The Shadow Behind the Starsby Rebecca Hahn
Urban Fantasy, Mythology
Hardcover, 256 pages
September 1st 2015 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Summary
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. Hers are the fingers that choose the wool, that shape the thread, that begin it. The sun smiles upon her. Men love her without knowing who she is. She has lived forever and will live forever more. She and her sisters have been on their isolated Greek island for centuries, longer than any mortal can remember. They spin, measure, and slice the countless golden threads of human life. They are the three Fates, and they have stayed separate for good reason: it is dangerous for them to become involved with the humans whose lives they shape.
So when a beautiful girl named Aglaia shows up on their doorstep, Chloe tries to make sure her sisters don’t become attached. But in seeking to protect them, Chloe discovers the dark power of Aglaia’s destiny. As her path unwinds, the three Fates find themselves pulled inextricably along—toward mortal pain, and mortal love, and a fate that could unravel the world.
My Review
The Shadow Behind the Stars told an unexpected story. It tells of the three Fates from Greek mythology and a young woman who comes upon them in distress. No one hardly remembers the Fates anymore and so due to a choice of one of Chloe's sisters, the girl becomes a part of their lives. At least it began with Chloe's sister, but each of them become involved by the end. It was a great piece of storytelling, with full characters, and set in a realistic world where things don't turn out perfectly nice, but where there are deep struggles and pain, but also joy.
What surprised me was that I was expecting there to by more of a climax or more romance, but there was neither. There was a climax and some sad ends to some characters, but this really felt like I'd jumped into Chloe's mind as a Fate with their unlimited life and being so removed from humankind and their attached struggles and emotions. It was their lives disrupted by a circumstance and one individual that ended up bringing them to life through ways they hadn't faced before. They were so powerful, and yet, not powerful at all, held by strings for the responsibility they held.
I would recommend The Shadow Behind the Stars to those who enjoy fiction or Greek mythology. There was some heavy subject matter and because of how the story read, I'd recommend it to YA through Adult readers.
Content: Some violence and mature subject matter.
Source: I would like to thank Antheneum Books through Edelweiss for my complimentary eARC, which did not affect my review in any way.
What surprised me was that I was expecting there to by more of a climax or more romance, but there was neither. There was a climax and some sad ends to some characters, but this really felt like I'd jumped into Chloe's mind as a Fate with their unlimited life and being so removed from humankind and their attached struggles and emotions. It was their lives disrupted by a circumstance and one individual that ended up bringing them to life through ways they hadn't faced before. They were so powerful, and yet, not powerful at all, held by strings for the responsibility they held.
I would recommend The Shadow Behind the Stars to those who enjoy fiction or Greek mythology. There was some heavy subject matter and because of how the story read, I'd recommend it to YA through Adult readers.
Content: Some violence and mature subject matter.
Source: I would like to thank Antheneum Books through Edelweiss for my complimentary eARC, which did not affect my review in any way.
About the Author
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 and wrote A Creature of Moonlight on the side. She now lives in Minneapolis, with the winter cold, the wide sky, and many whispering trees.
Do you like books that have aspects of Greek mythology?
No comments
Post a Comment
I love comments! I try to read and reply to them all. Feel free to agree or disagree and generally share your thoughts with me.