Saturday, March 23, 2019

Blog Tour Review with Giveaway: Sky Without Stars (System Divine #1) by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

Book info:
TitleSky Without Stars
Author:  Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell
SeriesSystem Divine #1
Genre:  Retellings, YA Science Fiction
Release Date:  March 26th, 2019
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Source:  E-galley from publisher which did not influence my opinion
My rating:  4 stars

Synopsis: 
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 a renowned 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. 

Power, romance, and destiny collide in this sweeping reimagining of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Misérables.

Book Links:
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My Review:
If you've followed me for awhile, you know that I'm always up for a retelling, especially when it is one like this, a major classic story, Les Miserables.  This book did not disappoint in that aspect.  Sky Without Stars is definitely a sweeping epic of a story. Even set in space on another planet, in another solar system, it has the operatic feel of Les Miserables.  As I read I definitely tried to match up characters with what I knew of that classic, since I'd only seen the movie and never read the book. This world was one that had a lot of things going on that seemed kind of counter-intuitive to a future society.  Because while they had screens built into their arms, no one knew how to actually read words anymore.  It was all pictures and people actually speaking.  That in itself hurt my heart so much!  But it helped to make the poor third class people really appear to be down below everyone.  I loved that they had brought their French customs and names of things like the Bastille along with them.  

It did end on a cliffhanger, and at such a long book, almost 600 pages, I can only imagine how much we have left to this story when the next book comes out.  A great story for both science fiction readers, as well as deep classic types of storytelling lovers.




About the Authors:
Jessica Brody
Jessica Brody is the author of more than 15 books for teens, tweens, and adults
including Addie Bell’s
Shortcut to Growing Up, A Week of Mondays, Boys of
Summer, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and the three books in the sci
-
fi
Unremembered trilogy. She’s also the author of the Descendants: School of Secrets
series, based on the hit Disney Channel original mo
vie, Descendants. Her books
have been translated and published in over 23 countries and Unremembered and 52
Reasons to Hate My Father are currently in development as major motion pictures.
She lives with her husband and four dogs and splits her time betwee
n California and
Colorado.
Visit her online at JessicaBrody.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram
Jessica Brody 
Jessica Brody is the author of more than 15 books for teens, tweens, and adults including Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up, A Week of Mondays, Boys of Summer, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and the three books in the sci-fi Unremembered trilogy. She’s also the author of the Descendants: School of Secrets series, based on the hit Disney Channel original movie, Descendants. Her books have been translated and published in over 23 countries and Unremembered and 52 Reasons to Hate My Father are currently in development as major motion pictures. She lives with her husband and four dogs and splits her time between California and Colorado.   

Visit her online at JessicaBrody.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram @JessicaBrody
Jessica Brody
Jessica Brody is the author of more than 15 books for teens, tweens, and adults
including Addie Bell’s
Shortcut to Growing Up, A Week of Mondays, Boys of
Summer, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and the three books in the sci
-
fi
Unremembered trilogy. She’s also the author of the Descendants: School of Secrets
series, based on the hit Disney Channel original mo
vie, Descendants. Her books
have been translated and published in over 23 countries and Unremembered and 52
Reasons to Hate My Father are currently in development as major motion pictures.
She lives with her husband and four dogs and splits her time betwee
n California and
Colorado.
Visit her online at JessicaBrody.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram
@JessicaBrody
Goodreads
Facebook 
YouTube
Tumblr 


Joanne Rendell 
Joanne Rendell is the author of three novels and holds a PhD in English literature. She teaches fiction writing to teens and kids and is a board member for the youth Shakespeare company, New Genesis Productions. With her husband and son, Joanne divides her time between New York City, and New Paltz, New York. Visit Joanne at JoanneRendell.com.


 

Pre-order Campaign 

Pre-order a hardcover of SKY WITHOUT STARS by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell from a participating indie bookstore* before March 26, 2019 and you’ll receive an exclusive Sky Without Stars Gift Pack, including the following: 
 
  • A limited edition two-sided 12”x16” poster featuring the ONLY available colored version of the book’s world map 
  • A Sky Without Stars bookplate, signed by both authors 
  • A Sky Without Stars postcard 
  • A Sky Without Stars bookmark 
 
The gift pack will be included with your book when it is shipped or picked up in store. 
 
*Click here for participating stores.

Tour Schedule:





Giveaway:
Prize: Win a copy of SKY WITHOUT STARS by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell (US Only) 

Stars: 20th March 2019 
Ends: 2nd April 2019  
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway