From the acclaimed author of The Marrow Thieves comes a thrilling new story about hope and survival that New York Times bestselling author Angeline Boulley called “a revelatory must-read” Years ago, when plagues and natural disasters killed millions of people, much of the world stopped dreaming. Without dreams, people are haunted, sick, mad, unable to rebuild. The government soon finds that the Indigenous people of North America have retained their dreams, an ability rumored to be housed in the very marrow of their bones. Soon, residential schools pop up—or are re-opened—across the land to bring in the dreamers and harvest their dreams. Seventeen-year-old French lost his family to these schools and has spent the years since heading north with his new found family: a group of other dreamers, who, like him, are trying to build and thrive as a community. But then French wakes up in a pitch-black room, locked in and alone for the first time in years, and he knows immediately where he is—and what it will take to escape. Meanwhile, out in the world, his found family searches for him and dodges new dangers—school Recruiters, a blood cult, even the land itself. When their paths finally collide, French must decide how far he is willing to go—and how many loved ones is he willing to betray—in order to survive. This engrossing, action-packed, deftly-drawn novel expands on the world of Cherie Dimaline’s award-winning The Marrow Thieves, and it will haunt readers long after they’ve turned the final page.
- Books
- YA Fiction & Indies
- Young Adult Fiction
- Hunting by Stars (The Marrow Thieves, #2)
Hunting by Stars (The Marrow Thieves, #2)
Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
12+
Release Date
October 19, 2021
ISBN
978-1419753473
Buy This Book
Editor reviews
4 reviews
Overall rating
4.8
Plot
4.5(2)
Characters
5.0(2)
Writing Style
5.0(2)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A(0)
Hunting by Stars
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
5.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What worked: Powerful, haunting dystopia where Native Americans are harvested for their bone marrow in the belief it will cure the inability to dream. In this world after a plague, most can no longer dream. So people steal indigenous people and use their marrow, hoping this will bring the dreams back.
In this companion novel, readers follow Rose and Frenchie. After Frenchie is stolen from his 'family', he finds himself in the very residual homes he fears. Here he witnesses firsthand the cruelty shown to his people that is brushed off as something that is needed by others. But the worse has to be the knowledge that Mitch, his long-lost brother, is part of the 'Program', a group of Native Americans who rounds up others to be harvested. Frenchie struggles with his feelings of disbelief, hope, and disillusion. These scenes are emotionally packed. Readers can feel the torment Frenchie feels and the conflicts he has in order to survive.
Rose is determined and strong-willed. She sets out to find Frenchie with Derrick, another member of the family, at her side. They encounter many things on the way including a cultist group that believes the blood of Native Americans sets off dreams.
The strength of this novel has to be how well-written this world is. The emotions are raw and more than a few times I was sucker-punched with reveals and betrayals. The novel does pose the question what would you do in order to survive?
Chilling, haunting action-packed future world where hope still guides those to stay true to themselves amidst horrific conditions.
In this companion novel, readers follow Rose and Frenchie. After Frenchie is stolen from his 'family', he finds himself in the very residual homes he fears. Here he witnesses firsthand the cruelty shown to his people that is brushed off as something that is needed by others. But the worse has to be the knowledge that Mitch, his long-lost brother, is part of the 'Program', a group of Native Americans who rounds up others to be harvested. Frenchie struggles with his feelings of disbelief, hope, and disillusion. These scenes are emotionally packed. Readers can feel the torment Frenchie feels and the conflicts he has in order to survive.
Rose is determined and strong-willed. She sets out to find Frenchie with Derrick, another member of the family, at her side. They encounter many things on the way including a cultist group that believes the blood of Native Americans sets off dreams.
The strength of this novel has to be how well-written this world is. The emotions are raw and more than a few times I was sucker-punched with reveals and betrayals. The novel does pose the question what would you do in order to survive?
Chilling, haunting action-packed future world where hope still guides those to stay true to themselves amidst horrific conditions.
