Name: A Shifting of Stars
ISBN: 9780648533818

Kathy Kimbray

Seventeen-year-old Meadow Sircha watched her mother die from the wilting sickness. Tormented by the knowledge that the emperor failed to import the medicine that would have saved her, she speaks out at a gathering of villagers, inciting them to boycott his prized gladiator tournament.But doing so comes at a steep cost.Arrested as punishment for her impulsive tongue, Meadow finds herself caught up in the kind of danger she's always tried to avoid. After a chance meeting with an enigmatic boy, she's propelled on a perilous trek across the outer lands. But she soon unearths a staggering secret: one that will shift her world-and the kingdom-forever.

A Shifting of Stars

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

The author kindly sent me an ebook copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Let me start off immediately by saying that this was an enjoyable read! It was unlike many YA books I’ve seen lately and there were some well placed plot twists that really left me at the edge of my seat, so well done! 
Something I found very refreshing was that the focus of the narrative was more on family bonds and friendships than it was on romance. However, there is an element of romance and those who know me well know I love my feel bone! The feel bone is in this book. I don’t want to spoil, so I won’t say who Meadow’s love interest is, but it’s a good one! I loved the banter between these two! But even more than that I loved how strongly the idea of women supporting women is valued in this book. That’s something that, unfortunately, is still too rare in YA, and it was beautiful to read about!

However, there were some things that I struggled with. In the beginning of the book we are presented with a lot of characters in a very short span of time and it was sometimes hard to keep track of everyone. Things got a lot better in the second part, where the focus was on a restricted group and you really go in depth to get to know them better. The second half of the book is certainly the one I enjoyed the most because I was able to connect with the characters, which was something that wasn’t happening in the beginning. 
My other issue is that sometimes there were some confusing turns in the plot that made it harder to follow, but luckily it wasn’t anything too lasting and it was easy to get back in the flow of the story. 

Overall, it was a quick read that I really enjoyed. It had an interesting storyline and fun characters to read about as well as intriguing villains. I’m curious to see how things are going to play out in the second book because there are some great questions raised in the final chapters. It’s definitely a perfect read for YA fantasy lovers, especially if you love An Ember in the Ashes, Red Queen and Shadow and Bone. Bonus points if you also love the protagonists of those books, because I feel like Meadow fits in with them quite well.

A Shifting of Stars

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