Title Sky Without Stars (System Divine #1)
Author Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell
Release Date March 26, 2019
Description from Amazon
A thief.
An officer.
A guardian.
Three strangers, one shared destiny…
When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.
Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…
Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet.
Marcellus is an officer—and the son of an infamous traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he’s vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read: a girl named Alouette.
Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years…and plunge Laterre into chaos.
All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet.
Initial Thoughts
I have had this book on my shelf for about a year but just hadn’t had the chance to read it yet. It’s a bit of a chunker so I put it off in favor of some other projects that I was working on. However, I was recently chosen for the blog tour for Between Burning Worlds, the sequel to Sky Without Stars, so I knew it was finally time to dive in.
Some Things I Liked
- Three POVs – I really liked that we got to hear from the three main characters and the scenes often switched from one to the other during the action. Also, there are numerous secrets and lies told during the book and I really enjoyed the POVs because it made keeping track of the secrets that much more interesting.
- World building. The world building in this book is phenomenal. Every little detail was thoroughly thought out and I loved that.
- Easter eggs of history. I loved the many influences in the names, places, and flashbacks that we get to see during this story.
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
- I’m not a huge fan of insta-love. Therefore, I didn’t love the Marcellus / Alouette love story. It seemed forced and I just didn’t care for it. Maybe it’s because I don’t like love triangles, but I’m #teamChatine all the way here.
Series Value
I’m already working on the second book in this series. There was absolutely no question when I finished Sky Without Stars, that I’d be reading the next book as soon as I could.
Final Thoughts
This book was big. Before I read House of Earth and Blood, this was easily the largest book I read this year. It was a little daunting but I really did enjoy it. The alternating POVs made the book flow really well and I can’t wait to continue the series.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Scythe by Neal Shusterman – if you liked the idea of society after a “great change” – and you like sci-fi, try this series.
- Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell – if you liked this book, definitely stick with the series. I’m currently in the middle of book #2 right now and I promise, it does not disappoint.
- The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant – if you liked the Les Mis vibes from this story, definitely check out this May 2020 release – it’s another Les Mis retelling filled with historical fiction, assassins, and more.
Books Over Everything 