Review: For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Title: For Darkness Shows The Stars
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Source: Purchased
Genre: Young Adult/Sci Fi
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Caution: May contain spoilers

...
It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's "Persuasion", "For Darkness Shows the Stars" is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

This one I was surely in eager anticipation for from the very instant my eyes caught sight of that gorgeous cover. I know one should not judge a book by it, but you cannot help but lust for this cover. Finding out it was inspired by Persuasion, my favorite Jane Austen story and one of my top three favorite movies of all time? That certainly fixed this one in the ‘must get my hands on’ category. I got my hands on it, and could hardly step away from it without getting sad because I wanted to keep reading.

The characters in this novel didn’t waver from their inspiration. Elliot was a heroine to root for, and Kai was a love to pine for. We find out bits and pieces of their past through letters they sent to each other. There was this knothole in the barn they would hide them in. Seeing as they were from different ranks in society, her being a Luddite and him being a Post, their friendship wasn’t favorably looked upon. It was their rankings that lead to him leaving and her staying four years ago. The Kai from her childhood is now completely indifferent to her. Which is a devastating blow to Elliot, who still cares for him.

Following this story was very easy for me since I am familiar with the original (having read the book last year, and seen the movie many times). It flowed nicely from one moment to the next. There’s just something about the character Elliot North (and Anne Elliot alike) that you cannot help but love. The character of Ro, she felt real. Not like the whole characters leap off the page and it feels real, but just that she was REAL, she was more than just a secondary character.

For Darkness Shows The Stars lived and breathed Jane Austen… and in just the right way. It wasn’t forced or exact or stiff. And while there were numerous similarities to the original novel, it still had a lot of unique scenes. Although the author had to exclude a few things from Persuasion, it was still an astonishing work. You guys know how I’m not a fan of reading in the third person, but with this story it worked. Diana Peterfreund’s writing was gorgeous. SIMPLY GORGEOUS. This book I know for a fact I will read again and again and again.

My Rating:

Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM