The Chaos of Stars
Author: Kiersten White
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, Mythology
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Summary:
Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever – and she’s a mere mortal.
Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications – and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.
First Sentence: When I was a little girl, I still believed I was part of the world’s secret magic.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
My Review:
Kiersten White’s books are either a hit or miss for me. I disliked Paranormalcy with a passion because of the annoying main character, but I enjoyed reading Mind Games because hello, assassins (even though the book didn’t have any assassinating at all). I don’t know how I’ll feel about The Chaos of Stars though – all I know is that I’ve seen tons of mixed reviews on the book, but add a pretty cover and I will definitely read it. However, since it’s a Kiersten White book, I did expect the book to be at least a little fluffy.
The first couple of chapters of The Chaos of Stars was quite enjoyable, if not a bit confusing (if you don’t know a little about who’s who in the Egyptian myths) to read about. Isadora was relatable because of her similar family issues and I understood her desperate need to escape from her family. However, as I slowly read on, The Chaos of Stars slowly went downhill. Don’t get me wrong – The Chaos of Stars is still a good book – but just not really my style.
“Whatever. What’s the point? Nothing lasts forever. Relationships only hurt.” (ARC 120)
The first thing that stands out to me about The Chaos of Stars is that it’s a book about Egyptian mythology. Here’s the thing though: there’s only two things in the book that really focus on Egyptian mythology – the names of the Gods in the book (there are so many Egyptian names to remember!) and the small snippets of a different Egyptian myth at the beginning of each chapter. Everything else in the book is basically, well, family drama and romance. That’s the best way I can sum it all up. It is disappointing really because I wanted to read The Chaos of Stars due to the fact that the majority of the book was supposed to be about Egyptian mythology, the only kind of mythology that I haven’t read about.
Call me silly, but I didn’t actually expect there to be a romance or a love interest in The Chaos of Stars. The summary tells us readers that the book only talks about Isadora’s messed up family – in fact, none of the summary hints to anything about a romance. Well, there is romance in the book. In fact, I’ll say that the romance plays a huge part in The Chaos of Stars, simply because Isadora refuses to fall in love with her love interest because she got burned by her parents’ love for her before.
The whole “I am determined not to fall for him because love is bad” thing kind of got annoying after a while. Readers will easily know and figure out that Isadora feels the opposite of hate for her love interest, Ry, when she constantly pays attention to him, notes what he’s doing, thinks about his very handsome looks every time she sees him, you know, all those mushy feelings you have once you fall in like with someone. I just wanted to grab her, shake her, and scream at her to just accept it.
Butterflies are stupid, fragile things that have beautiful and tragically short lives. Electricity kills people. I don’t need a new person to suddenly spring up under my skin and push out who I was, who I’ve already decided to be. (ARC 147)
Like some other young adult books out there, Isadora does curse, but she has her own version of the curse word. When Isadora uses the f-word, she literally says “floods” instead. Yes, I’m dead serious. At first, it wasn’t annoying at all, but after seeing that for a while and sometimes seeing it used for no apparent reason at all, Isadora’s “floods” habit slowly started to annoy me. (Why does Isadora say “floods” anyway? Is it because of the Nile river in Egypt? I want an explanation!)
The major downfall of The Chaos of Stars was that the climax of the book was in the last forty or so pages. Yes, I’m serious, the climax was in the last forty of so pages of the book. There was a mystery component of the book that discovered in the beginning and was solved in the last forty pages – aka where the climax is. The middle of the book consisted of romance and two very short “oh no, what happened?!” incidents revolving around the mystery component of the book. Yeah, floods.
Chaos take him. I’m done. (ARC 29)
If it was up to me, I’ll categorize The Chaos of Stars as more of a chick-lit and romance book than a mythology book. (I still don’t know why goodreads didn’t mark romance as one of the genres The Chaos of Stars has. It’s like Halloween without the candy.)
Will I recommend The Chaos of Stars to anyone? Sure, if you’re looking for a fluffy chick-lit book with a cute romance. (Man, I still grin like a fool when I think of that scene with Ry in it.)
I felt about the same about Chaos. My biggest complaint about the book was Isadora. I couldn’t get over my dislike for her…she seemed whiney and selfish. I had a hard time enjoying the book mainly because of her. Wonderful, honest review!
