Review : Shadows Cast By Stars by Catherine Knutsson

Summary (from Goodreads)

Old ways are pitted against new horrors in this compellingly crafted dystopian tale about a girl who is both healer and seer.

Two hundred years from now, blood has become the most valuable commodity on the planet—especially the blood of aboriginal peoples, for it contains antibodies that protect them from the Plague ravaging the rest of the world.

Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Mercredi might be immune to Plague, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe—government forces are searching for those of aboriginal heritage to harvest their blood. When a search threatens Cassandra and her family, they flee to the Island: a mysterious and idyllic territory protected by the Band, a group of guerilla warriors—and by an enigmatic energy barrier that keeps outsiders out and the spirit world in. And though the village healer has taken her under her wing, and the tribal leader’s son into his heart, the creatures of the spirit world are angry, and they have chosen Cassandra to be their voice and instrument…

Incorporating the traditions of the First Peoples as well as the more familiar stories of Greek mythology and Arthurian legend, Shadows Cast by Stars is a haunting, beautifully written story that breathes new life into ancient customs.

Personal Thoughts

What attracted me first to Shadows Cast by Stars was the beautiful cover. Dystopian novels are really rocketing in the YA world these days, but good solid dystopian books are very hard to find. In Shadows Cast By Stars, I was looking for a book that would completely surprise me. Fortunately, it did, up to an extent.

In the dystopian society crafted by Catherine Knutsson, society is divided into two different sectors:  The Corridor and The Island. The citizens of The Island are aboriginals, whose blood contains antibodies against The Plague. For this reason, the government seeks to harvest blood from them. The main character, Cass, is of aboriginal descent living in The Corridor. Soon, her family, consisting of her father and brother, Paul, are forced to take flight to The Island which is completely shrouded in mystery. There, Cass begins to unravel secrets about herself and these very secrets threaten her loved ones.

Cass wasn’t exactly a character who was easy to like at first sight, but instead as she grew throughout the story, I began to grow fond of her. Having lost her mother, she has always been the “New Mom” in the family, always caring for her family and trying to protect them from all harm. I really loved how defensive she was about her twin brother, Paul. One scene that really struck me in a good way was when she said she would do almost anything to transfer Paul’s grief to her. This depicted how deep her love for her brother was. She really tried her best to hold her whole family together in a tight knot, although it seemed to be a difficult task. As the story unfolded, Cass began to mature, shedding all the insecurities and doubts fringing her and becoming a strong girl comfortable in her own skin. Beautifully molded, the secondary characters were ones who had depth, but not quite to my satisfaction. I really wanted to get to know Paul a little better because he was so mysterious and secretive. At the end of the book, I was left with millions of questions regarding his character, which I hope will be answered in the next installment of the series.

The world-building in Shadows Cast by Stars was enthralling, rich and highly complex. While reading, it was stark clear that the author had bothered to do some research to write about a highly detailed world. The myths, the lifestyles of the aboriginals, the healing, the spirit world and the totems were absolutely fascinating. Because it had fresh ideas, I thought the book was highly imaginative. One problem I had with the book was the pace of the story. I, personally, thought that the plot moved at a tortoise speed, which resulted in my attention swaying on several occasions. Also, there was a bit of an instant-love in the book in that the characters, Cass and Bran, jumped into a relationship a little too fast to my liking. Regardless, I was glad that the romance never inundated the plot. In fact, it was subtle and it was present in an appropriate dose. Catherine Knutsson caught me by surprise often by throwing in unexpected twists and turns.

Shadows Cast by Stars was a nice medley of dystopian and paranormal. Even with some of the complaints I had, I found myself really enjoying the book. I'm definitely going to be on the look-out for the next installment of this series.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3/5