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The Shadow Behind the Stars

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3.31  ·  Rating details ·  463 ratings  ·  108 reviews
A girl’s dark destiny could cause the unraveling of the world in this spellbinding novel from the author of A Creature of Moonlight, which Kirkus Reviews called “cumulatively stunning” in a starred review.

Heed this warning, mortal: stay far away from the three sister Fates. For if they come to love you, they might bring about the end of the world…

Chloe is the youngest. Her
...more
ebook, 256 pages
Published September 1st 2015 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (first published 2015)
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Andrianna One female character does love another, but it's not really a romantic love. I wouldn't consider it an LGBT read, more like...intense female friendshi…moreOne female character does love another, but it's not really a romantic love. I wouldn't consider it an LGBT read, more like...intense female friendship.

Unrelated: this book is pretty boring so I wouldn't bother with it anyway.(less)

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Average rating 3.31  · 
Rating details
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Susana
Nov 19, 2014 rated it it was ok
Recommends it for: fans of greek tragedies told in an Alegoric format?
Recommended to Susana by: I didn't know that this was supposed to be an Alegory, okay?

Arc provided by Atheneum Books For Young Readers through Edelweiss

Release Date: September 1st



Do you like Greek tragedies?
Like, I don't know, Antigone perhaps? *It's the only one I remember reading during college, okay?*
Because if you do like that more classical style, in which characters are just a means to tell a tale, you're going to love this! Really.
If not, well, though it up.

Look at this cover!
It's stunning: I absolutely love it.
As for the theme behind the story, great choice. As soo
...more
Jillian
Sep 13, 2015 marked it as dnf
i got an arc of this through edelweiss and i have been trying so hard to read this so i can review and i cannot get through it. i'm just not fan of the writing style. ...more
Alyssa
Aug 15, 2014 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: 2015-releases
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Shadow Behind the Stars by Rebecca Hahn
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

A girl’s dark destiny could cause the unraveling of the world in this spellbinding novel from the author of A Creature of Moonlight, which Kirkus Reviews called “cumulatively stunning” in a starred review.

Heed this warning, mortal: stay far away from the three sist
...more
Colleen Houck
I love the format of this book, how it's addressed to all of humanity. The language and metaphor is lovely and transfixing. The anguish comes through so powerfully. For me, it was especially poignant when reading about the cat, Monster. ...more
Rebekah
Feb 18, 2015 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2015, fantasy
Original Review found at: www.awesomebooknut.com

Rebecca Hahn has once again delivered an amazing book. I fell in love with Hahn’s writing when I read her other book A Creature of Moonlight. Again her writing is so beautiful, mystical, lyrical, Hahn is just a master at words and painting a picture so distinct and unique. This story is short but very deep which I loved. Plus I am just a sucker for mythology of just about any kind. I will ALWAYS read a book with mythology all wrapped in it.

Here she
...more
Munro's Kids
Aug 21, 2015 rated it did not like it
This book has the distinct honour of being the most boring YA novel I have ever read. It was written quite prettily; however, it seemed like the author really enjoyed reading her own writing, so she repeated the same sentiment several times in slightly different ways. This added numerous unnecessary paragraphs, pages, chapters, etc. The whole book was very slow-moving with little to no reward for slogging through way too much writing. I was brought back to my days in the Writing program slashing ...more
Michelle
Aug 04, 2015 rated it liked it
Shelves: review-on-blog, own
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**The Shadow Behind the Stars by Rebecca Hahn is a young adult mythology book unlike any other mythology story I have read in the young adult world. It read more like a traditional Greek tale. A fictionalized play of a Greek tragedy, and there was just something about that the academic and history nerd inside of me ate right up. I loved that this story was set in ancient Greece and that it had all the sorrowful tragic e ...more
jasmine
I don't need to sleep when I can just cry instead, right? ...more
Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-
My name is Chloe, and I am the youngest.

Mine are the fingers that choose the wool, that shape the thread, that begin it. The sun smiles upon me. Men love me without knowing who I am. I have lived forever and will live forever more.

