Book Review: The Stars Never Rise, Rachel Vincent

Title: The Stars Never Rise
Series: Untitled #1
Author: Rachel Vincent
Published: 09/06/2015, Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley and Delacorte Books
Format: Ebook
Rating: 5/5

Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago. When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes b the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie? Wanted by the church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

Wow! This book is soooo good! It just got better and better. I admit that although I did like it to begin with, I kinda thought it was only okay. But the more I read... OH MY GOD! Give me more!! It's such a new (to me) take on dystopia. I grew to love everything about The Stars Never Rise.

The Stars Never Rise is told in first person from Nina's point-of-view. In all honesty, the story was somewhat predictable but I loved it anyway. I mean it is obvious what Mellie's secret was but it's revealed so early in the novel that it doesn't matter at all. However, what I didn't predict was Finn. He is such a unique character.

I also really liked the pace of the story - it wasn't overly fast but it did progress quickly. I also really liked the world in which the story is set. We are given insights into the history of New Temperance and this gives us an idea of why things are the way they are. And it completely makes sense.  I look forward to finding out more about the world in the next book whenever it is released.

I really liked Nina. She does have what appears to be the typical female dystopian protagonist personality. She is really strong and brave as well as being responsible and caring. I find her quite similar to characters such as Katniss (The Hunger Games) and also, in a way, America (The Selection). But this is probably a result of the worlds that each of these characters grew up in. I still loved Nina for her personality. I liked the relationship she has with Mellie. She is very a parental figure even though there is only a year between them.

Finn... I LOVE FINN! He's just so kind and brave and genuine and I WANT HIM!! He is such a unique character and I don't want to give anything away but I feel so sorry for him. I can tell he just wants to be normal especially for Nina. But it just doesn't seem like it's possible.

I also really liked the secondary characters, including Finn's gang of exorcists and Nina's sister. They all have such different personalities and skills. They each have their own strengths and can use them between each other to work as an absolutely kick ass team.

I loved The Stars Never Rise. It is my first Rachel Vincent book and I can definitely say I will be reading more from her. I especially look forward to the next book in this series. If you love YA dystopia and/or romance then you should definitely give The Stars Never Rise a go.

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