Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In her first novel inspired by a true story, Jane Green re-imagines the life of troubled icon Talitha Getty in this transporting story from a forgotten chapter of the Swinging '60s
 
From afar Talitha's life seemed perfect. In her twenties, and already a famous model and actress, she moved from London to a palace in Marrakesh, with her husband Paul Getty, the famous oil heir. There she presided over a swirling ex-pat scene filled with music, art, free love and a counterculture taking root across the world.
 
When Claire arrives in London from her small town, she never expects to cross paths with a woman as magnetic as Talitha Getty. Yearning for the adventure and independence, she's swept off to Marrakesh, where the two become kindred spirits. But beneath Talitha's glamorous facade lurks a darkness few can understand. As their friendship blossoms and the two grow closer, the realities of Talitha's precarious existence set off a chain of dangerous events that could alter Claire's life forever.

Review:

When I think of the 1960's, what comes to mind are hippies, drugs, and rock & roll.  It was the rise of the young adult as the most sought after consumer.  In Sister Stardust, we see the 1960's through the eyes of  nineteen year-old Claire.  She's a young, innocent teen trying to make it in swinging London, when she gets caught up in the lifestyle of the most famous rock stars and jet setters of the era.  It's an intoxicating world of hedonism, rock music, sex, and lots and lots of drugs.   This book was really fun.  It was easy to see how Claire could be swept away to exotic Morocco where the party never stops.  I loved how Claire was figuring out who she was, but still remained herself throughout some pretty wild times.  This book would make a wonderful summer beach read, or listen.  With pitch-perfect narration by the talented Fiona Hardingham, I thoroughly loved every moment of it. 

What I Liked:

Setting:

Who wouldn't be drawn into the glamorous scene of rock stars and free love, especially when one has grown up in a repressive bland small village in Dorset, England.  At first, Claire is just excited to be an independent young woman in London.  While she started to have small moments of freedom, she was still subjected to the scrutiny of older adults.  From her employer who dehumanized her by only calling her by a number, to the matrons who ran the boarding house for young women, Claire was judged harshly if she ever stepped out of line.

When she meets a young man who has ties to the music business, she meets some of England's biggest rock stars who whisk her off to Morocco.  Marrakesh has become a haven for European expats who love the exotic city, and make it their personal playground.  Anything goes in the palace taken over by Paul and Talitha Getty, a real-life glamorous couple of the time.  There are parties, drugs, and orgies.  But many of the people are there to escape responsibility, and  the expectations of others.

Characters:

Claire is a wide-eyed innocent, but she is hardly a prude.  She is escaping the confinements of her life in England by saying yes to everything.  But she is also an astute observer of the other people in the Getty palace.  She quickly goes from being in awe of these famous rockstars to seeing them as regular people with flaws.  But she maintains her caring nature, always aware that this moment will be fleeting, so she better make the most of it.

The hostess of this non-stop party is Talitha Getty.  She is the stunningly glamorous Dutch wife of Paul Getty (son of the richest man in the world, at the time).  Claire immediately falls under Talitha's spell, and they soon become close friends (and maybe something more).  

One of the things that Claire and Talitha have in common is that both of their mothers died when each was a young girl.  Claire's mom was hit by a car, and Talitha's mother never got over being a prisoner in Java during WWII.  She, and her mother, faced starvation, beatings, and worse, in a Japanese prisoner camp.  And her mother never recovered.  

Maybe that is why Talitha medicates herself nightly with alcohol and drugs.   Claire is so mesmerized by Talitha that she starts to do (and take) anything Talitha tells her to.  This soon becomes a friendship with dangerous undertones.

Story:

This is a classic cautionary tale of the excesses of rock stars, and the jet-set.  Parties become orgies, people get precariously close to overdosing on drugs, and relationships are put to the test.  Claire never wants the party to stop.  But as things get more and more out of control, can will Claire be able to step away?

