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.