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Mojo Skyline by Dust Coda
Album
Where will modern rock take us next Thundering into the New Wave Of Classic Rock scene with...
Head Coach Basketball
Sports and Utilities
App
The best Basketball Coaching app experience on the AppStore. Specially designed for iPad features. ...
The Unexpected Joy of Being Single
8.4
Rate It
Book
Having a secret single freak-out? Feeling the red, heart-shaped urgency intensify as the years roll...
Woken Furies
Book
This is high action, ideas driven noir SF of the highest order. Morgan has already established...
Firefax
Book
"I would advise you, young man, to take care around anyone with the surname Firefax. I know not if...
ClareR (6253 KP) rated Spitting Gold in Books
Jun 4, 2026
I’ll be honest: I didn’t know what this was going to be about. It was a case of judging the book by its cover. I didn’t even read the synopsis before I got stuck in. I was very happy indeed when the first page took me in to a woman’s prison in Paris, France in 1866 - just for a little while, until we start to learn why exactly Sylvie is in this predicament.
Atmospheric writing places the reader in Paris after the French Revolution, where Baroness Sylvie is living a perfect life with her affluent lawyer husband.
Her estranged sister, Charlotte Mothe, visits with an offer that’s hard to refuse. Their father is very ill, Charlotte needs to pay the bills, and Sylvie must come out of retirement and conduct a seance to help her out. But Sylvie is risking her marriage.
Spitting Gold is a debut, and I thought it was gripping and entertaining - it kept me reading! The characters were fleshed out, believable and colourful (to say the least!). There were moments where it made me feel very uncomfortable - was it the ghosts?
There’s a bit of something for everyone here: historical fiction, mystery, the paranormal, sapphic romance and family dynamics.
Recommended!
Atmospheric writing places the reader in Paris after the French Revolution, where Baroness Sylvie is living a perfect life with her affluent lawyer husband.
Her estranged sister, Charlotte Mothe, visits with an offer that’s hard to refuse. Their father is very ill, Charlotte needs to pay the bills, and Sylvie must come out of retirement and conduct a seance to help her out. But Sylvie is risking her marriage.
Spitting Gold is a debut, and I thought it was gripping and entertaining - it kept me reading! The characters were fleshed out, believable and colourful (to say the least!). There were moments where it made me feel very uncomfortable - was it the ghosts?
There’s a bit of something for everyone here: historical fiction, mystery, the paranormal, sapphic romance and family dynamics.
Recommended!
Shift (The Caelian Cycle #3)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Chaos is what rules Sadie’s life. Separation, lies, and an overpowering Talent have pushed her...
Young Adult Dystopian Science Fiction Romance
The Yanks Are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army
Book
Two armies. One flag. No honor. The most shocking day in American history. Former political...
Historical Fiction
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Sky Without Stars (System Divine, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<h2><strong>I totally skipped over <em>Sky Without Stars</em> at first.</strong></h2>
Hello, I'm confessing that I scrolled straight past <em>Sky Without Stars</em> until someone said the words, "<em>Les Misérables</em> in space."
Then all the grabby hands came out because <em>I love that movie</em> AND I love space??? And I sure as hell am not going to read 1000+ pages of the classic. <s>Hahaha, required reading scarred me.</s>
<h2><em><strong>Sky Without Stars</strong></em><strong> has the feel of <em>Les Misérables.</em></strong></h2>
It's been like 5+ years since I <em>watched</em> the movie so I don't remember much from the movie aside from the French revolution. I also recall having a fascination with Éponine, who I don't recall having much screentime. Despite not remembering much from the musical, <em>Sky Without Stars</em> gave off the vibes and had many elements frequently nodding to the classic.
<h3><strong>The different perspectives worked in favor.</strong></h3>
This whopping novel is divided between three different characters who will all eventually play a role in the brewing revolution on Laterre. With such a long length, having one perspective could have easily bogged down the story and be boring. But having three characters who each brought their own perspective and struggles? I enjoyed learning about each of them while reading <em>Sky Without Stars</em>.
<strong>Chatine:</strong> Chatine, based on Éponine (I think?), is by far my favorite perspective out of the three. She dresses up as a boy to go about her life in the Frets because she feels being a girl would put her at a disadvantage (and it really would). With the goal of leaving Laterre one day, she goes about her life stealing on the streets to save up for the passage.
<strong>Alouette:</strong> Y'all, I hated Cosette for some reason but I adore Alouette??? Brody and Rendell give Cosette a very nice upgrade here in <em>Sky Without Stars</em> that fit into the timeframe here! Alouette, despite not knowing much of her past and living underground, is curious and crafty as she occasionally navigates aboveground.
<strong>Marcellus:</strong> Poor Marcellus is divided between believing his grandfather as he's always had growing up or his now-deemed-traitor former governess. Despite being the least interesting perspective I read, I enjoy seeing his internal conflict and want to know what he will do in later books.
<h3><strong>There's apparently a love triangle.</strong></h3>
Younger me found the revolution too fascinating to care about trivial things such as romance. Lo and behold, I didn't even notice the love triangle until near the end, whoops. However, romance is a minor aspect of <em>Sky Without Stars,</em> and I found myself more swept away by the world.
<h2><strong>A lot of worldbuilding on Laterre.</strong></h2>
Drop yourselves into a rocket ship and let's go soaring into space because the worldbuilding is A+! Sometimes I found myself overwhelmed because I am a character development and fast-paced action person in books. However, I think it's well worth going through nearly 600 pages of mostly setup. Brody and Rendell will sweep you away to another world while bringing in elements from the original.
