“We must draw on all our skills to succeed, even those frowned upon,” says Takiyah in Between Starfalls and since I could not find the words to start this review in spite of all my notes and quotes, I called upon one of my favorite characters to start it for me. It is my immense pleasure to share about this beautiful book with you today and I hope that if you choose to give it a chance, you will love it as much as I did.
Between Starfalls is not your usual Fantasy. Set in the Stone Age, this story introduces us to two peoples – the Rinaryns and the Kamalti. The Rinaryns thought the Kamalti were a myth but chain of events reveal that this isn’t so. I am getting ahead of myself here. Take a look at the synopsis and then read on for my thoughts (and quotes!).
Never leave the path.
It’s sacred law, punishable by exile.
When her son goes missing in the perilous mountains, Kaemada defies the law to search for him. She enlists the help of her hero brother, a priestess berserker, and a fire-wielding friend.
But the law exists for a reason.
When the search party is captured by the mythical Kamalti, they learn that Kaemada’s son was sent to an ancient prison city. As they battle for freedom, they discover a horrible truth that will change the future of both races forever.
With their world in upheaval, Kaemada must find a way to peace if she’s to save her son—but tensions between the two races are leading to war.
Content Notes (also specified in the book): Descriptions of combat, drugging, imprisonment, domestic abuse, children and animals in peril.
Thoughts on Between Starfalls
There is so much to write about and I will not be able to touch on everything. I will make a quick honorary mention here to the terrifying angels in the book and the fact that people have magical powers, including those of telekinesis and reading others’ minds. Though the powers play an important role in the story, they aren’t the focus of this Fantasy. And that is one of my favorite things about this book!
Now to the detailed thoughts:
On Personal Struggles
Between Starfalls is a story that tugs at the heart strings. A missing child, imprisonment, one’s feeling of inadequacy… these are all tough themes to confront, and harder ones to write well. Just thinking about them can swell us with emotions but to be able to portray them in a manner that it leads to tears (yes, that happened a couple times, and my book is fine), in my mind, speaks to immersive storytelling.
Kaemada is a mother and a fighter. She is redefining gender roles in her community and it does not help to have a brother, Taunos, who is a well renowned traveler and hero, or a mother who was highly respected as well. I connected with Kaemada at so many levels! Even though there was self doubt at times, she has a firm grasp of her identity and I loved seeing that.
I started this post with a quote from Takiyah. In her shoes, I felt like myself. When Takiyah encounters the Kamalti, she is curious to learn from them. As someone who has experienced a culture shock, having moved from India to Canada, I could relate to her feelings of awe and wonder at the new place and the despair of being separated from family.
Every Point Of View added to the story. Taunos offered a deep perspective on being a warrior and the truths that he must hide because his leaders tell him so. Ra’ael was another strong voice that spoke to building connections with new cultures, while doing everything in her power to preserver hers.
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On Cultures
Between Starfalls, like I mentioned above, portrays two very different cultures. While the Rinaryns are nomads, living in smaller groups in the wild, the Kamalti live underground and have technologically advanced to sustain life there. Their customs, rituals and language differ drastically and every conversation and situation revealed new things about them. At the same time, they spoke to the interactions between cultures that are alienated from one another.
I found the Kamalti’s views often times condescending and that speaks to the emotional response that SK elicited from me through her writing. There is a quote by Shakespeare that comes to mind: “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” That is not to say that the Kamalti just have devils, but it did feel like there were quite a few of them lurking around there.
Without conversation, we cannot hope to understand one another. The City of the Lost was the perfect example of broken communication between the Kamalti and the Rinayns and the misunderstandings that came out of that. I can’t speak more to this without spoilers but I will say that I found the existence of this city and the way the Kamalti utilized it an important dive into the consequences of missing contexts.
On the Writing Structure
I don’t often mention the writing separately in reviews but this book deserves that highlight! I mean, I even found a favorite page! How often does that happen?!
Every chapter begins with an excerpt from a journal entry or some form of history from the cultures. These lay the foundation for what is to come in the chapter itself. I annotate my books. I write in them, I highlight stuff. If you find a clean book in my collection, it is one I have not yet read. For the annotator in me, I was in love with this approach of providing context and snippets before the chapter. They were not spoilers; just notes to understand the customs better. As Ollie mentioned in his review, this format made his nostalgic for his anthropologist days. There was mystery around who was writing these notes, which are disconnected from the main characters. And I love a little side mystery quest!
At the end of the book, there is also a glossary of terms and people. I referred to this a number of times during the first half of the book, as I adjusted to my new world.
I found so many wonderful quotes in this book! Here is a carousel of some! Check them out! 🙂 I will have SK with me tomorrow for the interview and for sure, there will be more quotes!
https://www.canva.com/design/DAEBO9ETlkg/view
Overall, I LOVED this book and look forward to rereading it. It is a story close to my heart. I impatiently await book 2, which is in beta reading stage at time of writing this!
** Between Starfalls is available for you to read! If you choose to get it, please let me know! I would to hear your thoughts on it! **
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This post is part of the WriteHive blog tour for Between Starfalls. Check out the full schedule here and be sure to visit the fabulous other blogs on the tour.
Cover image: Photo by Marc Guellerin on Unsplash
Thank you Kriti! What a detailed review! I’m so pleased you enjoyed it so much!