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Lifespan of Starlight #1
Lifespan of Starlight
It already lies dormant within you: the ability to move within time.
In 2084, three teenagers discover the secret to time travel. At first their jumps cover only a few seconds, but soon they master the technique and combat their fear of jumping into the unknown.
It's dangerous. It's illegal. And it's utterly worth it for the full-body bliss of each return.
As their ability to time jump grows into days and weeks, the group begins to push beyond their limits, with terrifying consequences.
Once you trip forwards, there's no coming back.
In 2084, three teenagers discover the secret to time travel. At first their jumps cover only a few seconds, but soon they master the technique and combat their fear of jumping into the unknown.
It's dangerous. It's illegal. And it's utterly worth it for the full-body bliss of each return.
As their ability to time jump grows into days and weeks, the group begins to push beyond their limits, with terrifying consequences.
Once you trip forwards, there's no coming back.
277 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2015
11 people are currently reading
1078 people want to read
About the author
Thalia Kalkipsakis
33 books62 followersThalia grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Melbourne with a mum who tried to save battery hens by on-selling them as backyard chickens. Her dad worked as an industrial chemist while also growing strawberries, carrots and Christmas trees on the farm. It was not unusual to find plant shoots in the freezer, or the hair dryer missing because it was needed to heat one of her dad’s experiments. Thalia's childhood showed her the magic that can happen when science and nature combine with human creativity.
In 2012, Thalia released her first standalone young adult novel, Silhouette, which follows a talented and determined young dancer as she navigates her way into the adult world of commercial dance.
These days, Thalia lives in regional Victoria with her husband, their two children and two black cats.
In 2012, Thalia released her first standalone young adult novel, Silhouette, which follows a talented and determined young dancer as she navigates her way into the adult world of commercial dance.
These days, Thalia lives in regional Victoria with her husband, their two children and two black cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
May 27, 2018
Reading for the second time, in preparation for the launch of Book 3, and being on a panel with Thalia in June!
Not sure if there will be a new review, because I'm facing such a backlog... but I definitely needed this one to pull me out of my work-releated reading slump. Where I've spent 1-2 weeks reading other books and feeling like I'm not making any progress, I devoured this one over the span of a couple of nights.
--------------------
There’s a common problem that comes with time travel stories, usually to do with paradoxes and the author’s inability to handle them as the delicate, universe collapsing things that they are.
Inevitably, time travel books are about going back and changing the past, right?
Well, not this one.
Scout is an illegal. She’s not meant to exist, because her mother wasn’t married when she gave birth, and children from single parent homes are taken away.
Scout’s mother has kept her hidden – away from security cameras, away from scanners – her entire life. They both live on half rations because Scout, of course, isn’t allotted any. But when Scout goes to her favourite hiding place after a fight with her mum, she finds a woman already there. A woman wrapped in a blanket and nothing else, a woman who’s close to death.
As the woman’s life ends, Scout finds herself presented with an opportunity well beyond anything she could have dreamed. But there’s something strange about the woman’s chip, and now there are two guys following Scout, asking her to show them how to travel through time.
The rest of this review can be found here!
There was an error with the link to the rest of the review, this has now been fixed.
Not sure if there will be a new review, because I'm facing such a backlog... but I definitely needed this one to pull me out of my work-releated reading slump. Where I've spent 1-2 weeks reading other books and feeling like I'm not making any progress, I devoured this one over the span of a couple of nights.
--------------------
There’s a common problem that comes with time travel stories, usually to do with paradoxes and the author’s inability to handle them as the delicate, universe collapsing things that they are.
Inevitably, time travel books are about going back and changing the past, right?
Well, not this one.
‘I don’t know.’ I think for a bit. ‘It doesn’t make sense to me, going backwards. Like, if you travel back and kill your younger self. Except now you’re dead, so there’s no future self to come back and kill you.’ Mason’s smiling by now, nodding, so I join in. ‘So now you survive, but that means you’re alive to come back and kill yourself…’
Scout is an illegal. She’s not meant to exist, because her mother wasn’t married when she gave birth, and children from single parent homes are taken away.
Scout’s mother has kept her hidden – away from security cameras, away from scanners – her entire life. They both live on half rations because Scout, of course, isn’t allotted any. But when Scout goes to her favourite hiding place after a fight with her mum, she finds a woman already there. A woman wrapped in a blanket and nothing else, a woman who’s close to death.
As the woman’s life ends, Scout finds herself presented with an opportunity well beyond anything she could have dreamed. But there’s something strange about the woman’s chip, and now there are two guys following Scout, asking her to show them how to travel through time.
The rest of this review can be found here!
There was an error with the link to the rest of the review, this has now been fixed.
April 29, 2015
I really didn't know what I was getting into when I decided to read this book. Like, when is the next one out? Hell, I'm happy to just receive the first chapter. PLEASE. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. Oh, yeah. This book ends on a cliffhanger. One that will keep your mind brimming with possibilities. I mean...when you're dealing with time travel in books, there are always hundreds or thousands of possibilities!
The whole reason this book didn't get 5 stars was because the beginning of this book was a bit slow for me. I understand that the author had to explain a few things to the reader but it was only about halfway through the book that I truly began to enjoy this book.
The characters in this book re like icebergs. I feel like throughout the series that you're going to find out so much more about them. The main character, Scout already has so much depth and I absolutely loved the way she was written. The relationship that she has with her mum and the view she had of her world was phenomenal.
I cannot praise this book enough. I'm going to eagerly await the next in the series and probably cry once a week thinking about how long I must wait! (there's not even a date!!!! The torture!)
4 out of 5!
The whole reason this book didn't get 5 stars was because the beginning of this book was a bit slow for me. I understand that the author had to explain a few things to the reader but it was only about halfway through the book that I truly began to enjoy this book.
The characters in this book re like icebergs. I feel like throughout the series that you're going to find out so much more about them. The main character, Scout already has so much depth and I absolutely loved the way she was written. The relationship that she has with her mum and the view she had of her world was phenomenal.
I cannot praise this book enough. I'm going to eagerly await the next in the series and probably cry once a week thinking about how long I must wait! (there's not even a date!!!! The torture!)
4 out of 5!
January 5, 2018
It's quite surreal to read a science fiction, time bending narrative within your own city. Places you frequent and others still to discover. An intriguing concept of time manipulation, wonderfully written. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
May 27, 2016
Lifespan of Starlight by Thalia Kalkipsakis is a YA science fiction novel I picked up from the library after it caught my eye in a bookshop. I went into it with some trepidation, having also read some less favourable reviews on Goodreads, but I ended up quite enjoying it.
Lifespan of Starlight is set in a near-future dystopian Melbourne, where everyone is chipped and these chips give them access to everything from food and water rations to safe road crossings. Scout (or Coutlyn) is an illegal. She wasn't chipped as a baby because her mother was supposed to have aborted her. Instead she bribed a doctor to keep quiet and has been sharing her own, not overly-plentiful, rations with Scout. Existing as a non-person has also taught Scout how to code and hack to get around the system. This is especially useful for things like triggering traffic lights to let her cross.
Scout's being illegal is a key element of the story, but one not mentioned in the blurb, for some reason. The blurbed part of the story — the time travel aspect — begins when Scout is moping in her cave and a dying woman suddenly appears in front of her. As in turns out, that woman was a time traveller and, when Scout steals her chip and hacks it to make it her own, she inadvertently falls in with some teens trying to learn to time travel.
