The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence
UK Publication Date: 21st April 2020
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★]

This ARC was provided by Harper Collins UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Ice, ice baby…

Synopsis from Goodreads: In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown.

On Abeth the vastness of the ice holds no room for individuals. Survival together is barely possible. No one survives alone.

To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is fatal. And Yaz is not the same.

Yaz is torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her family, from the boy she thought she would spend her days with, and has to carve out a new path for herself in a world whose existence she never suspected. A world full of difference and mystery and danger.

Yaz learns that Abeth is older and stranger than she had ever imagined. She learns that her weaknesses are another kind of strength. And she learns to challenge the cruel arithmetic of survival that has always governed her people.

Only when it’s darkest you can see the stars.

Book Worm’s Thoughts: When I requested this book I was intrigued by the description I didn’t realise it was a new series based in a fictional world that the author has written previous series’ about. Rest assured the world building in this is so good that I didn’t feel like I was missing out by not having read any of the other Abeth books. That said I am looking forward to returning to Abeth and while I wait for the next book in this series I will be checking out the Abeth back catalogue.

The world here is one of ice and danger and I really enjoyed the descriptions of the cold; of the dangers in the ice both above and below; the harsh life where survival of the tribe is more important than the individual; the abandoned city and all the technology and most of all the characters.

The story is fast paced while it is only days since Yaz enters the pit she discovers a whole new world and battles her own demons. The reader along with Yaz discovers that nothing is at it seems at first and that there is power in those considered the weakest by society.

Warning the book ends on a cliff hanger and leaves so many questions unanswered that I am desperate for the next installation to learn what it all means and how it adds up.

I am pleased to have discovered a new fantasy writer who can thoroughly remove me from the modern world and leave me longing to escape back to a world so different from my own.

Who would like this? I would recommend this to those looking to escape reality, who enjoy strong characters and like being kept of balance by what is actually good and bad. There is no black and white here only shades of grey.

We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think? Have you read the other Abeth books? How does this compare?