For Darkness Shows the Stars

For Darkness Shows the Stars written by Dianna Peterfreund is a science fiction novel inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion.  I’ll let that sink in for a moment.  Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, a time when the world’s population  was wiped out or reduced to a basic human form – mute and able to only perform tasks when directed to.. The Luddites gained power, outlawing almost all technology, sending the world back to a previous time.

This is the story of a young girl named Elliot North who, four years ago refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, their family’s servant, Kai, and instead chose her duty to her family and the estate.  But now, Kai is back as part of group of progressive shipbuilders and wants nothing to do with Elliot.  Elliot has her own secrets and learns a dark secret about her old friend that could change their society completely.  Does Elliot choose to believe everything she was raised to follow or does she choose her true love and the progressive nature of the way the world is moving.

This was a very interesting novel and I’ll be honest, I picked it up, because I loved the cover!  The story is written in present time, but there are flashbacks in letter format that allow the reader to better understand what had happened in the past and how the characters have grown and developed.  It can be difficult at times to understand where you are within the story – partly due to the format and partly due to the dystopian society environment that is so different from the world the reader knows.  I really enjoyed this book and although I haven’t read Persuasion, I am now inclined to pick it up to see how similar it is to this story.  Overall, it’s a great teen read for girls especially because of the love story entwined throughout.

If you’re intrigued by this story and want to know more, there’s a free prequel to For Darkness Shows the Stars, entitled Among the Nameless Stars written about Kai’s time between his leaving the North estate and joining the Cloud Fleet.  Check it out here, directly from Diana Peterfreund’s website.

Check out the author’s website for other books she has written, her personal blog, and other great information!

Title: For Darkness Shows the Stars
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: 2012
Page Number: 402 pgs.