Leta’s Book Review: A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw

A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw

Young Adult, Secret Genres, 13+

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of A Wilderness of Stars in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Book Birthday to A Wilderness of Stars! Congratulations to Shea Ernshaw for this absolute phenomenon of a novel.

If the wonder in the title doesn’t draw you in and the beautiful purple cover swirling with stars still fails to sway you, allow me to introduce you to the Astronomer. Vega is the Last Astronomer, destined to carry out the tasks handed down from mother to daughter for generations. That task: set out into the world beyond the valley and find the only person who can help her save everyone from the plague ravaging the world. Once Vega spots the two stars in the sky that signal her time has come, she leaves.

Her adventure is full of lessons to learn and people caught in the throes of desperation. Vega finds allies in a girl named Cricket and her friend Noah, though earning their trust is another task entirely.

I would suggest going into this novel with as little knowledge as possible. It’s stunning. I tried to figure out the ending so many times, pausing to work through possibilities. Though I guessed a couple vague points, I wasn’t even close with any of my theories on the true, epic ending.

Ernshaw has once again blown me away with her mastery of language. Her prose flows beautiful and easily, allowing me to glide through the chapters with ease. I physically could not stop reading. I needed to know how it ended. Would Vega succeed? What was she even trying to succeed at, truly? She kept so many secrets from everyone, even the reader. Honestly, I love protagonists that do that. I don’t want to know everything. As long as I know enough to understand the world and the stakes, I love being in the dark. Hunger for more drives me through the novel.

After I finished A Wilderness of Stars, I sat there on the floor (having gone through every reading position you can think of many times on the couch) in absolute joy. Wonder and happiness. I cried with the biggest grin on my face. I needed this novel. It’s everything that I love and yearn for while reading. Shea Ernshaw, you must have seen my heart to know exactly what to write. Or perhaps, we are kindred spirits with the same desires in our hearts.

I do know that many others have these desires as well. If you’ve enjoyed any of Shea Ernshaw’s previous works, read A Wilderness of Stars. If you enjoy adventure, the night sky, magic, or getting lost in wonder, please read it. It will open your mind and tear out your heart with loving claws.