Shadows Cast by Stars [Hardcover]

Catherine Knutsson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 5, 2012

Old ways are pitted against new horrors in this compellingly crafted dystopian tale about a girl who is both healer and seer.

Two hundred years from now, blood has become the most valuable commodity on the planet—especially the blood of aboriginal peoples, for it contains antibodies that protect them from the Plague ravaging the rest of the world.

     Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Mercredi might be immune to Plague, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe—government forces are searching for those of aboriginal heritage to harvest their blood. When a search threatens Cassandra and her family, they flee to the Island: a mysterious and idyllic territory protected by the Band, a group of guerilla warriors—and by an enigmatic energy barrier that keeps outsiders out and the spirit world in. And though the village healer has taken her under her wing, and the tribal leader’s son into his heart, the creatures of the spirit world are angry, and they have chosen Cassandra to be their voice and instrument....

     Incorporating the traditions of the First Peoples as well as the more familiar stories of Greek mythology and Arthurian legend, Shadows Cast by Stars is a haunting, beautifully written story that breathes new life into ancient customs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Knutsson's narrative is ambitious, twining together Pacific Northwest mythology, standard post-apocalyptic tropes and a coming-of-age story inflected with romance. Readers of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will recognize the harsh realities portrayed, albeit within the science-fictional framework. Knutsson’s language is often atmospherically beautiful.... an absorbing read populated by characters hardly ever found in teen novels."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Catherine Knuttson lives on Vancouver Island, on which the fictional Island of her novel is based. She divides her time among teaching, singing, and writing. Like her narrator, she is a member of the Metis nation. Shadows Cast by Stars is her debut novel.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781442401914
• ISBN-13: 978-1442401914
• ASIN: 1442401915
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #908,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Catherine Knutsson lives on beautiful Vancouver Island, where she writes, runs, and wanders the wild. Like Cassandra, the main character in SHADOWS CAST BY STARS, Catherine is Métis.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Live To Read August 15, 2012

By Chels

Format:Hardcover

How far would you go to escape the dreaded Plague? Would you take the blood of an innocent? In this dystopic world, the only survivors or hopeful survivors are the ones who are immune or who have the ability to access that immunity. Aboriginal blood is found to offer hope against the Plague and is highly valued. Cassandra, the main character, might feel that she is safe against the Plague, but she has to worry about the government and people hunting her down to harvest her precious blood...not necessarily a common worry for a teenager. The more Cassandra's family is threatened the more they desperately search for a way to protect themselves. When they come across the Island, they think they may have hope, but is the Island as safe as it seems?

Cassandra isn't the easiest character to identify with or connect to, but her voice in the story is not typical or boring. She is brave, smart, and protective of her family. She does not back down and is amazingly resourceful, a character to look up to. The other characters are interesting to get to know, they all have a reason for being in the story, the author limited the extraneous characters. Cassandra is by far the most focused upon character. Her connection to the spirit world and her understanding of the world around her will likely be interesting to the reader.

The plot is not the most unusual, but the twist concerning aboriginal blood is an interesting take on a dystopian world. The author plays out the fear and tension created by a blood-hungry world very well, the reader will likely feel chills up his/her spine when reading certain excerpts. Overall, this book is recommended to young adult/teen readers.

*Complimentary copy received for review, this in no way affects my opinion*

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful words but confusing August 9, 2012

By Crystal Vew

Format:Kindle Edition

I never ever like to say anything negative about a book. So this review is not meant to be negative. The supernatural and mythology in this book was different and interesting but I felt like I needed more explanation. The words were beautiful but confusing at times. I needed this character to question things that were happening around her.
Just my opinion.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Admirable Debut June 27, 2012

By R. Vanden Eynden

Format:Hardcover

This beautifully-written novel is hard to describe. The story moves at a slow, deliberate pace, much like the thoughtful and sacred world in which we find our protagonist, Cassandra, a young woman who can see into the spirit realms. Cass is Metis, of Native ancestry, which gains her access to a world that penetrates the dystopian society in which she lives. Her Native blood also keeps her immune from a Plague that has ravished society, and the majority of the people who are not immune soon drive Cass and her family to run to the Island, a Native refuge guarded by the Band and separated by a mysterious energy field that seems to be a doorway into a place where people and Spirit co-exist--but not altogether harmoniously. It is here that Cass learns more about herself and her gifts and confronts the Powers that try to use her for their own means.

I really enjoyed the character of Cass. She was unsure and strong, bold and meek, the perfect mixture of a young woman teetering on the edge of adulthood. She was also confused a great deal of the time about her insights into the spiritual world, and I found, as a spiritual student, that I could definitely relate to her hesitations and her lack of confidence. When she began her studies with the medicine woman Madda, I wanted to cheer--but of course, this help was challenged as well, and Cass had to find her own way, both in the physical world and in the realms of Spirit. At time, this was challenging and frustrating as a reader. There were places in the story where I was unsure of what was happening and had to re-read passages to try to figure out plot points. In a lesser book or one that was poorly written, I wouldn't have bothered to keep going. Catherine Knutsson's engaging and lyrical writing style, however, kept me intrigued, and I had to finish to know what happened to Cass.

I look forward to more work by this author. I truly admire her storytelling style.
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