each other but once every 15 weeks. He's a college guy, come on, he's not thinking that you two are having some spiritual transcendental journey; he's just excited to dip his wick. Let's be real nao.
5.) the unrealistic closeness of the girls. Neiderman describes them being "like sisters". They all get along right off the bat. Honey and Rose seem easy to get along with, but Cinnamon's extreme gothic look would, in real life, likely be off-putting to the majority of people, and I feel that girls like Honey and Rose would be more likely to at least be uncomfortable about her for a long while. Furthermore, Cinnamon always seemed to be pleased at the idea of turning people away purposely, so I'm surprised she was treating them as friends immediately. Same goes for Ice, except in her standoffish ways. She and Cinnamon NEVER had any girl friends, and Cinnamon at least was always outgoing...Ice barely spoke to people before!
Their "sisterhood" is just built up way too quickly to be believeable. Especially because right away, they all seemed willing to share the details of their lives that were most mortifying. They'd just be sitting around when Rose, for instance, would be like, "Yeah, my dad got another woman pregnant while he was married to my mom and then killed himself..."...that is not something anyone would tell people after knowing them for so short a time! Even people who have been extremely close to others for a long time would not come forward with something like that so easily!
I find it hard to buy the concept of their closeness when there isn't even any dynamic of their friendship really featured in the novel...more like the author's attempts to force them together and claim they're like foster sisters just so plot can unfold. I'm not getting it.
6.) bad ending. Not only is it rushed, but there's no real tying up of conflict. Someone who's been isolated in one room for years has also just been raped several times, and we don't get to see what's done for the poor girl! Everyone's just like, "welp, now that we've explained things, time to get back to the party! Rape victim? What rape victim?" and then cut to Honey talking about being on stage years in the future, which means we also don't find out what becomes of each girl (though I guess we're just to assume they all go on to be super successful and maintain their bond for the rest of their lives, w/e).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
trashy trash. Though I don't think it's as bad as Runaways (...maybe), the sequel to Orphans, another story about four girls. Like this one, it starts out with four separate novellas and then the sequel is in first person P.O.V. from one of the girls. And like this sequel, that one is absolutely terrible, so this sequel formula doesn't have a history of going well. I know Wildflowers, another series, starts out with four separate protagonist P.O.V.'s and although I haven't read the sequel, I'm pretttttyyy sure it'll be the same thing there, and maybe also in the Broken Wings series. Just fair warning.
October 28, 2017
I feel like by the time I got to the fourth book in the mini series leading up to this, I was a little more... generous than usual. Wearily tolerant of some of the flaws in the writing. But I genuinely liked Falling Stars. There were still some... V. C. Andrew-isms. (Like, of course, the boy Honey meets the one time the girls go see the city turns out to be some manipulative asshole who tries to assault her. Why should I have expected anything else?) But all in all, it was a pretty good story that probably could have stood alone with just a little more detail. (The only other mini series of Andrews' that I've read so far has been the Runaways, which I felt relied a lot more on their prequel mini books.) A nice little mystery that was just dark enough to appeal to me.
But what I was really interested in was how all the characters would come together, so let's just get right to that. Well... three of the four girls met expectations, let's say that. I don't mind that Honey was chosen to narrate, though she did maintain an almost too-pure, too-perfect air about her. Ice and Cinnamon, at least played pretty much exactly the roles I'd wanted and expected of them. And Rose? Well... While reading, I bookmarked a page where Honey sums up their little group herself, and that's probably as good a reference as any so...
"We were truly becoming sisters, looking after each other. Each of us lent something to the others, I thought. Cinnamon was our wit. Ice our muscle. Rose our beautiful face. And me? I was our conscience." Pg. 224
Well, eye roll aside because of course, of all the roles Honey would play, she becomes their moral compass... (I mean, that didn't even feel particularly true. She was a little more hesitant about breaking the rules than the others, maybe, but in any situation that counted... where there was something serious at stake, the girls were usually pretty much on the same page about doing the right thing. They could have said she was, like, their mediator or something. That would have been a slightly more bearable phrasing.) But let's put Honey's flaws aside for a moment. I want to talk about Rose.
