Where to begin really.

I suppose let’s start with some main points I just can’t get my mind off of.

Firstly, the pace. The entire book happens in one week, and so much happens – like full-on, jam-packed invasions, war and mayhem. It’s intense. But also, I don’t know if It suited the story well – in the sense that, as I was reading, I felt a bit of disconnect to characters because maybe there were points that were too fast-paced.

Our main character, Allison, has just lost her father (who we never meet) and continuously goes on to lose more and more people. And by people I mean people who are close to her but also people she meets for two seconds, grows attached to and then they disappear for the rest of the book. I don’t know if they’re dead or if they just moved on and maybe they’ll come back later, but yeah, that wasn’t fun sitting in the back of my mind as I was reading.

I kind of got Star Wars vibes to be honest. But I don’t know if it was in a good sense – was it just too similar to have a planet killing machine with very little difference to the Death Star? (Except that this one had precision, and didn’t just explode the whole planet) I’m still wondering what I think about that one so this part of my review may be edited later.

Katok and other alien characters. I get it, political intrigue and wars have a lot of people. But I don’t remember half their names because I couldn’t really keep track with all these different syllables. BUT I did love Donoth, he was adorable and I want to see more of him.

The storyline itself was a bit jumpy i found. One moment she was running somewhere then she was on a ship but then she was back on Earth then not and just, it was very disorientating. It was also kind of predictable, there were no moments of “oh my god plot twist” that I hadn’t already guessed or possibly just didn’t make as much of an impact on me as it was intended.

Still, the concept was enjoyable and I think if character development was a bit more well-executed then this would’ve have been a solid 4, but I can only give it a 3.5.

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3.5/5

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This was an ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fate of the Stars by Arwen Paris was a thrilling young adult science fiction and fantasy that I enjoyed for what it is. What happens when a teenage girl finds herself knee-deep in an alien invasion and is the only one who can save our world?
Allison Delaney was trying to escape the horrors of the previous year by being a teenager and attending a beach bonfire. When she discovers that the waves cannot wash away the horrors of her past, Allison wanders off to find respite and solace in her own company. To her dismay, Allison discovers that no one is around on the beach when she wakes up the next morning, so she heads back to her own home. Allison discovers that her mother has fallen ill and the sudden loss of her father rails at the inside of her heart causing her to feel that pain all over again and the overwhelming feeling of losing her mother as well. Insert chaos and drama into the story with an alien invasion that decimates the human population.
Allison starts to think she has an extra “Spidey sense” since things are happening that only affects her and no one else can explain. This could be affirmed when she finds she is able to communicate with Eenoki who helps glean an insight into the invasion thus thrusting Allison smack dab in the middle of the war.
I’m a huge fan of Fantasy and Science Fiction but this book kind of fell in the middle of the road. It was neither spectacular or deplorable, but very average and non-complex in its character development and world building. There were a vast array of alien species and there might be a few too many to keep track of. I did enjoy the fight scenes and came to feel for the main character. There was a feel of a rushed plot line and an overload of information in the beginning. I wanted more explanation and more of an insight into the complete story instead of the rushed this is what is going on and here’s what’s going to happen explanation from Eenoki.
Overall, the book just needed some extra editing and some more” fluff’ to push it into the higher star ratings of accomplished books in this genre. Though it may not be at the top of my list, I could see recommending this story to someone who is looking to get into Science Fiction YA books for the first time as an introduction. I feel like people who are totally immersed in this category would not appreciate it as much as those who are just starting to delve into this genre.
The cover of this book is exquisite and really draws the eye for further investigation!
I received a copy from the publisher, Legendary Prose, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and all of the expressions and thoughts are my own

I love science fiction books and this was a real page turner. I enjoyed it a lot and I recommend it.

Fate of the Stars by Arwen Paris is a fast paced young adult science fiction fantasy. The story is that of one teenage girl that end ups in the middle of an alien invasion and tasked with saving the world.

Allison Delaney was attending a bonfire party at the beach but feeling a bit left out when she walked away from the crowd only to awaken the next morning to find everyone else gone. Not believing no one would miss her or have looked for her she heads home only to receive news that her mother is ill and just having lost her father this is a rather big shock.

But before Allison can digest the news aliens invade the planet and chaos breaks out as many humans begin to die. Allison’s weird sense of something having happened to her only increases as she finds herself communication with Eenoki who seems to have inhabited Allison giving her extra powers. Eenoki’s presence gives Allison an insight to the aliens and she finds herself caught up in the war.

Fate of the Stars is one of those books that I pick up and cringe a bit when I see a list of characters and alien species inside the book. For me this means that the story is usually one that is complex and hard to follow if we need a separate listing to refer to. Really my guess isn’t far off as the story does get pretty complex with the warring aliens.

