My first Mark Lawrence book and I am impressed (and a little embarrassed I haven't read anything by this author yet).

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• intriguing premise with a captivating setting and excellent world-building
• compelling narration, I especially liked Yaz as a character (she's determined, loyal, and brave)
• many twists throughout the story

𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:
• pacing—felt a little slow in the middle, but then it picks up again (just a minor gripe for me

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: fans of YA fantasy, fans of stories in a cold setting

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl and the Stars – Mark Lawrence

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.

“The Girl and the Stars” is written by Mark Lawrence and is also the first book that I have red by the author. Mark Lawrence has also written the “Broken Empire” trilogy, the “Red Queen” trilogy and the “Book of the Ancestor” trilogy.


The Ichta are a resourceful and strong people. Spending their lives on the vast expanse of ice that the world we know has become. Yet it never ends for Yaz and her little brother Zeen. The some cold and white as far as the eye can see, the same monotonous existence – day in and day out.

Soon though it will be the time of judgment. Yaz, like many other children of the Ichta and the other tribes, will pass before the regulator and be judged. If they are judged by the Regulator to be without fault and weakness, they will stay with their tribe. If they are found to be lacking – they are thrown into the Pit, to their deaths.

Yaz knows her brother will be fine but she fears that the Regulator will see what she knows deep inside – weakness, she is not fit to be Ichta.

Before she knows it the day she fears is here, yet when she faces the Regulator, he deems her special, she isn’t thrown into the Pit but neither is he allowed to return to her tribe. She is to stay with the Regulator and the priests of the Black Rock – she has abilities even she does not yet know exists. But then the unthinkable happens – her little brother Zeen is thrown into the Pit. Before she is even conscious of having made the decision Yaz throws herself into the Pit after her brother.

But what she discovers is nothing she could have imagined, nor is it anything like the legends of her people. As it turns out those thrown into the Pit does not necessarily die – they have formed their own little tribe below the ice. Yet there is more than the Broken, as they have called themselves, that lurks below the ice – a forgotten evil, an evil wanting to break free and go above the ice.

Can Yaz harness her powers and find her true self in time to stop the evil lurking beneath the ice, or will the evil waiting above put an end to it all…


‘The Girl and the Stars” is a thrilling new young adult fantasy story about the struggle of one young girl and her journey to discovery who she really is and the truth about the world she has grown up in. The trials and tribulations she struggles through on her journey are tough and very emotional. But it’s wonderful journey to experience with Yaz.

I do hope in the next part of this story that we see more interactions between Yaz and Thurin. I am not sure if the author intended this but I found the character of Quell to be quite annoying and irritating. I don’t go into too much detail as to why as I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I found Quell much too clingy and possessive. He learns needs to find himself and see what he truly wants – not just want is expected of him. Much like Yaz’s own journey.

Mark Lawrence's previous trilogy, Book of the Ancestors, were some of the best books I've read over the last year. So I was delighted to get a copy via NetGalley, many thanks to the publishers!

The Girl and the Stars is set in the same world in which Nona Grey lived, Abeth. This has to be one of the most interesting and unusual fantasy world settings I've encountered. Abeth is a planet circling a dying sun with the ice from the poles relentlessly encroaching on the central green belt. The previous series takes place in this belt, however, the Girl and the Stars takes us to the ice. I felt cold the entire book. This is the story of Yaz, an incredibly determined woman from one of the hardest ice tribes. When she loses her brother, she descends under the ice to save him.

This book is great. Like the previous serious, the setting is so interesting. You can understand how bizarre it must be for people who have never seen the colour green before. The world both above and below the ice is so harsh in different ways and you can really feel the myriad of challenges facing these people in just surviving every day. One thing though, I became a bit obsessed while reading this with how people living on the ice go to the toilet. Do they dig holes? How do the wash their hands? Not knowing this really got to me, I woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night wondering.

While you don't have to have read the previous serious, I think it might help fully appreciate the complexity of the world and the magic. Also, the previous serious is so good, why haven't you read it yet? Go do that, you won't regret it.

A thoroughly enjoyable read! Ashamed to admit it's my first Mark Lawrence's and keen to explore more of his works.

The novel opens with the Girl, Yaz, as she and her clan, the Ichta, made their way to a congregation of clans. One which determines a child's fate: to become an adult of their clan or if deemed weak/broken, thrown into the abyss. Yaz always thought that this is the end of her life, that she's a weakling and does not deserve her place in her clan. While the judgement turned her life upside down but her brother's fate, spun her world unrecognisable.

I think in a normal climate, I would not be able to put this book down but in the current climate, I have been finding it hard to read especially digitally. There were parts of the book which were kinda philosophical and I struggled with that - again, I'm blaming it on the current climate because it's hard to focus these days. Overall though I really love Yaz's adventure and discovery of the secrets of her cruel dark world and it was so full of twists and turns (totally unexpected) all the way to the last sentence. Highly recommended for fantasy lovers who are looking to disappear into another world for a few hours.

Thanks to HarperVoyager via Netgalley for ecopy of book in exchange of honest review

Thankyou to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers Australia and the author, Mark Lawrence, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Girl and the Stars in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
What can I say but I loved reading this book.
The storyline was well thought out and written. While all the characters are well drawn and compelling, Yaz is incredible. I can't wait for more in this series.
Well worth a read.

This was a really interesting premise, but I’m not sure I really liked the writing that much. I haven’t read any other books by the author, I know he’s super popular. I liked the characters and the storyline, but I didn’t really enjoy the writing that much.

The Girl and the Stars was a captivating read from start to finish. Lawrence's world building is excellent, giving the reader just the right amount of information for them to get a sense of the setting and background, without info dumping. Yaz is a delightful character I really came to care about, while the supporting players are also memorable and well drawn. There is a nice balance of drama/emotion and action/adventure, and the epic cliff-hanger ending left me eager to get hold of book two to find out what will happen next. Recommended for fantasy fans. A solid 4 stars from me.