Rose was the one I was the most worried for, character development-wise, going into this, because she really didn't have much character in her own story. Rose was constantly defined by her relationship to others. That and her apparently unearthly grace and beauty. Originally, I worried that she would just be drowned out by the other girls' stronger personalities and be really forgettable. But I dare say this was worse... Rose, who was apparently just so drop-dead gorgeous that no one could help but take advantage of her wherever she goes, became our resident damsel in distress. The one the others all rally around to protect. I mean, they mention her father's boss creeping on her during a beauty pageant in her own story, but she never seemed truly bothered and haunted by it until now, relating her own experiences back to Gerta's abuse. And you know what? That could have been fine. Rose has certainly got some valid complaints to make. But it's all about how you play it. And the end result was just disappointing.
Upon reading that chapter, I was actually genuinely angry that they reduced Rose to being nothing more than the group's "beautiful face." And presented it like there was no subtlety or shame in it! Like, am I the only one who could see the potential for Rose? You know what she could have been for the group? How about their courage? She certainly had the most reason to relate to and feel for Gerta. It would have been a really nice touch if that had made her the most passionate about helping her, regardless of the risks. But no. Rose was consistently the most weak, cowardly, and shallow character at every turn. And throwing away that potential to actually make something of the blandest character going into this is something I can't forgive.
The only other flaw that really got to me was the writing of the boys in this story. I don't really care about the random minor characters or Evan or the boyfriends who pop up on occasion. I'm talking about Steven and Howard. Though Steven started getting on my nerves at the end too, it was just so disappointing to me how flat the two boys were as characters. From their introduction on it was just so clear that one was presented to be the nice, fairly likable boy and the other was just going to be an arrogant asshole through and through. You know what would have made Howard a thousand times more interesting? How about developing him a little more and giving him a likable side. That doesn't mean he can't still be twisted, but give the audience something to relate to. Something to show why he's so desperate to make it, even if it means using his mentor's traumatized, mentally disabled daughter as blackmail. I think what's so disappointing about this is, like Rose, the author wouldn't have even needed to reach very far to come up with a convincing background for Howard. If he was this serious about performing in high school, I can only imagine his classmates gave him hell. That certainly could have messed him up a bit.
Anyway, it was flawed. But I knew it was going to be. Some of these problems I'm willing to overlook, others you were just treated to a lengthy rant about. But I did enjoy this story as a whole. I wasn't totally sold on the girls growing so close so quickly, but I suppose it could have a ring of truth to it. They're given so little freedom and are bound to feel isolated from the rest of the world. Add that to the paranoia that someone is spying on them and, yeah, I guess I could see it. So am I disappointed that I picked up this series? No. But am I ever likely to read it again? Probably not.
But what I was really interested in was how all the characters would come together, so let's just get right to that. Well... three of the four girls met expectations, let's say that. I don't mind that Honey was chosen to narrate, though she did maintain an almost too-pure, too-perfect air about her. Ice and Cinnamon, at least played pretty much exactly the roles I'd wanted and expected of them. And Rose? Well... While reading, I bookmarked a page where Honey sums up their little group herself, and that's probably as good a reference as any so...
"We were truly becoming sisters, looking after each other. Each of us lent something to the others, I thought. Cinnamon was our wit. Ice our muscle. Rose our beautiful face. And me? I was our conscience." Pg. 224
Well, eye roll aside because of course, of all the roles Honey would play, she becomes their moral compass... (I mean, that didn't even feel particularly true. She was a little more hesitant about breaking the rules than the others, maybe, but in any situation that counted... where there was something serious at stake, the girls were usually pretty much on the same page about doing the right thing. They could have said she was, like, their mediator or something. That would have been a slightly more bearable phrasing.) But let's put Honey's flaws aside for a moment. I want to talk about Rose.
Rose was the one I was the most worried for, character development-wise, going into this, because she really didn't have much character in her own story. Rose was constantly defined by her relationship to others. That and her apparently unearthly grace and beauty. Originally, I worried that she would just be drowned out by the other girls' stronger personalities and be really forgettable. But I dare say this was worse... Rose, who was apparently just so drop-dead gorgeous that no one could help but take advantage of her wherever she goes, became our resident damsel in distress. The one the others all rally around to protect. I mean, they mention her father's boss creeping on her during a beauty pageant in her own story, but she never seemed truly bothered and haunted by it until now, relating her own experiences back to Gerta's abuse. And you know what? That could have been fine. Rose has certainly got some valid complaints to make. But it's all about how you play it. And the end result was just disappointing.
