Shveta Thakrar

"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.

Star Daughter

Sheetal Mistry, a rising high school junior who is half-star, half-human, must win a competition in the starry court to save her human father.

Nina Verhaaff 

the beginning was interesting but then it was all about that competition and nothing else seemed to be happening

Colette McDermed

so cheesy and boring, couldn't even finish it.

The writing and story this book follows is incredible and as someone who knows little abt Indian culture (Hindu) I learnt a lot.

I think at times there is a little too much focus on the situation between the MC and the love interest but other than that it was brilliant 

Hannah Cromby 

The writing and story this book follows is incredible and as someone who knows little abt Indian culture (Hindu) I learnt a lot.

I think at times there is a little too much focus on the situation between the MC and the love interest but other than that it was brilliant 

Ben Bastow

3.5/4 the second half was great! The first part a bit slow, but a really enjoyable book all round :)

Crystal Okonkwo

The book was longer than it needed to be. When the author never introduced a potential star person love interest, that’s when I knew I wasn’t really going to like the book 

Hans

idk it was a little cringe but i might comeback to it so this isn’t goodbye forever 

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

I had very high expectations for Star Daughter thanks to its magnificent Charlie Bowater cover, which in retrospect was probably not the wisest idea on my part. Contemporary fantasy is not my go-to, and definitely not my preferred subgenre of fantasy, given my general dislike of contemporaries. However, the contemporary aspect was not what I didn’t enjoy about this read.

Let me tell you this: finishing this book was hard. If I hadn’t been reading it for #booktalkwithwifey, the readalong I host with @drawingandreading every month on Instagram, this would have been a solid DNF.

Let me start with the things I did like. Shveta Thakrar’s prose is beautiful. It’s lyrical, it’s vividly descriptive and it really brought out the beauty of the celestial courts in all its colors, smells and delicious treats. I also really appreciated the Hindu mythology aspects, which are far from what I’m used to reading and it’s always nice to learn new things about different cultures.

*crickets*

That’s it. That’s all I liked. Unfortunately plot, pacing and characters didn’t make this book stand out in any particular way, which made even the beautiful prose seem dull after a while. The pacing was rather slow, which was mostly due to the aggravating lack of plot. Once you’ve read the synopsis, you’ve read all the action, and can easily imagine the ending. The whole book was a flow of family skirmishes for which I had no interest, given that the characterization was incredibly flat and I struggled to even remember who the characters were in the first place.

Apart from my complete lack of interest in the secondary characters, I also struggled to feel any affection toward the protagonist, Sheetal. Her only inner dialogue was the conflict between being human and being a star. Other than that, Sheetal was very much a teenager with an irritating prevalence of the more immature aspects of that age. She was often whiny, indecisive, and immature. The lack of depth and variety to her personality made her incredibly hard to like, and murdered any and all hopes of me having interest in the resolution of her story.

Not even the romance could save the book in my eyes. While I did appreciate the novelty of having the love interest be a pre-existing relationship, the ‘obstacle’ of Sheetal and Dev’s love felt more like a high-school skirmish than a high stakes threat, and the lack of decent characterization and backstory made it feel flat.

So to wrap it up, I didn’t like this book. Maybe I was not a good fit for it. I do feel it might have been better marketed as a middle grade, for its intended audience is definitely on the young side of YA, so I would recommended it only to readers of Middle Grade/very young YA looking for a diverse read with lyrical prose.

Sahi K

I had quite a bit of fun seeing stories from Hindu mythology and so many of the names that are very familiar to me represented in this way in a YA fantasy debut. But it also made me feel old when compared to the protagonist, so I think younger readers will appreciate this one more than me. Still a fun read and I can only hope for more amazing things in the future from this author.

Jennifer

So this was essentially an okay read. I liked the diversity representation and the description of the stars. I think the prose which described the imageries and the constellations are quite well done as with the authentic feel of the author's own culture, however the writing & diversity aren't the only things which contributes to a good book. 

