A Song for the Stars
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A Song for the Stars
by Ilima Todd
Edition: paperback, 2019
Synopsis: Inspired by a true story
Hawaiian Islands, 1779
As the second daughter of a royal chief, Maile will be permitted to marry for love. Her fiancé is the best navigator in Hawaiʻi, and he taught her everything he knows—how to feel the ocean, observe the winds, read the stars, and how to love.
But when sailors from a strange place called England arrive on her island, a misunderstanding ends in battle, and Maile is suddenly widowed before she is wed.
Finding herself in the middle of the battle and fearing for her life, Maile takes John Harbottle, the wounded man who killed her fiancé, prisoner, and though originally intending to let him die, she reluctantly heals him. And in the process, she discovers the man she thought was her enemy might be her ally instead.
John has been Captain James Cook’s translator for three voyages across the Pacific. He is kind and clearly fascinated with her homeland and her people—and Maile herself. But guilt continues to drive a wedge between them: John’s guilt over the death he caused, and Maile’s guilt over the truth about what triggered the deadly battle—a secret she’s kept hidden from everyone on the island.
When Maile is tasked with teaching John how to navigate using the stars so he can sail back to England, they must also navigate the challenges of being from very different cultures. In doing so, they might also find the peace that comes when two hearts become one.
Maile’s betrothed has taught her much about navigation and what it is like to be in love. When she loses him to the white invaders who appeared on their shore, she is devastated. Can she find love with John Harbottle, the translator for Captain Cook, who murdered her betrothed in front of her?
The author blends two stories into one, telling the story of her ancestors and a tragic situation that occurred when Captain Cook first stepped foot on “The Sandwich Islands.” We follow Maile through the conflict that left her first betrothed dead to her taking John prisoner and slowly falling in love as she shows him her culture.
It was definitely a compelling read, told through her voice with brief excerpts from John’s journal. Still, it is told in the first person present tense, which I really don’t care for. I think it was meant to pull the reader in, but I just found it annoying.
For readers of historical fiction looking for an interesting and little told era, look no further.