Upon reading that chapter, I was actually genuinely angry that they reduced Rose to being nothing more than the group's "beautiful face." And presented it like there was no subtlety or shame in it! Like, am I the only one who could see the potential for Rose? You know what she could have been for the group? How about their courage? She certainly had the most reason to relate to and feel for Gerta. It would have been a really nice touch if that had made her the most passionate about helping her, regardless of the risks. But no. Rose was consistently the most weak, cowardly, and shallow character at every turn. And throwing away that potential to actually make something of the blandest character going into this is something I can't forgive.
The only other flaw that really got to me was the writing of the boys in this story. I don't really care about the random minor characters or Evan or the boyfriends who pop up on occasion. I'm talking about Steven and Howard. Though Steven started getting on my nerves at the end too, it was just so disappointing to me how flat the two boys were as characters. From their introduction on it was just so clear that one was presented to be the nice, fairly likable boy and the other was just going to be an arrogant asshole through and through. You know what would have made Howard a thousand times more interesting? How about developing him a little more and giving him a likable side. That doesn't mean he can't still be twisted, but give the audience something to relate to. Something to show why he's so desperate to make it, even if it means using his mentor's traumatized, mentally disabled daughter as blackmail. I think what's so disappointing about this is, like Rose, the author wouldn't have even needed to reach very far to come up with a convincing background for Howard. If he was this serious about performing in high school, I can only imagine his classmates gave him hell. That certainly could have messed him up a bit.
Anyway, it was flawed. But I knew it was going to be. Some of these problems I'm willing to overlook, others you were just treated to a lengthy rant about. But I did enjoy this story as a whole. I wasn't totally sold on the girls growing so close so quickly, but I suppose it could have a ring of truth to it. They're given so little freedom and are bound to feel isolated from the rest of the world. Add that to the paranoia that someone is spying on them and, yeah, I guess I could see it. So am I disappointed that I picked up this series? No. But am I ever likely to read it again? Probably not.
February 1, 2012
This book surprised me. I'm not sure what I expected when I picked it up, but I did not think it was going to be so...dark. But I liked it. Even though I had not read the other books that came before, it was not too hard to understand, which was good. But the mystery and suspense it what I really loved.
September 16, 2022
4 sterren- Nederlandse paperback
December 10, 2014
An okay book. Not a lot of suspense, evil mean relatives, nothing of the sort.Cinnamon the first of 4 main characters. She is an aspiring actress comes to the Senetsky school of the performing arts along with. The second is Ice; she's the shy girl who doesn't talk much, but sings like angel. Rose is the girl whose father committed suicide to unburden himself from the son his wife and daughter never knew he had. Luckily Rose became close with her wheelchair-bound half brother Evan, who recognized her talent for dance and helped her practice her way into getting accepted into the Senetsky school. Then there's Honey. The girl from the farm with the now deceased crazy bible-thumping grandpa who thought she was evil incarnate. Through her violin playing and the encouragement from her parents as well as her devoted boyfriend, Honey is also accepted into this prestigious school. There they meet each other as well as 2 boys, Steven and Howard, a pianist and an actor. They also come to notice some starnge goings on at the Sentsky school, like their clothes disappearing, someone on the fire escape outside of their windows at night, and the secrecy around Ms. Senesky's private area of the house. It's a good mystery, but falls a little flat for a VC Andrews book. My biggest disappointment was the end of the book that didn't tie up the future's of the 4 girls who became such good friends together in any way. It kinda leaves you hanging wondering where they all ended up in the big picture of things.
July 25, 2009
An okay book. Not a lot of suspense, evil mean relatives, nothing of the sort.
Cinnamon- The aspiring actress comes to the Senetsky school of the perform ing arts along with...
Ice....the shy girl who doesn't talk much, but sings like angel.....
Rose....the girl whose father committed suicide to unburden himself from the son his wife and daughter never knew he had. Luckily Rose became close with her wheelchair-bound half brother Evan, who recognized her talent for dance and helped her practice her way into getting accepted into the Senetsky school. Then there's....
Honey. The girl fromt he farm with the now deceased crazy bible-thumping grandpa who thought she was evil incarnate. Through her violin playing and the encouragement from her parents as well as her devoted boyfriend, Honey is also accepted into this prestigious school.
There they meet eachother as well as 2 boys, Steven and Howard, a pianist and an actor. They also come to notice some starnge goings on at the Sentsky school, like their clothes disappearing, someone on the fire escape outside of their windows at night, and the secrecy around Ms. Senesky's private area of the house.
IT's a good mystery, but falls a little flat for a VC Andrews book. My biggest disappointment was the end of the book that didn't tie up the future's of the 4 girls who became such good friends together in any way. It kinda leaves you hanging wondering where they all ended up in the big picture of things.