The time travelling is a side-aspect of Scout's story, although it is the pivotal element. Most of Scout's time is taken up with trying to legitimise herself in the eyes of society. With her new chip she even gets to apply to go to a good school. Much of the story explores the difficulties Scout faces in being illegal, in pretending not to be illegal and what happens when her friends find out the truth. There was a poignant moment when her friends point out which "real citizen" her actions most affected, as though being a real citizen is more relevant than being a real person.
This is a fairly character-driven story. There is no world to save, no government to overthrow (well, I mean, there is because life is a bit dystopian, but none of the kids are trying to fix that through rebellion or anything). Their problems are less grand and more personal, but still culminate in an exciting semi-cliff hanger ending.
I recommend this book to fans of science fiction more than YA. I felt that it had more SF tropes and ideas in it than YA-spec fic tropes. It's not an action-packed story, but I still found that I wanted to come back to it every time I put it down. I am looking forward to reading the next book and finding out what happens in the next chapter of Scout's life.
4.5 / 5 stars
Lifespan of Starlight is set in a near-future dystopian Melbourne, where everyone is chipped and these chips give them access to everything from food and water rations to safe road crossings. Scout (or Coutlyn) is an illegal. She wasn't chipped as a baby because her mother was supposed to have aborted her. Instead she bribed a doctor to keep quiet and has been sharing her own, not overly-plentiful, rations with Scout. Existing as a non-person has also taught Scout how to code and hack to get around the system. This is especially useful for things like triggering traffic lights to let her cross.
Scout's being illegal is a key element of the story, but one not mentioned in the blurb, for some reason. The blurbed part of the story — the time travel aspect — begins when Scout is moping in her cave and a dying woman suddenly appears in front of her. As in turns out, that woman was a time traveller and, when Scout steals her chip and hacks it to make it her own, she inadvertently falls in with some teens trying to learn to time travel.
The time travelling is a side-aspect of Scout's story, although it is the pivotal element. Most of Scout's time is taken up with trying to legitimise herself in the eyes of society. With her new chip she even gets to apply to go to a good school. Much of the story explores the difficulties Scout faces in being illegal, in pretending not to be illegal and what happens when her friends find out the truth. There was a poignant moment when her friends point out which "real citizen" her actions most affected, as though being a real citizen is more relevant than being a real person.
This is a fairly character-driven story. There is no world to save, no government to overthrow (well, I mean, there is because life is a bit dystopian, but none of the kids are trying to fix that through rebellion or anything). Their problems are less grand and more personal, but still culminate in an exciting semi-cliff hanger ending.
I recommend this book to fans of science fiction more than YA. I felt that it had more SF tropes and ideas in it than YA-spec fic tropes. It's not an action-packed story, but I still found that I wanted to come back to it every time I put it down. I am looking forward to reading the next book and finding out what happens in the next chapter of Scout's life.
4.5 / 5 stars
July 18, 2015
I really liked this book but I need! I still have so many questions. I am DEFINATELY reading the second book !
February 24, 2017
2-2.5 stars. RTC..
August 22, 2015
1 star.
Disclaimer: I will be criticising this book in its entirety but nothing I mention is a spoiler since it is all on the blurb anyway.
I almost can’t tell whether the fault is with the blurb or the book.
Probably both.
NOTE: if you want to get any sort of enjoyment or sense of mystery from this book, don't read the blurb and exit my review now.
Lifespan of Starlight’s blurb spoils almost everything and, to be frank, explains the plot much more concisely than the book itself.
A blurb is supposed to tease, not sell and describe the plot better than the book itself.
And since I’m so annoyed by the blurb, let’s use it as the structure of my criticisms, shall we?
”The first in a thrilling new trilogy of epic proportions from best-selling children's author Thalia Kalkipsakis.”
Thrilling? My interest was already deteriorating only 20% in.
Epic proportions? Of what? Meditation? Boring lead-up to events I already know are going to happen?
I can’t imagine having to suffer through a trilogy of this boredom.
”A fresh take on the time tripping genre…”
I really didn’t like the time travel in Lifespan of Starlight. It’s achieved through meditation which immediately removed every sense of thrill and adrenaline. I appreciate that it’s a “fresh take” but the novelty wasn’t worth the sacrifice of pace.
“…At first their jumps cover only a few seconds, but soon they master the technique and combat their fear of jumping into the unknown…”
Time travel was more like an ability, which meant it required endless, endless pages of training. No one actually time travelled until 32% in and for the first half of the book, no one could travel more than a minute.
I did not pick up this book to see extremely slow incremental increases in time travel. wOW! She travelled FIVE whole minutes!!11! TEN MINUTES OMG THIS IS LIFE SHATTERING!!!1!!11
“…It's dangerous. It's illegal. And it's utterly worth it for the full-body bliss of each return…”
Also, because their clothes can’t travel through time with them, they always return naked. I mean, it makes sense and it is somewhat realistic, but combined with the “full body bliss of each return” I felt like it added a sexual facet where there should’ve been science.
Add that to this quote:
"Nothing that feels that good could be dangerous"
And you’ve got these sexual insinuations that didn’t need to be there. And for the record, everything extraordinarily good has consequences.
Why I love Doctor Who, All Our Yesterdays and other representations of time travel is because of the themes they cover about leaving people behind, paradoxes, and coming face to face with yourself. I love the moments when characters see themselves at different points in time and you can see the contrast between their past, present and future selves.
All this was ruled out of the equation because in Lifespan of Starlight, you cannot time travel backwards.
I’ll give Lifespan of Starlight credit for trying, using what it had. The protagonist contemplates how time skipping will leave her mother behind and her love interest chatters on some cheesy stuff about stars being in the past due the speed of light. But it felt stock-standard and done before. I wasn’t learning anything new or opening myself up to any new ideas.
“…The Lifespan of Starlight is Gattaca meets The Time Traveler's Wife.”
That very pitch was what made me want to read this book in the first place. I loved Gattaca when we studied it last year for Year 10 English.
Also, the author is not only Australian, but from Melbourne, so I was hoping for a setting I could imagine accurately.
Lifespan of Starlight envisions a classic futuristic dystopian society, somewhat like Gattaca, with ID chips embedded in wrists used to access everything and a rations system with points and credits. I didn’t mind this setting. Again, I feel like I’ve seen it before but at the same time, I think it would be a natural progression from where we are now with technology. I liked the hacking aspects that some of the characters had, but overall, the world didn’t live up to the Gattaca pitch.
Probably the best part about this book is that it’s set in Melbourne, where I live. When the protagonist said she walked from Central Station to the State Library, I know exactly where she’s walking. When she turned down Little Lonsdale Street, I knew exactly where it was in relation to the library. She even mentioned this select-entry school, Nossal High, that’s literally down the road from where I live.
Unfortunately, that’s where the good ends. With any book set in Australia, especially Melbourne, I’m always hoping for a rich, beautiful description of the city I love so dearly, selling it to the other countries and highlighting its individuality.
I want Melbourne to get the same literary treatment as London and New York City.
But in Lifespan of Starlight, futuristic as it was, Melbourne became, as always, a bunch of names and backdrops.
“In 2084, three teenagers discover the secret to time travel.”
