In a world where nutrition can be transferred via a pill, and society is split into Eaters and Non-Eaters, seventeen-year-old Princess Vela has a grave dilemma. Her father, the king, is dying, and only a transplant of organs from a healthy Non-Eater boy will save him.
Vela is tasked with choosing a boy fit to die for the king, which is impossible enough. But then Carr, the boy she's loved all her life, emerges as the best candidate in the Bittersweet Trials. And he's determined to win, because by doing so, he can save the life of his Non-Eater sister.
Refusing to accept losing the boy she loves, Vela bends the rules and cheats. But when someone begins to sabotage the Trials, Vela must reevaluate her own integrity―and learn the true sacrifice of becoming a ruler.
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Review:
Star-Crossed is Pintip Dun’s latest release and is a romantic young adult science fiction novel with a unique concept and distinctive characters.
Seventeen year old Princess Vela lives in a world where the majority of the population cannot stomach actual food. Instead an elite class of individuals including Vela herself are tasked with eating and absorbing as much nutrition as possible so it can be transferred to a pill that the remaining population can take. Living in a world of Eaters and Non-Eaters isn’t easy and Vela is about to face her toughest challenge yet; her best friend has gotten to a point where she can no longer sustain the pills needed to keep her alive and is now wasting away. When an attempt to save her goes wrong, Vela is forced to oversee the Fittest Trials where one boy from the colony will be chosen to give his life so that the reigning King can continue to live. Choosing someone to die for her father is hard enough, but when the boy Vela has adored her whole life enters as a contestant, Vela finds herself facing the unimaginable. Choosing to cheat seems like the only option but when someone else begins sabotaging the Trials, Vela will begin to reassess her own thoughts and soon begins to discover what being a ruler really means.
Star-Crossed is the first novel by Pintip Dun I have read but I was impressed by the forward moving storyline, unique and unparalleled concept and character development within the novel. I found the ideas and themes explored in Star-Crossed involving food and nutrition intriguing and the futuristic world Dun has introduced her readers to was unlike anything I have ever seen before. I commend the her for daring to think outside the box and bring something different to the table.
Facing a number of different moral dilemmas and the prospect of losing various people she loves, protagonist Vela had a lot of tough choices to make throughout the novel. Kind-hearted but whimsical, Vela truly wanted the best for everyone and was an easy heroine to follow. Vela learns as the novel progresses and begins to come into her role as potential monarch. As the boy she love looks to give his life for her father, Vela isn’t willing to go down without a fight and I think I appreciated this about her. Even if her best intentions didn’t always get the desired results.
I loved that the romance within Star-Crossed wasn’t the insta kind that I hate and that there was no dreaded love-triangle that saw Vela’s affections stretched between two people. Vela and Carr have cared about one another their whole lives and it was sweet seeing them finally act on those feelings, even if their timing left something to be desired; I mean, come on, he was looking to die and now they’re finally getting together!
The twist at the end of Star-Crossed as to who the “villain” really is was something I actually didn’t anticipate, although looking back it seems fairly obvious. I think Pintip Dun brought everything together well here, but I do still have some questions about what happens to some of the other characters including Vela’s sister Blanca.
There were moments of pure sadness and unexpected loss in Star-Crossed that will keep emotions running high until the final page but author Pintip Dun concludes the novel well given its standalone status and will leave readers satisfied with the story they have just read. This may be my first novel by this author, but I will definitely read more from her in the future!
Rating:
Source: Sent for review by YA Bound Book Tours and the author (Thank you ladies!)
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Format: Kindle copy
Release Date: October 2nd 2018
Purchase: Bookworld | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Final Thoughts: Unique concept; worth a read
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