Tarnished are the Stars

by Rosiee Thor

A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher’s chest: An illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog — donning the moniker Technician — to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner’s tyrannical laws.

Nathaniel Fremont, the Commissioner’s son, has never had to fear the law. Determined to earn his father’s respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father’s elusive affection is worth chasing at all.

Their game of cat and mouse takes an abrupt turn when Eliza, a skilled assassin and spy, arrives. Her mission is to learn the Commissioner’s secrets at any cost — even if it means betraying her own heart.

When these uneasy allies discover the most dangerous secret of all, they must work together despite their differences and put an end to a deadly epidemic — before the Commissioner ends them first.

• ISBN10: 1338312278
• ISBN13: 9781338312270
• Publish Date: 15 October 2019 (first published 1 October 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nessa Luna]

The moment the actual words 'asexual' and 'aromantic' were used, my heart did a little leap. I liked the characters very much, especially Nathaniel, and I enjoyed the story a lot. I listened to it on audio and while I liked the narrator, I kind of wished there had been three different ones for the three different POVs. She did the different voices quite well, but I think I would have liked it more if they just each had their own narrator.

[writehollydavis]

An amazing #ownvoices novel with LGBTQ+ representation, Tarnished is a sweeping sci-fi that captured my non-mechanical heart. Rosiee perfectly weaved all three POVs (Anna, Nathaniel, and Eliza) until their stories became one. I wished the romance had a little more time to develop as it seemed rushed, but I still loved the two characters together. Rosiee's prose is breathtaking and left me in awe of her writing. I can't wait to read more by this talented author!

[kalventure]

Tarnished Are the Stars is one of the Reader Voracious Novel19 Books! You can read my interview with Rosiee here!

This science-fiction debut is so incredibly special, friends. I didn't expect to adore these characters, but here I am, utterly attached and wishing it wasn't a standalone novel so I could go on more adventures with them.

"There was nothing quite like the first tick of a new heart."

The book instantly sucked me in with its opening chapter, situating the reader within the world and providing so much backstory in an easily digestible way. It starts at the operating table; a young boy named Roman needs a mechanical heart to stay alive. Lucky for him, they are outside the walls of the Settlement and the life-saving technology is available to him.

"In Mechan - their hidden village of outcasts - tragedy hung in the air like fog. It was their maker, their neighbor, their constant companion."

You see, Earth was destroyed by the technology created by humans. The government vows to not repeat the mistakes of the past and bans all forms of technology. But some of the people who live in Earth-Adjacent are sick with heart disease called Tarnish. The only way to survive is with the very technology that is forbidden. I love the way the world-building is unfurled for the reader: it's engaging and easy to follow.

"'Tech is dangerous! We destroyed Former Earth with technology. [...] Tech is dangerous - it's potential is dangerous.'"

There are three points of view, and each of their perspectives feels distinct from one another.

[katie]

I don't know if I can put how I feel into words, so let's see if I can find an appropriate gif...

Okay, I found one but goodreads won't let me paste it. I'll update this in the morning when I'm not on my phone.

Basically, just know that I LOVE this book and I'm never going to stop talking about how AMAZING it is.