Book Review: The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

The Chaos of Stars
Author: Kiersten White
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Mythology/Fantasy
Release Date: September 10th 2013
Review Source: HarperTeen

Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy, is back with The Chaos of Stars—an enchanting novel set in Egypt and San Diego that captures the magic of first love and the eternally complicated truth about family.

Isadora's family is seriously screwed up—which comes with the territory when you're the human daughter of the ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Isadora is tired of living with crazy relatives who think she's only worthy of a passing glance—so when she gets the chance to move to California with her brother, she jumps on it. But her new life comes with plenty of its own dramatic—and dangerous—complications . . . and Isadora quickly learns there's no such thing as a clean break from family.

Blending Ally Carter's humor and the romance of Cynthia Hand's Unearthly,The Chaos of Stars takes readers on an unforgettable journey halfway across the world and back, and proves there's no place like home.

What is it like being the human daughter of Egyptian Gods? Ask Isadora. Oh, but don't call her Dora or Issy! She would probably tell you it sucks. She hates feeling unnoticed by her parents and hates living in a house always full of relatives who, of course, also don't even bother to remember her name. Screwed up family right? Even worse, they are Gods and will be around forever- she is but a mere mortal. So as soon as a chance appears that has her move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But as badly as she wants that clean break from her family and heritage she soon realizes it isn't that easy. The "normal" world has it's own complications. Not to mention the dark nightmares she has that predict the destruction of her entire family.

Although I'd like to jump in and talk about dreamy Ry, let's get to Isadora first. She was a way cool character! She did annoy me at times, she was trying way too hard to not approve of love. Who turns down love? Ha. In steps Ry, dreamy dreamy Ry. Move aside bad boys of YA and make way for sweet, poetic Ry. It was a breath of fresh air to have a sweet and sincere boy be the love interest. And, those amazing blue eyes Isadora described him having- I wish I could witness them in real life. Read The Chaos of Stars and I can guarantee you will have your heart smiling because...Ry!

I loved the plot of the story, which is why I would recommend it for people to read. I also love books that have quirky catch phrases that I continue to use after I've read them. Isadora opts to say "floods!" versus what I'm guessing would be "crap!" She also says "chaos take me" often and I absolutely loved that!

I won't lie though, this book did take me a few chapters to get into the story. The way the book is outlined is sort of confusing at first, but getting the hang of it is quick. Isadora gives us history on her childhood, or history on the Egyptian Gods. We also get to read what goes on in her dreams, or rather her nightmares. But once I understood how White's writing went I did jump into the story and enjoyed it quite a bit. This is probably the first fictional mythology book I have read, it was different for me and I loved it. The pacing was slow but once it picked up everything was great. Overall The Chaos of Stars is a book you should put on your to-be-read list!

Chaos take me...