*Chosen as a 2020 Kids’ Indie Next pick * A Locus Reading List recommendation * An Andre Norton Nebula Award Finalist*“Shveta Thakrar’s prose is as beautiful as starlight.”—New York Times bestselling author Holly BlackThis gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.The daughter of a star … of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.
The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.
Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens—and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.
Brimming with celestial intrigue, this sparkling YA debut is perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor.
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This was a very cool story, adding Hindu mythology to the story of a half-star girl. The descriptions were beautiful and the characters very engaging. I’d love to see a sequel to this, exploring more of the stars and the magic on Earth. I will say the plot was a little simple, and definitely had room for a little expansion, but this is a very good debut novel, and I’m eager to see what else Thakrar writes!
I was taken away by the concept and plot. Beautiful magick and imagery.
I enjoyed this book. The imagery was superb! The characters were awesome and the story was just amazing. I was pulled in and could easily see the story play out in my head. I definitely recommend this one!
Book 120 towards my goal of 290! 5/5 stars for this YA Fantasy standalone! This just mayyyyy be a contender for top 5 of the year! Great for fans of Miss Meteor. The writing and imagery in this book is phenomenal! I could see the magic playing out in my head perfectly with these descriptions! Such a unique story that I LOVED! Fantastic characters as well. After finishing I’m a little bit sad it’s a standalone, even though that’s what drew me to read it Cannot recommend enough!
I loved this book. It was definitely a coming of age book. Sheetal is half star and because of this she has had to hide half of her identity. She is forced to dye her hair, not sing, and fly under the radar her whole life. Until she gets called up and joins her celestial family in the sky and no longer has to. But there she is seen as lesser for only being half star. She has to put all of that aside to win the celestial competition and learn who the real Sheetal really is when she isn’t defined by society. She truly comes out from the shadows and becomes her own person.
Love me some Stardust vibes! This was beautiful and I felt Sheetal’s emotions strongly throughout. The ending was a little lackluster, but it left a lot of opportunity for the next book!
Shveta Thakrar evokes a gorgeous world with luminous storytelling worthy of the immediately gripping premise of a star and her daughter. The way that Sheetal struggles with her mortal and star self is both compelling and relatable. The Hindu mythology that is both the finely crafted brushstrokes and the canvass of this lovely novel is delightful and thoroughly engaging. You feel for Sheetal deeply and you also want to sing with her in celebration of her true, darling self. The beautiful prose is full of heart and glimmering with star-song. A truly magical book.
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar is a story about Sheetal. She have a big secret. She’s half-star, half-mortal. Her mother have return to the constellation Pushya years ago to and left her young daughter with her father. Sheetal is force to die her hair, the color of silver of starlight and her truth nature. The stars sometimes call her by her name at night.
As her seventeen birthday come closer the call to the stars and the sky grow stronger. And she will lose control of ther power and accidently hurt her father. The only way to heal him is the silver blood of a stars and hers is red and just not strong enough. She will answer the call of the stars and go to the sky were her celestial family was already waiting for her for a competition. As their human champion, if she win, her mother house will take back their place as ruler of heavens. In exchange if she is to win, her grandmother will give her the blood she need to help her father. Sheetal have no choice but to agree. But the stars houses hold dark secrets and some of the celestial members want to shut down the gate between the earth and the heavens for good.
I have really love this beautiful story.
What a compelling novel. Star Daughter is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust as it follows Sheetal as she embarks on a journey to the celestial court to save her father. Imbued with Hindu mythology, the story is filled with magic and wonder as it offers readers a brilliant read.
Wonderful Story
Thakrar did a masterful job with her storytelling. For a debut novel, Star Daughter is polished and thoughtful in its storytelling and remarkable. Sheetal is half-mortal and half-star, her mother leaving her at age seven to return to the celestial court, leaving a hole in the family. Gifted with silver hair that she keeps hidden beneath dye, Sheetal struggles with her heritage and the secrets that came with it.
It is a beautiful story that connects to the reader on an emotional level because Sheetal is dealing with the abandonment of her mother, the secrets of the past, her power, and much more. It gives the story so much dimension and color as it creates this celestial court full of stars that are also muses for artists in the world.
Star Daughter is a fun and imaginative story that captures the wonder of the stars. The very fact that Sheetal embarks on this journey allows her to reconnect with her mother and her family but also allows her to reopen old wounds and deal with them. There is so much depth to the story as it unveils the history of the stars and the shadows that linger there. Even Sheetal has to deal with the anxiety she has always felt at being different, and the pain of being abandoned by her mother. All of these elements together, give the story its momentum, keeping the reader engaged in the development and wonder of the story.
Fascinating Characters
While the story is filled to the bring with fantasy and wonder, the characters allow those elements to shine. The reader gets to experience how the stars inspire and give life to art. Sheetal is a star at her core, and the cost of helping her father is entering a competition about inspiration. Sheetal has much anxiety about her gift of musicality, but she soon learns to embrace it alongside her heritage without losing her love for her human heritage. It says much about being a child of two different cultures and being able to embrace both sides of herself.
Sheetal’s experience makes her a relatable and compelling character. She has to contend with the mix of emotions she has within her. The relationship with her mother, father, best friend, and boyfriend are filled so such a range of complexities, creating a strong dynamic between characters. Sheetal grows so much as a character, going through the motions of what it means to accept her family and herself. In the end, the story is all about Sheetal learning to forgive and love herself.
Final Thoughts
Star Daughter is a brilliant read. It is full of magic and wonder, connecting to the reader in marvelous ways.
Sheetal is a teenager trying to fit in but is having a hard time because her mother is a star (literally a star in the sky) and her father a human. She spends a lot of time trying to be “normal.” She occasionally hears the siren song of the stars and manages to tune it out. But it gets harder and harder to do as she ages. When an accident occurs that endangers her father’s life, she knows she needs the help of a star to heal him – a star like her mother who returned to the stars many years earlier. In order to save her father, she journeys to the stars and finds herself in a very different world.
The author has done a very good job in building a world among the stars, the relationships among the characters are well-drawn, Sheetal is compelling, the writing was, at times, lyrical, but the storyline has the requisite elements, but not much more. However, it is clear that this author has the talent to become one of fantasy’s fans favorite authors going forward.
If you like a fantasy by a debut author with likable characters and some adventure, then you’ll like this book. It should go at or near the top of your to-be-read list.
My thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for an eARC.