I found the worldbuilding pretty spotty (i.e. there's quite a lot of things which weren't properly introduced and the plot suffered from incoherence as the result) and I didn't particularly vibe with the main character. So I didn't really feel satisfied when I finished the novel because a lot of things were left unanswered and they're also not well fleshed out. In a nutshell, there are some pretty interesting concepts (particularly to do with the stars) but these potentials aren't fully realised.

(2.5 stars out of 5)

Jessica Williamson

3.5 Stars

Honestly, I'm a little confused about the lackluster ratings of this one. Because everyone RAVES about Laini Taylor and this felt very much in the same vein to me. Not similar. Not "the same thing", but the same feeling, yeah? 

The characters and Thakrar's writing were definitely what shined for me here. I loved Sheetal and Minal's friendship. It was beautifully done. You all know I'm always here for best friends having each other's backs and this was 100% exactly what I look for. 

That world-building! Absolutely fantastic. The mythos and lore of this story were a joy to read.

I didn't however love the plot (it was a lot more miss than hit), and because of that, the pacing was off as well.

Overall though, it's a fairly enjoyable read. If you're a prose and character reader vs. a plot reader, I recommend this one highly!

cover 5; characters 4; plot 2; pace 3; writing 4; enjoyment 3.

Morgan Kinney

This just did not do it for me. I loved the idea of it. Honestly, I hated the main character. Actually, I hated most of the characters . Loved her cousin, but that was literally it.

Nathalie Matsuda

I call it quits; DNF at 60% 

over half way through and we're still not in the competition. nothing is happening except the protagonist mood swings and whining. too many info dumps, the pacing is all over the place and except for the best friend and the love interest all the other side characters are so dull and 2 dimensional they all look the same to me in my head

how did this go from my lost anticipated to my most disappointing reads?

Alexis 

3.5/5 stars. 

I'm leaning to a higher 3 almost 4 stars for this book. so starting with the great things. I really loved the general plot of this book. Just the idea of being stars or half stars. Its very interesting. I'll admit I did want a little more from the and the writing wasn't my favorite , I am excited to see what this author writes in the future. Overall I would recommend this book, It was an easy, quick read with an interesting idea.

Heather Harrington

All teenagers go through changes, but none more so than Sheetal Mistry. She's always been different from those around her, and as her seventeenth birthday looms, she finds it harder and harder to hide what she truly is: half-star. Sheetal has always been told to hide away the celestial part of herself, but her starlight silver hair will no longer hold dye and the song of the stars is calling to her louder and more persistent than ever before. After losing control and accidentally burning her father with starfire, Sheetal has no choice but to heed the call of the heavens in hopes that the blood of a full star may heal him. But Sheetal soon finds out her family had their reasons for calling out to her: they will provide the help Sheetal needs in exchange for her acting as their human champion in a competition to determine which of the major houses will be next to rule the heavens. Sheetal reluctantly agrees, but as the competition nears, she uncovers dark secrets about her family which include a plan to close off the gate between realms forever.

I was sold on this book the second I heard "celestial competition" and it delivered. The premise was so interesting and captivated my attention from the very start. I loved how it was set during modern times, which I feel is very few and far between in fantasy nowadays. You feel for Sheetal and her desire to just be who she is without having to hide. I loved seeing her flourish and shine (pun intended) throughout this. There are many times when she's used as a pawn in someone else's game, but by the end, she comes into her own and does it on her terms. As for the competition aspect, there were certain events that I figured out before they came to play, but overall I liked it. But the highlight is Thakrar's writing. She painted such a lush vivid scene that you really felt like you were walking through the magical Night Market or spinning through the clouds with the other stars. If you're looking for a magical read, pick this up.

