Title: For
Darkness Shows the Stars
Author: Diana
Peterfreund
Publisher: Balzer
+ Bray
Release Date: 12th
June 2012
Rating: 4.5 out
of 5
Description: It's been several generations since a
genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and
giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology. Elliot North
has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run
away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her
family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of
Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate
is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group
of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an
almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their
second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up
when she let him go. But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a
secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And
again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe,
or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him
forever. Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion,
For Darkness Shows the Stars is
a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to
the one person you know can break it.
For Darkness Shows the Stars by
Diana Peterfreund is a beautiful love story between childhood friends, set in a
world where the future is full of unexpected possibilities. I am an immense fan
of reading sweeping love stories that capture the entire heart and this story
completely manages to be captivating and heartbreaking at the same time. It was
a pleasure to watch Elliot and Kai find each other despite all the hurdles
between them. Peterfreund weaves a mesmerising tale, which explores hopeless
love, sacrifice, freedom, duty and the consequences of one’s choices.
For Darkness Shows the Stars was
inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I have not read Persuasion so I do not
know how much source material Diana Peterfreund used but I immensely enjoyed
this book on its own merit. For Darkness Shows the Stars has wonderful science
fiction elements. Its set in a post apocalyptic society where genetic
engineering has caused radical changes in humans leading to a reduction of
society. The only people free from reduction are those who chose not to undergo
any genetical enhancements and survived to become the Luddite and consequently leaders
to the people that have become reduced. It has become the responsibility of the
Luddite to take care of those reduced and provide for them. Elliot is a Luddite.
She has always had a duty to the reduced under her care on her family’s
property. She grows up with Kai
who works for her family and is part of the reduced community. Kai asks her to run
away with him but Elliot refuses knowing that the farm needs her. Years later
Kai returns as part of the Cloud Fleet and Elliot has to come to terms with the
man that has returned and what the future has in store for her.
This is a thought-provoking book.
The book is set in a world on the brink of change, and it provides a lovely
commentary about change and revolutionarily ideals. It also explores duty
versus desire, what a person wants and dreams compared to what they are bound
by duty to accomplish. There is also a lot of discussion between characters
themselves and within Elliot herself about the consequences of mankind having
too much power with scientific advancements and opportunity. Is having too much
power mean that you are playing god and going against nature? Its something
that Elliot struggles with because of all the traditions she has been bought up
with. The scientist in me loved the sci fi nature of this book, and I would love
to learn the specifics behind the experiments that lead to the reduction.
This isn’t a simple
straightforward romantic tale. It’s complicated and rife with conflict and tension
that spans over years. Kai and Elliot are two different sorts of people. In
order to reconcile their differences they go on a journey to explore what lines
they are willing to cross and what they are willing to sacrifice. There are
letters present at the start of the chapters that Kai and Elliot have written
each other over the years. They added so much value to this story. They
provided great insight into the characters dreams and their feelings about the
society they inhabit. You could
also see these characters becoming friends and gradually falling in love, as
they grew older. Their backs story helps create context for all the conflict
and distance that has built up between them. I really wanted Kai and Elliot to get their happy ending
together.
Elliot was someone that I
respected. She was faced with the responsibility of taking care of the farm and
reduced and she makes the best she can out of a bad situation and a father who
opposes her actions at every turn. She’s a great heroine that fights hard for
the people under her care and does not give up. She has a lot of strength in
her that she doesn’t notice she processes. Kai was a hard to get to know in the
beginning with him being rude and unforgiving to Elliot. But the letters help
us to know him better and he improves as the story unfolds and we get to see
what Kai is really like. Ro was a sweet character full of life. The Cloud Fleet
were an interesting contrast to the Luddite with their new ideals.
For Darkness Shows the Stars is a
mesmerising romantic story set in a world that is changing very rapidly. Simply
wonderful.
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