My Friends Are Fiction
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At first, I thought Isadora had the right to be whiney because her parents were pretty awful to her in the beginning, but she just went too far as the book goes on. We each have our own limits. :P
Thank you! (:
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
Wow, great & interesting review! I’ve been hearing A LOT about this book and I was still kind of on the fence about reading it, mostly leaning towards no. And now I definitely don’t want to read it, haha. I basically no nothing about Egyptian mythology, so I can definitely see myself getting super confused with that aspect of the book. And I would definitely have been more into reading it if it was less about romance stuff, because the blurb did sound good to me.
Miranda @ Tempest Books recently posted…Weekly Wrap-Up (#1)
Yeah, I was super confused with all those names. The book didn’t really explain the many God’s roles and when it did explain it, I was still confused.
I could have liked The Chaos of Stars better if it had less romance and more action.
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
Great Review! Judge me if you will but fluffy chick lit makes me totally happy :) Plus the cover is gorgeous.
Aly @ My Heart Hearts Books recently posted…Find Me (Review + Interview)
Thank you! (:
Ha ha, everybody has different tastes when it comes to, well, everything, so I totally get you. ;D
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
This book sounds so pretty ! So sorry you didn’t like it better! Better luck next time :D Oh and I LOVE the cover <3
Happy reading
Jackie
http://nobentspines.blogspot.com/
Jackie recently posted…The Darknest Minds by Alexandra Bracken : Review
Don’t we all love the cover? ;D
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
Yeah, I agree with everything you said about this one. Sadly, I gave it 2-stars because I couldn’t even connect to the romance or any of the contemporary elements, which turned out to be 80 percent of the book. The whole blurb fools you. It is more chick-lit than any mythology / paranormal book. And the cool parts definitely were Egypt for me.
Becca @ Nawanda Files recently posted…Book Mash [16]
I connected a little with the romance, which is why I gave the book 3 stars. They should totally revise the blurb – they’re targeting the wrong audience.
And I agree, all the cool parts took place in Egypt.
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
Awww! I was really looking forward to reading an Egyptian mythology but instead it turns out to be a fluffy romance! I am slightly disappointed in myself for getting my hopes. It’s a shame to see such a great concept turn out to be completely different from what you expect. Great review! :)
Shelly recently posted…Shelly Rambles: Starting a New TV Show Series
Sorry to disappoint you Shelly, but it’s better knowing this now then getting the book and finding out that it isn’t what you thought it was. :l
And don’t be disappointed in yourself! I’m sure many people thought the exact same thing, including me.
Thanks! (:
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
Thanks for the great review, I’ve heard a lot about this book and think it’d be a fluffy read for me. I loved Paranormalcy but it seems like in this one the girl has a bit of a vendetta against not falling in love. Wish it stuck to the Egyptian mythology a bit more too.
Great review Kelly, I’m a bloglovin follower! Thanks for stopping by my TTT.
Jeann @ Happy Indulgence recently posted…David Estes Amazon Review Giveaway + Free eBook
The Chaos of Stars is definitely a fluffy read.
Isadora also has a vendetta against not falling in love. She went on and on about it and even compared love to cancer.
Thank you Jeann & thanks for the lovely follow! (:
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
I like that it was about Egyptian mythology and at that time, I really was in the mood for such a fluffly, fun read. I agree that it’s more of a chick lit. Great review! :)
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted…Mission Impossible: Tackling series.
I don’t know why The Chaos of Stars is categorized as mostly a mythology book instead of a mostly chick-lit book.
Thanks Mel! :D
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
This looks really interesting, but at the same time I’ve never read anything with mythology in them (that I can think of right now…), and also I would have hoped that such a book would have more than light and fluffy to it. I might still give it a try sometime, though.
barefootmedstudent recently posted…Book Review: Sister-Sister by Rachel Zadok
If you haven’t read Everneath by Brodi Ashton (Persphone myth) yet, then get a copy now!
The Chaos of Stars is a book with A LOT of fluff in it, so if you like that, you’ll love this one.
