The Chaos of Stars

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Grade: B+
This book was an ARC provided by my local indie bookseller in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: 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 Good: Oh my gosh, I did not see part of the ending coming.  And that was one of the best parts.  I'm not going to spoil it for y'all, but I literally had to reread a section because I was so shocked.  Endings with such a twist are awesome.  The characters were good.  I would've liked to see a little more of Isadora's dad, Osiris, but I thought Isadora was well-developed (she had her faults, but she had her strengths and an interesting personality).  This girl loves interior decorating, for goodness' sake!  How many main characters are into that?  The plotline was intriguing and very good (I don't really want to spoil anything, so I can't say much).  I definitely didn't expect the climax.

The Bad: Pertaining to other characters, I didn't really like Isadora's first friend in San Diego, Tyler.  I don't know why, but that girl just got on my nerves.  Overall, the writing didn't really feel YA, but a bit more middle grade, and I really can't fully enjoy books that seem a bit below my reading comprehension level.  Technically, Rick Riordan's books are middle grade, but he doesn't write condescendingly, so I enjoy his novels. (Just an example to show that it's not middle grade fiction in general).

The Ugly: Definitely some foul language, although nothing was too bad, I believe.  In talking about the Egyptian myths, there is some talk of sex and that sort of thing.  Isadora and the characters in San Diego don't really go any further than making out, though.

Just a note: if you're uncomfortable with mythology and magic to an extent, then this book should be avoided.  I didn't find magic to be the main focus.  It felt very Percy Jackson-esque, like how the gods make random stuff appear, battle each other, etc.  Isadora and her family do use protection amulets, however.

Verdict: Good book.  I'd definitely suggest checking it out, come September 10th. ;)