Release Date: August 11th 2020
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 435
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

If the night sky holds many secrets, it holds Sheetal Mistry’s secret the closest. A secret that explains why her hair is the silver of starlight, or why some nights the stars call Sheetal by name.

Stars like her mother, who returned to her place in the constellation Pushya years ago. Since that day, Sheetal has been forced to hide.

But as her seventeenth birthday draws near, the pull from the sky is growing stronger. So strong that Sheetal loses control, and a flare of starfire burns her human father—an injury only a full star’s blood can heal.

Sheetal has no choice but to answer the starsong and ascend to the sky. But her celestial family has summoned her for a reason: to act as their human champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of heavens.

Desperate to save her father, Sheetal agrees. But nothing could have prepared Sheetal to face the stars’ dark history—or the forces that are working to shut the gate between the realms for good.

Review

Star Daughter is a beautifully written story inspired by Hindu mythology that follows Sheetal a young girl who is part star. When she is summoned to the celestial court Sheetal is forced to participate in a competition that decides who will be the next ruler of the heavens. With no choice but to agree, Sheetal participates in the competition, but as she learns more about the history of the celestial court she soon sees that all is not what it seems.

This was such a gorgeous, lyrical tale and honestly I didn’t want it to end. I really loved the writing style in this one and I actually had hoped there would be a sequel because the world Thakrar has created was absolutely fascinating. I loved learning about the celestial court and the families that ruled the heavens. Seeing Sheetal come into her star powers was all a really interesting part of the story.

A competition is one of my favourite YA tropes and it is executed incredibly well in this story. I loved seeing the different performances and competitors. I really liked the characters and in particular the strong focus on family and friendship. There is a romance element to the story, but I found myself less interested in this and more about Sheetal overcoming her feelings of guilt, making it through the competition and saving her father.

The story is really quick paced and it’s a really enjoyable read. It also has one of the most stunning covers I’ve ever seen. If you’re a fan of YA fantasy that’s full to the brim with mythology and really lovely writing, this one will be a must read.