Three teenagers? Well, it’s more like two and a third wheel. Then the group extended to five, with characters even more dull than the original set.
And then there was four.
But all of this doesn’t matter because I had ZERO connection to any of the characters.
The protagonist has no identity. Her name isn’t on the blurb. Her name is mentioned only a few times in the whole book. She’s always called a nickname: Scout, when her real name is Coutlyn. I felt like I never got properly introduced to her, and hence, I couldn’t associate the name, or even the nickname, with the character. I learned about her in snippets, but since the book is told from her POV, I learned very little. There was no description of her appearance, nothing to anchor her as a character.
I also could not sympathise with her. Coutlyn/Scout was born an illegal, meaning she doesn’t have a chip in her wrist and can’t access anything in their society. I felt like this situation wasn’t presented with the gravity required to draw sympathy from me. She felt bland and cardboard, filling a role that I’ve seen before and better.
If her presentation wasn’t already an issue, her actual personality is extremely frustrating. When she steals a chip from a dying woman who actually had the ability to time travel, she is confronted by equally cardboard characters who want to time travel: Mason and Boc. She knows absolutely nothing about time travel and still keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole for herself. And even after its been proved that Mason and Boc only like her because they think she can time travel, she still sticks with them. If anyone treated me like that, taking advantage of me, I would’ve dropped them a long time ago.
Also, this quote is priceless:
"Mum, I'm fourteen. I can look after myself."
*stifles snort of derision* Oh, did I forget to mention she’s fourteen?
Despite her age, there is a proper romance between Coutlyn and Mason. Not just a hint of a romance, with flirting and fluff, but a romance with kissing and time-travel induced nakedness and rooftop stargazing (*barf*). The romance is stuffed full of cheese, awkward and, in my opinion, not suitable for a fourteen-year-old protagonist. Literally, right after Mason discovered time travel (and returned naked), she was checking him out, commenting on his skin and his muscles and ughhhhh. Immediately after this, they start kissing. My reaction was simply: “Great. Does he even know who she is at this point?” To add to Coutlyn’s stupidity, she considers limiting her time skipping so she’ll keep aging and Mason will stay sixteen until they’re the same age. Like, she just met him!
“Could they travel as far as ten years, to escape the authorities? They are desperate enough to find out.”
These italicised quotes are all excerpts from the blurb. See that above quote, about skipping ten years?
Yeah, that’s the climax of the book, completely spoiled on the blurb.
Everything started to go down in the last 50 pages (finally) but that didn’t make up for the 230 pages of nothing that comprised the rest of the book.
And also, isn’t there some kind of rule or courtesy against having cliffhangers in the first book?
In short…
A new but boring and bizarrely sexual take on time travel that sacrificed pace, science and paradoxes to be different. I had zero connection to the characters, especially the nearly anonymous protagonist, and cringed at the cheesy romance that felt awkward for age fourteen. Top it off with a blurb that spoils everything in the book—including the climax and subsequent cliffhanger—and strap yourself in for a ride of stock-standard sci-fi boredom.
“Once you trip forwards, there's no coming back”
I couldn’t put it better. There’s no way I can unread this book and get back the time I wasted.
This book is nothing more than an extended synopsis.
Disclaimer: I will be criticising this book in its entirety but nothing I mention is a spoiler since it is all on the blurb anyway.
I almost can’t tell whether the fault is with the blurb or the book.
Probably both.
NOTE: if you want to get any sort of enjoyment or sense of mystery from this book, don't read the blurb and exit my review now.
Lifespan of Starlight’s blurb spoils almost everything and, to be frank, explains the plot much more concisely than the book itself.
A blurb is supposed to tease, not sell and describe the plot better than the book itself.
And since I’m so annoyed by the blurb, let’s use it as the structure of my criticisms, shall we?
”The first in a thrilling new trilogy of epic proportions from best-selling children's author Thalia Kalkipsakis.”
Thrilling? My interest was already deteriorating only 20% in.
Epic proportions? Of what? Meditation? Boring lead-up to events I already know are going to happen?
I can’t imagine having to suffer through a trilogy of this boredom.
”A fresh take on the time tripping genre…”
I really didn’t like the time travel in Lifespan of Starlight. It’s achieved through meditation which immediately removed every sense of thrill and adrenaline. I appreciate that it’s a “fresh take” but the novelty wasn’t worth the sacrifice of pace.
“…At first their jumps cover only a few seconds, but soon they master the technique and combat their fear of jumping into the unknown…”
Time travel was more like an ability, which meant it required endless, endless pages of training. No one actually time travelled until 32% in and for the first half of the book, no one could travel more than a minute.
I did not pick up this book to see extremely slow incremental increases in time travel. wOW! She travelled FIVE whole minutes!!11! TEN MINUTES OMG THIS IS LIFE SHATTERING!!!1!!11
“…It's dangerous. It's illegal. And it's utterly worth it for the full-body bliss of each return…”
Also, because their clothes can’t travel through time with them, they always return naked. I mean, it makes sense and it is somewhat realistic, but combined with the “full body bliss of each return” I felt like it added a sexual facet where there should’ve been science.
Add that to this quote:
"Nothing that feels that good could be dangerous"
And you’ve got these sexual insinuations that didn’t need to be there. And for the record, everything extraordinarily good has consequences.
Why I love Doctor Who, All Our Yesterdays and other representations of time travel is because of the themes they cover about leaving people behind, paradoxes, and coming face to face with yourself. I love the moments when characters see themselves at different points in time and you can see the contrast between their past, present and future selves.
All this was ruled out of the equation because in Lifespan of Starlight, you cannot time travel backwards.
I’ll give Lifespan of Starlight credit for trying, using what it had. The protagonist contemplates how time skipping will leave her mother behind and her love interest chatters on some cheesy stuff about stars being in the past due the speed of light. But it felt stock-standard and done before. I wasn’t learning anything new or opening myself up to any new ideas.
“…The Lifespan of Starlight is Gattaca meets The Time Traveler's Wife.”
That very pitch was what made me want to read this book in the first place. I loved Gattaca when we studied it last year for Year 10 English.
Also, the author is not only Australian, but from Melbourne, so I was hoping for a setting I could imagine accurately.
Lifespan of Starlight envisions a classic futuristic dystopian society, somewhat like Gattaca, with ID chips embedded in wrists used to access everything and a rations system with points and credits. I didn’t mind this setting. Again, I feel like I’ve seen it before but at the same time, I think it would be a natural progression from where we are now with technology. I liked the hacking aspects that some of the characters had, but overall, the world didn’t live up to the Gattaca pitch.
Probably the best part about this book is that it’s set in Melbourne, where I live. When the protagonist said she walked from Central Station to the State Library, I know exactly where she’s walking. When she turned down Little Lonsdale Street, I knew exactly where it was in relation to the library. She even mentioned this select-entry school, Nossal High, that’s literally down the road from where I live.
Unfortunately, that’s where the good ends. With any book set in Australia, especially Melbourne, I’m always hoping for a rich, beautiful description of the city I love so dearly, selling it to the other countries and highlighting its individuality.
I want Melbourne to get the same literary treatment as London and New York City.
But in Lifespan of Starlight, futuristic as it was, Melbourne became, as always, a bunch of names and backdrops.
“In 2084, three teenagers discover the secret to time travel.”
