Star Daughter

by Shveta Thakrar

Overview

“Shveta Thakrar's prose is as beautiful as starlight.”—New York Times bestselling author Holly Black

This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.

The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.

Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens—and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.

Brimming with celestial intrigue, this sparkling YA debut is perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062894625
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/11/2020
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	22,643
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 5.40(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Shveta Thakrar’s debut novel, Star Daughter, is a standalone YA fantasy perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Laini Taylor, and Margaret Rogerson. Shveta's work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, including Enchanted Living, Uncanny Magazine, and Toil & Trouble. You can find her online at www.shvetathakrar.com and on Twitter and Instagram at @ShvetaThakrar.

Editorial Reviews

06/15/2020

Thakrar’s Hindu mythology–inspired fantasy debut centers on Sheetal Mistry, a brown-skinned, silver-haired 16-year-old from Edison, N.J. Sheetal’s mother—a star named Charumati—returned to the heavens nine years ago, leaving Sheetal with her Gujarati astrophysicist father, Gautam, and his overbearing sister, Radhikafoi. Both insist that Sheetal conceal her half-celestial heritage—an edict she doesn’t fully understand until she learns that humans once hunted stars for their healing blood and muse-like abilities. The older Sheetal gets, the harder it becomes for her to control her burgeoning inner fire. When an unchecked burst critically wounds her father, Sheetal and her best friend, Minal, ascend to request a drop of Charumati’s blood; however, Sheetal’s grandparents—Esteemed Matriarch and Patriarch of the constellation Pushya—will only allow Charumati to assist Gautam if Sheetal wins a musical competition that will crown her grandparents the sky’s new rulers. Inventive worldbuilding, ebullient prose, and kind, hopeful messaging buoy Thakrar’s somewhat simplistic plot. The entire cast is brown-skinned, and although some characters and relationships lack nuance, Sheetal and Minal’s steadfast friendship rings true, grounding the tale. Ages 13–up. Agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt and Zacker Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Nothing short of dazzling.

Booklist

08/01/2020

Gr 8 Up—Sheetal, days shy of her 17th birthday, is the child of a star mother and a human father, with whom she lives in an Indian American community in New Jersey. When her starfire accidentally injures her beloved father and lands him in the hospital, Sheetal embarks on a celestial journey with her best friend Minal to search for a star's blood to heal him and to find her mother, who returned to the skies years before. Thrust into a competition to determine the ruling house of the stars' court, Sheetal must quickly learn the traditions of this new world and race to secure the healing blood in time to save her father. Her quest becomes more complicated when she encounters her sweetheart, Dev, in the heavens. Sheetal is a teen heroine drawn with grace and authenticity who will ring true with young adult readers. VERDICT Thakrar's lyrical prose and imaginative story transport readers to a world tucked away in the limitless sky, a place of shining golden palaces and starsong.—Gillian D'Ambrosio, Rutgers Univ., NJ

School Library Journal

2020-05-16
When half-star/half-human Sheetal Mistry accidently injures her father, she needs to ascend to Svargalok, the abode of the stars, to find him a cure.

Just shy of 17, Sheetal has brown skin like her human father, Gautam, and silver hair like her star mother, Charumati, but she has never truly known what it means to be a star. Her human, Gujarati family in New Jersey insists she hide her star heredity, as stars were once hunted by mortals for their silver blood, which has healing properties. As a result, Sheetal knows very little of her ancestry or what she is truly capable of. Following the accident that puts her father in the hospital, Sheetal and her best friend, Minal, go in search of Charumati for a drop of star’s blood to cure her father. Unfortunately for her, Nana and Nani—the Esteemed Patriarch and Matriarch of their constellation, Pushya, and Sheetal’s maternal grandparents—agree to save her father only if she wins a competition that will allow their family to rule over the other constellations. Loosely inspired by Neil Gaiman’s Stardust (1997) and Hindu mythology, Thakrar’s debut covers the lives of stars, an unnecessarily complicated romance, and a half-star’s journey toward self-discovery. Refreshingly, all the characters are Indian or of Indian origin. Despite the fascinating premise, however, several characters lack the luster and conviction which would have otherwise added much-needed depth and heart to the novel.

Great worldbuilding but not entirely satisfying. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

A dreamy, diasporic, diverse fantasy. A story about stars, yes—and about family, friends, falling in love, and finding your voice, your place. Places. A shimmering debut.

Tanuja Desai Hidier

A stunning tale of self-acceptance, family, and liminal spaces.”

Jacqueline Koyanagi

Absolutely magical. Thakrar weaves her words so tightly around you that you are completely immersed in her world, a victim of its lyrical starsong.

Ellen Oh

Radiant. Readers will be enchanted by Sheetal and the starry court.

Kristen Ciccarelli

A magical debut full of wonder, wit, myths, and adventure. Reading Thakrar's words is like swimming through the most beautiful imagination—every page is a delight."

Natasha Ngan

Full of wonder and enchantment. Thakrar has crafted an excellent story about the power of the younger generations to carve their own path amidst the traditions and expectations of their elders.” 

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Nothing short of dazzling.

Booklist

"Absolutely magical and captivatingly lyrical."

Sandhya Menon

Luminously beautiful, with a mythic heart.

Tasha Suri

A wondrous delight, Shveta Thakrar’s debut is a feast for the senses.

Cindy Pon

"Take a journey to the heavenly courts in this luscious, shimmering fantasy, so dripping with beauty and imagination you’ll want to eat it with a spoon.

New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor

"My favorite tales are the ones that sneakily draw you out of one world and slip you into the next. This is one of those. I emerged from Star Daughter dusted with constellations and wonder. Thakrar's imagination is a feast for the senses."

Roshani Chokshi

An enchanting story about love, family, finding your voice, and searching for home. Thakrar’s sparkling command of language weaves magic on every page. This book is a joy, and will speak to anyone who yearns to belong.

Claire Legrand

Star Daughter is a love letter to every desi girl wanting to believe in her own magic.

Tanaz Bhathena

Shveta Thakrar's prose is as beautiful as starlight.

Holly Black

A luminous debut. Star Daughter’s sparkling coming-of-age tale of transformation and love is among the best kinds of fantasy: one that reminds us to reach for the stars while keeping our feet firmly on the ground.

Fran Wilde

"A gorgeously written tale of magic and family, of finding and fighting for your place, Star Daughter has a heart that shines as brilliantly as its celestial court."

S. A. Chakraborty

"Shveta Thakrar’s writing shines as bright as any star."

Laura Sebastian

Full of wonder and enchantment. Thakrar has crafted an excellent story about the power of the younger generations to carve their own path amidst the traditions and expectations of their elders.” 

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Read More