Format: E-Galley, 304 pages
Release Date: December 8, 2015
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
LOVE AND LOYALTY. As the youngest daughter of the House of Fane, Asa lives every day of her life in honor of both, for herself and her people. But as her kingdom’s food and energy crisis peaks, Asa must find more to fuel Fane’s survival.
Taking the place of her older sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the prosperous House of Westlet, seems like a straightforward solution. Forging an unforeseen bond, however, leads to an unavoidable division of loyalties. One simple truth lies at the heart of the matter, and only Asa can decide which one to tell.
Romance, politics, and space adventure intersect in this first book of Tessa Elwood’s addictive debut duology.
Inherit
The Stars is
the first of two novels in Tessa Elwood's Inherit the Stars duology.
Elwood's story is a young adult, science fiction novel that takes place in a
galaxy far, far away. It is a galaxy that is ruled by three
houses; Fang, Westlet, and the evil Galton who are apparently the largest and
most dangerous of the three houses. Elwood tells her story from the perspective
of 16-year old Asa Fang who is the youngest daughter of Lord Fane. The story kicks off with plenty of action as Asa and company rush to escape a dying planet.
Asa blames
herself for something bad that happens to her older sister Wren that puts her
into a coma. In doing so, Asa decides to make up for her errors, and bypass her
sister Emmie's arranged marriage to Eagle from the House of Westlet in order to save Wen's life. Westlet
needs the fuel technology that Fang has in return for much needed food
shipments. I supposed you could call Asa misguided in how she goes about
getting married to Eagle. I supposed you can also say that she would do
whatever it takes to ensure that Wren has the best possible chance at survival
after Asa's mistake at the start of this book. You can say that she is smarter than people give her credit for and she should have forgiven herself for trying to save her sister's life.
This is a book that is steep in royalty and politics. There is a major underlying war brewing between the houses which may or may not lay on the back of Asa's paternity. There are terms like Electorate, although it doesn't mean what you think it means. In fact, it has nothing to do with actual voters. I do think that the flow of this story is very level. I would have finished it a whole lot sooner had other things not interrupted my reading time. I can say that the ending is a bit rough, but that's expected when there is a sequel pending.
Now, let's
talk about the romance between Eagle and Asa. It is intriguing and in the end,
the two end up closer than just rivals. Each has been put into a situation that
they are responsible for the future of their respective houses. Eagle is by far
not a pretty boy. He suffered some trauma to his face, and isn't exactly
thrilled that his mother wants to control his new bride's actions. Although the
two start out strangers with absolutely nothing in common, they do become allies to the point where I actually
was encouraged by this relationship and the possibilities that come with it.
As for Asa's
family, well let's start with her Father. He's closed off the borders to the planets
he rules. He is dealing with a rebel daughter, another daughter who is in a
coma, and a third who had already been prepared to be married off, or sold off
in this case. He is a bit on the arrogant side and if he could just sit down
and listen to Asa for 5 minutes, perhaps a whole lot of angst could have been
avoided. As for Asa's mother, let's just call her a traitor, and a very bad
mother and be done with it. I could go further, but that would just spoil the
fun. Emmie is another case altogether. She is a smart-alec times, and really does think she is better than Asa. She is one to keep an eye out for in the next installment.
**I received this book for free from (Publisher) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
I had to DNF this one. I struggled with it for weeks and finally gave up around 15%. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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