Review : Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Across a Star-Swept Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars #2)
Author : Diana Peterfreund
Publication Date : October 15th 2013
Publisher : Balzer + Bray
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Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

 Personal Thoughts

There is no doubt in my mind, after reading Across a Star Swept Sea, that Diana Peterfreund is one hell of a writer. Last year, she completely blew me away with her imagination and gorgeous writing style in For Darkness Shows the Stars. In Across a Star-Swept Sea, her writing was even stronger and she showed that not every book with a pretty cover actually is terrible. This is definitely a book that you can judge by the cover.

I adored the characters in Across a Star-Swept Sea. The main character, Persis, was a brilliant one. I love characters like her, who might appear shallow and naive on the inside, but are secretly bad-ass. If you enjoyed Celeana's character in Sarah J Mass' Throne of Glass series, you will love Persis as well. It was hard not to like Persis because she exuded confidence and fought for what was right disregarding her own safety. Persis was strong and brave, all characteristics that I enjoy in my main characters. Her love interest, Justen, was also likeable. I liked how in this book, he was the calm scientist, while Persis was the bad-ass one who would go out into the field to solve problems. Too often in YA books, girls are depicted as weak from the beginning while the guy is the one who fights and does all that courageous stuff. So, I was pretty impressed with the author for the role reversal in Across a Star-Swept Sea. In addition to two brilliant main characters, Across a Star-Swept Sea also had a cast of well-fleshed characters, that grappled at my heart and turned out to be memorable.

The world-building in Across a Star-Swept Sea was solid. The author went into the details of how the world came to be and made sure that the reader was aware of the post. Although it is not necessary to read For Darkness Shows the Stars to read this book, I do think it would help understand the world a bit better. The plot, too, was entertaining and had me latched onto my e-reader, not wanting to finish the book. Across a Star-Swept Sea also provided a sweet, slow-burn romance, that had me shipping Justen and Persis from the beginning. At first, it seems that Justen and Persis are complete opposites of each other, which was why I thought they complemented each other well. Over the course of the book, you realize that while they might be different, they shared the same goals in life, which made them an even more perfect couple. What I loved about it was the slow pace at which developed, making you feel all the feels, at times getting frustrated because you just want to them to kiss already. In addition to the romance, Diana Peterfreund's writing was another strong point of Across a Star-Swept Sea. She has this gorgeous writing style that makes you want to keep on reading. It's definitely addicting and unique.

Across a Star-Swept Sea was a brilliant companion to For Darkness Shows the Stars. Everything about it was quite exceptional, from the characters to the romance to the world-building. This is definitely a book I would recommend to readers who enjoy unique dystopian novels.

Rating

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

Thank you to Balzer+Bray and Edelweiss for the e-ARC of Across a Star-Swept Sea.