Three teenagers? Well, it’s more like two and a third wheel. Then the group extended to five, with characters even more dull than the original set.
But all of this doesn’t matter because I had ZERO connection to any of the characters.
The protagonist has no identity. Her name isn’t on the blurb. Her name is mentioned only a few times in the whole book. She’s always called a nickname: Scout, when her real name is Coutlyn. I felt like I never got properly introduced to her, and hence, I couldn’t associate the name, or even the nickname, with the character. I learned about her in snippets, but since the book is told from her POV, I learned very little. There was no description of her appearance, nothing to anchor her as a character.
I also could not sympathise with her. Coutlyn/Scout was born an illegal, meaning she doesn’t have a chip in her wrist and can’t access anything in their society. I felt like this situation wasn’t presented with the gravity required to draw sympathy from me. She felt bland and cardboard, filling a role that I’ve seen before and better.
If her presentation wasn’t already an issue, her actual personality is extremely frustrating. When she steals a chip from a dying woman who actually had the ability to time travel, she is confronted by equally cardboard characters who want to time travel: Mason and Boc. She knows absolutely nothing about time travel and still keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole for herself. And even after its been proved that Mason and Boc only like her because they think she can time travel, she still sticks with them. If anyone treated me like that, taking advantage of me, I would’ve dropped them a long time ago.
Also, this quote is priceless:
"Mum, I'm fourteen. I can look after myself."
*stifles snort of derision* Oh, did I forget to mention she’s fourteen?
Despite her age, there is a proper romance between Coutlyn and Mason. Not just a hint of a romance, with flirting and fluff, but a romance with kissing and time-travel induced nakedness and rooftop stargazing (*barf*). The romance is stuffed full of cheese, awkward and, in my opinion, not suitable for a fourteen-year-old protagonist. Literally, right after Mason discovered time travel (and returned naked), she was checking him out, commenting on his skin and his muscles and ughhhhh. Immediately after this, they start kissing. My reaction was simply: “Great. Does he even know who she is at this point?” To add to Coutlyn’s stupidity, she considers limiting her time skipping so she’ll keep aging and Mason will stay sixteen until they’re the same age. Like, she just met him!
“Could they travel as far as ten years, to escape the authorities? They are desperate enough to find out.”
These italicised quotes are all excerpts from the blurb. See that above quote, about skipping ten years?
Yeah, that’s the climax of the book, completely spoiled on the blurb.
Everything started to go down in the last 50 pages (finally) but that didn’t make up for the 230 pages of nothing that comprised the rest of the book.
And also, isn’t there some kind of rule or courtesy against having cliffhangers in the first book?
In short…
A new but boring and bizarrely sexual take on time travel that sacrificed pace, science and paradoxes to be different. I had zero connection to the characters, especially the nearly anonymous protagonist, and cringed at the cheesy romance that felt awkward for age fourteen. Top it off with a blurb that spoils everything in the book—including the climax and subsequent cliffhanger—and strap yourself in for a ride of stock-standard sci-fi boredom.
“Once you trip forwards, there's no coming back”
I couldn’t put it better. There’s no way I can unread this book and get back the time I wasted.
This book is nothing more than an extended synopsis.
July 4, 2018
An entertaining yarn of the not so distant future - people are tagged and depending on their usefulness to society they are provided with the approved level of credits which buy food, water and if you can afford it niceties.
A group of teenagers find out how to jump into the future - just small jumps cos you turn up that much older and embarrassingly naked. The heroine is untagged so she is an illegal until she meets a dying time traveller and takes her chip. Life looks good for her until time travelling goes wrong and she and her two mates have to escape. Cue Book Two.
A group of teenagers find out how to jump into the future - just small jumps cos you turn up that much older and embarrassingly naked. The heroine is untagged so she is an illegal until she meets a dying time traveller and takes her chip. Life looks good for her until time travelling goes wrong and she and her two mates have to escape. Cue Book Two.
August 24, 2020
I found this book in my favourite Swedish second-hand shop, and oh am I happy I did. It's about time travel in a way that is never confusing, about friendships, family, and a struggle to survive in a society where people's value is directly based on their usefulness for the government, with illegals like Scout having no rights at all. I really enjoyed this first book, and, writing this review after finishing the rest of the trilogy (thank you Thalia, the author, for being very kind and helping me acquire the second and third book), I can tell you that this trilogy only gets better and better the further you get. The characters are great, and oh the plot twists are never what you would've expected them to be. I also loved the scientific explanations of all the time travel stuff. Basically this is a great book and an even better trilogy.
July 22, 2015
A lot of future-set fiction deals with issues of resource shortages and rationing. Lifespan of Starlight continues this idea, but joins it to a nasty habit of Australian society to insist that resources should be kept for the ‘right’ people. In this case, the ‘right’ people are those born in approved situations – primarily married citizen couples. Scout is an illegal, living her life in hiding with her mother and surviving through tricks, hacking and sharing her mother’s rations. Then she comes across a dying woman in one of her hiding spots and is able to take the woman’s identity chip – giving her an identity – and access to resources – in society for the first time.
However, it doesn’t take long to discover that the dying woman had some secrets of her own, including the ability to jump through time. Scout finds herself involved with a group of teenagers fascinated by time jumping, getting more and more involved in their dangerous risk taking behaviours.
There was an awful lot going on in this book – along with Scout dealing with suddenly ‘being’ a legal citizen and the time jumping adventures, there’s getting into a competitive schooling system and the politics of which people are considered important to society. Additionally, there’s an overwhelming sense of a totalitarian and aggressive government, complete with almost constant surveillance. It’s a lot to juggle as a reader, but I think it is held together successfully most of the time.
There’s been some talk recently that Young Adult books are ‘over’ science fiction/fantasy/apocalyptic stories. I don’t think that’s the case, nor do I think realistic Young Adult books ever went away – there’s plenty of John Green fans out there existing in the same world as Hunger Games fans. Sometimes they’re even the same people. What a lot of Young Adult speculative fiction does particularly well is talk about political issues which impact people who aren’t even allowed to vote on them. In these books the reader sees real life political issues taken to a heightened level as well as the inevitable consequences on young people. Lifespan of Starlight deals with people being labelled as ‘illegal’ and the consequences of dehumanising people. It looks at how we might have to deal with resource shortages. It raises questions of how we determine the futures of young people. These issues can be raised in ‘realistic’ YA, but not to this level – there is room for both and we – as reader, reviewers and commentators should loudly dismiss any notion that there isn’t.
Lifespan of Starlight wasn’t perfect. Some of the characters felt more like stereotypes than fully formed characters. And I really disliked the ending – finding it almost too neat to be satisfying. But there’s something terribly engaging about this book, and the ideas in it are utterly worth thinking on after the book is finished. It’s great to see such an interesting book added to the other fabulous YA being published in Australia – I really hope it gets the recognition it deserves.
Originally reviewed at Subversive Reader
However, it doesn’t take long to discover that the dying woman had some secrets of her own, including the ability to jump through time. Scout finds herself involved with a group of teenagers fascinated by time jumping, getting more and more involved in their dangerous risk taking behaviours.
There was an awful lot going on in this book – along with Scout dealing with suddenly ‘being’ a legal citizen and the time jumping adventures, there’s getting into a competitive schooling system and the politics of which people are considered important to society. Additionally, there’s an overwhelming sense of a totalitarian and aggressive government, complete with almost constant surveillance. It’s a lot to juggle as a reader, but I think it is held together successfully most of the time.
