'Spinning Starlight' by R.C. Lewis (****)

Hello readers, and happy Monday! Today I have a book review for you, the hugely talented R.C. Lewis' Spinning Starlight. I was sent this book a while ago but it has only just made it's way to the top of my TBR pile. So I am very pleased today to be able to review it here on Delightful Book Reviews.

I was sent an uncorrected bound proof copy (and also the finished copy!) of Spinning Starlight by Turnaround Publisher Services in exchange for an honest review!

As soon as I read about Spinning Starlight, I knew it was a book I simply had to have. I have never read a fairytale retelling before, and I love a good genre mixing- so sic-fi and a fairytale retelling seemed the perfect combination! I was immediately drawn to this new world with hyper dimensional transportation systems, technological innovation workshops and the 'vidcams' that cloud the sky that are strangely reminiscent of our paparazzi. 

Intrigued? Read the blurb to find out more...

Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it's hard to escape it. So when a group of men show up at her house uninvited, she assumes it's just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired.

Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in Liddi's vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.

Desperate to save her family from a desolate future, Liddi travels to another world, where she meets the one person who might have the skills to help her bring her eight brothers home-a handsome dignitary named Tiav. But without her voice, Liddi must use every bit of her strength and wit to convince Tiav that her mission is true. With the tenuous balance of the planets deeply intertwined with her brothers' survival, just how much is Liddi willing to sacrifice to bring them back?


Haunting and mesmerizing, this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans strings the heart of the classic with a stunning, imaginative world as a star-crossed family fights for survival in this companion to Stitching Snow.

I automatically warmed to the character of Liddi; she was a really strong, determined female protagonist, who risks everything in order to save her eight older brothers from a fate almost worse than death. To have a young girl be the character to hold the fate of eight other males in her hands made this a surprising feminist read. The narrative style was perfect in terms of me as the reader being able to understand and relate to Liddi. There was such a great and interesting inner conflict throughout almost the entirety of the novel where Liddi continually questioned herself and her ability to be the novel's hero. This was such an interesting twist on your average YA novel, and one that I fully appreciated. Liddi's character development as she finally came to the realisation that she was (excuse the cliche) her parents' 'chosen one', and she was the worthy heiress of her parent's name. 

Another thing I loved about Spinning Starlight was the way that Liddi's narration (for about 80% of the novel) was inner narration, and an implant in her throat forbade her to speak, or her brothers would be killed. This was such a fascinating and well thought-out twist to the novel, and one that made the relationship development between Liddi and Tiav a whole lot more interesting. Liddi and Tiav develop a romantic relationship... all whilst she has never been able to speak to him. I honestly loved this aspect of Spinning Starlight, and this was just one element that R.C. Lewis obviously carefully crafted to create the perfect YA blend of fairytale, sic-fi, action and romance. 

The only complaint I would have about Spinning Starlight is the complicated scientific explanations and world descriptions- at times I found it very hard to imagine Liddi's world of Sampati and the technological descriptions of moving worlds was at times a little hard to remain focused on. However, this isn't necessarily a criticism of the book itself, more a criticism of me not reading enough sic-fi!

Altogether, I loved Spinning Starlight, and I'm pretty sure you will too! I highly encourage you to check it out :)

Buy Spinning Starlight here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spinning-Starlight-R-C-Lewis/dp/1423185153/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449493162&sr=8-1&keywords=spinning+starlight

Check out R.C. Lewis here: http://rclewisbooks.com/blogged/

Until next time :)