Good Points
1. Powerful, haunting dystopia
2. Chilling
2. Chilling
riveting and thrilling YA dystopian
Overall rating
4.7
Plot
4.0
Characters
5.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
HUNTING BY STARS is an intense, riveting, and suspenseful story of family, survival, and betrayal. After plagues and natural disasters changed the populace, most people lost the ability to dream, leading to madness and eventually death. Only the Native Americans retained this ability - and the answers of the populace have been to steal their marrow as treatment for the dream sickness. As such, the government has reopened institutions and has devoted resources to tracking down and capturing the dreamers to use them for medicine. These "schools" are places where Native people are taken to be used up and tortured if not turned against others and used as a weapon to locate and bring more people in.
The book primarily follows Rose and French, as French wakes up in one of the schools and Rose sets out to find them. Their family is also involved along the way, with those they have chosen to make a home. There are many obstacles and challenges as Rose and French try to make their ways back together in an action-packed story.
What I loved: This thrilling read tackles some really important topics around the treatment and exploitation of indigenous peoples, with parallels from the past to this dystopian future that seems somewhat speculative given those parallels. The book also tackles themes around individual past/stories, the ethical balance of sacrifices on the small/large scale, indoctrination/brain-washing, cults, forced choice progressiveness, the cruelty of humanity along with the justification of these cruelties, and so much more. This would be a great choice for book clubs as there is much to dive deeper into and themes that resonate with both the past and present.
The characters were really compelling, and both Rose and French's stories keep the reader hooked. I was also invested in the story of Wab and Chi Boy, who are pregnant during these dangerous times. The other stories included around the cult, the vigilante group, and other members of the family were also really fascinating, expanding on the provocative themes that make this story so powerful.
The plot was easy to become immersed in, and the fast pace was kept even more intensely by the alternating points-of-view that included cliffhangers to keep you guessing until you get back to that story. This style of writing makes the book impossible to put down, and I appreciated the way it made the book even more immersing and consistently intense. This is a highly devourable read.
What left me wanting more: As a small point, I do wish there was a bit more history included with the world-building (particularly about the plagues/disasters and how this lead to the dream problem), but given that this is a sequel, there may have been more in the first book.
Final verdict: A thought-provoking and thrilling read, HUNTING BY STARS is a powerful story about family, humanity, and survival. Highly recommend for fans of YA dystopian/speculative fiction and those who enjoyed THE HANDMAID'S TALE, UNDER THE NEVER SKY, and EVE.
The book primarily follows Rose and French, as French wakes up in one of the schools and Rose sets out to find them. Their family is also involved along the way, with those they have chosen to make a home. There are many obstacles and challenges as Rose and French try to make their ways back together in an action-packed story.
What I loved: This thrilling read tackles some really important topics around the treatment and exploitation of indigenous peoples, with parallels from the past to this dystopian future that seems somewhat speculative given those parallels. The book also tackles themes around individual past/stories, the ethical balance of sacrifices on the small/large scale, indoctrination/brain-washing, cults, forced choice progressiveness, the cruelty of humanity along with the justification of these cruelties, and so much more. This would be a great choice for book clubs as there is much to dive deeper into and themes that resonate with both the past and present.
The characters were really compelling, and both Rose and French's stories keep the reader hooked. I was also invested in the story of Wab and Chi Boy, who are pregnant during these dangerous times. The other stories included around the cult, the vigilante group, and other members of the family were also really fascinating, expanding on the provocative themes that make this story so powerful.
The plot was easy to become immersed in, and the fast pace was kept even more intensely by the alternating points-of-view that included cliffhangers to keep you guessing until you get back to that story. This style of writing makes the book impossible to put down, and I appreciated the way it made the book even more immersing and consistently intense. This is a highly devourable read.
What left me wanting more: As a small point, I do wish there was a bit more history included with the world-building (particularly about the plagues/disasters and how this lead to the dream problem), but given that this is a sequel, there may have been more in the first book.
Final verdict: A thought-provoking and thrilling read, HUNTING BY STARS is a powerful story about family, humanity, and survival. Highly recommend for fans of YA dystopian/speculative fiction and those who enjoyed THE HANDMAID'S TALE, UNDER THE NEVER SKY, and EVE.
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