There’s been some talk recently that Young Adult books are ‘over’ science fiction/fantasy/apocalyptic stories. I don’t think that’s the case, nor do I think realistic Young Adult books ever went away – there’s plenty of John Green fans out there existing in the same world as Hunger Games fans. Sometimes they’re even the same people. What a lot of Young Adult speculative fiction does particularly well is talk about political issues which impact people who aren’t even allowed to vote on them. In these books the reader sees real life political issues taken to a heightened level as well as the inevitable consequences on young people. Lifespan of Starlight deals with people being labelled as ‘illegal’ and the consequences of dehumanising people. It looks at how we might have to deal with resource shortages. It raises questions of how we determine the futures of young people. These issues can be raised in ‘realistic’ YA, but not to this level – there is room for both and we – as reader, reviewers and commentators should loudly dismiss any notion that there isn’t.
Lifespan of Starlight wasn’t perfect. Some of the characters felt more like stereotypes than fully formed characters. And I really disliked the ending – finding it almost too neat to be satisfying. But there’s something terribly engaging about this book, and the ideas in it are utterly worth thinking on after the book is finished. It’s great to see such an interesting book added to the other fabulous YA being published in Australia – I really hope it gets the recognition it deserves.
Originally reviewed at Subversive Reader
May 13, 2015
*This review also appears on my blog Genie In A Book*
Thank you to Hardie Grant Egmont Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Although Lifespan of Starlight wasn't exactly what I expected, it exceeded my expectations and impressed with a diverse futuristic world that not only had the element of time travel, but a wider scope of what life could be like in seventy years' time. With a side of hacking, conspiracy and some sci-fi drama, this debut has definitely caught my attention and I'm sure it will for you too.
Coutlyn (aka. Scout) is our protagonist, illegally living in a city where her mother has done everything for her, from saving food rations to share, to keeping her under the radar at all costs. It's the year 2084 and society has changed dramatically. However, this is no 'dystopia' as such, and Lifespan of Starlight certainly doesn't fall into any of those cliches. Instead, what you get is an Australian setting with the landmarks Sydneysiders especially will be sure to recognise; told from a whole new creative perspective. The worldbuilding in the story as a whole is excellent, and the balance between this and the other 'time travel' aspect is perfect.
While there isn't 'time travel' in the 'traditional' sense here, where kids go and try to save the world going back to different historical periods, I liked the author's original twist on it. The fact that this wasn't always the main focus of the plot didn't bother me either, as there was so much to explore further about Scout's character and how her identity (or lack thereof) shaped her experiences. Time 'skipping' was actually really interesting to read about, and a concept which I'm sure will be explored in more detail in the next book. In terms of the romance, though there was a hint at one point, it definitely took a back seat in this case - which worked. There's a whole lot more important things to worry about here!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Lifespan of Starlight is a compulsively readable debut which Thalia Kalkipsakis has truly impressed me with. I cannot wait to read the next book after that cliffhanger! If you're looking for something different in the Aussie YA sci-fi arena, then this book is definitely worth your while.
Thank you to Hardie Grant Egmont Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Although Lifespan of Starlight wasn't exactly what I expected, it exceeded my expectations and impressed with a diverse futuristic world that not only had the element of time travel, but a wider scope of what life could be like in seventy years' time. With a side of hacking, conspiracy and some sci-fi drama, this debut has definitely caught my attention and I'm sure it will for you too.
All our lives, we've been moving with the flow of time because that's all we know...But in truth, time isn't flowing. Reality only exists in separate moments, like frames in a movie.
Coutlyn (aka. Scout) is our protagonist, illegally living in a city where her mother has done everything for her, from saving food rations to share, to keeping her under the radar at all costs. It's the year 2084 and society has changed dramatically. However, this is no 'dystopia' as such, and Lifespan of Starlight certainly doesn't fall into any of those cliches. Instead, what you get is an Australian setting with the landmarks Sydneysiders especially will be sure to recognise; told from a whole new creative perspective. The worldbuilding in the story as a whole is excellent, and the balance between this and the other 'time travel' aspect is perfect.
Our sense of time changes because we control the passage of time within ourselves.
While there isn't 'time travel' in the 'traditional' sense here, where kids go and try to save the world going back to different historical periods, I liked the author's original twist on it. The fact that this wasn't always the main focus of the plot didn't bother me either, as there was so much to explore further about Scout's character and how her identity (or lack thereof) shaped her experiences. Time 'skipping' was actually really interesting to read about, and a concept which I'm sure will be explored in more detail in the next book. In terms of the romance, though there was a hint at one point, it definitely took a back seat in this case - which worked. There's a whole lot more important things to worry about here!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Lifespan of Starlight is a compulsively readable debut which Thalia Kalkipsakis has truly impressed me with. I cannot wait to read the next book after that cliffhanger! If you're looking for something different in the Aussie YA sci-fi arena, then this book is definitely worth your while.
February 23, 2015
Actual rating 3.5
Thalia kalkipsakis has an awesome writing style. It is engaging and really sucks you in! Honestly, the blurb didn't do much for me, but I loved her writing style, as well as her brilliant world building and interesting main character. It also seemed incredibly original and very well researched, which are aspects that I greatly admire in a book. The author has clearly thought long and hard about nearly every aspect of the novel to make it all add up. I also loved that the romance wasn't super heavy and there was a refreshing lack of sex anywhere in the book! There was nudity, however it wasn't sexual and made sense in the plot.
AND THE AUTHOR IS AUSTRALIAN!!! I love finding a good YA written by an Australian which is not over the top in slang and delving into stereotypes. Despite the 3.5 star rating, I was actually very impressed by the author and greatly admire her skill.
However, while I loved these aspects of the book, it just doesn't cut a 4 star rating for me.
Firstly, Coutlyn/Scout seemed waaaay older than 14. I mean I understand she needed that age for the school aspect, however her character seems to be 15-16 minimum. I mean, at that age, the difference in maturity and thought processes and motivation is massive with just a one year gap!
I also didn't understand some of the actions and motivations of the main character, which bothered me. I won't go into any spoilerish details however. I also disliked the two main secondary characters. They didn't seem deep or real enough for me, though Mason had the makings of a good character. I also felt like Alistair, the clever, elderly, wise neighbor should have had a bigger part, or was just a passing mention. I felt like he was a bit of a waste of time as is, as was the friend, Kessa.
My other frustration was that the blurb gave away the ending. I wish wish wish that part had been left out and I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more! But hopefully that will be fixed up in the final copy.
These issues, along with the slow pacing were what brought it down that half point. Despite them however, it was an enjoyable read. I would probably recommend it more to young young adult readers, probably more in the preteen/early teen category.
I received this as an ARC from the publisher for review purposes.
Thalia kalkipsakis has an awesome writing style. It is engaging and really sucks you in! Honestly, the blurb didn't do much for me, but I loved her writing style, as well as her brilliant world building and interesting main character. It also seemed incredibly original and very well researched, which are aspects that I greatly admire in a book. The author has clearly thought long and hard about nearly every aspect of the novel to make it all add up. I also loved that the romance wasn't super heavy and there was a refreshing lack of sex anywhere in the book! There was nudity, however it wasn't sexual and made sense in the plot.
