Chaos of the Stars by Kiersten White [Joint Review!]

3 out of 5 Robots!

  

Chaos of the Stars by Kiersten White
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release: September 10, 2013
Hardcover:  277 Pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon and Julia
Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:

Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy, is back with The Chaos of Stars—an enchanting novel set in Egypt and San Diego that captures the magic of first love and the eternally complicated truth about family.

Isadora's family is seriously screwed up—which comes with the territory when you're the human daughter of the ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Isadora is tired of living with crazy relatives who think she's only worthy of a passing glance—so when she gets the chance to move to California with her brother, she jumps on it. But her new life comes with plenty of its own dramatic—and dangerous—complications . . . and Isadora quickly learns there's no such thing as a clean break from family.

Blending Ally Carter's humor and the romance of Cynthia Hand's Unearthly, The Chaos of Stars takes readers on an unforgettable journey halfway across the world and back, and proves there's no place like home.

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon and Julia's Thoughts:

1. Did Chaos of the Stars meet your expectations?

Shannon: To be honest, I'm not sure I had any expectations.  I've read a lot of Kiersten White before and some I've liked better than others.  This feel somewhere in the middle for me.  It didn't feel unique, with the exception of the Egyptian mythology.  But I can't say I wasn't entertained. There were definitely things that annoyed me (like Isadora's attitude, the "Perfect Boyfriend" Ry, how amazing Isadora is at everything and everyone loves her even though she is kind of awful to everything), but the book is fairly short and everything moved along so quickly that I didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it.

Julia: I went into this having no idea what it was about so my expectations were limited- I just wanted to be entertained. So it neither met them or went above and beyond. I'm really not pumped on this book though. It is pure fluff. 

 

2. Did Isadora, the main character, have a personality you could relate to?

Shannon: I'm glad you asked.  Haha.  But no, I found Isadora to be a complete brat.  Like, seriously.  Basically her attitude about everything was just so off. It made it hard to root for her.

Julia: Nope, she is the worst part of the book. She is a spoiled brat! I can usually see past the attitude in a young character because when you're a teenager, you're moody and you can be mouthy. This girl is always moody and mouthy and just not pleasant. I couldn't really understand why her friends continued to enjoy her company. She's snappy and I couldn't relate to her at all. I didn't root for her, but I did root for her family and her friends.

 

3. How did mythology play a role in this book? Did you love it?

Shannon: Actually the mythology was my favorite part.  I haven't read any other YA book with Egyptian mythology, so that was fun. I loved Isadora's take on her family.  That was the funniest parts.  I loved her little stories at the beginning of chapters that always end in this kind of snarky, funny way. 

Julia: I did love it! I thought it was fascinating. Without the mythology and the stories, this book would have been hard to finish. And Isadora's viewpoint of her family's "skeletons" and drama really was hilarious. That may have been the only thing I enjoyed about her character. 

 

4. Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favorite scene?

Shannon: As I mentioned, I liked the mythology stories and how they related to the story.  And Isadora's snarkiness about it.  I also loved some of the early scenes with her family.  Some of it was hilarious.

Julia: I loved most of the scenes her mother and father were in. I thought they were so interesting and I just loved their interactions.  

 

5. Did the ending leave you satisfied or craving more?

Shannon: I feel like overall I was satisfied, but I'm not sure I would be interested in a sequel.

Julia: I am completely satisfied with the ending- no cliff hanger there. All the loose ends are tied up well. I wouldn't read anymore of this stuff though. 

 

6. What is your star rating? Why? Who would you recommend this one to?

Shannon: I'll got with a 3.5.  I was entertained, but there were some problems for me.  I would recommend it to other Kiersten White fans, especially those who enjoyed Paranormalcy.

Julia: I'd give it 2.5 stars. I couldn't stand the main character and the only thing I found awesome about this book were the Egyptian mythology stories. Other fans of Kiersten White may enjoy this one though. It's a quick read.

Disclosure:  I reviewed a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.