My sisters and I have been on our isolated island for centuries, longer than any mortal can remember. We spin, measure, and slice the countless golden threads of human lives.

We are the three Fates, and we have stayed separate for good reason: It is dangerous for us to
...more
Tiffany (About to Read)
This review was originally posted on About to Read. For Fairytale fashions, reads, and more visit abouttoread.com

***

If you’re into Greek mythology, this is a must read. 100,000% must read. It’s more of a traditional story than you normally find in YA. It’s set in ancient Greece and there is no attempt to work the Greek gods into our world. It is told from the perspective of one of the three fates and is just drenched in awesomeness.

From the very first chapter, I knew this book and I were going t
...more
Stacee
Apr 29, 2015 rated it really liked it
4.5 stars

I've always been interested in the fates, so when I saw the synopsis for this book, I was beyond excited. Annnnnnd a little trepidatious as well. Thankfully, it delivered.

I loved everything about this. I loved getting to see everything from the youngest sister's point of view. The three sisters are not family, but they are, and their dynamic was fascinating. I loved how things shifted once Aglaia came into the picture.

It is a bit of a slow burn. The sisters, by design, cannot interfere
...more
Phoebe
Aug 28, 2015 rated it it was ok
A little bizarre, tbh. Lovely, lovely turns of phrase and some poetic moments. But... the plot was so....? and the conclusion? The book traded clarity and story for prettiness.
Sam Chase
Jul 10, 2017 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: fans of Greek fantasy and beautiful writing
Shelves: 3-stars
Rating: 2.5 stars

Heed this warning, mortal: stay far away from the three sister Fates. For if they come to love you, they might bring about the end of the world.

Picking this book up at the library, I was excited to jump into my favorite theme- Greek fantasy -on the beach. I have loved Greek mythology since Mrs. Sadler's 6th-grade English class, and am always looking for related novels (Percy Jackson and Greek dramas, mainly). This intriguing little beauty about the three Fates caught my attentio
...more
Kimberly (Book Swoon)
Jan 13, 2015 rated it really liked it
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Heed this warning, mortal: stay away from the three sister Fates. For if they come to love you, they might bring about the end of the wold ...

The Shadow Behind the Stars is pure magic! The story of Chloe and her sister Fates reveals a tale of love and loss, of beauty and tragedy as they follow in the footsteps a mortal girl who will forever changed these immortals as they learn the very brilliance and heartache it

...more
Erin
Feb 22, 2016 rated it it was ok
I thought this story was going to grab me. I *wanted* to be grabbed! It's told from the point of view of the youngest of the three Fates as they meddle in the life of one mortal. The idea of the three sisters impartially spinning, measuring, and cutting each person's thread is fascinating to me, and I feel like an author could do so much with it. Hahn did do a lot with it, it just wasn't for me.

You learn early on that something the Fates do will cause the world to end, but I, at least, very soon
...more
Bookworm007
Jun 09, 2014 marked it as aint-anywhere-or-out  ·  review of another edition
Wow! A book about the Three Fates! Awesome! Totally looking forward to this one!
Kourtney
This book is like two of my favorite books had a baby--Mitch Albom's The Time Keeper meets Catherynne Valente's Palimpsest. The writing transported me to the world of the 3 sisters of fate. I've always been partial to Greek myths, but this book took me on a true journey. The fable style of the writing makes the story feels ancient, but in a good way. I enjoyed every second I spent with this novel. The book is a beautiful piece of art and I will treasure it on my bookshelves for decades to come. ...more
Mckinley Inglis
While I thought the lesson taught within this book was interesting, the way the book was written with so much embellishment and description, just was not for me. Every feeling, emotion, and thought was accompanied by a paragraph of stuff I ended up skimming. I'm sure some people would appreciate the effort to create a mythical ambiance, but I prefer less of that for more plot and character development. ...more
Lekeisha The Booknerd
Review to come. Although, there's not much to tell because I have no idea what this book even means. I think I may have been a little too eager to read it. Arrgh!

