A Sea of Stars

**An ARC of this book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

This is a three-hundred page book, but it read very fast. That being said, I think it might have done better as a novella. There was too much going on for it to be a short story and I'm glad we got as much time as we did to get to know Serefina, but I think the overall story would have done better as a shorter book.

Serefina is a bright and special character, because she realizes that it doesn't matter about one's upbringing or circumstances or even who someone is, so long as they try to do right and make good choices. And she never once annoyed me. Sadly, I didn't much connect with her on an emotional level, but I did root for her.

This is an exceptionally dark MG book. It's got the creep factor going for it, if you're into that sort of thing. To be honest, I was a little concerned about Serefina at first, the way she's written and her weird obsession with the rats and killing them. But it all makes sense. I didn't figure out the specifics of the "plot twist" but I had a general idea.

One of the only downfalls, in my opinion, was the tween romance. Which wasn't even romance, but the way their reactions and interactions was written felt more like 16-year olds than 12-year olds. Also, when a 12-year old boy (Braeden) gives a 12-year old girl (Serefina) a dress with a corset as a gift, how could Serefina, a girl who has never before worn a corset, tie it up herself?? That whole scenario in the book seemed improbable.

The setting of the book is lovely; The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. I thought maybe the setting could have been utilized (ie. described) a bit more, but alas.

The local color was off-putting at first, but I settled into it pretty quick. Especially since only the dialogue was local color, and actually there isn't that much dialogue in the book.

Overall, I'd recommend this to girls of the young tween-teen audience who like their books a little darker than unicorns and gumdrops.