Under the Stars
By: Rebecca A. RogersPublished: August 1, 2011
Source/Format: Purchased via Amazon/Paperback
Length: 332 pages
After seventeen-year-old Andrina’s home is demolished by meteors, she encourages her family to relocate to Legora, one of the few remaining cities that promise a new life to weary travelers. But Legora’s food and supplies are in shortage—too many refugees have sought protection behind its gates—and the only option is to appeal to the King of the New World for provisions. When the town assembles a lottery to choose who will plea to the king, Andrina holds the ill-fated ticket.
Her arrival in Valyad, the royal territory, sparks intrigue from King Zarek. Andrina can’t imagine herself acting like the other girls, who flounce after Zarek’s affection and money, but she considers giving in to her flirty side if it’ll guarantee that her family is fed. So when Zarek leaves Andrina with a bitter decision—marry him or he’ll strip Legora of its supplies—she has no choice but to accept being Queen of the New World.
Soon, though, Andrina uncovers that Valyad is smothered in deceit. Days after their wedding, Zarek is found stabbed to death and all fingers point to Andrina. Betrayed by Valyad’s governor, who wants the crown for himself, Andrina learns that it’s the people who will cast a vote on her fate; people who don’t want a commoner operating their kingdom. Andrina must not only convince Valyad that their king didn’t die by her hand, but also outsmart the sly politicians of the realm with a surprise they can’t outrun.
My Thoughts:
It’s 2032. The world Andrina once knew has been destroyed by
the falling stars. Food, shelter, and safety are hard to come by. Andrina
struggles to provide for her mother and brother; she’ll do anything to keep
them safe and give them what they need to live - including marrying a selfish
king.
Andrina’s conflicts lie within the walls of Valyad. The
people hate her while all she wants to do is help increasingly overpopulated
Legora.
It’s true: fairy tales don’t always have happy endings, and
Ms. Rogers has written a truly heart wrenching story, set in a post-apocalyptic world. What makes it so saddening
is how well I came to know Andrina and her family and friends. The events of
the story became so much more personal.
Andrina was strong spirited and brave, putting others before
her every step of the way, even when she was scared. What 17 year old has to
endure the kinds of trials she had to? Malik had more importance in the story
than I expected. He was extremely loyal to Andy and made sure he was there to keep Andy
sane when she hit rock bottom.
I have to admit, any book that can make me cry and bring me
heartache is a winner! One lesson I’ve learned from Under the Stars is that I should never take food, shelter, safety,
and most of all love, for granted
because they can be lost at any moment.
NEED A BOOK TO PULL YOUR HEART STRINGS?
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This sounds really interesting! I'll have to add it to my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Glad you're adding it to your wishlist, it's really a lovely story :)
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