If you ever plan to read The Chaos of Stars, I hope you’ll enjoy it! (:
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
I haven’t read any Kiersten White books yet. I have a few on my TBR list but I’m not sure when I will get to them. Good review; I don’t enjoy reading many fluff books so I’ll probably pass on this one. Also, I tagged you in a book tag I did on my blog if you’d like to check it out and do it too! :) (Linked below).
Holly recently posted…BOOK TAG: Seven Random (Book) Facts
Kiersten White’s books are mostly fluffy, so she might not be the author for you Holly.
And you’ve got me curious – running off to check your book tag now. ;D
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
I agree with you for the most part, but it does seem like I enjoyed this book a tad more than you did! I though it was a quick fun read with, like you said, lots of romance and just a little bit of mythology. I think the main problem for you in The Chaos of Stars was that you couldn’t connect/didn’t like Isadora? She was okay, quite stubborn. AND LOL at your last sentence about Ry, I know what you’re talking about. ;) Lovely review, Kelly!
Jen recently posted…More Than This by Patrick Ness | Review
Yeah, Isadora is one main reason why I didn’t enjoy The Chaos of Stars as much as I could have. She was just too whiney for my taste.
Ha ha, are we thinking about the same Ry scene? ;D
Thank you Jen! (:
Kelly recently posted…Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
I bought this on my kindle because it was offered cheap in pre-release. I haven’t read it yet but I bought it for the mythology connection so I guess I might be disappointed :(
Who knows Tammy, maybe you’ll enjoy the fluffy part of the book. o:
And if you like romance, you’ll like this one too. ;D
Kelly recently posted…Teen Thrill Book Signing
Interesting. I was thinking of reading it for the Egyptian mythology element, which is cool. But fluffy chick lit is good too!
Ashleigh Swerdfeger recently posted…Unspoken Memories by Gabbie Duran; Cover Reveal
If you love both Egyptian myth AND fluffy chick lit, then this book is definitely the one for you Ashleigh. ;D
Kelly recently posted…First Year Blogoversary + Three Giveaways!
I will add it to goodreads :)
Ashleigh Swerdfeger recently posted…Banned Book Week 2013
I’ve had this on my TBR list since way before it released, but I haven;t really read any reviews until this one. What a bummer. I enjoy contemporary but I really thought this book was supposed to be about mythology. I’ll probably still try to read it when I need something light though. Nice review!
There is a little mythology in The Chaos of Stars, but not enough to really consider this to be a mythology book in my opinion. Who knows, maybe you’ll feel differently about this one. o:
And The Chaos of Stars is definitely a light read!
Thanks! (:
Kelly recently posted…First Year Blogoversary + Three Giveaways!
I might give it a chance and borrow it from a library! Really like the mythology aspect of it and the cover is beautiful!<3
I hope you’ll enjoy this one Fatma! (:
And the cover is STUNNING. I might just buy it for the cover itself. It’s just so strokable!
Kelly recently posted…First Year Blogoversary + Three Giveaways!
I’ve heard so many mixed reviews about this book, it makes me sad. I was super looking forward to the mythology aspect of it and I’m disappointed that doesn’t seem to feature in it too much. Also, floods? Really? That’s so silly haha. But then again, this actually sounds like it will be a lot like White’s Paranormalcy series, and I loved that one, so maybe I will enjoy it. We will see.
Angie recently posted…Review: The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson
Yeah, there’s definitely less mythology than I wanted from the book. ):
Yep, floods. I still don’t get it, although I think that the whole Nile in Egypt thing might be the reason for it.
The Chaos of Stars is a lot like the Paranormalcy series, but without the action throughout the book. The Chaos of Stars mainly focuses on the romance while Paranormalcy is more of a mystery and action kind of book.
Kelly recently posted…First Year Blogoversary + Three Giveaways!
Good review! I like this author. The one thing I didn’t like about this book was that the action didn’t really happen until the end and it was over really fast.
Thanks Cali! (:
Kiersten White’s books are either a hit or miss for me. And I agree – this one was lacking some action in the beginning and middle of the book.
Kelly recently posted…First Year Blogoversary + Three Giveaways!
Argh, I just got this one out from the library because I really liked Mind Games (haven’t read Paranormalcy yet). I’m disappointed to hear that there isn’t much in the way of Greek mythology…isn’t that the point of this book?
