Sophia Rose Reviews: The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence Narrated by Helen Duff Book #1 The Book of the Ice

Today Sophia Rose is back and is reviewing the Penguin Random House audio edition of The Girl and the Stars by a favorite fantasy author of mine, Mark Lawrence. This is the first in his new The Book of the Ice series.
Enjoy!

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence, narrated by Helen Duff

#1 The Book of the Ice

Fantasy

Publisher:  Penguin Audio

Published:  5.5.20

ASIN:  B087QPVLHY

Time:  18 hours 21 minutes

Rating: 4

Narrator Rating: 5

Format: MP3

Source:  Penguin Random House Audio

Sellers:  Amazon /Barnes & Noble/ Kobo

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

A stunning new epic fantasy series following a young outcast who must fight with everything she has to survive, set in the same world as Red Sister.

In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown. Yaz's people call it the Pit of the Missing, and now it is drawing her in as she has always known it would.

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. And Yaz is not the same.

Yaz's difference tears her from the only life she's ever known, away from her family, from the boy she thought she would spend her days with, and has to carve out a new path for herself in a world whose existence she never suspected. A world full of difference and mystery and danger.

Yaz learns that Abeth is older and stranger than she had ever imagined. She learns that her weaknesses are another kind of strength and that the cruel arithmetic of survival that has always governed her people can be challenged.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

Entering the icy, dire world of Abeth for a new fantasy adventure with a fresh, young heroine was one of my most delicious reading/listening anticipations.  After the Book of the Ancestor trilogy, I was hooked on the author’s writing style, characters, plot, and worldbuilding and was excited to get more.

 

The Girl and the Stars is a spin-off for the Book of the Ancestor trilogy and, though a new setting on Abeth with new characters and situation, I did feel that I had a richer experience for already having experienced Book of the Ancestor trilogy first.  And, newsflash, there is some minor crossover and hints that this might not be as unconnected from that earlier series as it seems at first glance.

 

Yaz is from one of the ice tribes living on Abeth.  Her world was limited to tribal traditions and survival.  It’s a harsh environment and demanding so there isn’t much time and energy left over for other things.  But, every four years, the tribes all share the tradition of the gathering near a deep hole in the ice when they sort through the tribal children for who are worthy to remain and become adults and who are to be cast down.  The adventure begins when Yaz’s younger brother, Zeen, is chosen by the priest to be cast down.  She feels it should have been her and she jumps down into the hole in the ice leaving the world above and her tribe for the dark, depths of a new world under the ice among the Broken and others.

 

If this author does nothing else, he can write the fire out of a fantasy world.  I listened in and felt the shiver and sense of harsh way of life from the descriptions of the ice tribes and I felt the chilling, shadowy, lethal world below where all kinds of mysteries abound and where demon-possession and people with magic strike Yaz with amazement.

 

The opening and the thrills of new reveals with tantalizing mysteries around every turn carried me through this first book.  But, it wasn’t completely satisfying, either.  I liked parts of Yaz, but I also hated her single-minded determination to find and rescue her brother at the expense of other’s lives and without a great deal of thoughtful planning considering what they are up against.  And, I felt the tension in the story dropped off and lagged in the third-quarter before it picked up again.  There were some easy conveniences that made Yaz lucky rather than good (skilled) at surviving and thriving with her powerful gift that let her enter a river of magic.  I think I felt this way because I knew something of her gift from the earlier series and it took long training and mastery to achieve what Yaz did.  Don’t think I didn’t like the book.  What bugged me was much less than what thrilled and kept me riveted.

 

Helen Duff was a new to me narrator, but I settled right into her storytelling like she was a familiar and comfortable repeat storyteller for me.  I felt the wonder of Yaz as she left the stark world above for the mysterious, shadowy one below.  There was a large cast and I had no trouble distinguishing the voices.  She also altered with tone and emotions of the scenes.  Most of all, she made the denser, more poetic writing and strange original names and terms easy and without confusion.  Hope she narrates the whole series.

 

In summary, this was one exciting, entertaining tale that ended on a cliffhanger that left me needing the next installment pronto.  Those who love fantasy adventures with a youthful protagonist and mostly younger cast where the action can get gritty and dark should definitely give this series a go.

 

Author Bio:

Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. His day job is as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.

Between work and caring for his disabled child, Mark spends his time writing, playing computer games, tending an allotment, brewing beer, and avoiding DIY.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/mark__lawrence

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MarkLawrenceBooks

Website:  http://www.marklawrence.buzz/

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Sophia’s Social Media Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose