Title: The Chaos of Stars
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Pages: 288
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.
Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.
First Thoughts: Took me a little bit to get into the story (I have NO background knowledge when it comes to Egyptian mythology), but when I did, I couldn’t put it down. A fun read, in which I *gasp* learned a bit as well!
I was drawn to this book for two reasons: I really liked Kiersten White’s Paranormalcy series, and I heard it featured mythology. Other than that, I went into this book blind, really knowing nothing about it. When I started reading, I realized my assumptions were incorrect; yes, it’s about mythology, but it’s Egyptian mythology, not Greek, as I wrongly assumed. This made the book somewhat difficult at first because I know NOTHING about Egyptian mythology. I found myself rereading, flipping back to remember who a god or goddess was, and only reading for short chunks at a time (instead of my usual “finish the book in one day” reading), but once I got going, I really enjoyed it (and ended up finishing it during one curled-up-on-the-couch afternoon)!
I am a nerd; I love learning. This book quenched my desire for knowledge in a fun way. I learned so much about the Egyptian gods through the story alone, plus, it actually made me look up some myths and do some mini-research just because I wanted to know more. Why do we only teach the Greeks? I mean, I love the Greeks, but the Egyptians seem to have some crazy incestual family stories just like the gods on Mount Olympus. Although, not to give anything away, but I loved the bits of Greek mythology White wove into the story as well.
As for the characters, I started with mixed emotions but soon came to love and appreciate them. Isadora could be somewhat annoying at times, but isn’t that true for most teenage girls (I know, I was one). She is stubborn, hard-headed, and fueled by emotions (even when she’s trying to cut them off) - basically your typical teenage girl. Also, White’s representation of teenagers’ relationships with their parents is spot on - teenagers think parents are ALWAYS wrong, but then realize, that maybe they are actually right. Sound familiar? And as for the male lead, Ry (Orion)? So swoon-worthy - something every fun read needs. Seriously, those blue eyes? Dreamy!
I did feel like the end of the story felt somewhat rushed. There was foreshadowing throughout, and then it all just seemed to end in the last 20 pages or so. I wish White drew out the end a bit more, because once I got into the story, I was really into the story.
Final Thoughts: The further I got into the story, the more and more I liked it. Not a “must-read”, but definitely a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon curled up under a blanket.
Who Should Read It? This is a great twist on ancient Egyptian mythology. I think fans of mythology in general and fans of the Percy Jackson series should give this a try. It’s a fun read and yet it’s extremely informative when it comes to the Egyptian gods and goddesses, particularly Osiris and Isis...I learned A TON!
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