This is a phenomenal book for young adults. I am a school librarian. I will definitely add this book to the collection.

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

THE GIRL AND THE STARS by Mark Lawrence is the first novel in The Book of Ice series. Danger and wonder fill this exciting new epic fantasy set in the same icy world created in The Book of Ancestor.

The story follows a fierce, young heroine who believes something is wrong with her but chooses to embrace her destiny the only way she knows how, head-on, leaping into the dark abyss of the unknown awaiting her.

The tribes of the ice live harsh lives, and the northern people of the Ictha tribe are especially fierce. Bred to endure the unforgiving life upon the polar ice, Yaz knows her days are short and fears the moment of discovery when her tribe realizes she is different. Something other to be feared and cast out.

“In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown.”

But, Yaz refuses to go gently into the night, and what follows is the story of a young girl who discovers her brokenness, her difference, could just be her saving grace and her greatest strength.

Yaz must survive in a world, unlike anything she has experienced before. A world of mystery and danger.

“You stand before us still wet from the drop. Your tribe and your clan have thrown you aside and not one of them raised their voice to save you. They called you flawed, wrong, unworthy, and you were cast into darkness to die.”

Lawrence does not disappoint with this new series opener and the majestic and deadly world of Abeth is brought to vivid life, now in the subterranean world that lies below the ice.

One of my favorite themes presented in The Girl and the Stars is that in the darkest of night that the greatest light, can be found—Hope, strength, and acceptance.

“The stars,” the girl said. They burn brighter when you’re near.”

Yaz is a stunning new heroine to follow. Despite her fear of her abilities, she is determined to discover the truth. Along the way, she will realize her people’s view is not necessarily the only view nor right one.

I love the whole quest and adventure while discovering a whole new layer to the history of the Missing and the ancestors.

Lawrence continues to surprise me and keep me guessing. The mix of fantasy and magic with science fiction and adventure blend to create an exciting new epic to escape to.

I can’t wait to continue this series and I definitely will be grabbing up any earlier series I can as Mark Lawrence is a new favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/04/30/the-girl-and-the-stars-by-mark-lawrence/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

4.5 hearts

My first experience with Mark Lawrence's work was with <strong>Red Sister</strong>, from the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/185644-book-of-the-ancestor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Book of the Ancestor</strong> </em></a>trilogy. I have since been collecting and reading more of his work.  <strong>The Girl and the Stars</strong> is the first in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/259647-book-of-the-ice" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Book of the Ice</strong></em></a> series, and is set in the same world, earlier in time.

The main character is Yaz and she is 16. We get only a brief glimpse of her world with her family before things change drastically and she is dropped into a new world none of her people knew existed. She went to save her brother. Throughout our story,  Yaz tries to help and save others, even at risk to herself.  She learns much about her self and her abilities.

I don't think it is necessary to have read the <em><strong>Book of the Ancestor</strong></em> trilogy, but it does make it much easier to adjust to the world and know about the different groups of people and their skills.  It was a much faster and more engaging read for me knowing more, and I had much less of the slow down I get with first book syndrome trying to understand the world.

The depth and growth of the characters, the action, the rules of magic within the world, and the emotional journey of Yaz were all of the quality and energy I have come to expect from this author.  I appreciate the strength of the character created here.

I did not want to like Yaz. She was a good person here and I guess we will see what happens to change her through the years.  Certainly I was afraid for her many times, both for her survival and for what the priest wanted with her.   I definitely want to continue but it looks like that will be with <strong>Black Rock</strong> in 2021.

I enjoyed this addition to Lawrence's world of Abeth, although at this stage I'm in the waiting room wondering what the future holds.
The main character Yaz perpetuates the trope of the misfit, or rather as Katy Rose Poole described it in a Tor.com e-newsletter article (Sept. 9, 2019), the 'Chosen One' trope. Yaz is torn from the social group she desperately tries to meld with, into a new place where her differences will become strengths.
Yaz's people exist in a harsh landscape. Conformity is key to survival. Those who are different are given to the Pit of the Missing. Survival in this world of ice is measured and penultimate. Children are assessed and if seen as a danger to the group they are cast out. Yaz's differences are not easily identifiable. To her horror the Pit becomes her destiny. Here she discovers that rather than ending, her journey is just beginning.
In the place she enters she learns truths about herself and her people. That mathematical constructs of survival can tell a different story, when applying an interpretation from a different perspective, challenging the immutable norm.
So yes, this is a promising beginning to a new series by Lawrence that I will be keeping my eyes on.

