Star Eater - Kerstin Hall

AUTHOR: Kerstin Hall

GENRE: Horror-Fantasy.

RATING: 2 stars.

In a Nutshell: Weird but imaginative. Not my kind of book at all! Hence, don’t judge the book by this review.

Story Synopsis:

Elfreda Raughn is the youngest acolyte in a sisterhood of magical priestesses who have a dark secret to their magic. She wants to get out of this almost dictatorial group but there’s no choice. Until now, when a shadowy rebel group has approached her with an offer of escape. But in order to do so, she needs to become a spy and connect with the head honchos of the Sisterhood. What lies in Elfreda’s fate is what you will discover by reading the book.

The story comes to us in the first person narration of Elfreda.

Where the book worked for me:

😍 Loved the concept of the ‘Haunts’, though they spooked me out!

😍 I’m a bit fed up of seeing ‘Woman-good; Man-bad’ trope in fiction. This book turns this on its head. I ended up feeling sorry for the men in this story. It was an interesting take on gender reversal.

😍 There are some nice characters in the book. Finn’s character is the most interesting, but there are a few other secondary characters that make an impact as well.

😍 I liked the power struggles depicted in the book. The plot nicely highlights how things aren’t easy even for those at the top, and that sacrifices are a natural part of success.

Where the book left me with mixed feelings:

😐 The sisterhood’s magic seems to be somewhat like that of Spiderman, with ’lace’ instead of webs. Though I wish this had been described better in the book, it was still a good idea. The author certainly has imagination.

😐 The represented gender and sexual identities follow contrary paths. While homosexuality and bisexuality seem to be okay and acceptable, the gender normativity when it comes to men and women is almost traditional, with men being the villains in almost all cases. The book could have been pathbreaking in terms of gender rep, but sticks to the tried-and-tested.

😐 The first quarter or so is slow-paced but things pick up after that. So you do need to keep your patience at the start or else you will keep wondering where the heck the plot is going. The writing is quite smooth otherwise.

😐 The world building is minimal when it comes to the location and the intrinsic details of the functioning of the Sisterhood and the society in general. The fantastical elements are highlighted without any detailing. Basically, I enjoyed the magical bits (except for what’s coming up in the next point) but I wanted to know a lot more about them.

Where the book DID NOT WORK for me:

😬 A book about cannibalistic nuns will never ever work for me. What makes it worse is knowing what exactly they consume to increase the strength of their magic. I am NOT the kind of reader who will willingly pick up a book with cannibal characters. Goes without saying that this ended up in my kitty by mistake.

(At the same time, here’s the odd part: I could read most of those scenes without feeling grossed out. I hope you understand why this is a flaw. If someone such as I could go through those episodes without freaking out, the writing missed its mark somewhere.)

😬 It was a bit too weird for my liking, especially when Elfreda suffered from hallucinations. I’m not a fan of surreal writing.

As a debut work, the book certainly has promise. It shows ‘womanpower’ in a dark and dangerous way, highlighting that a reversal isn’t the solution. This is distinctly YA in its approach, so maybe it will click with YA SFF lovers better. The author has potential, and perhaps with experience, the author will convert her vivid imagination in even better works. But I’ll never know if she brings it to greater fruition because I am not the right reader for this content. One book about cannibals is more than enough in a lifetime.

2 stars from me. But remember it wasn’t my kind of book. Take a call based on your tolerance for cannibalism and gore.

I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.