Thank you so much Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, Shea Ernshaw, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know if my expectations were too high or what happened because I didn’t enjoy this book. I’ve read Shea Ernshaw’s books in the past and have enjoyed them, but A Wilderness of Stars just missed the mark for me. The entire book just felt like it was all over the place with a bunch of ideas that didn’t cohesively go together. To be honest, it didn’t need to be over 400 pages, everything could have been resolved quicker. Plus, it didn’t help that the chapters were extremely long too. I struggled to get through this book. There’s zero science, dry characters with no development, a slow paced plot, and the romance felt forced. 1/5 stars and I unfortunately do not recommend this book.

It has been well over a year since I read this book and I still do think of it from time to time.

I think about the main character, Vega, and how wonderful of a narrator they were for the story. The slow burn romance really worked for me. I don't feel like it dragged on too long and I do still think about the romance from time to time.

But really what never left me was the atmospheric way that this story was told. I definitely will be reading more by this author. I already have in the way of the pumpkin queen story they released last year.

I really enjoyed this book! The story had such a captivating atmosphere, full of magical realism and a little bit of mystery. The characters were well-developed, and the relationship dynamics kept me hooked throughout. Zorie's inner struggle was relatable, and I felt invested in her journey. The pacing was a little slow at times, but it allowed me to really dive into the setting and characters.

It's been a little over a year since I actually read this book but I still think about it from time to time.
I loved this story. If you are into astronomy or the stars or even if you've ever wondered about what there is out there or where we came from then definitely check out this book!
Shea Earnshaw is definitely an autobuy author at this point.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book!

Vega has spent her life in a secluded valley, forbidden by her mother to venture beyond its borders due to unknown dangers. But when she sees an ominous sign in the sky, she’s compelled to leave for the first time. Outside, she discovers a world ravaged by a mysterious illness that robs people of their senses before killing them. As the last Astronomer, Vega holds secret knowledge that could save them. Pursued by those who fear her power, she joins forces with Cricket and Noah to search for a fabled cure, facing difficult choices that could determine the fate of humanity.

Vega is a wonderful narrator and a fascinating character. I loved getting to know her as she navigated the world around her and learned her true purpose.

I’m so hesitant to attempt to describe the storyline and what made this story so unique because that in and of itself would be a spoiler. What I can tell you is that it is part mystery, part adventure story. It has post-apocalyptic themes. If any of that sounds intriguing, I highly recommend A Wilderness of Stars!

Thank you to Simon Teen and Netgalley for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

She Ernshaw can do no wrong in my book! A Wilderness of Stars brings us back to Ernshaw's unique and beloved style of writing earning her the title (or at least according to me) of an upper-YA magical realism goddess. You're sure to feel all the emotions as you venture through this book with our new favorite teenage astronomer, Vega.

when a constellation appears that could mean the end of her world. So for the record, I love Shea Ernshaw. I’ve read all of her books, and I think she’s literally the master of atmosphere. This is no exception, as she takes us to a world ravaged by a devastating sickness and seems to take place in a Wild West-type of environment. When it comes to reading and reviewing sci-fi or fantasy I always like to preface by saying it’s not my genre. I almost never seek it out. Still I love this offer so I decided to give it a shot. And honestly…I really liked it. The worldbuilding doesn’t feel exhausting, and you get the rules and lore of this world pretty quickly so you can just focus on the characters. And I really liked the main characters, especially Vega and Noah. The book feels really cinematic, and it’s a really fun adventure story with real stakes and a kind of wild twist. This really exceeded my expectations, Ernshaw for the win!

The author, Shea Ernshaw, has woven an enchanting tale that drew me in with its captivating atmosphere. I was completely engrossed in the story and found myself unable to put it down. I am eagerly looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

Having been a big fan of The Wicked Deep, I was very much looking forward to reading A Wilderness of Stars. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The story was somewhat lackluster and I found myself getting lost in the wordiness of the story. I was hoping that the story would pick up at least mid-way for me, but it really didn't.

All in all, this was not the book for me. However, I'll still keep Shea Ernshaw on my list of authors to continue to check out. I think this was basically just a "not for me" kind of book.

Perfect for spooky season. Shea Ernshaw’s writing style is so mystifying I hardly wanted to set this one down.

I am absolutely obsessed with Shea Ernshaw’s first 2 books. I read them years ago, but I still think about them. I was basically the only person that wasn’t a huge fan of her 3rd book. But still, I was quite excited for this one.

I thought this was an interesting read, but it was missing the magic and the atmospheric writing I came to love. It’s still her witchy books for me that shine.

This is the first book of Shea Ernshaw's that I just could not get in to easily. I struggled to feel connection with the main characters and the storyline, and inevitably DNFed around 30%.

Just not the book for me. Our book club read this together and the general consensus is that is just wasn't the author's best work. I've read most of her other books and she is an auto-buy author for me but this one just wasn't on the same level in our opinion compared to her others, especially her adult debut. Confusing setting and lack of details were not intriguing but rather just frustrating. Looking forward to more from her but this one just wasn't a match.

overall, I liked this. I’m a sucker for anything dystopian, though this was kind of dystopian lite with a dash of sci-fi. it kept me pretty engaged throughout and had likable characters. Ernshaw has such a beautiful, poetic writing style. the twist in the end I only really half guessed, and it was a great twist! this didn’t blow me away but it was a unique read and I’m glad I read it. I recommend this if you’re a dystopian sucker like

Book Feature
A Wilderness of Stars
By: Shea Ernshaw

#qotd: Do you know any of the constellations and can you locate them?
#aotd: I can almost always find the big and little dipper. And I swear one time i saw Pegasus but haven't been able to find it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am featuring this book because I ended up DNFing. The book sounded very intriguing and I loved A History of Wild Places which I had the ARC for last year. This was just not the book for me, though. I added the audio to help, see if it would interest me more, and it did not. I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator to begin with. Then the book was just very slow. I was 4 hours in and it seemed like only 2 really significant things had happened. It was really repetitive and couldn't hold my interest enough to find out why she had a mysterious tattoo or what that had to do with the constellations. I was bummed because I love the stars and so wanted to love this book. Fingers crossed for the next one.


#review #dnf #notforme #bookdnf
#awildernessofstars #stars #constellations #photoedit #bookphoto #picsart #booklove #lifeistooshortotreadboringbooks #magic #netgalley

This book was not what I expected. The blurb sounded great, and I was defiantly excited to embark on another one of Earnshaw's magical tales. This book was not only great it was unexpected and had such lush writing. There were some moments when the story kind of dragged a little. Once you get past some of the earlier parts the twists and turns ignite a need to binge the entire story. I absolutely loved the second half of this book. The concept and ideas in this book were so fresh and interesting. The execution was done perfectly. I really enjoyed the characters. I might be secretly hoping that there is another book to continue the story, i would love to know if Vega accomplishes her goal.

Hello Again,

From the moment I saw the title and cover of this book I knew I wanted to read it. I have read a bunch of Shea’s other works and seeing this new one coming out, made me super excited. I pre-ordered myself a copy and before it even got here I decided I wanted to listen to the audiobook. I enjoyed so many of Shea’s other works on audio and it just seemed like this would be another one I might enjoy on audio. So I put a hold on the audiobook on Libby and my hold finally came in recently! So without further ado, let’s jump into it!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Vega has never left the valley. She has lived there since being born and her mother has basically forbidden her from leaving the valley. But recently Vega’s mother passed away. Shortly after her passing, Vega sees something in the sky that she thought at least up until now was only a rumor. But she is sure of what she saw. Vega decides after seeing this sign in the sky, that she is going to leave the valley but when she gets outside of the valley she sees that people are sick. They are going blind, and some are passing away. This is a whole different side of the world that Vega is experiencing. But something Vega knows that no one else does is that she is the Last Astronomer, this was passed to her from her mother and before that her grandmother. But can Vega use the fact that she is the Last Astronomer to help her figure out what is going on? Can she save anyone? What if she does not want to tell people she is the Last Astronomer but maybe they find out by accident?

I really really wanted to love this book but unfortunately, I think it was not for me. The story was super intriguing but at the end of the story I was left with this scattered feeling. I did really enjoy the narrator and felt as though they did a great job trying to portray the characters and the situation. I will definitely still be giving whatever Shea writes next a try. Before I wrap up this review, I did want to give an honorable mention to the cover, it is amazing. I can not stop looking at the cover. Let me know in the comments what your current read is!

Goodreads Rating: 2 Stars

This book is CLASSIC young adult chosen one insta love the world is ending and if that sounds like a jumble of tropes then you’re getting the idea. Sometimes this really works (coughSerpent&Dovecough) and sometimes it really doesn’t. Unfortunately this was one of the times it didn’t work for me. I’m not a huge fan of insta-love, naive heroines or one-note villains and this book had all three. The story wasn’t necessarily bad it just wasn’t great and I saw the big twist coming from miles away. I did like the beautiful prose and the plot itself is well-done. I definitely felt invested enough to finish and would recommend to anyone who loves a solid YA without too much depth.

Shea Ernshaw has become one of my favorite YA authors of recent years. However, this novel didn't catch my attention as much as previous ones did. I wasn't too interested in the characters and felt the pacing was a bit too slow, but Ernshaw's lyrical writing still shines through, so I would recommend it to readers interested in slow burn fantasy/sci fi.

An interesting set-up. We suspect from the start that everything is not as it seems. The general sense is of the western frontier but the details don't add up. When reality is revealed it is a sense of the inevitable rather than a surprise. The characters aren't really complex enough to drive the plot forward.