I’m not that surprised to hear that romance is the focus of the book, though – I kind of expected that, even though the synopsis never mentions it – Kiersten likes her romances. I’m a bit annoyed that the mystery-mythology element is so played down.
Now I’m debating whether to read or not. Would you say it’s a fast read?
Thanks for the awesome review – really appreciate your honesty!
Yeah. ):
I think maybe it counts as a mythology book because it had those little mythology snippets in the beginning of each chapter? And it’s Egyptian mythology by the way.
The romance takes place for a HUGE majority part of the book and the mystery part is only really focused on at the very end, which is a disappointment. :l
The Chaos of Stars is definitely a fast read – my ARC is pretty short. Plus, it’s also a fluffy read and fluffy reads are usually fast reads.
No problem Tiff! ;D
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [52]
The BIGGEST DRAW for me for this book was Egyptian Mythology. And the cover, of course. I mean, it is stunning. The fact that I absolutely loved Mind Games didn’t hurt either. Reading your review and finding out that Egyptian Mythology was a draw and basically nothing more kind of ticks me off to be honest. And “floods”. Seriously? I try to get creative myself because I don’t like to cuss, but I try to actually BE creative about it. Anyway, so if I decide to read this and go into it knowing that its basically a contemporary, I might like it better? Sigh….
Yeah, I was pretty disappointed when I found out that Egyptian mythology has almost nothing to do with the book at all.
Yeah, floods. I wish there was an explanation for that one.
The Chaos of Stars is also a romance, if that helps.
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [52]
I LOVE the cover to this book. It’s in my wishlist. Great review
Katie recently posted…Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
I love the cover of The Chaos of Stars too! It’s so pretty and even prettier in person. I can just admire it all day.
And thanks! :D
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [52]
I really wanted to read this book since Mind Games didn’t really do that much for me (I think I rated it 3 stars? or maybe 4 because of that unexpected ending). Hearing that The Chaos of Stars is about Egyptian Mythology, I immediately marked it as to-read, but seeing all these bad reviews about it, I might not just read it. Or maybe I might. Who knows? :) Anyway, great review! Thank you for warning me a head of time about the annoying things in this book.
Celine Moredo recently posted…Stacking the Shelves (2)
Mind Games didn’t do much for me either, although I did give it a rating of 3.5 stars because it was kind of a fun read.
I wasn’t planning on reading The Chaos of Stars either, but that cover! I just couldn’t resist. :P
Thanks, and hopefully since you have lower expectations now, you might enjoy the book more than I did! (:
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [52]
I don’t read that book yet, but the cover is gorgeous and I loooove mythology =D I really liked Paranormalcy, but the sequel was a disaster lol, Sooooo I don’t know if I’ll read it or not.
anyway, great review!
The Chaos of Stars sadly doesn’t have any mythology. But like you said, the cover is absolutely gorgeous though! :D
Ha ha, I couldn’t stand Paranormalcy, so I didn’t read the sequel.
Thanks Kassi! (:
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [52]
Ever since I saw the cover for The Chaos of Stars I knew I had to read this book! It sounds so interesting because it’s about Egyptian mythology. Which I’ve definitely never read before. I totally love Kiersten’s Paranormalcy series (though I haven’t finished it yet) and I’ve definitely been following her new stuff. I still need to catch up with pretty much every book she’s ever written but she’s definitely awesome! She has an awesome personality and she’s so funny! I like how she’ll integrate that into her characters. I hope I get to read this one soon! ^_^
The cover of The Chaos of Stars is indeed gorgeous! It’s what drew me to read the book the first place.
Ha ha, I don’t really like the Paranormalcy series, but I’m glad you did! :D
And yeah, Kiersten White seems so nice on Twitter. I’ve never met her face to face though.
I hope you’ll enjoy this one Hillary! (:
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [57]
Interesting review. Now, I actually loved Paranormalcy, although I did take a bit to get used to the main character because she was kind of annoying. I usually love Egyptian mythology, but wasn’t thrilled when Rick Riordan did it in the Kane Chronicles, or maybe I just didn’t like the format of that book compared to loving the Percy Jackson series. Thanks for sharing, and I’ll keep all this in mind if I ever get around to reading this one, which actually has been on my TBR list for awhile.
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