Cinnamon- The aspiring actress comes to the Senetsky school of the perform ing arts along with...
Ice....the shy girl who doesn't talk much, but sings like angel.....
Rose....the girl whose father committed suicide to unburden himself from the son his wife and daughter never knew he had. Luckily Rose became close with her wheelchair-bound half brother Evan, who recognized her talent for dance and helped her practice her way into getting accepted into the Senetsky school. Then there's....
Honey. The girl fromt he farm with the now deceased crazy bible-thumping grandpa who thought she was evil incarnate. Through her violin playing and the encouragement from her parents as well as her devoted boyfriend, Honey is also accepted into this prestigious school.
There they meet eachother as well as 2 boys, Steven and Howard, a pianist and an actor. They also come to notice some starnge goings on at the Sentsky school, like their clothes disappearing, someone on the fire escape outside of their windows at night, and the secrecy around Ms. Senesky's private area of the house.
IT's a good mystery, but falls a little flat for a VC Andrews book. My biggest disappointment was the end of the book that didn't tie up the future's of the 4 girls who became such good friends together in any way. It kinda leaves you hanging wondering where they all ended up in the big picture of things.
January 8, 2015
I was really happy that this novel took place from Honey's point of view, because she was my favorite character in this series. Though the over all quality of the story was rather dull. The description on the back made it seem much more suspenseful than it really was. I found the secret of the Senetsky family to be just meh. Not like original V.C. Andrews' drama.
It also took me almost three months to finish because it was so dull. Howard pissed me off the most, which I guess was the intent but I was absolutely annoyed to death by him. I felt like Chandler had barely any personality in both books by Honey, its like she is dating a rock. And Ice was shoved into the very back of the cast of characters, barely mentioned and no growth as a character whatsoever.
I wished that this book was less rushed, and more detail was put in, but sadly these books do not have the quality of previous works.
Im now deciding whether to keep reading any other new books by Neiderman because they are starting to be a pain to get through.
It also took me almost three months to finish because it was so dull. Howard pissed me off the most, which I guess was the intent but I was absolutely annoyed to death by him. I felt like Chandler had barely any personality in both books by Honey, its like she is dating a rock. And Ice was shoved into the very back of the cast of characters, barely mentioned and no growth as a character whatsoever.
I wished that this book was less rushed, and more detail was put in, but sadly these books do not have the quality of previous works.
Im now deciding whether to keep reading any other new books by Neiderman because they are starting to be a pain to get through.
January 4, 2013
VC Andrews has always been a favorite of mine since my childhood days. I have read (and re-read) all of her books, and although I am much older now and find that some of her work is better than others, I still enjoy the twists and turns, strangeness and mystery that continues to captivate my interest.
With that being said - it might also explain why I find the ghostwriter's quality of work lacking and less memorable than Andrews true writing, especially with the newer, more modern series.
If your looking for a quick read that you can probably finish than give it a shot, but if you're looking for a timeless piece of work that will make your heart race and leave you speechless - read VC Andrews' original stories.
With that being said - it might also explain why I find the ghostwriter's quality of work lacking and less memorable than Andrews true writing, especially with the newer, more modern series.
If your looking for a quick read that you can probably finish than give it a shot, but if you're looking for a timeless piece of work that will make your heart race and leave you speechless - read VC Andrews' original stories.
September 12, 2013
I don't even know why I keep on reading this, is a failure. Fake, boring characters and plain dialogues. A waste of time. I don't care if I spoil the book, but it just doesn't make sense to me that they made Howard a rapist just for the sake of the "plot". He was arrogant, selfish and an attention seeker but such a drastic change of character without any kind of hint it could be possible, just killed the very little part of my that somehow liked this.
As far as I'm concerned, this whole series was a disaster.
As far as I'm concerned, this whole series was a disaster.
April 23, 2014
I don't think I finished this book. I tried a long time ago but the only thing I remember about it is that there were so many inconsistencies with the previous books. It was as if the author never got to know each character and confused their stories or names. When recapping part if Ice's background, in particular, the relationship between her and her guy was all wrong. I remember being very confused and rereading Ice again just to figure it out, but it still made no sense. These inconsistencies in story seem to happen a lot with the ghost writer.
