Like all gripping characters, Nina is a mixed bag. It was much better than a narrator reading off a list of essential facts, a pitfall that can quickly lose a reader’s attention. Nina quizzes Mellie for a history test, and their conversation was both natural and informative. Vincent deserves a shout-out for the clever way that she gave readers the base of Nina’s world. Besides the aforementioned Finn dilemma, I caught on to all other aspects of world-building quickly. There is room for more information later in the series, but there were enough details for the reader to become engrossed in the dark tale.Īs for the plot, it was fast-paced and smoothly written. Vincent went into detail with the exorcists, everything from what they wore to how they spoke. Thankfully, the fantasy and myth surrounding the creature comes from so many fountains that it’s hard to find two stories that treat the vile beings the same way. Nina’s world is based on a familiar creature – demons. The highest levels of the fictional Church are corrupt, while the lower ones remain innocent.

However, it soon became clear that the novel was not actually anti-religion it was anti-power. I was first surprised that a church was being portrayed in such a horrible light, especially with thinly veiled references to nuns, Catholic school uniforms, and the like. Here, said cruel organization is the Church. Dystopia? Or horror? It’s a mix of both, with romance and action peppered in for good measure.Ī trademark of dystopias is a twisted government that controls much of their citizens’ lives. With a title borrowed from Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting poem Annabel Lee, you can expect plenty of creepy, creative imagery and unexpected twists from Rachel Vincent’s The Stars Never Rise. What will Nina have to sacrifice to save her sister? But when Finn and his gang of outlaws tell her what they really are, she wonders if she’s just traded one problem for another. Nina is desperate for a solution, and when she meets a young man who promises her a way out of the mess, she takes it.

Teen motherhood is a grievous sin under Church laws, and Mellie’s baby would die without a soul donor. Her plan goes astray when Mellie drops a bombshell secret the day of her school physical – she’s pregnant. Nina would do anything for Mellie, even join the Church, forbidden from marriage but keeping her sister free from hunger. Her sister, Melanie, is only book smart, and her mom sleeps all day and yells the rest of the time. Nina’s never seen a demon she’s more worried about keeping food on the table. Its influential leaders rant about the dangers of demons, and it’s only an elite group of exorcists that stop hordes of the evil creatures from feeding on the entire population’s souls. In sixteen-year-old Nina Kane’s world, the Church is not a place of worship, but rather a dictatorial government.

The stars never rise by rachel vincent