A Berkley ARC via NetGalley

This book has a menacing and violent feeling throughout. The violence of the tribal sorting, the emotionless casting out of the children who are deemed unworthy, the divisive nature of the tribes themselves, makes this story a very primitive and dark commentary. After being thrown in the pit, the mutations and monstrosities that occur are only tempered by the hopeful presence of magic.

Rating: 9.5/10

“To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is fatal.”

Thank you to ACE books for the advance reading copy of this book. Receiving this arc did not affect my review in any way.

It was so good to be back in the world of Abeth. I had really enjoyed Lawrence’s Book of the Ancestor trilogy set in the same world and was so excited to dive back in. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

One of my favorite things about The Girl and the Stars is how much more we get to know about the world. This first entry in the Book of the Ice series answers quite a few questions about the magic system, lore, and peoples of Abeth that were left unanswered in the last series. I am so glad I read the Book of the Ancestor series before this as I think it was all that much sweeter to find out about these things through the context of what I already knew. However, it is not necessary to read the previous series before you start this one.

We follow Yaz as the single, first person POV throughout the entire story. Yaz is her own person and I liked how she was very distinct from Nona, the main protagonist from the last series. Yaz has a strong love for her family and in particular this is shown through her sacrifices for her brother Zeen in this book. She is loyal, caring, brutally efficient when necessary, and can wield incredible powers. Yaz is compelling because she is so powerful while at the same time being relatable. You feel for her as she strives to save her family and friends. She fights for what she believes to be right no matter the odds and that made following her all the more enjoyable.

Even though we follow Yaz for the entire story, there are quite a few other characters that are able to shine. I was especially interested in Erris, one of the people Yaz meets within the Ice. There is a mystery about him that intrigues me and I am excited to learn more about him and his abilities. Not gonna lie, there are a lot of names in this one and I didnt take notes. I don’t want to butcher the other character’s names, so rest assured they are there and written brilliantly.

“Now though, with darkness and despair literally reaching out to engulf her, she knew how cruel and fragile a thing hope is, and how sharp the edges of new forged dreams can be once shattered.”

I also want to give a shoutout to Lawrence’s ability to write incredible villains. There are quite a few in this story and I’m not exaggerating, every single one had deep and meaningful motivations. There were no cookie cutter “I’m just evil because I’m evil” villains in this one. I despised them all by the end and that is not something that is easy to do.

The one thing that could have been better and why I decided to give this a 9.5 instead of a perfect 10 is because I felt like some of the characters became unrealistically close in a short amount of time. There is definitely something to be said about shared experiences and traumas bringing people together quickly. However. there were a few people that Yaz deeply cared about in this narrative that I just couldn’t buy into.

I LOVE this magic system! It is so visual and fun to imagine. It is very well explained and I like that even though there is a lot to it, it is pretty easy to understand. I also liked that it is not only useful in battle, but also in surviving the Ice. There are a few separate categories of magic users and all are useful in more ways than one.

“In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown.”

There is some dialogue, both internal and external, about the value of each life no matter who they are or what supposed “weaknesses” they have. I really enjoyed this part of the story because it felt completely organic. “The Broken” struggle with this concept of having worth despite their flaws and I found myself easily relating to them because of this. I love a story that can shine a light on injustice, insecurity, and the pain of the world without losing the hope and goodness that binds us all together.

After that ending, I wanted to pick up the next book right away! Be warned, there will be cliffhangers.

I really enjoyed this book. It has heart, characters that are easy to root for, villains that are easy to hate, and a fast paced plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

Set in the same world as his previous (Red Sister) series, yet most definitely not a rehash of his previous books, and you definitely don't need to read any of his earlier books before diving in to this one.

The protagonist starts out with a very narrow definition of her world, but as the book progresses she greatly expands that definition. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding the author used here, including how he progressively reveals more and more about how the magic (for want of a better word) of this world works. Lots of supporting characters to care about, a few obvious (at least for now) villains, and one huge cliffhanger of an ending.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc!

The Girl and the Stars [TGATS] takes place in the same setting of Mark Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor series, notably, Abeth: an unfortunate ice ridden place where survival is not exactly easy.

Now, I have personally read the Book of the Ancestor trilogy and I really enjoyed them all. I've come across a few reviews floating around for TGATS that claim it's not necessary to read the trilogy before diving in- and on one hand I do agree. However, if you have the time I would recommend Ancestor first: 1. They are really good 2. It will give you a better insight and understanding of the world in TGATS.

