Read Online Sky Without Stars System Divine Book 1 Audible Audio Edition Jessica Brody Joanne Rendell Vikas Adam Joy Osmanski Emily Woo Zeller Simon Schuster Audio Books

Download As PDF : Sky Without Stars System Divine Book 1 Audible Audio Edition Jessica Brody Joanne Rendell Vikas Adam Joy Osmanski Emily Woo Zeller Simon Schuster Audio Books

In the tradition of the Lunar Chronicles, this sweeping reimagining of Les Misérables tells the story of three teens from very different backgrounds who are thrown together amid the looming threat of revolution on the French planet-colony of Laterre.

A thief. An officer. A guardian. 

Three strangers, one shared destiny....

When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope, a new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But 500 years later, it's now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.

Whispers of revolution have begun - a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes....

Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet.

Marcellus is an officer - and the son of a renowned traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he's vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read a girl named Alouette.

Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in 12 years...and plunge Laterre into chaos.

All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution - and together, they will shape the future of a planet.

Power, romance, and destiny collide in this sweeping reimagining of Victor Hugo's masterpiece, Les Misérables. 

Read Online Sky Without Stars System Divine Book 1 Audible Audio Edition Jessica Brody Joanne Rendell Vikas Adam Joy Osmanski Emily Woo Zeller Simon Schuster Audio Books

"Content Warning: Violence, Torture, Death/Execution, Persecution, Prejudice, Murder, Oppression, Gangs, Abuse

Les Miserables is a massive book. It’s an even larger task to unpack everything within its text. I can’t even fathom what it would be like to try and create a retelling of this classical tale. Yet, authors Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell did it. And, they did a heck of a job at it! Just to emphasize their accomplishment a bit further---they wrote a retelling of one of the most iconic classical tales, and set it in space, while still keeping true to the original story.

You guys, I won’t be able to get over this book for a while. Thank goodness it’s a part of a series, so I don’t have to completely die...yet...from book hangover! Probably one of the biggest issues I have with the Young Adult genre is that there isn’t an overabundance of quality writing. You know, like with actual world building, setting description, and, for the love of all things good, further rendering of a character beyond their hair and eye color! The characters of Sky Without Stars are made of flesh and bone, sinew and blood. They have personalities with depth and harbor layers of emotion. The best part about these characters is that nothing is easy. Each and every character has a life full of raw, merciless experience---a true reflection of what Les Miserables aims to portray.

At first, I actually was trying to figure out which character represented who. It didn’t take too long to figure it out, but I relished the “revelations” when they occurred. I don’t even want to share who is who because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, so I won’t.

"The System Divine offered hope. Hope to the inhabitants of a dying world. With its three beautiful Sols and twelve habitable planets, the miraculous system would become a new home. A new start. A place where twelve powerful families could begin again."

The world-building, I do want to unpack a bit. Set in a dystopian time long after Earth was left behind by mankind, this story takes place on Laterre, a rainy planet within the System Divine. The three Sols (suns) have been invisible behind grey rain clouds for years, making the place dismal, to say the least. The inhabitants are split up into three factions--estates.

"Every estate has its place and purpose. The First Estate rules us, like the brain governing the body. We, the Second Estate, are the heart, providing the power and pulse. While the Third Estate are the legs on which we all stand.”

While the Third Estate are intended to be the working class, poverty, starvation, violence, and gangs run rampant among its participants. The Third Estate is no class to be envious of. “Lucky” for them, the annual Ascension is the event to look forward to. If one remains a good and faithful laborer, they are entered into a drawing to become part of the elite class and win a new life. The Ascension resembles the selection that takes place in The Hunger Games, and serves a similar, yet different role. This chance of escape isn’t an encouragment for all, though, as a life of crime serves to be more enduring for some.

”Laterre is the envy of the System Divine because of how well our beautiful body functions.”

While crime runs rampant, the Second Estate, the “policemen” if you will, are comprised of men, cyborgs, and robots. They serve to root out the fallen, and protect the system in place. When whispers of the Vanguard returning begin to surface of their attempts to overthrow it, the two upper estates dole out cruelty and force to keep the massive Third Estate at bay.

As the three main characters, (along with many other prominent ones) live out their lives, their stories become intricately woven together. Chatain, Marcellus, and Alouette, by chance, experience the unpleasantness of life more together than apart. While Chatain and Alouette are very solid characters, I felt Marcellus blundered around a bit. I love seeing strong male characters, and wished he had fit that bill instead of playing the naive. I get why his character is this way, due to his father’s history and Marcellus’ elaborate upbringing, but I felt he should have been more vigorous that he was.

