Rating: 3.5 / 5
I received STAR DAUGHTER by Shveta in both my Owlcrate and Fairy Loot Boxes, so it definitely got me curious. I loved both editions, but decided to pick up this beautiful Owlcrate edition last month!
STAR DAUGHTER follows Sheetal Mistry, the daughter of an Indian immigrant to the United States and a star (think less fame and fortune, more celestial body). Sheetal’s mother left years ago, returning to her family among the rest of the stars, leaving Sheetal with her father on earth. As a half star, Sheetal must keep her identity firmly under wraps, but lately the call of the stars’ song is getting stronger.
When Sheetal’s star power gets out of control and her father is injured, Sheetal must seek out her mother and her celestial family to try to seek a cure. Once there she learns that her family needs her to act as their champion in a competition to take leadership over their realm.
I was left with mixed feelings about STAR DAUGHTER. On the one hand I enjoyed the premise and the culture that came through the story and the solid family network that Sheetal had with her father and their relatives. The descriptions of food from their gatherings will leave you hungry!
I struggled a bit more with the depiction of her mother’s world. I love a book with good world building and I felt like this one could have used more. There were some beautiful descriptions of elements of that world, but I didn’t leave the book feeling like I really understood the celestial world and its connection to earth.
Some of the relationships also left me wanting a bit more depth. Sheetal has a best friend and a love interest as the book opens and we don’t really get to see a lot of why these relationships work for her. I think there was a lot more substance between Sheetal and her family, even with her distant mother through the flashbacks the author gives us.
This was a book I enjoyed but didn’t love, but I will look forward to seeing more from this author in the future!
DG Reads 