Narration:

I think Fiona Hardingham is my favorite audiobook narrator of all time!  Her crisp British accent is perfect for the young Claire.  But she can also do a credible cockney accent, or a laid back Dutch socialite.  Hardingham's performance brings so much to the enjoyment of the audiobook, that it is a treat to listen to. 

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  April 22nd, 2022

Author:  Jane Green

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Print Publisher:  Hanover Square Press

Page Length:  304 Pages

Audiobook Publisher:  Harlequin Audio

Narrator:  Fiona Hardingham

Audiobook Length: 8 Hours, 51 Minutes

Format:  Audiobook

Source:  Public Library

Recommendation:  This is an amazing book!  What everyone thinks the 60's were all about: Sex, Drug, and Rock-n-Roll.  This would make a fantastic summer read.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

One quiet afternoon in 2037, Joyce Denzell hears a thud in her family’s home library and finds a book lying in the middle of the room, seemingly waiting for her―a book whose copyright page says it was published in the year 2200. Over the next twenty-four hours, each of the Denzell family members discovers and reads from this mystical history book from the future, nudged along by their cat, Plato.

As the various family members take turns reading, they gradually uncover the story of Gabe, Mia, and Ruth—a saga of adventure, endurance, romance, mystery, and hope that touches them all deeply. Along the way, the Denzells all begin to believe that this book that has seemingly fallen out of time and space and into their midst might actually be from the future—and that it might have something vitally important to teach them.

Engaging, playful, and thought-provoking, Hope is a seven-generation-spanning vision of the future as it could be—based on scientific projections, as well as historical and legal precedence—that will leave readers grappling with questions of destiny, responsibility, and the possibility for hope in a future world.

Review:

This is going to be a tough review for me to write.  I think the author of this book, G. G. Kellner, has the best of intentions when writing, Hope: a History of The Future.  Her warnings about the devastating consequences of Global Warming are sincere and heartfelt.  She is presenting a possible future where the world is in chaos.  With rising sea-levels comes flooding of low laying lands.  Higher temperatures mean food shortages, and instability.  And society has completely broken down.

However, there is no actual story in this book.  

What I Didn't Like:

There are two families presented.  In the near future there is Joyce and her blended family.  Joyce finds a book that purports to be a history of the world and that it is written in the year 2200.  The future.  Joyce, and eventually her whole family, read about what happens in the future, and seriously believe this is a magical book that is telling them about what will happen.  It would have been an eerie twist if there had been references to any of the family in the magical book.  If that happened, it would have at least been plausible for the characters to believe this was a real document about the future.  However, this doesn't happen.  All they can talk about is global warming.  You barely get a chance to know who these people are or anything.  They have no other purpose in the story than to react to the book.

In the book Joyce is reading, there is a history of what happens through a diary of someone's great-grandmother.  Again, there is very little character development.  All the characters talk about is climate change.  The main characters in this part of the story go on a long journey on a boat to escape what they fear is happening.  While their tale of survival is compelling, there was very little character development during what would be a life-altering experience.  In their two (or three) year trip, there was zero friction between the characters.  No one got on each other's nerves.  There was no self-doubt about if they were doing the right thing.  I found that to be wildly unrealistic.

Plus, the society that eventually forms out of this is a ridiculous utopia.  There is no money, everyone adheres to a Universal Bill of Rights, and (again) there is absolutely no conflict.  Overall, I found this novel to be preach and heavy-handed.  In a story, the characters have to change over time.  This never happened.  There are other books where climate change is a major theme, but there is an actual story.  Check out Gravity is Heartless by Sarah Lahey.  These books are character driven and are really wonderful.

Rating:  ⭐⭐

Release Date:  April 19th, 2022

Author:  G.G. Kellner

Publisher:  Spark Press

Genre:  Speculative Fiction

Page Length: 336 Pages

Format:  E-Book

Source:  NetGalley

Recommendation:  While it was sincere, this story was too preachy about climate change. I can't recommend it.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Twins imbued with incredible magic and near-immortality will do anything to keep their family safe—even if it tears the siblings apart—in the first book of a mythic epic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls.