Emily C Peterson

This was super original and I genuinely enjoyed a lot of it. I think it was at least 50 pages too long though-- probably would have been a 5 star read if some of the extraneous inner dialogue was cut

Leelynn Brady

Full review on my blog 

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Hear Our Voices Book Tours and HarperTeen for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

I felt so taken away by this story. I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this review was coherently and helpful as possible and it just seems like I honestly can’t! I think it’s because I really enjoyed this book so much and I just felt so enraptured by the plot and all of the characters that I forgot to think about it from a review standpoint. But if you have to take anything from me and this review, it would be that Shveta’s writing really takes you out of the real world, into the world that she created, and gives you a journey that you will never forget.

Kelsey Holtaway

3.5ish rounded up

This moved a little slow, but it felt like that time was carved out for descriptions and atmosphere. This is a book you settle into and absorb.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Beware of the Charlie Bowater cover. At this point I’m starting to believe publishers use her as a means to hide the fact the book underneath it is not as beautiful as what’s on the outside. This is not always the case, of course, but the books I hated featuring one of her covers outweigh the ones I love. 

This is one of them. 

Star Daughter was a very frustrating read. Apart for the mention of blood and addiction, the characters and tone of the story leaned toward a more younger side of YA. That being said, the writing was beautiful, and the concept of the Star Court was very interesting. That sums up the things I liked. 

The plot, the pacing and the characters were all very flat. Ironically, the part I liked most was the beginning, when Sheetal is still in the human world. This is coming from someone who drinks Fantasy, who reads books majorly set in made up worlds. The moment Sheetal goes to the Star Court, the plot moves very slowly. It feels like nothing is happening besides Sheetal’s teenage love drama with Dev, a guy who has the personality of a doormat, and a very long, slow and boring family feud. The competition? It’s there but barely, and the stakes aren’t nearly as high as one would think. It’s obvious Sheetal has a huge advantage compared to the other contestants, who barely left an impression on me. Same goes for the other secondary characters outside of Minal, Sheetal’s best friend, but even she is not going to be one of those characters who will linger in my mind. The plot literally moves in the span of a few days, so if you’re reading the hardcover, you’re reading over three hundred pages of Sheetal’s routine at the Star Court. 

I lost count of the times I begged my sister to stop reading this book. The only reason we persevered is that we read this for the #BookTalkWithWifey readalong she (@_ckarys) and @drawingandreading host every month on Instagram and I, being the masochistic sister that I am, didn’t want to abandon her. But let it be known that it took us a whole week more than the original ten days of the readalong.

Alicia Haws

3.5 STARS
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book has a very interesting and unique premise and it captivated me from the very beginning. I loved the backstory and history between Stars and Humans. I liked the characters at first, however I felt that the characters got lost in the middle of the book, and there wasn't as much development there as I prefer, although the best friend and some of the other side characters stayed interesting to me throughout.

The world-building however was wonderful. It was such a unique world and it was very beautiful in its descriptions. There was also beautiful Hindi/Indian cultural elements to this story and world that were fantastic and I loved that. 

The plot was good, but I felt as if this book should have had a few scenes cut and have the book marketed as Middle Grade Fantasy. The plot was very predictable and as I said earlier, the character growth could have been better.

Overall I enjoyed it, but I think it is better for younger fantasy readers. It is very unique, has great cultural representation and the world and world-building is so magical and very easy to read and understand.



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Chelsea Breher

I am in love with this novel, it was a wonderful "world" to escape to.

JacQueline Roe

The language in this book and it’s world building were captivating. The music and culture of the stars was hypnotizing. 

Also, hooray for diversity! I’ve had many East Indian friends over the years and to get a ya fantasy from this perspective was exciting for me. I long for more books from many different cultures to become widely available. It was like visiting those kind friends I miss.

As a Christian, I did have some moral issues, but I understand my faith is not the same as others, so we won’t hold the same stance. But the central theme of free will and finding who you were meant to be is something I’ll be sharing with my children. 

Beautiful, lyrical writing that leaves me hopeful for another book by Shveta 💫

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

3.75 stars.

I really enjoyed so much of this, it was such a unique story. I really loved the Hindu mythology aspects, and the whole half star-half mortal stuck between two worlds part of it. 
I loved Sheetal and her ~feelings~, she felt so real, so many feelings this girl, so angry and sad and disappointed and happy and in love, UGH. 
In news that will surprise absolutely no one, I LOVED MINAL. Give me a best friend who is supportive and funny and as an added bonus, gay, and I will protect her with my life.