<h2><strong>Solid beginning to a series.</strong></h2>
<em>Sky Without Stars</em> is a solid start as a first novel, and I enjoyed seeing Brody's and Rendell's take on <em>Les Misérables</em>! This book is perfect for those who are fans of the musical or enjoy a good sci-fi with a brewing rebellion on another planet.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/sky-without-stars-by-jessica-brody-and-joanne-rendell/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<h2><strong>I totally skipped over <em>Sky Without Stars</em> at first.</strong></h2>
Hello, I'm confessing that I scrolled straight past <em>Sky Without Stars</em> until someone said the words, "<em>Les Misérables</em> in space."
Then all the grabby hands came out because <em>I love that movie</em> AND I love space??? And I sure as hell am not going to read 1000+ pages of the classic. <s>Hahaha, required reading scarred me.</s>
<h2><em><strong>Sky Without Stars</strong></em><strong> has the feel of <em>Les Misérables.</em></strong></h2>
It's been like 5+ years since I <em>watched</em> the movie so I don't remember much from the movie aside from the French revolution. I also recall having a fascination with Éponine, who I don't recall having much screentime. Despite not remembering much from the musical, <em>Sky Without Stars</em> gave off the vibes and had many elements frequently nodding to the classic.
<h3><strong>The different perspectives worked in favor.</strong></h3>
This whopping novel is divided between three different characters who will all eventually play a role in the brewing revolution on Laterre. With such a long length, having one perspective could have easily bogged down the story and be boring. But having three characters who each brought their own perspective and struggles? I enjoyed learning about each of them while reading <em>Sky Without Stars</em>.
<strong>Chatine:</strong> Chatine, based on Éponine (I think?), is by far my favorite perspective out of the three. She dresses up as a boy to go about her life in the Frets because she feels being a girl would put her at a disadvantage (and it really would). With the goal of leaving Laterre one day, she goes about her life stealing on the streets to save up for the passage.
<strong>Alouette:</strong> Y'all, I hated Cosette for some reason but I adore Alouette??? Brody and Rendell give Cosette a very nice upgrade here in <em>Sky Without Stars</em> that fit into the timeframe here! Alouette, despite not knowing much of her past and living underground, is curious and crafty as she occasionally navigates aboveground.
<strong>Marcellus:</strong> Poor Marcellus is divided between believing his grandfather as he's always had growing up or his now-deemed-traitor former governess. Despite being the least interesting perspective I read, I enjoy seeing his internal conflict and want to know what he will do in later books.
<h3><strong>There's apparently a love triangle.</strong></h3>
Younger me found the revolution too fascinating to care about trivial things such as romance. Lo and behold, I didn't even notice the love triangle until near the end, whoops. However, romance is a minor aspect of <em>Sky Without Stars,</em> and I found myself more swept away by the world.
<h2><strong>A lot of worldbuilding on Laterre.</strong></h2>
Drop yourselves into a rocket ship and let's go soaring into space because the worldbuilding is A+! Sometimes I found myself overwhelmed because I am a character development and fast-paced action person in books. However, I think it's well worth going through nearly 600 pages of mostly setup. Brody and Rendell will sweep you away to another world while bringing in elements from the original.
<h2><strong>Solid beginning to a series.</strong></h2>
<em>Sky Without Stars</em> is a solid start as a first novel, and I enjoyed seeing Brody's and Rendell's take on <em>Les Misérables</em>! This book is perfect for those who are fans of the musical or enjoy a good sci-fi with a brewing rebellion on another planet.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/sky-without-stars-by-jessica-brody-and-joanne-rendell/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Hannah (27 KP) rated Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind in Books
Jun 6, 2017
Succinct and simple telling of human history (1 more)
Motivating
Interesting and stimulating account of human history
This book is absolutely a must-read for anyone interested in the history of humankind, the development of societies, language, money and patriarchy, and what the future might hold for humankind.
This book is a simple retelling of what we currently know about the history of humankind. It follows a path from our common ancestor with apes through the stages of revolution to our modern era. It takes a deeper look at the Argicultural and Cognitive Revolutions, and at the progressions of human society over thousands of years, including the development of writing, money and laws.
The author challenges many of the beliefs and myths we hold in our age, asking us to question why things are as they are. Why has society typically been patriarchal throughout our long history? Why, with a closer look at the structure of other species' societies, do we not live in a matriarchal society? He raises many questions that I never previously realised or thought about, and really has the capability of changing the way you look st society and how it developed.
This is a fascinating, well-written work sure to keep you hooked for the entirety of the book. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone with a curious or enquiring mind.
This book is a simple retelling of what we currently know about the history of humankind. It follows a path from our common ancestor with apes through the stages of revolution to our modern era. It takes a deeper look at the Argicultural and Cognitive Revolutions, and at the progressions of human society over thousands of years, including the development of writing, money and laws.
The author challenges many of the beliefs and myths we hold in our age, asking us to question why things are as they are. Why has society typically been patriarchal throughout our long history? Why, with a closer look at the structure of other species' societies, do we not live in a matriarchal society? He raises many questions that I never previously realised or thought about, and really has the capability of changing the way you look st society and how it developed.
This is a fascinating, well-written work sure to keep you hooked for the entirety of the book. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone with a curious or enquiring mind.