this was such a weird ride. though listed as a "fantasy", it is most definitely a western sci-fi. vega is the "last astronomer" in a world plagued with a sickness called "consumption" that is slowly killing everyone. when 2 stars align in the sky, it is her duty as the last astronomer to find "the architect", they will venture to the sea in search of something that should ultimately lead to saving everyone. my thoughts will be in list format bc i feel i will spoil it all if i don't.

★ the story dragged *so hard* for like 70% of the book. most of the time i didn't understand what we were doing or why.
★ we don't know why they need to get to the sea, or what will happen, until the very end of the book. SO MUCH is hidden from the reader, which is usually a great setup for a twist, but in this case.. so much was hidden for so long that i didn't really feel like i should care or be invested in the story. i wasn't given enough to stay interested.
★ the ending was super super rushed, so it made all the waiting feel like it wasn't even worth it. we get so little information all throughout the book, & then a major info dump right at the end that gave a mental whiplash, & didn't really make sense. (this book is over 400 pages too..)
★ this book is listed as fantasy, so that's what i was expecting for majority of the book. then the twist at the end made it sci-fi, & it was super disappointing.
★ i typically love shea ernshaw's writing, but holy moly this got insanely repetitive. she would repeat lines over & over & over again & it made me feel like little effort was being put in. "my heart was breaking. 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨." I GET IT.
★ Vega made so many unnecessarily stupid decisions. which also part of why so much didn't make sense. the literal entire world is in your hands.. & you're gonna put that aside bc of one guy you've known for 3 days??
★ of course, after all the suffering, the book had an open ending 🫠 i absolutely *loathe* when authors write out a huge story & then leave it up to the reader to end it. i read books for a whole story, not part of one.
★ i love the concept of this story, but it just wasn't executed well.

i'm mad. 2 stars. bc the story had SO MUCH potential & i did enjoy parts.

Glad I pushed through this after almost DNF’ing around 40%. I did not see the twist at the end coming. It was hinted that the main character had more “secrets,” but I wish the twist was explored a little more. The first two-thirds were a little repetitive, but the ending was so unique I wish there was more of it! I love Shea Ernshaw’s writing and I will definitely read more of her work, but this one was not my favorite. 

Just not feeling it