Wandering Star
By: Romina Russell
Goodreads Rating: 4.18
Pages: 303
Format: Hardcover
First Edition Published: December 8th 2015
Buy: Book Depository | Amazon
Goodreads Synopsis
A breathtaking sci-fi space saga inspired by astrology that will stun fans of the Illuminae Files and Starbound series.
Orphaned, disgraced, and stripped of her title, Rho is ready to live life quietly, as an aid worker in the Cancrian refugee camp on House Capricorn.
But news has spread that the Marad–an unbalanced terrorist group determined to overturn harmony in the Galaxy–could strike any House at any moment.
Then, unwelcome nightmare that he is, Ochus appears to Rho, bearing a cryptic message that leaves her with no choice but to fight.
Now Rho must embark on a high-stakes journey through an all-new set of Houses, where she discovers that there’s much more to her Galaxy–and to herself–than she could have ever imagined.
The Review
“Our choices define us: The stars may set us on a given path, but it is we who must decide whether we take it.”
Wandering Star is the second book in the Zodiac series by Romina Russell. Although this is a spoiler free review, there will however, be spoilers for the previous book in the series, Zodiac. If you are interested in reading my review of that first book, you can find it here.
The plot picks up just a few weeks after the ending of book one. Rho was publicly disgraced and stripped of her title as the Guardian of House Cancer. She is now residing on House Capricorn with her brother and a peculiar new character, Aryll. It’s on this planet where Rho tries to learn everything she can about the Zodiac’s history, but it’s not long before she decides to jet off with Hysan to House Sagittarius on a new mission.
In Wandering Star we meet some new and some old characters such as Rho’s friends, Nishi and Deke. We also learn much more about the Marad, a violent and an unbalanced terrorist group determined to overturn harmony in the galaxy.
The world building in Zodiac was well thought out and it showed right down to the very last detail. I absolutely love how in each book of the Zodiac series, Russell explores a few new Houses and the people that inhabit them. We get to see how each planet relates to it’s designated sign. In Wandering Star, the Capricorn people are known to be extremely wise, patient, and organized. Considering Capricorn is one of the most technologically advanced Houses in the Zodiac, it only makes sense that it would hold the same characteristics as it’s people.
In book one, we explored Houses such as Cancer and Gemini, and in book two we explore Capricorn and Sagittarius.
“Wisdom lies not in facts themselves but in our understanding of them.”
In terms of pacing, Wandering Star is definitely the most fast paced book in the series so far. At the start of the book we get about 5 minutes of peace before drama ensues. There are also multiple twists in this sequel that literally had my jaw drop, but I won’t go into those because well, spoilers.
As with book one, the writing in Wandering Star is super easy to read, and is told in first person point of view from the perspective of our protagonist Rho.
I think my only problem with this book was Rho’s love situation. In the first novel, Rho finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with a fellow Cancer Matthias, and a Libra Hysan. Since Matthias was killed in Zodiac, in the sequel we watch as Rho deals with some pretty heavy survivor’s guilt. She is also in the process of grieving over Matthias’ death, but at the same time Rho is still trying to get to know Hysan more.
While Rho’s grief was realistic, I found her overall love situation frustrating at times. I was always team Hysan from the very beginning, so the fact that Rho seemed to be constantly pushing him away, aggravated me.
Aside from the love triangle, everything about Wandering Star was pure perfection. Romina Russell has a beautiful writing style that is easy to read. What really makes her stand out though, is her epic world building skills. It also doesn’t hurt that there is so much hidden symbolism in her words which is totally relevant to today’s society.
I hope you enjoyed reading this review!
Until next time,
Rating
(5)
The Garden of Read-En 