The Forest of Stars

The Forest of Stars is a dark, enchanting tale of a young girl whose magic means she never quite touches the ground, and a carnival of wonders haunted by a malicious darkness. 12-year-old Louisa LaRoche has suffered more than anyone her tender age should; since her father “lost his grasp on the world” just before she was born and went on to float out of a window one day to never return. As if that wasn't sad enough her mother is now dying due to the love bugs eating through every inch of her grieving heart; it's just a matter of time as Louisa sits by the bed stitching and mending fabric. Now hungry, homeless and forced to sleep alone every night, she no longer has the reassuring protection of her heartbroken mother. As all she has left in the world, Louisa is hellbent on trying to find her father but like him, she is “made of hollow bones and too much air,” causing her to float, too. So despite her concerns about how she is different to most folks and her fears about a gust of wind simply carrying her helplessly away, she sets off on a journey hiding the streak of magic contained within her from the onlooking world. By chance, she discovers a golden ticket to the Carnival Beneath the Stars and the mysterious, magical beings who work there. Surrounded by new friends with magical powers she learns to embrace her individuality thanks to her wonderful companions who offer her a place to stay in return for being the troupe's principal seamstress. Being different here is celebrated, as it should be, instead of feared and she is asked if she would like to join them and develop her own act. She hopes that this fame may find its way to her father but sinister things are afoot.Those here perform acts in which they command shadows, tightrope walk, perform feats of apparent telekinesis and tell you your fortune (or, more accurately, misfortune). Of course, her special skill is levitation, something she does regularly anyway. They all run along beautifully until one day catastrophe strikes; a member of the carnival troupe is accused of stealing the performers’ magic and Louisa wants to find out who. She feels she must protect those who protected her and took her under their wing at her time of need and soon the secrets of both the members and the carnival begin to unravel one by one. Who is orchestrating this dark, devious magic and for what purpose? This is a captivating, enthralling and beautifully woven fantasy that I feel can be enjoyed by all ages; the prose is lush and poetic but easy to devour and I found the story had very much a welcome fairytale feel to it. It's full of both dark and light magic and is wonderfully enchanting, but I appreciated how the core elements of the tale - including themes of love, the power of friendship, hope, the celebration of individuality and self-discovery were offset by darker, more melancholic themes such as loss, grief, evil and hopelessness in order to keep an engaging balance. The richly imagined world and the Carnival being peopled by quirky, idiosyncratic characters added further allure to the narrative. Inventive and whimsical, The Forest of Stars is one of the best middle-grade books I've had the pleasure to read. Finally, the black and white line drawings by Kaja Kajfež complement key events perfectly and the cherry on the cake is the satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.

The forest of stars follows 12 year old Louisa who, after sadly loosing her mum, goes on a search for her long lost father. When she was very young her father was mysteriously taken away on a powerful gust of wind on "the wings of his untamed magic" ... The same magic she has.After finding a gleaming black and gold invitation, she finds herself involved in the Carnival Beneath the Stars. If her father is anywhere, it would be there.When Louisa arrives at the beautiful carnival with black-and-gold tops sprinkled throughout, she soon learns that this place isn't at all what she thought it would be.***I absolutely adored this book!!!The forest of stars is middle grade fantasy that gave me little vibes of a young readers version of The night circus, with a mix of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.However, middle grade it may be, it can definitely be enjoyed by readers of all ages.It was just so beautifully written, so imaginative and creative. With an amazing cast of characters, the loveliest and sweetest friendships, full of magic and mystery, hope and courage .... and much more. I just loved it and didn't want it to end.Thank you so much to Titan books and Netgalley for the ARC and thank you to Heather Kassner for such a wonderful book.

Forest of Stars - Heather KassnerI was intrigued by the look of this book as it looked similar to The Night Circus (one of my favourite books) so had to give it a go. I thought it was a very magical read, with a lovely main character that gave me good role model feels. Kassner did an excellent job of creating a mystical feel with eerie qualities. Overall I really enjoyed the storyline but it did feel a little more Middle grade to me more so than YA, which is just a personal feeling.

Lovely idea for a book but I don't feel that the execution lived up to the idea. A bit disappointing.