Jaime Reviews ~ The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent
By Rachel Vincent
Published on June 9, 2015
Published by Delacorte Press
Source: Around the World ARC Tours
Published by Delacorte Press
Source: Around the World ARC Tours
Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.
When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.
To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?
Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.
And the verdict is....
The Stars Never Rise was not what I expected, but it was definitely fun. Fast-paced, and entertaining, with good world-building, and characters I could easily love... and hate.
Nina has been taking care of her and her sister, Mellie, for years, doing everything she can to keep the Church away from her home, and her useless mother. After years of fighting and succeeding, it all comes crashing down in one day. Nina learns that her sister is 15 and pregnant, their mother is really a demon, and she is an exorcist. A TRUE exorcist. Saved by a boy she doesn't know, Nina is on the run from the Church, and desperate to save her sister before it is too late.
Nina was a good character, fierce and loyal, ready and willing to do whatever it took to make sure her sister is safe. She meets a ragtag group of outlaw true exorcists along the way, and starts falling in love with boy named Logan. Logan is unlike anyone she has ever met, in more ways than one, and their relationship definitely has its hurtles. The rest of the group are a good bunch of secondary characters, ones to love and ones to choke, and it was interesting getting to know them. Mellie, Nina's sister, is a typical bratty little sister at first, but when she finds out she is pregnant, the change in her is instant, and I appreciated it. The relationships in the story are built well, and I will enjoy seeing how the group evolves in the next book.
On the negative side of things (BOO), it felt like more than half of the book flew by before we really hit the meat of the story. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. I just felt like I had put a lot of pages behind me before we really got into the plot. I enjoyed the background, and getting introduced to the world, and its players, but I feel like something was missing. Still, overall, I really enjoyed The Stars Never Rise, and I will absolutely be reading the next in the series. With the ending, I feel like book 2 is headed into thrill ride territories. And I am really looking forward to seeing how Nina and Logan handle their *incredibly* strange relationship, as well as what transpires with Mellie, and her little one.
All in all, a solid story that would definitely be a hit with the younger generation of YA readers! I will easily make that recommendation! Thank you to Around the World ARC Tours for another wonderful story to read and review!