May 22, 2014
The epilogue was weak
The epilogue was weak
This book has more errors than most published under the V.C. Andrews name. It pulls together 4 different characters, but the voice of Rose changes making her unrelatable to her character in the novella with her name. The twists and turns are good, but the end is a bit weak. Usually V.C. Andrews books tie up the characters and give a quick future glimpse. In this one, only Honey gets any closure, and not much of it at that.
The epilogue was weak
This book has more errors than most published under the V.C. Andrews name. It pulls together 4 different characters, but the voice of Rose changes making her unrelatable to her character in the novella with her name. The twists and turns are good, but the end is a bit weak. Usually V.C. Andrews books tie up the characters and give a quick future glimpse. In this one, only Honey gets any closure, and not much of it at that.
July 9, 2018
Now all the stars have come together along with Steven and Howard to learn from the best in their fields to become the best. Life at Senetsky School of the Performing Arts is not what they expected. Their lives are controlled the minute they arrive (what they eat, how they spend their time, what is best for them in all aspects of their lives). Cinnamon, Honey, Ice and Rose bond together to become the family they miss or never had. When strange things start to happen the girls discover a horrible secret that puts their own past troubles and future dreams in a new perspective.
May 20, 2009
The usual formula: four stories about four girls, and then a fifth book that's a sort of "bumper" edition about all four. This one has the creepy boarding school atmosphere, not too bad. (Though not too *good* either.)
May 6, 2011
The final book in the Shooting Stars series. The series was okay, but nothing like the books that were written when V. C. Andrews was still alive. My favorite series by her were The Flowers In the Attic series, the Heaven series & the Ruby series.
August 2, 2015
Loved it, just like every VC Andrews book it tells a lot about life and human soul and its suffering in general. The friendship between The four girls, is just beautiful.
To me the ending was unexpected to be fair.
I enjoyed it
To me the ending was unexpected to be fair.
I enjoyed it
June 22, 2011
artık bu seriyi tamamlamaya gücüm yetmedi:)
August 10, 2011
Another great VA book
April 17, 2012
V.C. Andrew books has always been one of my little guilty pleasures!
December 3, 2012
Best book of "The Shooting Stars" series!!! A little predictable at times but still an interesting read!
December 2, 2012
Great book! So many twists and turns. Never a dull moment with V. C. Andrews. Her new books are kind of crappy, but this one is DEFINITELY good.
September 30, 2013
It was fine. Not a quality piece of literature, but I enjoyed it at the beach. Was a little annoyed we didn't find out what happened to the girls at the end. I wouldn't have minded a sequel.
August 27, 2014
Actually, I really enjoyed this book. It was not what I was expecting and the ending gave me pure satisfaction. That's all I'm gonna say!
August 25, 2014
was good took a little long to get to the point
November 12, 2014
Another nice one. It puts into the lives of artists from all kinds.
January 27, 2016
Read in 2001.
August 11, 2015
Great book, great ending to the Shooting Stars series.
January 4, 2021
3/5
The route this book took was weird and gross, and this is coming from someone who loves weird and sometimes gross. There were lots of issues that were noticeable right away, especially if you read the prior books.
For one, was the depiction of Ice's character. When reading this book, Ice was more like Star in the Wildflowers, which isn't accurate from her portrayal in her own mini-novel. Ice is a shy, sometimes mute girl and the depiction of her as a cold, bitchy girl does not add up. The cold, bitchy girl was Star's character, in a way snobby, therefore it really irked me to see Ice's character just vanish into this.
I also felt like most of these girls wouldn't have been picked exclusively for the positions for the sch0ol. I'm unsure about Cinnamon, but Rose and Honey? It made sense when everyone said that the son of Senetsky picked her because of her good looks, because she just started dancing kinda late and couldn't have the best talents like other girls or boys. But Honey? Yea, she is good but I just don't buy it. Like I feel like her boyfriend would have won that position over her any day, therefore, wasn't there any other better candidates for this school?
Lastly, the whole revelation of Gerta was very uncomfortable and unneeded. Now, I love drama. I would have gladly accepted the son being a pervert, but Gerta was so bland in the scenes, and when I say bland I didn't enjoy going to meet her, having to deal with her. It wasn't what I wanted. Also, the book kinda left off weirdly, what happened with Gerta? Will she stay locked up? It kinda just doesn't tell us.
The route this book took was weird and gross, and this is coming from someone who loves weird and sometimes gross. There were lots of issues that were noticeable right away, especially if you read the prior books.
