Star Crossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A Non-Challenge Book Review

6. Star Crossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Thief Errant #1)

One day while I was perusing Goodreads, I came across this book. I was really interested by the blurb so added it to my To Read list and added it to my wishlist on my Kobo. By my latest reviews, you've probably noticed that I love fantasy books and that currently I am in a young adult fantasy funk which I am thoroughly enjoying. So despite the fact that it fills none of the Reading Challenge's categories I decided to read it anyway. However, I still wanted to write a review and add it to my total of 2015 books so here we are.

Star Crossed is set in a fantasy alternative universe, in the classic medieval-esque way. The world has several moons surrounding it and these have become their gods The king of this land has outlawed magic, any academic study and any worship of other gods other than his own. Their had been a war 18 years before the time the book is set, it was a Sarist (magic believers) rebellion which was unsuccessful. Our protagonist is 16 year old Digger, she grew up on the streets and is a thief. During a routine job, Tegen her beloved and the only person she trusts is killed by the Green men (the police force). She runs and is unintentionally helped by a group of merry young noblemen and ladies. She is accepted as a maid to one of the young ladies and Digger intends to hideout there until the she is forgotten by the Green men. However, she is caught stealing by one of the lords and is then blackmailed by him to be his spy. She is unwittingly thrown into a world of intrigue and politics. It is from here that story picks up pace.

I loved this book so much. I really enjoyed the fact that there was no love story other than Digger's memories of Tegen. I do love a good romance but it was quite refreshing to read a young adult book that didn't use a love interest as a main plot device. There was no distraction from the main story line. There was enough drama and interest in the main plot that I don't think you could have fit in a love story anyway. The pace of this book was superb. I found it difficult to put this book down. There wasn't a huge rush to go from big event to big event but at the same time it was never slow. I loved how the story unfolded and how we slowly pieced together the back story of Digger and of the world she resides in. I found the intrigue in this story really interesting and suspenseful.

The character development in this story was done really well by Bunce. Digger was a really well rounded character as were many of the other characters. I loved the slow change in Digger when she realised she had come to care for these people and that she couldn't take advantage of them like she used to or had planned. She reminded me a lot of Aly from the Trickster books by Tamora Pierce. But it wasn't annoyingly so. They are still distinct characters but I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Trickster books. I also really enjoyed how the secondary characters were developed. Bunce didn't demonise the characters but she showed how the people had been misguided or blackmailed into doing things aren't considered moral. I especially like how Bunce developed the character Marlytt, a courtesan of sorts and Merista, the young lady who Digger serves.

This book is everything I would want and I love in fantasy books. It was awesome and I can't wait to read the second book, Liar's Moon. Which I believe may have a love story in it, which I'm looking forward to after enjoying a book without it. I highly recommend this book. I'm giving it 5 out of 5 stars, that's how much I enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading!

Jenny