*Update* Originally posted over at my blog

My first thought after finishing this book was, What the heck did I just read?. Seriously, I can’t even comprehend what happened. I finally came to the conclusion that I missed the message because I was trying too hard to figure out everything else. The writing is great, actually. It’s the story
...more
Laura (booksnob)
Aug 01, 2015 rated it really liked it
Chloe is the youngest of the Three Fates. Chloe spins the wool and gives it to her sister Serena, who measures the yarn. Serena holds the yarn to the appropriate length of a life, and the oldest sister, Xinot, takes her shears out of her pocket and cuts it. Together they hold the fate of the world in their hands.

Chloe is the narrator of The Shadow Behind the Stars and the book begins like this:

"THIS IS A STORY ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD. It is a lesson for you, mortal, so listen well to my word
...more
☆Stephanie☆
Dec 05, 2015 rated it it was amazing
This book is a different breed all together.
When I finished, I wanted to cry. Really cry.
The story moves along with a rhythm, and you don't realize you're involved in it until you are almost done. There really is no dramatic climax (well, kind of, when it's the end of the world), but with the way the book is written, you feel like you are riding a current rather than reading a book.
It's beautifully written. Rebecca Hahn writes like Destefano in Wither; the words are melodic and sing to you. The
...more
Billie
Sep 22, 2015 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
I honestly shouldn't have read other reviewer's reviews because it makes me wonder what book they read. I think maybe part of the problem here is that this isn't a typical YA novel. It's slow and meditative and poetically written, rather than full of romance and/or action. There is love here, but it is familial love. There is death and heartache and revenge and the end of the world, but told through the eyes of a character trying very hard to keep herself apart from the world, and so the telling ...more
Becky
Nov 01, 2015 rated it it was amazing
I *loved* this book, and not just because I am friends with the author. I love books that push up against the edges of how things are or must be and push back with metaphors and characters. In this book, the Fates live isolated on an island, trying not to get entwined with the complexities of the human lives whose destinies they spin; but of course, they cannot be isolated forever. They struggle with questions of the dangers of love, whether forgetting can be safer, and their own power--whether ...more
Tressa (Wishful Endings)
Still great storytelling. Review to come.
Silvia
Jul 12, 2015 marked it as to-read
This sounds like it might be interesting, and also like it might waste a perfect chance for lesbians (or, if the "mortal love" is not Chloe falling for Aglaia I will cry) ...more
Jeanna
Jul 27, 2017 rated it it was ok
Shelves: books-i-own
Not at all what I was expecting. And though the writing was glorious, the story was just too unrealistic, unbelievable and ugh. Review to come.
Bridget
Aug 30, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Go read this book. It's amazing. ...more
Ashley
Sep 08, 2015 rated it did not like it
This book tried so hard and fell so short. It's almost embarrassing. ...more
Chanelle Savich
For centuries, for ever, really, Chloe and her sisters have spun the wool, measured, and cut the thread that determines each person's life. They are the fates, and they do their work without meddling in the affairs of the humans they so intimately affect. They've been in the humans' world, certainly, but they've found that it is better to stay removed and not get involved. Too much heart ache and pain to see someone you come to care about get old and die. Better to stay apart on their Greek isla ...more
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Into the Forest: The Shadow Behind the Stars - No Spoilers 21 15 Sep 26, 2018 12:51PM  
Into the Forest: Shadow Behind the Stars - Spoilers Allowed 3 10 Sep 17, 2018 08:26AM  
Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish 1 1 Nov 25, 2015 08:48AM  

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Rebecca Hahn grew up in Iowa, attended college in Minnesota, and soon afterward moved to New York City, where she worked as an editorial assistant at a children’s book publisher and wrote her first novel, A Creature of Moonlight, on the side. Her fate has since drawn her westward, first to Minneapolis, and then to the San Francisco Bay area, where she currently resides.

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