With that out of the way, this was a very enjoyable read. World building was excellent, we get extra info about the history of Abeth, Yaz is awesome- I could go on (and I honestly probably will when I write up my goodreads review). I only really have one complaint: it wasn't as easy to devour as some of Mark's other works. There were a few parts I really had to push myself through. Nothing extreme mind you- but I did want to reflect it in my rating.

4.2/5

4.5/5

DISCLAIMER: I have not read The Book of the Ancestor series. Blasphemy, I know. It sounds right up my street, which is why I picked up Red Sister ages ago but unfortunately have neglected to picked ever since. There's nothing that will give me the kick in the butt that I need like getting in on the ground floor of a new series. When I saw that Mark Lawrence was releasing a series set in the same world but entirely independent I thought this was as good a place to start as any.

Fortunately for me, I had no trouble jumping here. It turns out that this series is not only standalone but also occurs several hundred years from the events of The Book of the Ancestor which removes any possibility of overlap.

This story was entirely unique to any fantasy I've read before due to setting alone. This is a fantasy set on the polar seas. A world completely of ice, the characters, nor any generation in memory, never having seen so much as a tree or plant.

Yaz, our MC, belongs to the Ictha tribe, the northernmost (and therefore coldest) clan, known for their amber skin, eyes the color of ice and their extreme hardiness. Due to the harshest of environments they can afford no energy to be wasted, the loss of a single flame or drop of sweat can doom anyone. And any one person can be the doom of the entire tribe. For this reason, every clan must meet every four years for a culling of children. If a child is determined to be harmful to the survival of the clans, whether for their stature, endurance or a trace of magical blood, they are cast down into the Pit of the Missing, a seemingly bottomless hole in the ice. It is at this culling that our story begins.

This was a beautiful start to a richly imagined series. The descriptions are stunning and easy to visualize, which is super impressive given how foreign the setting can be. The world and story have so many layers, each one pulled back reveals one even greater and more surprising. It definitely kept me on my toes.

The book is mostly plot driven which makes it a lot of fun to read. I do think there is room to grow for the characters. There were a couple characters that I grew to care about but Yaz is a bit of a Mary Sue that everyone inexplicably seems ready to die for at every turn. I'm not writing her off as this is a first installment and I'm confident in the author's ability to write characters.

I especially loved the Alice in Wonderland element and watching Yaz fall down her "rabbit hole" into a world that seems to always be more bizarre and dreamlike with every step down. I'm really excited about where this series is going. Now just to read Red Sister to tide me over while I wait for Book 2!

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I knew that since I loved the Book of the Ancestor trilogy (Red Sister, Grey Sister, Holy Sister), set in the same world, that this one was bound to be good. And I was right. I loved this one.

Strong female character? Check. Really cool setting? Check. Deepening of the world's lore? Check. Creepy villains? Check. Plot twists galore? Check. Oh, and let's not forget about the one thing I didn't really like but fully expected and only didn't really like it because I have to wait... cliffhanger ending? Check.

The other thing I knew when I accepted this ARC? That I should wait. That I should say no thanks. That I should have patience and let myself get to when book three's release is imminent and binge them... because now I have to sit here, longing for book two, and that's a long way away. But it will be worth the wait... I just know it!

Thanks, Mark Lawrence. You've done it again!

The Girl and The Stars is the first installment in author Mark Lawrence's Book of the Ice series. This is a spin-off of the authors Book of the Ancestor trilogy. This is an entirely different cast of characters from the authors previous series. Since this is a spin-off, the world is the same as the Book of the Ancestor. In the beginning, 4 tribes of men traveled the universe looking for a home. The tribes were Gerant, Hunska, Marjal, and Quantals. They found the planet of Abeth. As we learned from Nona, the planet is dying.

The protagonist of the series is Yaz. Yaz belongs to the Ictha tribe/clan. We meet Yaz as the clans, who live in a brutal cold ice-covered world, have traveled to attend a gathering run by the priest regulator. Yaz has always known about the hole. Her people called it the Pit of the Missing and she had carried the knowledge of it with her like a midnight eye watching from the back of her mind. It seemed that her entire life had been spent circling that pit in the ice and that now it was drawing her in as she had always known it would.

To progress from being a child and ascending to adulthood the younger members of all the tribes have to be judged by regulator/priests. Yaz fears that she will die, as the priests will push away the children who they consider broken (no ability, disabled, too small or big, etc) into a large hole in the ice (Pit of the Missing) never to be seen again. To Yaz’s shock, the priest keeps her because of her abilities and pushes her younger brother Zeen down the black hole. Instead of letting Zeen go to his fate, she throws herself down the gap to try and to attempt to save him. Yaz is different from others. She sees the River that runs through all things.