AND THE AUTHOR IS AUSTRALIAN!!! I love finding a good YA written by an Australian which is not over the top in slang and delving into stereotypes. Despite the 3.5 star rating, I was actually very impressed by the author and greatly admire her skill.
However, while I loved these aspects of the book, it just doesn't cut a 4 star rating for me.
Firstly, Coutlyn/Scout seemed waaaay older than 14. I mean I understand she needed that age for the school aspect, however her character seems to be 15-16 minimum. I mean, at that age, the difference in maturity and thought processes and motivation is massive with just a one year gap!
I also didn't understand some of the actions and motivations of the main character, which bothered me. I won't go into any spoilerish details however. I also disliked the two main secondary characters. They didn't seem deep or real enough for me, though Mason had the makings of a good character. I also felt like Alistair, the clever, elderly, wise neighbor should have had a bigger part, or was just a passing mention. I felt like he was a bit of a waste of time as is, as was the friend, Kessa.
My other frustration was that the blurb gave away the ending. I wish wish wish that part had been left out and I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more! But hopefully that will be fixed up in the final copy.
These issues, along with the slow pacing were what brought it down that half point. Despite them however, it was an enjoyable read. I would probably recommend it more to young young adult readers, probably more in the preteen/early teen category.
I received this as an ARC from the publisher for review purposes.
July 6, 2015
Review originally posted on Tea in the Treetops in July 2015:
Scout is an illegal living in Melbourne in 2084. She has no ID chip implanted to make her a citizen, but she and her mum get by on one set of rations and Scout’s hacking abilities to get by. Everything changes when Scout witnesses something amazing in Footscray Park – a woman suddenly appears in front of her eyes.
I love a time travel story and this one brings an interesting twist – you can only skip forwards in time, never back. With Scout’s status as an illegal resident, this story combines the near-future time travel aspect with the story of Scout trying to fit into a new part of society, while keeping her true identity a secret.
Scout’s world is a complex one. The story is set in the near future Australia may well have, with resources and the population tightly controlled. I loved the recognisable parts of Melbourne! I also enjoyed the ideas around the time travel – that you merely have to meditate and find the calm within yourself to skip forwards in time. Scout herself is smart, resourceful and caring for a fourteen year old, but I found the hacking parts to be a little far fetched – could a young girl really hack into the government’s computer systems undetected? Surely if her ninety-year-old neighbour can hack into her records, the government experts are going to know what she’s up to. Anyway.
Lifespan of Starlight is a refreshing addition to the Aussie YA scene. Unfortunately, setting up the future world takes some building, and it does slow down the first half of this book. Things are still quite tense, but it’s not until fairly late in the story when the pace really picks up and the big consequences become apparent. There’s a major cliff hanger at the end – I’m looking forward to seeing how that one ends up!
Scout is an illegal living in Melbourne in 2084. She has no ID chip implanted to make her a citizen, but she and her mum get by on one set of rations and Scout’s hacking abilities to get by. Everything changes when Scout witnesses something amazing in Footscray Park – a woman suddenly appears in front of her eyes.
I love a time travel story and this one brings an interesting twist – you can only skip forwards in time, never back. With Scout’s status as an illegal resident, this story combines the near-future time travel aspect with the story of Scout trying to fit into a new part of society, while keeping her true identity a secret.
Scout’s world is a complex one. The story is set in the near future Australia may well have, with resources and the population tightly controlled. I loved the recognisable parts of Melbourne! I also enjoyed the ideas around the time travel – that you merely have to meditate and find the calm within yourself to skip forwards in time. Scout herself is smart, resourceful and caring for a fourteen year old, but I found the hacking parts to be a little far fetched – could a young girl really hack into the government’s computer systems undetected? Surely if her ninety-year-old neighbour can hack into her records, the government experts are going to know what she’s up to. Anyway.
Lifespan of Starlight is a refreshing addition to the Aussie YA scene. Unfortunately, setting up the future world takes some building, and it does slow down the first half of this book. Things are still quite tense, but it’s not until fairly late in the story when the pace really picks up and the big consequences become apparent. There’s a major cliff hanger at the end – I’m looking forward to seeing how that one ends up!
June 7, 2015
I read this in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. A fresh new take on several ideas that have been done to death (time travel / Orwellian dystopias) backed up with very solid writing made for a book that I'll definitely be re-reading in the future (no pun intended). The world-building is excellent; I love reading a story where the internal logic of the world is strong enough that the little ways that life would be affected have been taken into consideration, from things like the day-to-day difficulties of crossing roads all the way up to broader issues such as political beliefs and societal norms.
The only (small) issue I had was that I didn't feel that the sense of menace from 'The Society' was established well enough; other than the school interview and the few appearances of police, there wasn't much to create a sense of threat, especially as we're seeing the world from the point of view of a character who's supposed to be completely marginalised. The ease with which several of the main characters hack in and out of government systems to completely change incredibly high-level data certainly didn't help with the Orwellian atmosphere for which the author was aiming.
Still, it's a minor quibble with what was otherwise a cracking read. I'm very much looking forward to a sequel.
The only (small) issue I had was that I didn't feel that the sense of menace from 'The Society' was established well enough; other than the school interview and the few appearances of police, there wasn't much to create a sense of threat, especially as we're seeing the world from the point of view of a character who's supposed to be completely marginalised. The ease with which several of the main characters hack in and out of government systems to completely change incredibly high-level data certainly didn't help with the Orwellian atmosphere for which the author was aiming.
Still, it's a minor quibble with what was otherwise a cracking read. I'm very much looking forward to a sequel.
April 11, 2015
I really liked this book - I found it engaging and intriguing. Kalipsakis has created an incredibly believable futuristic story, and she has even made time travel seem like an actual possibility! I liked the dialogue she raised about 'illegals' in society - always a relevant discussion in Australia. I also loved reading a futuristic novel set in Australia! I am so glad I found Thalia Kalipsakis as a YA author and I can't wait to read the next two books in the trilogy.
For an extended review, please click the below link:
https://emilythebookaddict.wordpress....
For an extended review, please click the below link:
https://emilythebookaddict.wordpress....
July 6, 2015
As a kid - I loved reading books about time travel - so when I saw this on the shelf in the bookshop there was absolutely no question about buying it! I read this book over night and loved it and am hanging out for the sequel (as this was released this year in NZ I suppose I will be waiting a while!). What I loved about this book was the fact that it is set in the future and the time travelling does not allow them to travel backwards. This makes the story less predictable (no changing the world here!!!). I also lived in Melbourne as a teenager (even living in Moonee Ponds!) and following Scout around Melbourne city made the book and the characters really familiar.
June 3, 2015
The concept of this book is amazing! However, I found myself very un-attached from all of the characters, even from Scout. I felt that I was never really told/described any emotions, so much as Scout's thoughts describing every tiny moment. Because of all of that, I wasn't sure if I was going to be left wanting the next book, but the cliffhanger has me dying for it! I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could, but four will have to do.
November 3, 2024
Lifespan of Starlight is a novel by Thalia Kalkipsakis. It’s about a girl, Scout, who lives in a futuristic society, where she is defined as an “illegal” because of circumstances between her mother and father. Because of this, she does not have a chip in her hand and is unable to experience things such as normal daily rations, and her mother has to share her own rations with her. The more pressing issue is that she will not be allowed to attend school, unless she manages to get herself a chip. After some fortuitous circumstances, she gets a chip and eventually, with a couple of boys she meets, finds out how to time travel.
