Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Review: And All the Stars by Andrea K. Host


Title: And All the Stars 

Author: Andrea K. Host

Rating: 4 Stars 

And All the Stars and I got off to a slow start. For some reason, it was nearly impossible to get me to pick this one up. Perhaps it was because I didn't think anything with aliens could captivate me the way Doctor Who does or perhaps it was the fact that whenever I tried to read past the first page, my mind just drew up a giant question mark. Either way, I encourage you all to give this novel a chance for, truly, it is spectacular.

One of the biggest downfalls this novel has going for it, in my opinion at any rate, is its beginning. It throws you into an apocalypse at once, leaving you confused and puzzled for a few chapters before the pieces slowly begin to come together. While I know many readers love this method, I was rather thrown off by it, but as I kept reading, I became captivated with the story. Maddie, an artist aspiring to win a prestigious award, is on her way to her cousin's house to paint him for her competition. Suddenly, dust begins to coat the streets and before anyone can even begin to find their bearings at the strange occurrences, an alien invasion has happened. In it, Maddie and many others who were outside and infected have been split into two groups, distinguished by the rapidly changing color of their skin: Blues and Greens. Now, it is a race for both survival and a journey to band together to somehow save Planet Earth before their race dies out.

In And All the Stars, Host proves her worth as a writer by gently peeling back the multiple layers of her world. Maddie, a powerful Blue, meets and join Noi, who in turn is joined by another group of people who stay together and experiment with their developing abilities. None of them know who the aliens are, what they want, or what has happened to them, but they try to make the best of their situation. Each of these characters is very complex and Host depicts them in such a manner that the reader both simultaneously knows them and doesn't know them completely. As the narrator, Maddie is the most understandable of all the characters and I loved gleaning insight into her artistic mind, observant capabilities, and unique way of thought. Without even knowing it, I was slowly drawn into the characters of this tale, feeling for them and their plight in ways I didn't think were imaginable. It was this strong connection to the characters themselves that truly made this novel as astounding as it was for me. I found myself fist pumping, cheering, and generally joining them on their race for survival as newer and newer difficulties cropped up as their duration as Blues and Greens continued.

Fisher, one of the young men who joins Maddie and Noi, is an enigmatic and quiet person who Noi affectionately nicknames "Science Boy." Needless to say, I doubt there is anything more attractive than a nerd except a hot nerd and Fisher fits the bill perfectly. Maddie and Fisher's relationship was very slow, drawn-out, and extremely realistic. Both of them acknowledge that they may have never gotten together unless the apocalypse had occurred and furthermore, they don't even label their relationship as "love." Best of all, perhaps, is the fact that Maddie slowly begins to fall for Fisher because he understands her in a way no one else does, appreciating her artwork and taking the time to understand her unique persona that is built around that hobby. Maddie, much like us bibliophiles ourselves, is very easily drawn into the life of her art, tuning everything else out and remaining anti-social - until now. Thus, it is Fisher who understands her tendencies to be alone, to focus solely on her artwork, and her gradual change into a person who trusts and works with others as well. I found Maddie's entire journey to be very compelling and the outside perspective we were witness to from Fisher's reactions towards her was an eye-opener as well.

And All the Stars is a novel that will appeal to everyone. It has a beautiful, blooming romance that is done to near perfection; it has heart-pounding action and edge-of-your-seat suspense; it contains a healthy dose of sci-fi and intrigue that will keep you flipping the pages frantically; its narrator is a unique protagonist unlike any other; its secondary characters are well fleshed-out and real, but best of all, it's a story you are not likely to forget. It has plot twists, sacrifice, friendships, laughter, romance, fear, hope, distrust, betrayal...it's a perfect blend of everything and I have been rendered speechless by it. I can't recommend this novel enough and although this is only my first Host novel, it certainly will NOT be my last.

12 comments:

  1. I bought the Kindle version of this but like you, I've put off reading this because it involves aliens and they do not interest me at all.

    It does sound a little confusing in the beginning but Maddie sounds like an interesting character, so I will try and read this soon!

    Great review, K!

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  2. A hot nerd? YES! Sign me up:) I love that their romance progresses slowly, and despite the extremity of their circumstances, there's no declaration of love. It's kind of nice to see a relationship move forward without those three little words tossed in the mix - I think that's realistic. Aliens aren't typically my go-to paranormal entities, but this sounds awesome. Thanks for the review Keertana!

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  3. I've been very curious about this book! So far, the reviews have been pretty positive - and after yours, I'm sure I'll enjoy this. Despite it taking a while to get in to, I'm glad you were impressed! Great review as always, Keertana. :)

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  4. Hello, my name is Maja and I am the jerk who still hasn't read a single thing by Host despite promising to do it for ages and ages. But no one until now used the words hot nerd to talk me into it! Really, I feel that people don't know me at all.
    That's all it took. :D
    Fantastic review as usual!

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  5. Hah yay for another Whovian! I think I would compare everything alien related to Dr. Who too! But I'm glad you stuck with this book as the initial struggle you had at the beginning definitely paid off! And you know me I love a good old romance, so I think I will definitely have to give this book a go! Beautiful review Keertana! :)

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  6. I think I've seen this cover on Goodreads before and heard of the book too. I'm really intrigued by the world of and all the stars too!

    Awesome review, Keertana ♥ So glad you enjoyed it!

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  7. i love that the characters are complex in this one! slow starts are tricky because they make me want to give up the novel but i'm glad this one paid off. it sounds like a really beautiful story!

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  8. I am allllll about the nerds! And the Book Smugglers loved this and they are always solid.

    AND. AND.

    I will always read if the book has a good romance.

    Okay. THat's it, I will give this a longer glance on amazon. :-)

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  9. Can I just say how much I love your reviews? I don't comment as much but I always read! I really want to read this because of you :)

    Awesome and elaborate review. I really like that the romance isn't just "insta-love" and how she loses herself in her art like we do with a character's story. :)

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  10. It's too bad it's a bit of a slow start, as I don't have a ton of patience these days. But the rest sounds amazing. I don't think I really knew what this book was about and now I'm dying to know more! Fantastic review! I look forward to reading it!

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  11. A slow pace, especially in the beginning when I'm not yet emotionally invested could easily murder my comprehensive enjoyment of a book, yet despite that everything else about this sounds spectacular! I'll be reading this one soon and highly anticipate doing so. :) Amazing review Keertana, as always! :)

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  12. This is my favorite book of Höst's--the pacing is well handled, the twists are well choreographed, and there's enough to think about in how the Moths act, how humanity acts because of the Moths and how determination and sacrifice can bring about change, that it should get a reader to think.

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