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A review by afi_whatafireads
Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Imagine if your idol BIAS turned out to be a secret spy (secretly imagining S.Coups or Jeonghan from SVT and got me giggling) and somewhat fell into a "relationship" with his "bodyguard" who is also a spy. Yup. :p
I think I missed the memo when Marie Lue first came out during the infamous "dystopian era" (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent), so Stars and Smoke was my first read for me, and ngl, I was pretty much into it. I think, it has been awhile since I've read a pretty good YA with a good premise and storyline and this one pretty much checks every box that made YA good for me. It has the elements of family, and coming-of-age and paired with main characters that were not annoying, made this a book (and I just knew it will be a series) one that I will anticipate for its sequel.
The story foll0ws superstar Winter Young, a Chinese American from a very prestigious boyband, who was scouted to become a spy on an impossible mission. There he met Sydney, sassy and smart, to become his guard and trainer. Together, they went on a mission that goes through a lot of emotional turmoil for each character involved. The story of grief, loss, trauma, secrets and love, in the most uncommon ways.
Honestly, I feel that you can somewhat predict what's about to happen in the middle of the story but Lu's writing is one that I felt compelled to finish the novel. I loved how each of our main characters were given such a good solid arc and that their self-discovery was one that I loved most. Winter Young is such a sweetheart for real, and I love Sydney! Lu definitely writes pretty powerful female characters in this book and that was one of the reasons that I loved about the story. Sydney had her own share of trauma and abuse, whilst Winter is fighting his own turmoil of grief that makes them such interesting characters to follow through. Not to mention that we're going backstage into the 'idol' world which makes me giddy imagining my biases as spies :p
I love the vulnerability of each characters in here and I liked the story and pacing was pretty good. The romance to me was a bit of a stretch (like if it was more prolonged it will definitely be good), but the action scenes made up the story. I felt the last scene of the book was one that made it seem like I was watching a movie and I was anticipating what had happened towards the end. Also, I liked that this series is set in the real world and we can all become a bit delulu as fangirls (haha).
Overall, this was a read that I will recommend to everyone. I felt Lu excelled with this one with her characters definitely. Not the best, but it made a pretty good palate cleanser for me. Would def recommend this for a light read.
Personal Ratings : 4🌟
Thank you to Times Reads for this gorgeous copy~
I think I missed the memo when Marie Lue first came out during the infamous "dystopian era" (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent), so Stars and Smoke was my first read for me, and ngl, I was pretty much into it. I think, it has been awhile since I've read a pretty good YA with a good premise and storyline and this one pretty much checks every box that made YA good for me. It has the elements of family, and coming-of-age and paired with main characters that were not annoying, made this a book (and I just knew it will be a series) one that I will anticipate for its sequel.
The story foll0ws superstar Winter Young, a Chinese American from a very prestigious boyband, who was scouted to become a spy on an impossible mission. There he met Sydney, sassy and smart, to become his guard and trainer. Together, they went on a mission that goes through a lot of emotional turmoil for each character involved. The story of grief, loss, trauma, secrets and love, in the most uncommon ways.
Honestly, I feel that you can somewhat predict what's about to happen in the middle of the story but Lu's writing is one that I felt compelled to finish the novel. I loved how each of our main characters were given such a good solid arc and that their self-discovery was one that I loved most. Winter Young is such a sweetheart for real, and I love Sydney! Lu definitely writes pretty powerful female characters in this book and that was one of the reasons that I loved about the story. Sydney had her own share of trauma and abuse, whilst Winter is fighting his own turmoil of grief that makes them such interesting characters to follow through. Not to mention that we're going backstage into the 'idol' world which makes me giddy imagining my biases as spies :p
I love the vulnerability of each characters in here and I liked the story and pacing was pretty good. The romance to me was a bit of a stretch (like if it was more prolonged it will definitely be good), but the action scenes made up the story. I felt the last scene of the book was one that made it seem like I was watching a movie and I was anticipating what had happened towards the end. Also, I liked that this series is set in the real world and we can all become a bit delulu as fangirls (haha).
Overall, this was a read that I will recommend to everyone. I felt Lu excelled with this one with her characters definitely. Not the best, but it made a pretty good palate cleanser for me. Would def recommend this for a light read.
Personal Ratings : 4🌟
Thank you to Times Reads for this gorgeous copy~