The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So, I read this book in two days. I was obsessed with it. I wanted to know what would happen, even though I was fully aware that this was a retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Anyone, who has been following my reviews for the last year knows by now that I did my graduate thesis on Austen’s six major novels, which included Persuasion.
It was never my favourite of the six, but I still loved it, nonetheless. So, to come across a retelling of Persuasion set in space had me intrigued from the start, because I do love a young adult sci-fi story set in space.
As I said, I really couldn’t put it out of my mind, because I wanted to know how the author would use the characters from the original story to create the characters in this retelling. What twists and turn would the author add to give this story its own spin?
Well, I can’t tell you anything in detail, but I was totally on board with all the little tweaks the author made.
I enjoyed the characters. The protagonist, although based on Anne Elliot in the original, was believable as a young adult with a slight youthful naivete. I appreciated that the author didn’t try and force a young woman to be more mature than her age could ever justify her to be.
I had a grand old time guessing which secondary character was based on which character in the original and I really appreciated how some characters’ motivations and personalities were slightly changed to fit this story better and make it a more appealing read.
The main plot is very clearly that of Persuasion, which is to be expected, since this is a retelling. Some subplots and tangents have been omitted or changed to fit this story, which gave it a great flow and never felt forced.
The writing was clear, succinct and easy to get lost in. It wasn’t tiresome to read 160 pages in a day, like it sometimes gets with other stories. It flowed nicely and didn’t leave me drained.
I also liked that little bit of sarcasm the author included with the narration. It made me chuckle from time to time and gave the story its own personality.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. We never know what to expect with a retelling of a beloved classic, but in my humble opinion, this one was very nicely done. I would recommend it.
