First sentence: I sink lower into the hull of the canoe, pressing my back against the koa wood along the base. My eyes close, eclipsing the stars above me in the night sky. I relax and try to feel the rhythm of the sea.
Premise/plot: The setting for A Song for the Stars is Hawaii in the eighteenth century. Maile, our heroine, is the second daughter of one of the royal chiefs. She's engaged to marry a navigator, Ikaika; they've known each other for ages--but it's love, true love. But life changes dramatically for the island when Captain James Hook visits the island. His first visit coincides with a joyous celebration. Could Cook be the promised god come to visit? His second visit does not go as well. It's a different season, the season of war. When the two peoples clash, Maile gets caught up in the middle of it. Unbeknownst to her family--to her father--she secretly 'saves' the white translator, John Harbottle, and heals his battle wounds. I doubt she could even tell you why. It's anything but simple.
The story alternates between Maile's and John's point of view.
My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. It is the best kind of romance story--one based (loosely) on family history. The couple in this one are the fourth great-grandparents of the author. This is a story that--according to the author's note--she's wanted to tell for years and years. I can see that, I can. It is a story that resonates. I really loved Maile and John Harbuttle. I think their story is oh-so-satisfying.
© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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