Lastly, I just want to say that this book has been compared to The Lunar Chronicles. Yes, there are some similarities---limited to the fact that this is a retelling set in space. That’s where the line ends. This book surpasses The Lunar Chronicles by far in every aspect, but especially in overall quality, character development, and plot ingenuity. This is one of the best Young Adult books that I’ve read in a long time, as well as a new favorite, for certain. I can’t wait to read the sequel, which I hope is coming sooner than later!

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Minimal.
Violence: Quite a bit.

My Rating: ★★★★★"

Product details Audible Audiobook Listening Length 18 hours and 33 minutes Program Type Audiobook Version Unabridged Publisher Simon & Schuster Audio Audible.com Release Date March 26, 2019 Whispersync for Voice Ready Language English, English ASIN B07KMH8WBR

Tags : Sky Without Stars System Divine, Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Jessica Brody, Joanne Rendell, Vikas Adam, Joy Osmanski, Emily Woo Zeller, Simon Schuster Audio Books, ,Jessica Brody, Joanne Rendell, Vikas Adam, Joy Osmanski, Emily Woo Zeller, Simon Schuster Audio,Sky Without Stars System Divine, Book 1,Simon Schuster Audio,B07KMH8WBR

Sky Without Stars System Divine Book 1 Audible Audio Edition Jessica Brody Joanne Rendell Vikas Adam Joy Osmanski Emily Woo Zeller Simon Schuster Audio Books Reviews :

Sky Without Stars System Divine Book 1 Audible Audio Edition Jessica Brody Joanne Rendell Vikas Adam Joy Osmanski Emily Woo Zeller Simon Schuster Audio Books Reviews

• I knew I was going to love this book from the very first moment Jessica Brody said these 4 words to me “Les Mis… In Space.”
  
  Oh. My. GOD! They did NOT disappoint!!! SKY WITHOUT STARS by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell is a spectacular retelling of one of my favorite stories. I truly loved everything about this book! It was totally on point—from the three powerful voices of their leading players, to the incredibly vivid descriptions and world-building. I was completely enthralled from page one.
  
  Don’t let the long page count intimidate you! I hardly noticed it thanks to excellent pacing. Part 1 takes off as we’re almost immediately thrown into the rumblings of a world primed for revolution. We’re given a few paces to breathe and reflect before we’re thrust into a race to a finale full of twists and turns. You’ve been warned there’s a KILLER cliffhanger that will leave you desperate to get your hands on the next book in the series!
  
  What really impressed me was the authors’ abilities to craft two very strong and unique female leads—particularly when it came to the character of Alouette (Cosette).
  
  Most Les Miz fans will agree that Cosette tends to be a major throwaway character. She is passive, flat, and one-dimensional. Her sole purpose is to prompt positive action from the two male leads. 🙄 Even Eponine to some degree is primarily driven by her secret love for Marius…
  
  I was 100% ready to HATE Alouette. Particularly since I grew up LOVING Chatine (Eponine) and I even played the role of Eponine. I had to fight some deeply rooted bias as I read this book.
  
  Honestly, I was blown away. They managed to make Alouette a total bad-ass and they finally gave a character I couldn’t have cared less about real depth and dimension. I was surprised to find myself rooting for her by the end of the book! Well. Done.
  
  So, if you’re looking for a compelling new YA Sci-Fi series—then you MUST give SKY WITHOUT STARS a read!
  
  5 BRIGHTLY BURNING SOLS!
  
  Note I received a complimentary advanced copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
• I wanted to like this book. It starts out fine with a strange world (wonderful maps), and when the three main characters, Chatine, Marcellus and Alouette are first introduced, you want to know more about them. But there's nothing to be learned. In fact, after awhile, the authors seemed to morph the trio, and I couldn't tell one from the other.
  
  The authors also put way too much emphasis on the setting. Kept repeating themselves. They started out with a good story, but lost themselves, and me around page 300. Book needed editing and better characterization.
• (I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
  
  Don't let the size of Sky Without Stars discourage you from picking up this stunning book. The pages melt away as you become immersed in a fabulous and descriptive science fiction planet. A world of rags and riches, injustice and robots, revolution and secrets. Not only do you become wrapped up in a world of dreams and survival, but the characters charm you.
  