Think the Path from the previous series. This helps her gain extra strength, resistance and power. She also has the unusual ability of making stars brighter when she's around them which keeps the Tainted away. In the below, there are two groups of people. The Broken who are called the unwanted, and the Tainted who have fallen victim to their own devils and are itching closer and closer to taking over. All of the younger kids end up with the Tainted. Yaz soon finds herself divided between Broken factions. One that wants to go an entirely different way, and one that has been around for several decades.

Yaz, who is often reckless, joins with Arka (who has lived here for 20 years) and her team (Thurin, Maya, Petrick, Tarko, Kao, Quina), who have to survive the dangers, such as Gerant (large beings), Tainted, and Hunters (vicious creatures). Yaz is determined to find her brother at any cost. She is pulled away from her group many times along the way, and in doing so, learns about the powers she has with the stars, that will help her and her friends survive. Yaz counters a slew of curious characters from Theus, to Eular, to Erris. But, who is really who they say they are and what are their agendas? Eventually, Yaz learns that the boy she has feelings for, Quell, has somehow managed to find himself below. No spoilers since it ties into what happens during the cliffhanger ending.

Yes, you can read this without knowledge from the previous trilogy. As I mentioned, the finale has an intense and shocking cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.

Actual Rating: 3.5

I really enjoyed this fantasy title. Set within the world of The Red Sister series, but a different storyline within that universe. Great world building, great character development, edge of your seat adventure, and a great ending, that leaves you waiting for the next book. This title comes out April 21st. I definitely recommend. 5/5!

For new readers to the work of Lawrence, you can pick up this title no problems and still understand everything that’s going on. However, for those readers who are familiar with his work, you will find there are some overlap from the Red Sister series and pulls you in with a wonderful new perspective to the world of Abeth.

I loooooved the Red Sister series. I didn't love this one quite so much. It's super dense with characters and plot, and I was able to follow for the most part, but then things would take a turn and I had no idea what was happening. The thing I loved about the Red Sister series, and it's how I explain it to prospective readers is, it's a fantasy book that after a while you realize is actually a scifi book, and then after a while it's both, but then it doesn't matter, it's just cool. This one feels much more fantasy-based. It's not bad, but it's not my favorite.

This book is spectacular from the first page. It is so well written and I am immediately obsessed with the story. I can't wait to read everything from Mark Lawrence. I will be purchasing a special signed edition copy of this book as soon as I get the chance. The story is original and I love the world that Lawrence has created. Thank you so much for this arc.

"The Girl and the Stars" takes place in the same world as "Red Sister", but in an entirely different location and with an entirely new cast. You do not have to be at all familiar with the previous trilogy to understand this book, though if you have read it then you will recognize several elements and world building clues.

Yaz is sixteen, and a member of the Ictha people, a tribe that lives far to the North on a frozen planet. She has never known anything other then the ice, and the constant struggle for survival. As the book begins, Yaz's tribe is travelling south for a meeting of the clans. At this meeting all of the children of the tribes are brought before the head priest and judged; if they are flawed in some way then they are thrown into the "pit of the Missing", a black hole in the ice leading far below the surface (the rationale being that these "broken" children will be a drain on the resources of tribes that can't spare anything). Yaz knows she will be found wanting, she has been mentally preparing for it for years. However, what happens at the pit is not what she was expecting, and what happens after leads her to an entirely new world.

There is a lot going on in this book. We are given more information about the Missing and the past of Abeth then we saw in Red Sister, and though this trilogy (so far at least) has a far less developed and complex society, the story feels like it has the potential to be even more epic. Yaz is a great viewpoint character, and she is surrounded by a group of varied and compelling side characters (and if you care about this sort of thing, the gender balance here is more equal then in Red Sister, though still written incredibly well). I rushed through the final act of the book, and now I'm stuck in the position of being desperate to see what happens next and having to wait even longer to find out.

(just as an aside, I realized when reading this that one thing I really like about Mark Lawrence and this series in particular is that while the world may be dark and brutal, the people are not. Despite living through some truly horrific things, Nona and now Yaz, do not lose their faith in people or their ability to form friendships. People aren't just all out to tear each other down and pull themselves up. There is of course betrayal and intrigue and violence, but at the heart of things there are people looking towards the future and caring about each other. I like that.)

I really loved the original series and I was impatient to read this one to return to the universe of the author. His other series is one of my favortite so I couldn't wait to get into it. However, and I don't know why exactly, it was really complicated for me to get into the story and even if I tried and tried, I know that it was a good story and that the author had great idead but it was complicated forme. I couldn't connect to the point that I decided to stop. While I'm sure it will please to many readers, I have to confess that it was quite complicated for me.

