* I have received this book for review from the publisher but this in no way affects my review *
Title: Silver StarsAuthor: Michael Grant
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Egmont
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Book Summary from Goodreads:
The summer of 1943, World War II. With heavy memories of combat, Frangie, Rainy, Rio, and the rest of the American army are moving on to their next target: the Italian island of Sicily.
The women won’t conquer Italy alone. They are not heroes for fighting alongside their brothers—they are soldiers. But Frangie, Rainy, Rio, and the millions of brave females fighting for their country have become a symbol in the fight for equality. They will brave terrible conditions in an endless siege; they will fight to find themselves on the front lines of WWII, and they will come face-to-face with the brutality of war until they win or die.
Book Review Summary:
Front Lines was one of my favourite books of last year, and Silver Stars does not disappoint. The characters are developed, the world is dangerous, and the harm is around every corner. It makes for a tense and enjoyable read, and I will continue to love it. It is fair to say that I can't wait for the next book.
Book Review:
Silver Stars as previously stated is the sequel to Front Lines, an alternative WWII novel where women, soldier girls, can serve in the US army. The book follows Rio, a soldier, Frangie, the medic and Rainy, the intelligence as they go through the ordeals of war.
OK so I'm just going to say it, I loved this book. I am always slightly scared when reading sequels because most of them often act for filler books, this is obviously not the case for Silver Stars. Silver Stars packs the same punch that Front Lines have but the stakes are so much higher.
We see the true casualties of war and this is not shied away from with descriptions of how these come to be. Although this was an element that I enjoyed, those who don't like gory details may find this slightly off-putting although this does not cover a large amount of the book if you were worried about this.
Character development has also a massive part that I loved this book especially seeing more about Frangie and Rainey whose stories are developed in this book. We get to seen the fire of Rainy who has a very important mission in this book which shows the strength of her character showing that women are just as brave as men and are equally as capable.
Frangie also is developed as a character and knowing more about her past and her relationship with her brother was nice to see in this book. Although we do see her develop in Silver Stars, I would love to see more of her character in Purple Hearts so if I had any complaints about this book then it would be more Frangie. I think using Frangie's character to see racism at the time is something that I also really like about this series, because to just ignore it would be ignoring a part of history that needs to be told. So this is something that I also like.
Rio is a massive part of the series and again we see massive development from her especially about the effect that war can have on people. She is such a determined and likeable character that I can't help not but like her. Rio's relationship with Jenou is just wonderful. I like that in times of war, a female friendship can still be developed and be complicated as this is something that you still don't see in YA books but you should. I also love Jack so much and his relationship with Rio but something in my head tells me that it will not end well so I feel like Purple Hearts will probably make me cry.
Basically, I loved Silver Stars and can't wait for Purple Hearts and if you haven't read this series yet you should!
The Verdict:
Silver Stars is a wonderful sequel to one of my favourite books of last year and to beat this is a massive task in itself. But Silver Stars did and it too is one of my favourite books. I highly recommend this series being a highly unique twist on WWII literature with a feminist touch.
And for the competition to win all the books in the Soldier Girl series and the Gone series, run by Egmont, the publisher, is linked below:
Michael Grant Competition
Have you read Silver Stars? Leave it in the comments below.
See you soon,
Amy
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