  Whether it be Chatine's self-preservation, her gentle heart and hard exterior, or Alouette and her optomism, her innocence, or Marcellus and his soft spirit, his privilege. What all of these fabulous characters have in common is that throughout the course of Sky Without Stars their worlds are changed. They're betrayed, tricked, lied to, and they experience so much character growth all while we are hanging onto their every word.
• Content Warning Violence, Torture, Death/Execution, Persecution, Prejudice, Murder, Oppression, Gangs, Abuse
  
  Les Miserables is a massive book. It’s an even larger task to unpack everything within its text. I can’t even fathom what it would be like to try and create a retelling of this classical tale. Yet, authors Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell did it. And, they did a heck of a job at it! Just to emphasize their accomplishment a bit further---they wrote a retelling of one of the most iconic classical tales, and set it in space, while still keeping true to the original story.
  
  You guys, I won’t be able to get over this book for a while. Thank goodness it’s a part of a series, so I don’t have to completely die...yet...from book hangover! Probably one of the biggest issues I have with the Young Adult genre is that there isn’t an overabundance of quality writing. You know, like with actual world building, setting description, and, for the love of all things good, further rendering of a character beyond their hair and eye color! The characters of Sky Without Stars are made of flesh and bone, sinew and blood. They have personalities with depth and harbor layers of emotion. The best part about these characters is that nothing is easy. Each and every character has a life full of raw, merciless experience---a true reflection of what Les Miserables aims to portray.
  
  At first, I actually was trying to figure out which character represented who. It didn’t take too long to figure it out, but I relished the “revelations” when they occurred. I don’t even want to share who is who because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, so I won’t.
  
  "The System Divine offered hope. Hope to the inhabitants of a dying world. With its three beautiful Sols and twelve habitable planets, the miraculous system would become a new home. A new start. A place where twelve powerful families could begin again."
  
  The world-building, I do want to unpack a bit. Set in a dystopian time long after Earth was left behind by mankind, this story takes place on Laterre, a rainy planet within the System Divine. The three Sols (suns) have been invisible behind grey rain clouds for years, making the place dismal, to say the least. The inhabitants are split up into three factions--estates.
  
  "Every estate has its place and purpose. The First Estate rules us, like the brain governing the body. We, the Second Estate, are the heart, providing the power and pulse. While the Third Estate are the legs on which we all stand.”
  
  While the Third Estate are intended to be the working class, poverty, starvation, violence, and gangs run rampant among its participants. The Third Estate is no class to be envious of. “Lucky” for them, the annual Ascension is the event to look forward to. If one remains a good and faithful laborer, they are entered into a drawing to become part of the elite class and win a new life. The Ascension resembles the selection that takes place in The Hunger Games, and serves a similar, yet different role. This chance of escape isn’t an encouragment for all, though, as a life of crime serves to be more enduring for some.
  
  ”Laterre is the envy of the System Divine because of how well our beautiful body functions.”
  
  While crime runs rampant, the Second Estate, the “policemen” if you will, are comprised of men, cyborgs, and robots. They serve to root out the fallen, and protect the system in place. When whispers of the Vanguard returning begin to surface of their attempts to overthrow it, the two upper estates dole out cruelty and force to keep the massive Third Estate at bay.
  
  As the three main characters, (along with many other prominent ones) live out their lives, their stories become intricately woven together. Chatain, Marcellus, and Alouette, by chance, experience the unpleasantness of life more together than apart. While Chatain and Alouette are very solid characters, I felt Marcellus blundered around a bit. I love seeing strong male characters, and wished he had fit that bill instead of playing the naive. I get why his character is this way, due to his father’s history and Marcellus’ elaborate upbringing, but I felt he should have been more vigorous that he was.
  
  Lastly, I just want to say that this book has been compared to The Lunar Chronicles. Yes, there are some similarities---limited to the fact that this is a retelling set in space. That’s where the line ends. This book surpasses The Lunar Chronicles by far in every aspect, but especially in overall quality, character development, and plot ingenuity. This is one of the best Young Adult books that I’ve read in a long time, as well as a new favorite, for certain. I can’t wait to read the sequel, which I hope is coming sooner than later!
  
  Vulgarity Minimal.
  Sexual content Minimal.
  Violence Quite a bit.
  
  My Rating ★★★★★