The Chaos of Stars
By Kiersten White
Published on September 10th 2013
Published by HarperTeen
Source: Netgalley
Published by HarperTeen
Source: Netgalley
The Chaos of Stars is an unusual mythology- inspired story. I remember reading the summary a long time ago (like last winter) when the Harper catalogs first came out and Chaos was the first book on my "to be read" list. I am not sure why, but I went into it thinking I was reading about Greek mythology. I am so glad I was wrong! I am such a HUGE fan of anything about Egypt. This was such a wonderful surprise!Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.
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.
The dynamic between Isadora and her mother was so fascinating. I really enjoyed reading that storyline and I hands down think it is a story anyone can relate to. We have all had that feeling of being the "black sheep" in the family or feeling like we somehow don't belong. Sometimes it happens when we make the change from child to teen, sometimes when a younger sibling comes, sometimes when we move away for college and then return home. Isadora is trying to figure out where she belongs in her family, and is doing so in the worst way possible- she runs.
I loved the "history" entwined in the story, the stories of Egyptian gods told in an incredibly humorous way from a teen girl. The author made Isadora witty and gave her a funny, dry sense of humor. The way that she wrote Isadora- I wish I could actually SEE her. I wish I could see this book be made into a movie (but perhaps that is just my Egyptian obsession hahaha). I really think that all things Egypt are beautiful and I would love to be able to see what the author's vision was.
The Chaos of Stars is a fun book (can I hope for a sequel?) about the inside world of gods and goddesses. It is a fun read for anyone who loves mythology and loves a light fantasy story. I highly recommend this one!