The story is one that would probably make an awesome action movie as it jumps almost immediately into the huge scene of aliens everywhere leaving destruction in their path. My complaint though would really resort back to the previously mentioned lists in the fact that the fast pace seemed to overpower world and character building with the author slipping in the contact with Eenoki to allow Allison to suddenly know all about what was going on. I, however, wanted more explanation and a bit of build up to the events that you normally find in books as opposed to movies. In the end though it was a decent story that I wish had just gone a bit deeper in the details to match the pace of the action.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a quick read spoilt by the characters lacking depth.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

Allison knows one thing…
Senior year will be different.

But an alien invasion turns her dreams of the future into a nightmare for survival.

When the fate of the world rests upon you…
Allison Delaney wants to spend her senior year healing from the loss of her father, to leave the shadows of his death and her junior year break-down behind. A Labor Day beach party seems like a good place to start…but there’s more danger lurking than anyone could imagine. Death is coming to Earth if the pods of infectious creatures aren’t stopped. But only one human can help…
To live or die is no longer a choice.
Eenoki is a protector of life but must have a sentient host to fight the invasion. A teenage girl would not be the best choice, but out of desperation Eenoki invades Allison’s mind and body, granting her unnatural abilities and strengths – and helping her escape certain death when the first wave of ships land.
As destruction rains down on Earth’s population, Allison realizes to save everyone, she must make the ultimate choice: Reject her human side and bond with Eenoki to become the Earth’s Priestess – or be killed along with the rest of humanity.

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VAGUE SPOILERS AHEAD:

Okay, so Allison is the only hope for Humanity. But she doesn't really *do* anything but get captured repeatedly throughout the novel. and then the aliens, there was either unnatural instantaneous devotion or outright fear and hatred. I just felt like they were two dimensional, villains or devotees with nothing in between. I didn't understand their motivations nor the goal of the story. Usually characters are trying to accomplish something, anything. But I felt like Allison was trapped in a soap bubble, weak and floating without direction.

All this criticism may seem like I didn't enjoy the story but I did, I just need more answers and I'm hoping the sequel can give me that

The story opens with a very difficult to follow explanation of who was invading Earth. Hard to follow. If you can stick with it the story cleans itself up and becomes highly readable. The numerous reunites with boyfriend Steven seem implausible but that is part of why this is a YA novel.

Fate of The Stars by Arwen Paris is an interesting Science Fiction adventure about an alien invasion on Earth. Allison is a young high school girl who recently lost her father and is struggling to recover from that loss. She is chosen as a host for a sentient being named Eenoki just before a vicious alien invasion begins. She is torn between wanting to be with her friends and family, becoming whom she was chosen to be, and dealing with the responsibility of saving earth that has been thrust upon her. She must also deal with an Alliance who is trying to wipe out the invaders by taking Earth with it.

Allison was such a unique character for me, as she isn't just another character who accepts things easily and sets forth to do what she was chosen to do. She constantly is fighting with her own lack of confidence, her fear, her loss of loved ones, and other factors. This made her entirely relatable, and characters like her always make me think about how ridiculous it is that many just accept the hero role without much thought or inner turmoil. I enjoyed watching her grow through out this book to learn and accept who she is, yet still have insecurities about herself and whether she is capable of carrying such a burden even.

The story itself won't really surprise anyone who reads a lot of Sci-Fi. The Ma'tiok invaders and their gruesome nature definitely conjured up some disturbing images in my imagination. I thought the other races like the Vongjar and the Hytans were kind of by the numbers. One bound by honor, and the other is led by someone who isn't. Just kind of by the numbers in my opinion. Eenoki, the being who chose Allison as a host was probably the most interesting, but I wish a bit more was revealed about him as a whole.

As for the writing, I struggled with it a bit in the beginning. I felt like Paris spends a bit too much time being over descriptive. It kind of takes away from allowing my own imagination to conjure up what I'm reading about, and forces it a bit much. Much of the first half of the book is lacking in a lot of conversations, and it is just the reader following what Allison is thinking and seeing about what she is experiencing. I found the second half of the book much more interesting. The general pace of the story picks up, and things become more interesting as she learns her role in everything. Where I found myself taking breaks early on, I couldn't put the book down once I hit that halfway point.

Overall, Fate of the Stars is a really good YA debut. Allison as a character makes up for some story shortcomings and early pacing issues. I truly felt empathy for her, and just connected with her as a protagonist. By the end of this novel, I found myself eager for the sequel to see how her journey continues. For Allison's character alone, I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick and enjoyable Sci-Fi read

Rating: 3.5 out of 5