Buy When The Stars Go Blue
Special: $8.66 (Regular price: $9.99)
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Format: Paperback
Reviewer: Melissa on May 26, 2011
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Everything in Soledad Reye’s life revolves around dance. In fact, she plans on spending her final summer in Miami teaching dance to kids, saving money, and later on, auditioning for dance companies around New York City. That is until Jonathan Crandall suggests that she spend the summer playing Carmen in a competitive drum and bugle corps. Echoing the story they perform every day, Soledad finds an unexpected competitor for her affections, which will change everything in one explosive instant.
In Caridad Ferrer‘s When The Stars Go Blue, readers are in for a passionate, adrenalin-filled experience based on the opera, Carmen. Whether Soledad is kissing tall, gray-eyed Jonathan or wowing the audience with her rendition of el tango and other forms of dance, there is something fiery burning every step of the way in the author’s writing and the reader’s mind. Many of the scenes are absolutely smoldering between Soledad and Jonathan, so if you like romance in your contemporary YA and enjoy dance narratives, you have to check this one out.
In a novel like this one, characters are of the utmost importance; they have to be well-rounded, believable, and if they happen to be one of the main character’s potential love interests, they have to be a worthy competitor. Soledad is a protagonist with a lot of heart and passion. Most of her passion is devoted to her pursuit of dance, but when she first meets Jonathan, she finds herself opening up to him as well. Of course, the best part about her character is how strong and generally together she is – she knows what she wants, and she’d do anything in her power to get it. Readers will believe that she has what it takes to succeed, but she succeeds in winning us over. Soledad’s grandmother is the main character’s link to her Cuban heritage and is a voice that reminds her to listen to her own instincts whenever she has a choice to make. In other words, she has taught Soledad to trust herself rather than relying on others. Jonathan is someone who has been just as dedicated to his music career as Soledad has been with her dance career. In fact, it is part of the reason that Soledad is initially attracted to him – because they understand the drive and dedication required to make a name for themselves in their chosen disciplines. Finally, Taz, a Spanish soccer player who is touring the US with his team, is attractive, dedicated to his sport, a gentleman, and has the Latin culture that is familiar to Soledad. And of course, he only has eyes for her, even when he learns that she already has a boyfriend. With a cast like this one, readers can be assured of an intense and romantic novel.
At the same time, there are clues – sometimes lighthearted ones and other times more intense ones – that suggest something sinister could be laying in wait if you could only see them with the clarity of hindsight. Ferrer writes these exchanges between her characters in a way that make them seem innocent, showing readers that any character, or girl, no matter how strong and how loved she is by her family, can fall into a chain of events that they never saw coming.
If I’ve caught your attention, then find a way to get your own copy of When The Stars Go Blue.
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