My first thought about the book is that it’s… Okay… I feel like it’s a bit bland. I feel like the author has created a futuristic society, in order to entice us about the science fiction aspects of the book. However, at the same time, I feel like it’s bland because I don’t get many details about this society. The author has done a bit of world-building, but not shared enough of these details in the book to make it interesting for me. For example, one of the key science fiction aspects of the early portion of the book are these “tag” items. Each person in the society is embedded with some sort of chip, which tracks them, it’s something that they use to pay for food (rations), and has a copy of their history, etc. Stuff like that. In the early sections of the book, we get a basic history of an argument between Scout and her mother, something about Scout being “illegal” and not tagged. Though, unless I missed something, I feel like there was no real explanation as to why Scout was never tagged, and how this makes her illegal. There’s a brief bit about her dad and how he was deported (?), and something about a doctor who was paid to pretend like they had given the mother an abortion, but it just wasn’t enough to give me an adequate explanation. There’s mentions of some kind of food shortages, stuff like that. But I don’t feel like I got a proper explanation of any of it; there’s only basic mentions of it. It’s like if someone were to come up to me mention a war, not give me any details to explain which one they meant, and then they expect me to know exactly what they’re talking about. It feels like the author skims over a lot of these futuristic and science fiction elements. I would have liked a lot more details, in order for me to understand the context of all of it; like who was involved in this war, etc.
By the end of it… I don’t know… I kind of feel like it wasn’t really going anywhere. There is stuff happening, yes, but it just felt like there was no real goal for the characters, aside from the time skips. There were originally goals in the beginning, yes; the going to school thing and getting the chip… But it kind of felt like those were fixed rather simply; some randomly lady just happens to appear, steal her chip and a lot of problems are solved fairly easy just because of that coincidence. There’s a problem, random lady magically appears and the problem is solved. And the same with the learning to time skip. There’s no real, I don’t know how to phrase it, but there’s no real “science” to it; it just happens. They randomly just do it, and then learn to do it better, with a bit of practice. It didn’t feel like there was much depth to the storyline, to be blunt. It was kind of a story led by coincidence and good fortune, rather than any kind of character development or good storytelling. So, to summarise, I guess one of my main issue is that a lot of the problems and issues throughout the book are solved pretty easily for characters. There are later problems that come up, but it’s due to their own poor decisions.
One of my other main issues is that I felt like there wasn’t much information provided where it needed to be. Such as with meeting each character. We get given the basic information for each of them, but it felt like there wasn’t much real “depth” to these characters. With Scout in particular, the vast majority of information I have about her is pretty vague and, while the book keeps mentioning the fact that she’s an “illegal”, it didn’t really explain much of how it happens, past a few basic bits of information. For other characters, they’re pretty bland as well, and there wasn’t much information provided about them. There’s a bunch of surface level information, but nothing that got me interested about any of them. Such as one of the main guys having a grudge against Scout; it’s used as a plot device, but not explained very well so it kind of feels ill-placed throughout the book. There’s no real development to it, and no good explanation as to why he seems to dislike her.
Overall, I wasn’t impressed by it. I felt like there could have been a lot better work towards building the world and characters. And I would have appreciated if there were some goal for the characters, because it felt like the story was going nowhere, to be blunt. It’s points like this where I ask myself, “Would I read more in the series?” For me, I feel like I don’t really want to. Considering that it felt like this first book didn’t really go anywhere, and didn’t have any set goals to it, I don’t have high expectations for the next book(s). It’s the type of book that just isn’t for me. Though, maybe you’ll like it, when and if you give it a go. I don’t recommend it.
My first thought about the book is that it’s… Okay… I feel like it’s a bit bland. I feel like the author has created a futuristic society, in order to entice us about the science fiction aspects of the book. However, at the same time, I feel like it’s bland because I don’t get many details about this society. The author has done a bit of world-building, but not shared enough of these details in the book to make it interesting for me. For example, one of the key science fiction aspects of the early portion of the book are these “tag” items. Each person in the society is embedded with some sort of chip, which tracks them, it’s something that they use to pay for food (rations), and has a copy of their history, etc. Stuff like that. In the early sections of the book, we get a basic history of an argument between Scout and her mother, something about Scout being “illegal” and not tagged. Though, unless I missed something, I feel like there was no real explanation as to why Scout was never tagged, and how this makes her illegal. There’s a brief bit about her dad and how he was deported (?), and something about a doctor who was paid to pretend like they had given the mother an abortion, but it just wasn’t enough to give me an adequate explanation. There’s mentions of some kind of food shortages, stuff like that. But I don’t feel like I got a proper explanation of any of it; there’s only basic mentions of it. It’s like if someone were to come up to me mention a war, not give me any details to explain which one they meant, and then they expect me to know exactly what they’re talking about. It feels like the author skims over a lot of these futuristic and science fiction elements. I would have liked a lot more details, in order for me to understand the context of all of it; like who was involved in this war, etc.
By the end of it… I don’t know… I kind of feel like it wasn’t really going anywhere. There is stuff happening, yes, but it just felt like there was no real goal for the characters, aside from the time skips. There were originally goals in the beginning, yes; the going to school thing and getting the chip… But it kind of felt like those were fixed rather simply; some randomly lady just happens to appear, steal her chip and a lot of problems are solved fairly easy just because of that coincidence. There’s a problem, random lady magically appears and the problem is solved. And the same with the learning to time skip. There’s no real, I don’t know how to phrase it, but there’s no real “science” to it; it just happens. They randomly just do it, and then learn to do it better, with a bit of practice. It didn’t feel like there was much depth to the storyline, to be blunt. It was kind of a story led by coincidence and good fortune, rather than any kind of character development or good storytelling. So, to summarise, I guess one of my main issue is that a lot of the problems and issues throughout the book are solved pretty easily for characters. There are later problems that come up, but it’s due to their own poor decisions.
One of my other main issues is that I felt like there wasn’t much information provided where it needed to be. Such as with meeting each character. We get given the basic information for each of them, but it felt like there wasn’t much real “depth” to these characters. With Scout in particular, the vast majority of information I have about her is pretty vague and, while the book keeps mentioning the fact that she’s an “illegal”, it didn’t really explain much of how it happens, past a few basic bits of information. For other characters, they’re pretty bland as well, and there wasn’t much information provided about them. There’s a bunch of surface level information, but nothing that got me interested about any of them. Such as one of the main guys having a grudge against Scout; it’s used as a plot device, but not explained very well so it kind of feels ill-placed throughout the book. There’s no real development to it, and no good explanation as to why he seems to dislike her.
Overall, I wasn’t impressed by it. I felt like there could have been a lot better work towards building the world and characters. And I would have appreciated if there were some goal for the characters, because it felt like the story was going nowhere, to be blunt. It’s points like this where I ask myself, “Would I read more in the series?” For me, I feel like I don’t really want to. Considering that it felt like this first book didn’t really go anywhere, and didn’t have any set goals to it, I don’t have high expectations for the next book(s). It’s the type of book that just isn’t for me. Though, maybe you’ll like it, when and if you give it a go. I don’t recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2015
I tried to like it, but there's about 150 pages where next to nothing happens- not quite sure if the last 50 made up for it, or if the next one will be worth the effort. If it follows the same format with 150 pages of sweet FA then I'll probably pass.