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence is the 1st book in his fantasy Book of Ice series. I have become a big fan of Mark Lawrence after I read and loved his Book of Ancestor series. I did enjoy The Girl and the Stars, and though it was a good story, I felt this was totally a different kind of read, even if it does take place in the same world as Book of Ancestor.

We meet Yaz, our heroine, at the start, as the clans, who live in a brutal cold ice-covered world, have to attend every few years a gathering run by the priest regulator. Yaz fears that she will die, as the priests will push away the children who they consider broken (no ability, disabled, too small or big, etc) into a large hole in the ice never to be seen again. To Yaz’s shock, the priest keeps her and pushes her younger brother down the black hole; she throws herself down the gap to try and save him. This was an amazing and shocking start that kept us enthralled, as Yaz lands in the dark, and is immediately attacked by a giant monster. As she tries to run, she is helped by strangers who come to her rescue.

We get to meet many of the survivors (young and older) who live in the ‘Missing’ cities below. Yaz will join with Arka (who has lived there for 20 years) and her team, who have to survive the dangers, such as Gerant (large beings), Tainted, Hunters (vicious creatures). I really liked many of the secondary characters Lawrence created, such as Thurin, Erris, Arka, Maya, Quell, and even the bad ones such as Theus and Pome.
What follows is a nonstop action filled story, with everyone trying be a step ahead of the enemies, who are constantly trying to get them to join their team or kill them. Yaz is determined to find her brother at any cost. She is pulled away from her group many times along the way, and in doing so, learns about the powers she has with the stars, that will help her and her friends survive. I loved Yaz, as she became such a great heroine, especially using her stars to guide her.

The Girl and the Stars was a fantasy in a different kind of world that is beyond normal. The cruel conditions, the dangerous people, the constant battles and the need to survive keeps us engrossed into this story. To tell too much more would be spoilers, as you really need to read this to understand all the factions involved. I will say there is sort of a cliffhanger at the end. If you enjoy fantasy, you can never go wrong with Mark Lawrence. I suggest you read The Girl and the Stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC!
I was a very big fan of the Book of the Ancestor trilogy so I was excited to see this was set in the same world, and where Book of the Ancestor took place in the thin belt of the equator where the world wasn’t frozen, this took place out on the ice. The ice and the ice tribes were really an unknown factor in the first trilogy and it was interesting to see how such a different culture and way of life worked out. Neither people really know much about each other and there are references to the ice tribes not even believing the unfrozen part of the world exists!
This novel really drops you into a completely different, alien world.
Weak children are sacrificed to a hole in the pit so they don’t drag their tribes down and the main character, Yaz, knows she is destined to be thrown into it. But she is saved and her brother is pushed instead. In that moment she jumps after her brother to save him and is plunged, quite literally, into another world all together.
A world beneath the ice.
People who were dropped and survived have become their own tribe and are living beneath the ice. Dangers like the ice tribes above have never known work below and what made Yaz so different and weak is what makes her strong among the Broken. She learns of the bloodlines of magical abilities as seen in the first trilogy, the Taint and the demons in the ice, an abandoned city the Missing built, the stars/stones that make life possible under the ice, and the unknown forces at work that cause children to be thrown into the pit.
The book itself was very interesting and so well-described. I liked the protagonist and her journey. Most of the conflict comes from the forces at work under the ice (civil unrest between the Broken, the Tainted demon-filled people, and the hunters from the Missing city), wanting to save her brother, and wanting to leave. There’s a sort of..... love square that I feel is hinted at, which I’m not really a fan of.
I only gave it three stars because I feel like it dragged at some points, but overall a decent, enjoyable, and exciting read. The visuals of life under the ice, all the star stones, and the Missing city.... *chef’s kiss*
I’m intrigued to see where the rest of the books are going and if we’ll see any characters from the first trilogy. Because it’s so cut off from the other trilogy, readers have no idea if it takes place in the same time period at all, but I’m sure we’ll find out in the upcoming novels!

Okay, first things first. Just a little word or warning, I feel like everyone should definitely read Red Sister before jumping into this book. I was a little lost and there’s just so much information thrown at you that I regret not having introduced myself by reading the previous series.

That being said, this book was amazing. It was well written, the world was so lushly thought out and after being intimidated by the size, I’m glad this book was as big as it was. I never wanted it to end.

Mark Lawrence's books are so deep in their world building, I recommend for people who are trying to get into fantasy or people who love it just the same