Monday, September 30, 2013

Review: Made of Stars by Kelley York

Posted by

I received this book for free from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Made of Stars by Kelley YorkMade of Stars by Kelley York
Published by Entangled Teen, Harlequin Teen on October 1st 2013
Genres: Contemporary, YA
Source: Entangled Publishing
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
three-stars

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they've never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?

I didn’t love this as much as Hushed – which was more my genre being a horror and all – but it does have an overall dark theme with a constant flow of mystery regarding a certain character. It’s a story told under a looming grey cloud where you know a disaster is forthcoming, giving it a suspenseful tone throughout. The narrative voices are where I wasn’t fully sold and ultimately stopped me from giving it my all.

Made of Stars is told through a dual perspective of a brother and a sister who have met Chance during summer break at their dad’s place. Every year they meet up and have a memorable summer, then have no contact with him until next time . This year, however, things have changed. They’re now a bit older and are realizing that Chance’s life is not what he made it out to be. While I didn’t dislike the characters- they’re actually pretty likeable with their great group dynamic and unwavering bond – I found both narratives hard to distinguish. I regularly had to make a conscious effort to remind myself which perspective I was currently reading. The ebook format on my reader didn’t help, surely, as twice I completely missed that the POV had changed.

With Ashlin and Hunter narrating this book, one would assume it is telling their stories, however Made of Stars is not Hunter or Ashlin’s story at all. This is Chance’s story. Chance is definitely my favorite of the 3. I found his character arc incredibly engaging and complex. He’s broken, obviously lying about, and running from, his home life. Being a master of hiding behind a tough facade, I feel like I didn’t get to know the real Chance; him to the core. Though I believe this is how Kelley intended it. We do learn just how broken he really is, as well as what’s behind it, which is often the most we can hope for with tragic stories like these. However, being kept at arm’s length from Chance together with the lack of distinctive voices made it impossible for me to emotionally immerse myself in these characters. I didn’t feel all the feels with this one. I also was not a fan of the way it ended, it offers no closure at all. I can’t say it wasn’t realistic, or maybe even perfect for what this story was meant to be, but nevertheless…

I do appreciate the non-stereotypical approach Kelley takes with her books. Especially how she implements LGBT themes which, frankly, I find refreshing for a YA romance. It involves characters that lack any stereotypes in and of themselves. The realism is also a strong factor where we see Hunter beginning to realize his feelings for Chance and the internal conflict this elicits.

There is an honest, raw quality to Kelley’s writing that I truly love. It’s what made me a fan of hers in the first place. I think Chance’s story, which is twisted and somewhat bittersweet, deserves to be read and despite my problems with the narratives I’m glad that I did.

three-stars

3 Hot Espressos

The following two tabs change content below.
Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

Latest posts by Giselle (see all)

17 Responses to “Review: Made of Stars by Kelley York”

  1. Leanna

    I think this one sounds like an interesting read – and pretty different to anything I’ve read in a while. I requested it on Netgalley since I liked the sound of the mystery – hope it’s a good one!

  2. Nick @ Nick's Book Blog

    I’ve only read one book by Kelley York, but I enjoyed it. It’s a shame that you couldn’t distinguish between the 2 characters. I don’t like when that happens to me either because it makes reading sort of bothersome.
    I’m very curious about Chance. He seems to have an interesting back-story.
    I have to check this one out once it releases.
    Lovely review, Giselle!

  3. Jenni

    I ended up liking this one quite a bit more than you did and maybe that does have to do with the formatting of the ebooks we read, which is really unfortunate. Chance was such a fantastic character and I really liked Hunter and Ashlin’s relationship with each other too. That last chapter gave me absolute chills up and down my arms, so well done!

  4. Nereyda

    I loved Hushed! Creeped me the hell out! I was looking forward to this one but didn’t request it because my tbr is already insane. Bummer this didnt wow you as much as Hushed did…

  5. Michelle @ Book Briefs

    I enjoyed Hushed and Kelley York’s writing style, and this one seems great. I love a good mystery and dual narratives are normally a big hit for me. I know what you mean about having a hard time distinguishing between the two POVs, though and that is a big discouraging. Still looks like a good read though.

    Thanks for the great review!

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

  6. Candace

    I’ve heard some mixed things about this one but I am a tad curious so I maybe pick this one up one day. I’m really curious about things turned out and what was going on.

  7. kimbacaffeinate

    Parts of this sounds really interesting and I love dual povs but the fact that their voices were unclear concerns me. I still need to read Hush, and like you I love horror and mystery and should probably add that to my list instead.

  8. Henrietta

    I haven’t heard of this one until reading your review today. Just from the title, I thought this might be something paranormal. Guess my assumption is wrong. Thanks for putting this on my radar. 🙂

  9. Jack

    I think I’d really like this one, actually. Although it looks like it has it’s problems, I’d love to give it a go. Fantastic review! 🙂

  10. Mary @ BookSwarm

    While it doesn’t sound like my cup of tea, it definitely has some intriguing elements. I always appreciate when authors make a strong attempt not to stereotype. Stereotyping is an easy way to fill in characters, since everyone knows the “type”.