Rhea and her twin brother, Lexos, have spent an eternity helping their father rule their small, unstable country, using their control over the seasons, tides, and stars to keep the people in line. For a hundred years, they've been each other's only ally, defending each other and their younger siblings against their father's increasingly unpredictable anger.

Now, with an independence movement gaining ground and their father's rule weakening, the twins must take matters into their own hands to keep their family—and their entire world—from crashing down around them. But other nations are jockeying for power, ready to cross and double cross, and if Rhea and Lexos aren't careful, they'll end up facing each other across the battlefield.

Review:

It's hard to be original when it comes to fantasy novels.  There are a plethora of books with magical kingdoms, and political intrigues.  But In A Garden Burning Gold, by Rory Power, I found a truly unique plot.  What if powerful families had magic that was needed to maintain life on earth?  The members of the central family in this book, literally make the stars come out at night, and change the seasons.  They hold the ultimate power, and yet they are all too human.  

This novel had complex characters and plots within plots that kept this a page-turner for me.  I really enjoyed the world-building, family relationships, and the story.  The many twists kept this an entertaining book.  This is the first of a trilogy, and I can't wait to read the next installment.  

What I Liked:

World-building:

This is a world filled with magic.  Rhea and her family have magical powers that they used to be stewards of the land.  And also to keep their subject in line.   Rhea's father, Vasilis, is a Stratagiozi, a man with god-like powers.  He has the ability to pass some of his powers onto his children.  Each of his children have certain powers. Lexos, is the caretaker of the stars and tides, Rhea can change the seasons, Chysanthi brings color to the world, and Nitsos creates and maintains the world's creatures.  Vasilis has the strongest powers; he has the power to determine when people die.  They are a formidable family, so it's no wonder everyone wants to keep clear of them.   They also seem to be immortal.

Family Relationships:

Vasilis is a cruel man who likes to belittle his children and pit them against each other.  As Lexos and Rhea are twins, they are closest to each other.  But Rhea knows that Lexos, just like her father, expects Rhea to do as she is told.  Chrysanthi, is their younger sister, and is always cheerful.  She doesn't seem to have any motive other than to keep the peace.  This is hard to do as Nitsos, the youngest sibling, is bitter that his father doesn't see his value.  This causes many arguments and tense moments between the siblings.  

I found the family dynamics to be surprisingly realistic, in a toxic sort of way.  All the siblings want to curry their father's favor.  And their dad, as abusive as he is, just wants to be left alone.  He doesn't really see his children as anything more than puppets. 

Story:

The story is filled with sibling rivalry, plots and sub-plots, and lots of betrayals, as many players compete for power in this universe.  Rhea, who must choose a husband (and later kill him to change the seasons) for the winter.  It's kind of like the Hunger Games. Wherever her next consort comes from, that region will have a prosperous season.  The just have to sacrifice someone to Rhea.  Her father has told her who to choose.  But, for the first time ever, Lexos, wants her to make a different choice.

All of this centers around Vasilis attempt to maintain his hold on power.  The only way other families can take his kingdom, is by killing Vasilis...and his entire family.  So, it's in all the siblings best interest to support their dad, even if he's a jerk.  And there are many factions that would love to see him fall, including Rhea's new consort.  Can she find a way to stop him, and avoid falling in love with him?  

What I Was Mixed About:

Characters:

As much as I enjoyed the relationships between the siblings, I didn't really connect with the characters.  With the exception of Rea's sister Chrysanthi, none of the characters are good people.  Rhea, Lexos, and others betray each other, and kill with no remorse.  Nearly everyone has an ulterior motive, so that no one can be trusted.  This made it very hard to root for anyone.  I did see a lot of growth with Rhea, and loved that she developed a conscience...eventually.  I think in the next book, these characters will have many opportunities to grow. 

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  April 5th, 2022

Author:  Rory Power

Publisher:  Del Rey

Genre:  Fantasy

Page Length:  432 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  A great premise with wonderful world-building, this is a solid beginning to a new fantasy series.