Star Daughter (Star Daughter, #1)

by Shveta Thakrar

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

I must admit, I was a wee bit leery of the whole "stars as people" concept, mostly because I had a hard time wrapping my head around it, in theory. But in practice, the author made it work so perfectly that it wasn't an issue whatsoever! I say this because if you are like me, and find illogical things iffy, I am here to assure you that it won't be a problem! 
Sheetal was a great character, put in a really difficult situation. She's torn between two different worlds, quite literally. She has been living with her dad, her extended family, and friends in the mortal world, missing her mom. When she finds out that she is an actual star, she is able to see her mom again, but in her mom's world. And not only that, her mom's family has plans for Sheetal. I felt for her, because this family she's never known is pretty much using her to accomplish their own goals, while Sheetal is over here trying to figure out who she is and where she is supposed to be. And with Sheetal's dad injured by her own accidental magic, she's desperate to save him and her mom's family kind of exploits that desperation.

I loved Sheetal's friendship with her bestie, Minal, who was able to accompany her to Star World.  They were just such a lovely and healthy example of a strong female friendship. And I absolutely loved Sheetal's developing relationships and mixed feelings with/about her whole family. Sheetal had a romance that itself transcended the mortal world into the Star realm. Speaking of the Star realm, I loved everything about it! The culture, the FOOD (okay fine, especially the food), honestly it was just fabulous and I really enjoyed reading about it!

While at times the pacing felt a little off (some moments that felt too slow, then a bit of a rush at the end), and I didn't exactly love the romance, it was still a solid book that I absolutely enjoyed!

Bottom Line: Such an incredibly well-constructed world of magic and mythology, it provided a great backdrop for Sheetal to learn so much about herself, her relationships with family and friends, and her newfound Star abilities.