This was an intense Sci-Fi read. It's like Star Wars, but a less advanced and there's more of a...human nature about everything and everyone, although the humanness of this story is masked by alien forms and names. First off, the first chapter intrigued me and left me puzzled in a good way. Tula speaking up, being beaten, being left for dead, feeling worthless, and feeling her first start of the violently bitter hatred that fuels her through the whole book. I'd say the things that held me back from fully delving into this book were these: Tula, well, I didn't really feel for her. Maybe I lack empathy, but I wasn't feeling as much sympathy as the author intended me to feel. The reason I wasn't sympathizing is because of this blind hatred that consumes her and her actions. Nothing will truly satisfy her until her thirst for Brother Blue's blood is satisfied. It's almost impossible to care for someone who cares for almost no one. Also, this book lacked much-needed description on characters so that I had no clue as to what they look like and I have to guess. The descriptions come too late in the book. As a reader, I shouldn't have to guess what a character looks like! Other than that, this was a really interesting book that passed three years (book-wise) in time very smoothly and has a writing style that is no-nonsense and down to the point. I would recommend to 12 and older, as some of the material would not interest elementary readers and is inappropriate for ages below middle school.
Tin Star
By Cecil Castellucci
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 9 - 12 | Grades 2 - 5 | n/a | 5 | 59248 |
On their way to start a new life, Tula and her family travel on the "Prairie Rose," a colony ship headed to a planet in the outer reaches of the galaxy. All is going well until the ship makes a stop at a remote space station, the Yertina Feray, and the colonist's leader, Brother Blue, beats Tula within an inch of her life. An alien, Heckleck, saves her and teaches her the ways of life on the space station.
When three humans crash land onto the station, Tula's desire for escape becomes irresistible, and her desire for companionship becomes unavoidable. But just as Tula begins to concoct a plan to get off the space station and kill Brother Blue, everything goes awry, and suddenly romance is the farthest thing from her mind.