Reviewed by phyllish on

5 of 5 stars

Share
Review for Between Stairs and Stardust

Faith and fairy-tales

What???? A hero who can’t swim? Aren’t they supposed to be full of amazing powers to do anything, be anything and otherwise just be perfect? Fortunately for me, this author knows that characters with flaws touch our hearts more than those who are perfect. And while James was certainly lovable, he was imperfect enough to make him realistic and endearing.

With a rich palate of expertly blended words, Pepper Basham’s Between Stairs and Stardust is a lovely masterpiece of thoughts and emotions. It’s no secret that Pepper Basham’s books make my heart happy. Just the process of creating images from my favorite quotes has me smiling and tearing up.

While I have heard it said that the fact we like to create is because we were made in the image of our creator, God, the ways in which this was expressed here was . . . well, magical! Anyone who has thought or heard that fiction is a waste of time or that it sets us longing for what we can’t have should read this book and hear the eloquent way in which the author expresses her thoughts regarding imagination aiding our faith.

Stella’s non-traditional manner of telling young Alice the story of Cinderella was delightful! Alice had never heard a fairy-tale before and her reaction and the ensuing discussion was such fun. The layering of the story within the story and how well they blended together was enchanting.

Lest you fear that the story is predictable and follows the fairy-tale too closely, it doesn’t. And lest you fear that the heroine is a weak female, she isn’t. And lest you fear you won’t enjoy the story – well, speaking for myself I loved it!

Between Stairs and Stardust is currently part of the Finding Ever After compilation, in which the stories are linked together through the fairy-tale book Stella illustrated. This collection spans one hundred years or so through the four stories. Keep an eye out for Between Stairs and Stardust’s release as a stand-alone paperback and an e-book. I will review the other stories in the collection in a separate post as well.

May you read happily ever after!

While I have heard it said that the fact we like to create is because we were made in the image of our creator, God, the ways in which this was expressed here was . . . well, magical! Anyone who has thought or heard that fiction is a waste of time or that it sets us longing for what we can’t have should read this book and hear the eloquent way in which the author expresses her thoughts regarding imagination aiding our faith.

Stella’s non-traditional manner of telling young Alice the story of Cinderella was delightful! Alice had never heard a fairy-tale before and her reaction and the ensuing discussion was such fun. The layering of the story within the story and how well they blended together was enchanting.


Read my full review with a Preview at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 13 February, 2019: Reviewed