A Conspiracy of Stars
4.4
7
5
1
Hardcover
USD
16.19
$16.19
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062644213 |
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| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 01/02/2018 |
| Pages: | 432 |
| Sales rank: | 193,499 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.60(d) |
| Age Range: | 13 Years |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
A Conspiracy of Stars
4.4 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
7 reviews.
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Make it a movie please.
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I'm not much of a scifi person. But this book does it for me. The worldbuilding is incredible. The characters are relatable. I love seeing black and brown kids represented in stories about the future. Can't wait for the sequel.
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Breathtaking to the very last sentence.
I wasn’t ready to stop turning the page.
Thank you for this art.
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Cole's futuristic sci-fi will delight those who loved Avatar (and not for the 3D). It delves into human greed, arrogance and has themes of colonialism. The story is set in a distant planet called Faloiv, where a community of human settlers, mostly scientists get stranded, and is told from the point of view of a second generation settler, Octavia. Octavia and her generation have been brought up to revere scientific advancement, and the main aim of the colony seems, at first, to study the indigenous flora and fauna of this planet. As the story goes on, the darker aspirations of a faction of the first generation comes to light, and it also brings up how humans will feel entitled to things.
The human colony on Faloiv seems to be very into clean living and conservation - part of it is because how the native Faloii had imposed certain rules for living on their planet, in exchange for allowing the humans to settle on a pocket of land and study the animals and plants around them. Octavia, brought up in this way, loves scientific exploration and is competitive and determined. Her relationship with her father, however, starts to deteriorate when he starts acting odd, and she starts to search out why. Meanwhile, the scientists kids are being allowed, for the first time, into laboratories for actual research, and contact with the Faloii animals seems to allow her to, ahem, *spoilers* understand them on a deeper level.
The world of Faloiv was pretty interesting, even if we only see the small human colonies that study them. The description of the alien (for humans) plants and animals, as well as the unique method of communication between them is certainly a bit inspired from Avatar. Visually, it is an imaginative novel world, and the author has taken care to make it diverse, too. Most of the humans described are coded as POC, and even though human race isn't a dividing factor on the human colonies, it is nice to have a STEM black girl as the main character, along with many secondary characters also being POC. On sexuality, too, it frequently mentions having gay parents or bi/pan characters. Additionally, there is consideration given to animal cruelty in science, and how we should understand the pain and feelings of animals better.
The main conflict of the story is the otherness the people develop even when living as immigrants on another planet, and how quick it is to encourage humanity's worst impulses. Respect for another culture, especially one that is allowing you to peacefully assimilate, as well as clinging to traditions is also juxtaposed within the younger generation. They are the ones who didn't know life on any other planet than the one they were born on, so their loyalty and love is to Faloiv, but for Octavia, it is also her parents who have opposing views on how humanity should behave in Faloiv. The only downside to this book was that in developing so much of the world, it could only have one main storyline with a little time aside for ushering us towards the next book. It felt more like a build-up, and with the slow pace, not much of a layered story.
Overall, it is a good start to the series, and has a beautifully constructed world, and brings up some interesting themes.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Katherine Tegen Books, via Edelweiss.
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You know the reading went well when you can't write a review for at least a week after finishing the book because your heart has been stampeded on.
I won't lie though; A Conspiracy of Stars did take me a hot minute to get into. It was a slow start and there were a lot of info dumps when the main characters were learning something in school, but once the story hit the road, it hit the road running and I just had to keep up.
Octavia is not just smart, she's tough and curious and determined to do what she thinks she needs to do, even if it gets her in trouble. I loved her for it.
When the story really got started, I honestly couldn't even put the book down. I just had to finish it, I had to know what was going to happen and when I did, it hurt in the best way possible. I would have given A Conspiracy of Stars five stars, had it not been for the fact that a lot of the problems Octavia ended up facing were fixed by Deus Ex Machina, a.k.a. an adult like a parent or teacher. She was given the answers to a lot of questions instead of figuring it out on her own. I would have liked to see her figure it out herself.
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I loved this book! Right from the first page I quickly began to appreciate the rich world of Faloiv that this author created so vividly. I enjoyed the full development of the beautifully diverse characters; I felt as though I was sharing every experience right alongside of Octavia the heroine and her friends Alma and Rondo and cheering them on! The creatures on the world of Faloiv are written with such imagination and unique design that I could easily envision them on a big screen! The parallels to many of today's challenges in our own world are compelling and thought provoking.
The villains in Octavia's life display an astonishing lack of empathy and compassion for other people and creatures on their world of Faloiv. In their quest to return to the days (planet) of earlier times they choose to disregard nature, science and new truths all in the name of self-interest.
This book flows easily and the suspenseful and enthralling plot makes it a real page turner. I hope the sequel is right on the heels of this great read because it is a cliffhanger of the best kind!
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“But home isn’t just a memory, I’ve decided: it’s knowledge, knowing where you belong and where you fit in.”
This was a solid sci-fi story that combined all the things I want to see in my science fiction reads: compelling research, characters I connect with, and an intriguing mystery. A Conspiracy of Stars follows aspiring scientist Octavia, who’s desperate to follow in the steps of her parents and discover the secrets of Faloiv. But Octavia soon realises the planet isn’t the only thing hiding secrets, and the ruling Council of N’Terra might have a few of their own.
Thing I Liked
The cover is absolutely stunning and is on my list for covers of the year.
I thought it was really cool that all the research was animal-based. Learning how the animals interact with their surroundings and other animals, and using that to make advancements was cool.
I really appreciate that we get a large cast of diverse characters. Octavia, her parents, Alma, Rondo, and Yaya are all black. And I loved that we get to see so many black scientists represented in the story.
Things I Didn’t Like
I needed to know more about Faloiv and the Faloii people. I know a big part of this story is Octavia discovering the Council's secrets herself, but I felt a disconnect to what was happening because I largely had no clue how or why things were happening. I like the world building of the legacy of the compounds and the Council, I just needed more from the other side.
This was such a quick read and I was so invested I didn’t want to put the book down. I’m definitely looking forward to getting some answers in book too, and I can’t wait to pick it up.
I received a copy of the book from Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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