April 20, 2016
I highly enjoyed reading this book can't wait to read the sequel!!!!!!
November 6, 2015
An amazing book, with a completely new conception of time travel. Truly compelling. A MUST-READ for everybody!!
March 1, 2016
I really love this book! It's one of my favourite books of all time and I can't want for Split Infinty to be out!
September 9, 2016
It was really really good, but it ended on a massive cliff hanger! Are there any more books after this?
September 24, 2016
I NEED THE NEXT BOOK!!!
August 5, 2018
I had this recommended to me as a time travel story, which isn't really what it is. It's weird because the big dilemma that is mentioned in the book's blurb is actually the ENDING of the story and is the set-up for the next book in the series. While it was an enjoyable read I can't help but feel ripped off by that.
Lifespan of Starlight is a dystopian young adult book set in a futuristic Melbourne. The world is a rather typical dystopia where a totalitarian government has taken over, forcing everyone to be injected with a microchip that tracks their location, personal history and ration supplies, and where the security on all the computer systems that this society runs on are so insecure that a bunch of kids are able to hack their way through everything and you wonder how everything hasn't crumbled to pieces. Those who've gotten by without a chip are known as 'illegals', outcast from society and forced to scrape by however they can. While dystopian Melbourne doesn't feel too different a setting from other dystopias, the population's easy acceptance of government powers and cracking down on a lower class who doesn't 'prove their worth' and expect 'handouts' definitely feels distinctly Australian.
A group of teens living in Melbourne discover they have the power to blink into a blissful nonexistence, and re-enter the timestream at a later point. It's one-way time travel, which allows for a very different kind of time travel story. Unfortunately though, this book is pretty much just about the group getting control of their powers and ends right when we're about to see some interesting consequences of them. Lifespan of Starlight does feel incomplete like that in a few ways, there's also a bunch of characters who don't serve much purpose within this story and are presumably only going to become important later in the series. I get wanting to set things up for later but this book felt like it was all set up rather than a full story.
So the story is mostly about the protagonist (Coutlyn) and her mother's struggle to survive in dystopian Melbourne. Coutlyn is a 14 year old illegal who her mum has been splitting her rations with in order to keep her alive. Kalkipsakis does a good job of establishing the bond between these two characters and making their struggle feel emotional. The reveals of Coutlyn's age caught me off guard though because she felt a few years older than that.
I'm going to keep reading through the series because the story is at a point where it's about to delve into what I came here for, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find this first entry disappointing. It was enjoyable enough to get through but it feels like only a part of a story rather than a complete narrative in its own right.
Lifespan of Starlight is a dystopian young adult book set in a futuristic Melbourne. The world is a rather typical dystopia where a totalitarian government has taken over, forcing everyone to be injected with a microchip that tracks their location, personal history and ration supplies, and where the security on all the computer systems that this society runs on are so insecure that a bunch of kids are able to hack their way through everything and you wonder how everything hasn't crumbled to pieces. Those who've gotten by without a chip are known as 'illegals', outcast from society and forced to scrape by however they can. While dystopian Melbourne doesn't feel too different a setting from other dystopias, the population's easy acceptance of government powers and cracking down on a lower class who doesn't 'prove their worth' and expect 'handouts' definitely feels distinctly Australian.
A group of teens living in Melbourne discover they have the power to blink into a blissful nonexistence, and re-enter the timestream at a later point. It's one-way time travel, which allows for a very different kind of time travel story. Unfortunately though, this book is pretty much just about the group getting control of their powers and ends right when we're about to see some interesting consequences of them. Lifespan of Starlight does feel incomplete like that in a few ways, there's also a bunch of characters who don't serve much purpose within this story and are presumably only going to become important later in the series. I get wanting to set things up for later but this book felt like it was all set up rather than a full story.
So the story is mostly about the protagonist (Coutlyn) and her mother's struggle to survive in dystopian Melbourne. Coutlyn is a 14 year old illegal who her mum has been splitting her rations with in order to keep her alive. Kalkipsakis does a good job of establishing the bond between these two characters and making their struggle feel emotional. The reveals of Coutlyn's age caught me off guard though because she felt a few years older than that.
I'm going to keep reading through the series because the story is at a point where it's about to delve into what I came here for, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find this first entry disappointing. It was enjoyable enough to get through but it feels like only a part of a story rather than a complete narrative in its own right.
August 14, 2020
This is really well thought out time travel story, set in a passively dystopian future. Passive because everyone had just sleep walked into the boredom inducing society that has developed once everyone is chipped and rationed. These are the most boring future lives in the world. Go to work or school, eat, if you are classified highly enough you might even get a haircut or see a movie. But there is no real violence or anger or happiness because everyone has been brought up in a world where this is how you survive the dangers of climate change and resource scarcity. You basically just exist.
Scout, the main character, has been living outside of this world because she was born illegally and was not chipped. This makes her more resourceful than most, but she has still been sucked in to the mindless drone life everyone else has - it's just that her life is riskier.
And then she discovers that time travel exists and with it comes a chip she can use to access high school, something she thought she might never have. But there are complications. Two boys start following her and one of her secrets has been discovered, but will the other secrets be discovered too?
I don't want to say too much more about the plot. I really enjoyed this take on time travel and the lovely safe (if overheated and underresourced) future that comes about when everyone is chipped, that Scout and her friends are unaware of the dangers of until they find themselves out of bounds. A clever piece of fiction. Recommend.
Scout, the main character, has been living outside of this world because she was born illegally and was not chipped. This makes her more resourceful than most, but she has still been sucked in to the mindless drone life everyone else has - it's just that her life is riskier.
And then she discovers that time travel exists and with it comes a chip she can use to access high school, something she thought she might never have. But there are complications. Two boys start following her and one of her secrets has been discovered, but will the other secrets be discovered too?
I don't want to say too much more about the plot. I really enjoyed this take on time travel and the lovely safe (if overheated and underresourced) future that comes about when everyone is chipped, that Scout and her friends are unaware of the dangers of until they find themselves out of bounds. A clever piece of fiction. Recommend.
October 30, 2022
This book is alright, the plot was ok and the characters were fine. Everything feels rushed in a way and there isn't much description about what's going on for the most part. Other than that, the concept of time travel was cool but Scout's attraction to Mason felt really weird and I don't think that it was needed to make this a good story. For this book to get a better rating it would need at least some comedic elements and more descriptions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2019
I normally read more realistic types of books but I once picking up this book I couldn't put it down. The storyline is imaginative and the tension between the characters is captivating. Although, I thought the front cover was a little misleading as I initally thought it was a book on science. I definietly want to read the rest in this series and get my own copy of the book.
March 27, 2024
This novel was very well paced and gripping as a contemporary Australian speculative fiction novel. More relatable to the younger Australian reader (14) it is also interestering for young adult readers as well in terms of plot.
Well written, it's also useful for text analysis in classrooms as well.
Well written, it's also useful for text analysis in classrooms as well.
February 19, 2017
I haven't actually read this book but all my friends have and they say it's really good so I'm really excited to get cracking and read it! The plot sounds so interesting that I bet it's worth reading! I'll update my review as soon as I have!
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