Original name:
Author: Melanie Matthews
Translation:
Series:
Number of pages: 183
Published: 2012 (U.S.)
Type: e-book
Genre: sci-fi, dystopy, romance, young adult
Ava had woken up in a laboratory with no memories about how did she got there or who she really is. Everybody tries to convince her that she is Stargazer, alien very similar to humans but with purple eyes, hair and inhuman strength but she didn't believe it. Stargazer are known as a race with no emotions and Ava has a plenty of them, there is no way!
This book is young adult and I am not a big fan of them but even that it still has something fresh and individual. Narrative style is very well-made, detailed on a inner world of main character which perfectly fits with first-person. The author also managed to perfectly master the background of her story and this is very important for me. I need story to live, to feel like this could happen or believe it could work like this. And Stargazer definitely gave me this impression.
Characters were good and developed. Ava was really great heroine, very sympathetic, thoughtful and pondering. I liked her immediately and due to the narration I empathise with her very quickly. Red Woman was this kind of character you would hate but she was made like that and I accepted her role in story. John and Victor were also interesting. Their attitude towards Ava or system in Corporation was enjoying and I understood their difficult decisions or behaviours. And Henrietta? This character went through amazing evolution and it hadn't felt rushed. About Stargazers, they were mysterious element here and they will definitely attract your attention so it's kinda sad there weren't much about them.
The story itself opened with a lot of questions which were answered through the story, but between that it still caught my interest. It revealed small hints and you could interpret them correctly or wrong and even some things were predictable, the final outcome was quite surprising. The dystopian element itself was, as I mentioned, very good. Ava coped not only with her memory loss but also with unfamiliar system. Mysterious tyrant Pallas was like a God in Corporation, he controlled the lives of all inhabitants and everything slightly off the regulations was strictly punished. Author just had a lot of great ideas and she was able to use them properly. Unfortunately the ending was very rushed, as if the author wanted to have the whole story finally over and it really didn't make good.
Some authors stretch their story ad absurdum but Stargazer would definitely need more additional pages. The Stargazer's impact to the story, Pallas and his back story, unnecessary deaths of several characters... This book suffers from too rapid closing pace, not developing things which were extremely interesting and would make story way more better. I felt very sorry for it because I loved the story and characters.
This rushing was also reflected in the relationships when Ava felt too quickly for John and Victor as they for her. It was almost immediately and for me this kind of things needs some time, not just first glance and first few words.
Overall. Book with awesomely good start and elaborated characters and world but suffers from the fact that everything is bit of hurried.
Rating: 6/10