The things I didn't love were, you guessed it, my biggest pet peeve in story writing history, the family secret that the main character just isn't ready to hear. MY GOSH. ENOUGH WITH THIS. Figure out a better way! 

All in all, I really enjoyed this. It felt unique and fun and interesting, and I really loved the characters.

Kimi 

The first half of the book was slow and drawn and finally started to pick up on the remaining. It took me a bit longer than usual just to gain interest. 

The books assumes the readers are familiar with the hindu culture which I'm not so there were plenty of words that I had to figure out. Therefore, the world building was difficult to get a handle on. There wasn't much character development and writing style was simple. Like I said the book was drawn out in the beginning and I didn't start to really get into it until close to 55%-60% range. Although the cover is absolutely stunning the content of the book itself isn't so much. I do believe there is potential for better and I look forward to reading the next novel.

Lisa van der Heijden 

“She was nothing but the words of a story, one tale weaving imperceptibly into the next. She was the loom that wove the tapestry. She was the tapestry that joined all things.” 

I was so excited when Star Daughter was announced as the September book for #booktalkwithwifey. The book sounded fascinating: A story of a half-star, half-human protagonist who will compete in a celestial competition so she can save her dad. I had high expectations for Star Daughter. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed. 

The main issue I had with the book was the lack of plot. For the major part of the book nothing is going on. The main character is prepared for the competition, but this did not bring the action and intensity I was looking for. I expected more of the competition element, however, it turned out as a talent show. Furthermore, the plot also contained plenty of politics. This political intrigue added some drama, but the main character was kept so long in the dark that it did not improve the plot. While the ending was interesting, the truth was revealed through information dumping, which I did not like. 

“It was like wearing the night sky, if the sky were gems and sparkle and all the incandescent promise of the myriad constellations.”

The characterisation lacked depth. The main character, Sheetal and her best friend, Minal, carried the story for me. While these two friends had interesting personalities and had an entertaining dynamic, they were not completely fleshed out. They did not have any personality traits besides plot points and their behaviour felt very young. Therefore, it was hard for me to connect with them. The side characters were mostly stereotypes and sometimes acted in a way that did not fit with their personality. Furthermore, Sheetal’s romantic drama with her boyfriend Dev was dragged out. Therefore, there was not chemistry between them. Dev himself had no personality besides enjoying singing and loving Sheetal. I did like the effortless representation of LBGTQ+ characters. 

One aspect I did like of Star Daughter was the writing. Shveta Thakrar has a unique quality to her writing that makes it stand out. Her writing is descriptive, focused on experience and emotion. She was great at describing Sheetal’s inner voices. The story also contains many intricate descriptions of fabrics used for Sari’s and other traditional Desi clothing. Continuing, the writing had a whimsical quality to it that made the story magical. The narration of the audiobook was also excellent. Soneela Nankani is an excellent storyteller. I loved how she used her voice to create voices and accents for the different characters. 

“Time is the trickster that changes all things”

The world building was well done. I loved the idea of a modern contemporary world exciting next to this magical celestial world. The world building was intricate with many little details about the stars lived and how they influenced mortal lifes. The world Shveta Thakrar created was original and magical. There was a lot of influence of the Desi culture which I loved. The only criticism I have on the world building is that the rules and boundaries of this world could have been developed more. 

In conclusion, Star Daughter was an average book for me. The lack of plot and character development made it hard for me to be invested in the story. However, the writing was good and the world building well developed. Shveta Thakrar has shown to be an author with great potential. If she put more effort in the plot and characters, I would have loved this book a lot more. 

Rating breakdown: 
•	Plot: 2/5
•	Characters: 3/5
•	Writing: 4/5
•	Worldbuidling: 4/5
•	Overall enjoyment: 3/5

Star Daughter

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