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The Girl and the Stars

by
Mark Lawrence

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The Girl and the Stars

(Book of the Ice #1)

Mark Lawrence (Goodreads Author)

4.33 · Rating details · 18 ratings · 29 reviews

In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown.

On Abeth the vastness of the ice holds no room for individuals. Survival together is barely possible. No one survives alone.

To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is ...more

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Hardcover, 600 pages

Expected publication: April 30th 2020 by HarperVoyager

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Upcoming 2020 SFF with female leads or co-leads

143 books — 35 voters

April 2020 Book Releases

48 books — 8 voters

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Average rating 4.33 ·

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· 18 ratings · 29 reviews

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Start your review of The Girl and the Stars (Book of the Ice, #1)

Aug 08, 2019 Mark Lawrence added it · (Review from the author)

STOP PRESS: The US cover has been released! https://thatthornguy.com/2019/11/27/t...

The ARCs have landed chez Lawrence!

You might think you want an ARC of The Girl And The Stars more than Ruby does. But you'd be wrong!

Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #Prizes #ExtraContent

.

flag 213 likes · Like · see review

Oct 06, 2019 Chaima ✨ شيماء marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-releases, adult, fantasy, fiction

I see it.

I like it.

I want it.

I internally scream because it hasn't been released yet.

(Also, this is Mark Lawrence so you know you're in for a RIDE!)

flag 78 likes · Like · see review

Jun 07, 2019 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-releases

OMG this is obviously being added to my never-ending TBR!

flag 75 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin marked it as to-read

What the hell! I want a print arc of this damn book!!!

Mel ...more

flag 45 likes · Like · see review

May 06, 2019 Eon ♒Windrunner♒ marked it as to-read

Oh hell yes!

The Girl and the Stars

Prologue

Many babies have killed, but it is very rare that the victim is not their mother.

When the father handed his infant to the priestess to speak its fortune the child stopped screaming and in its place she began to howl, filling the silence left behind.

Omens are difficult and open to interpretation but if the oracle that touches your new-born dies moments later, frothing at the mouth, it is hard even with a mother’s love to think it a good sign.

In such cases ...more

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

Aug 30, 2019 Adam rated it it was amazing

Abeth, a frozen ice planet. Many years ago, a home to Nona and the sisters of the Sweet Mercy convent. Now home to nothing but wandering ice tribes, struggling to survive in the harshest conditions imaginable.

To survive is to sacrifice. Outliers must be culled. Whether you are weak and lag behind, or if you’re too big or strong and eat more than the average share, then you can no longer exist within the tribe. You are thrown away, torn from your home and family forever. Yaz, our teenage Abeth, a frozen ice planet. Many years ago, a home to Nona and the sisters of the Sweet Mercy convent. Now home to nothing but wandering ice tribes, struggling to survive in the harshest conditions imaginable.

To survive is to sacrifice. Outliers must be culled. Whether you are weak and lag behind, or if you’re too big or strong and eat more than the average share, then you can no longer exist within the tribe. You are thrown away, torn from your home and family forever. Yaz, our teenage protagonist, finds herself in this position at the onset of the story, and we follow her journey down the rabbit hole into an unforgiving world of danger, mystery, magic, science fiction, politics, horror, and so much more.

To go into any more detail will spoil some of the fun, but I will mention that the story was impossible to categorize, as it created a genre all to its own. What to call it is up to you. Icepunk? Sure, why not. It’s not news that Lawrence continues to get better with every book. This is something we’ve known for years. But this is a different kind of story than what we’re used to from him. It has a drive to it, a pulse, a gearshift that kicks higher and higher.

Long-shrouded mysteries that were first hinted at in The Broken Empire and carried over through The Red Queen’s War and The Book of the Ancestor were finally being cracked open wide here, revealing that Lawrence has been low-key creating a shared universe of his work all along. What else could be in store for the future of the Yaz-mere? We can already access two different series in two different eras. Perhaps there’s a third era of time in which we can further expand on the lore of a mysterious race or two? But I’m getting way ahead of myself. This book is having that effect on me. It’s provoking wild theories and getting me very, very excited for what’s to come. It’s that kind of book.

Every chapter kept getting better and better. There were many questions I had during The Book of the Ancestor series that were addressed here. New abilities, new environments, new threats, new characters to love and hate, themes and questions carried over from Nona’s story, a ton of new mysteries to solve... it was plain to see how carefully the scenes were constructed, and it all flowed wonderfully. Almost every chapter had something breath-catching in it.

The Girl and the Stars is more than the start of a new series. It’s the culmination of some of the best ideas of Lawrence’s previous works while promising that amazing things are still to come. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next Icepunk book in the Yaz-mere.

ARC via HarperCollinsUK

The Girl and the Stars with be released on April 30, 2020. Pre-order it here.

9.5 / 10 ...more

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May 04, 2019 Mitriel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

If Mark Lawrence was a new author The Girl and the Stars would be the SFF debut of the year.

I blogged about the book here (no spoilers):

https://thatthornguy.com/2019/05/03/a...

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

May 08, 2019 Emma is currently reading it

Sign me up right now. Serious want.

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Aug 17, 2019 sofia (sam willows) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

if i dont read this soon i might actually, physically Die ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Nov 21, 2019 ThatBookGal rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: unread-shelf

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book. Mark Lawrence’s ‘The Broken Empire’ trilogy, really stuck with me for being dark and not afraid to pack a punch. I was expecting big things from this book, and it did not disappoint, not even one little bit.

Never before has a book made me feel quite so claustrophobic, life under the ice had me shuddering, and I had to take a break after the first 50 pages, just to catch my breath. That is the beauty of Lawrence’s writing. I could picture every ...more

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Nov 28, 2019 Anna marked it as unreleased · review of another edition

[11/28] The cover looks STUNNING.

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2019 Niki Groves rated it it was amazing

Excellent! Unexpected storyline, had me exclaiming out loud, really liked the characters, just enough description to get the idea - I didn't want it to end.

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2019 Caidyn (SEMI-HIATUS; BW Reviews; he/him/his) marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, wish-list

AND NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS????

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2019 Kerry A rated it it was amazing

Hmm, there better be a sequel soon because I'm totally invested in this story. It's harsh, it's gripping, no-one can be trusted and nothing is as it seems at first glance. This brilliant new book has an awesome main female lead in Yaz. I'm giving this one full marks for the world he has created under the ice. I'm lucky to have had an advance copy. This is intense!

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Jun 07, 2019 Izzy marked it as to-be-released

WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR FOR THIS

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May 08, 2019 Megan ❀ marked it as tbr-unreleased

Shelves: fantasy

*screams all the way until April 30th, 2020*

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May 03, 2019 fae marked it as to-read

holy shiiiit,,,,,will we also get to see nona and the others in this series????!!!

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Nov 03, 2019 Eloise rated it really liked it

Fantastic and visceral world building with fascinating characters and so many plot twists and turns you won’t be able to put it down! Fans of the Red Sister series will love this book.

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Oct 06, 2019 Stephanie L (catteabooks) marked it as on-the-radar

Shelves: 2020-publications

I have yet to read a Mark Lawrence book (shame on me), but here I am, adding yet another of his novels to my TBR because I just can't not.

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Nov 22, 2019 Sam From the Square Groot rated it liked it

An enjoyable read.

I had the wonderful opportunity to read this before release and have to point out that this was not the fully finished book. And thus can not quote the book because of this fact.

As I said at the beginning, it was an enjoyable read. The characters are for the most part rounded out, there are some secondary characters that I enjoyed more than the main character, a bit more going on with them in terms of personality and arcs. But they have their set places and roles, which is ...more

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