For Darkness Shows the Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Dec 19, 2013 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: retelling-a-classic, dystopian-and-post-apocalyptic, young-adult, stayed-up-way-too-late, romance, lily, living-on-the-water

This book! OMG this book! I just LOVE being surprised by how awesome a book is. I just wasn't expecting it with this one (they always sneak up when you least expect it). And here I've ruined it for you, telling you how awesome it is - but if I don't, you might not read it!

This book just in general was not what I was expecting. "Stars" and "Cloud Fleet" led me to expect sci-fi ... a YA dystopian romance set on other planets, with space travel, with two spunky young heroes who fight the establishm ...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Carla rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, own, 2014

A nice retelling of Persuasion. You can see what scenes were inspired by Austen's book but the author strays away from it and wrote her own story. It felt as a nice homage to my favourite book by Austen, even if Kai was never as interesting or compelling as Frederick Wentworth. Elliot was a shade paller than Anne but ho so great to follow! And the letters never reached the perfection of that of Wentworth *sigh, always sigh when thinking of the letter* but were a great instrument to let us know m ...more

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May 22, 2013 Danielle Ballard rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

This book appeals to a lot of my favorite things in books — it’s a young adult, post-apocalyptic retake of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, with a dash of sci-fi. Huh? I’m right there with you – it’s an odd combination. But this is not snarky and silly retelling like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but a beautifully re-imagined story of rigid class structures and forbidden love in a dystopian world.

In the “Post-Reduction” period after the world went too far tinkering with human genetics, most of the p ...more

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Jun 16, 2012 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, dystopian, retellings, apocalyptic

I couldn't put this book down. I read more than 200 pages in one sitting, far too late into the night. I definitely think this was better than killer unicorns and the virgins who hunt them.
I haven't read or watched Persuasion in a long time, so I remained nervous about how the story would play out. The tension was palpable at some points. Peterfreund did a good job of creating realistic, simmering characters, both good and bad. Petty, angry, selfish people who hurt anyone around them because the I couldn't put this book down. I read more than 200 pages in one sitting, far too late into the night. I definitely think this was better than killer unicorns and the virgins who hunt them.
I haven't read or watched Persuasion in a long time, so I remained nervous about how the story would play out. The tension was palpable at some points. Peterfreund did a good job of creating realistic, simmering characters, both good and bad. Petty, angry, selfish people who hurt anyone around them because they could, and quietly noble people who did what they needed to for the sake of those they cared for, and a variety in between. I detested Baron North like few characters I've read recently, hate Tatiana, and found Benedict creepy in some indefinable way. I found the Innovations and the Phoenixs fascinating. I like Elliot's posts--Mags, Dee, and Gill, and Elliot...I loved Elliot. Very compelling.
The story concept, the dystopian futuristic element, was interesting. I never figured out where the islands were that she referred to, but otherwise I was satisfied by the world she created, and kind of wish there'd be more books set in this world. I want to know what else is out there. I also found her take on GMOs and human genetic scientific developments interesting, although it didn't feel like she was making a point or even taking a side.
My mild complaint with this book would probably be that there seemed to be some repetition. No examples come to mind at the moment, but several time I read a line and thought to myself, "Didn't I just read that a paragraph or few ago?" Also, I'm not sure how well I connected with (Mala)Kai. I believed the love story, but he made me angry sometimes, and I mostly cared about him because of how he affected Elliot.
I could gripe a little about the cover too. Elliot is described as having black hair, not the brown on the cover, and I'm not sure she was the makeup (eye shadow) wearing type, or if Luddites even used makeup. but it's a small gripe, because otherwise I liked the cover. You can just tell artists don't read the books, sometimes.
I did love the title. My husband noticed it while I was reading, and said he thought it was a stupid title, and didn't make any sense, but he's a man, and not an Austen fan, so there. I definitely thought it made sense, especially in the context of the story. Also, it's pretty.
I would definitely recommend this to fans of YA dystopian who want a well-written book. I would also recommend this to Austen fans, for a creative but beautifully done retelling of one of Austen's finest, most mature works. You can tell Peterfreund wrote this as a real love letter to Jane Austen and her works; it shows both in her excellent retelling of the story, and in her dedication, which is to her mother "who loves Jane Austen as much as I do. And my daughter, who I hope someday will."
And now I want to go read Persuasion all over again. ...more

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