Reedsy Review: Blossom Star by Susanne Ertl
The struggle between good and evil, between stars and night walkers.
Today, I present a review of an advanced reader copy (ARC) provided through Reedsy. Please visit the Reedsy website to follow me there.
~T. C.
Blossom Star by Susanne Ertl is the second of a planned four-part series of novellas. Because Blossom Stars appears in the middle of this series, it has neither a proper beginning nor ending. Therefore, this review cannot be a complete one. The events that have happened in part one and will happen in parts three and four will affect the final analysis. What this review will do, then, is attempt to assess Ertl’s execution of the story so far.
Before that, however, it is worth asking why Ertl chose to divide this short novel into four novellas. A cynic might answer, to emulate Tolkien. But the decision to divide The Lord of the Rings into three parts was the publisher’s; Tolkien wrote it to be a single book. Plenty of other novels have been serialized for economic reasons. Is that the situation here? Perhaps, but even so at 20,000 words it seems silly to give Blossom Star its own book.
The story is about the struggle between good and evil as represented by stars and night walkers, respectively. Namila is a huntress tasked by the ruling class to guard their city against the night walkers, but she comes to suspect the elites are not being forthright with her. Meanwhile, Aleya is the titular Blossom Star fleeing from night walkers with her boyfriend, Tom. They, along with a few other characters, unite to uncover the truth and restore balance to the world.
Mostly the story is engaging. There are a few moments of genuine emotion between characters. For example, being on the run and needing to pack light, “Tom had left almost all his belongings behind to fit her [Aleya’s] things into the suitcases.” On the other hand, Aleya experiences some wild mood swings, which the character seems to acknowledge (“She was glad [Tom] knew how to handle her tantrums”). This makes the tension between characters weak as feelings quickly come and go.
There are also a number of narrative coincidences. While prevalent in real life, coincidences will pull a reader out of the story. To name just one: while sneaking into the Elite’s dungeon a random passerby opens the very door the heroes need to enter. How convenient. Besides this, there are a number of chance run-ins such as Tom and Aleya’s first meeting with Namila.
In conclusion, Blossom Star by Susanne Ertl is an engaging story with some mistakes, including the decision to serialize it.