For one, was the depiction of Ice's character. When reading this book, Ice was more like Star in the Wildflowers, which isn't accurate from her portrayal in her own mini-novel. Ice is a shy, sometimes mute girl and the depiction of her as a cold, bitchy girl does not add up. The cold, bitchy girl was Star's character, in a way snobby, therefore it really irked me to see Ice's character just vanish into this.
I also felt like most of these girls wouldn't have been picked exclusively for the positions for the sch0ol. I'm unsure about Cinnamon, but Rose and Honey? It made sense when everyone said that the son of Senetsky picked her because of her good looks, because she just started dancing kinda late and couldn't have the best talents like other girls or boys. But Honey? Yea, she is good but I just don't buy it. Like I feel like her boyfriend would have won that position over her any day, therefore, wasn't there any other better candidates for this school?
Lastly, the whole revelation of Gerta was very uncomfortable and unneeded. Now, I love drama. I would have gladly accepted the son being a pervert, but Gerta was so bland in the scenes, and when I say bland I didn't enjoy going to meet her, having to deal with her. It wasn't what I wanted. Also, the book kinda left off weirdly, what happened with Gerta? Will she stay locked up? It kinda just doesn't tell us.
January 18, 2020
Un tome qui était tel que je l'avais imaginé... Les quatre héroïnes des précédents épisodes se retrouvent dans la fameuse école et, bien entendu, loin de rivaliser, s'improvisent très rapidement soeurs... Parce qu'elles ne peuvent pas ne pas s'entendre. Deux garçons complètent le tableau, le gentil Steven et l'antipathique Howard. L'histoire est racontée par Honey (qui n'est pas ma préférée) et en dépit des réussites et des accomplissements des jeunes filles, elles découvrent qu'il se passe des choses étranges dans la magnifique maison qui leur sert d'école.
Comme toujours, il y a un secret de famille... L'histoire est prévisible tout comme le secret. La fin laisse bien entendu augurer une grande carrière pour les jeunes filles.
Ce que j'aime : Rose et Cinnamon. L'ambiance un peu gothique
Ce que j'aime moins : le secret est prévisible, l'amitié nait trop facilement entre les filles et la réaction d'Howard face au secret
Pour résumer
Un tome qui cloture de manière très convenue la quête artistique des jeunes filles
Ma note
5,5/10
Comme toujours, il y a un secret de famille... L'histoire est prévisible tout comme le secret. La fin laisse bien entendu augurer une grande carrière pour les jeunes filles.
Ce que j'aime : Rose et Cinnamon. L'ambiance un peu gothique
Ce que j'aime moins : le secret est prévisible, l'amitié nait trop facilement entre les filles et la réaction d'Howard face au secret
Pour résumer
Un tome qui cloture de manière très convenue la quête artistique des jeunes filles
Ma note
5,5/10
December 22, 2019
I read this years ago but remember nothing from it. I think it's strange that the first four books tell each characters story individually, only to have the final book told entirely from Honey's point of view.
This was an enjoyable read. Much tamer than most other Andrew's books. However like most of Andrew's main characters, Honey was very naive at times. And why is it, than men in these books are always so rapey?
I liked the story of Madame Senetsky's family history, although the thing with Howard seemed rushed and out of character. I mean he was an arrogant jerk but I didn't see him as an abuser.
Not a bad book but I think this is aimed at younger teens.
This was an enjoyable read. Much tamer than most other Andrew's books. However like most of Andrew's main characters, Honey was very naive at times. And why is it, than men in these books are always so rapey?
I liked the story of Madame Senetsky's family history, although the thing with Howard seemed rushed and out of character. I mean he was an arrogant jerk but I didn't see him as an abuser.
Not a bad book but I think this is aimed at younger teens.
May 31, 2020
The 4 girls from the previous novellas befriend each other in an exclusive college for arts. Bizarre occurrences involving the overbearing headmistress begin. Basically, this is 'Flowers in the Attic' meets 'Phantom of the Opera'. This was off to a terrific start, then it began to slog. I found the ending disappointing. Overall, a fairly entertaining series, but most definitely nothing I would ever read again.
The later works by Neiderman seem fairly contrived, whereas his early V.C. works were incredibly inspired and very well done. At this point, I feel Neiderman is pumping out books under the Andrews name solely for the paycheck.
I hope they get better!
The later works by Neiderman seem fairly contrived, whereas his early V.C. works were incredibly inspired and very well done. At this point, I feel Neiderman is pumping out books under the Andrews name solely for the paycheck.
I hope they get better!
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