I discovered the book Starcrossed, by Elizabeth Bunce, a long time ago- I think it might have been fifth or sixth grade? I found it on the Teen Readers shelf at my neighborhood bookstore, and I never thought much of it. That was at the point in my life when I had all the time in the world to eat up three YA novels a week. This was another one of those- a quick read, around three hundred pages or so, and action-packed. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Now, five years later, I consider it to be one of my favorite books.
The book follows the story of a young thief named Digger, a girl in a medieval-esque fantasy world, a thief under an almost totalitarian government, and, quite possibly, a sorcerer in a world where magic is banned. This world’s pantheon of gods is a wide and lively one- they worship seven stars, the leader of which is Celyse, the goddess of life. Unfortunately, however, since the current king took power, the people have been seeing more of Celyse and less of all the other gods. Especially her younger sister, Sar, goddess of magic, the worship of whom has been banned across the country. Starting the book, we know only a couple things about Digger: she’s a thief with a talent for language and forgery, she just had to abandon her partner in crime in a fight, and there is, as is common in YA novels, a deep family secret that she is desperately trying to flee. So, upon encountering thirteen-year-old noble Merista Nemair, and befriending her under the pseudonym “Celyn,” Digger opts to flee the city of Gerse where she has lived all her life and go to serve as Merista’s ladies maid until she deems it safe to return. However, when she reaches Merista’s family’s fortress, all is not as picturesque as she imagined. The Nemair are planning something with the other guests, who are there, supposedly, for Merista’s fourteenth birthday. And, on top of that, Digger is being blackmailed into digging up even more secrets, by Merista’s foster-uncle, lord Remy Daul, who seems to have it in for the Nemair.
I’ll get to the review part of this, and get to explaining why it achieved so much when it came to feminism, but I’m going to start with a rant about how underrated this book is. It is fantastic. The world that Bunce created is ridiculously complex and fascinating, the characters are colorful and alive, and the plot is simultaneously fast-paced, well-written, and hugely entertaining. It's what all YA fantasy novels should aspire to.
The book follows the story of a young thief named Digger, a girl in a medieval-esque fantasy world, a thief under an almost totalitarian government, and, quite possibly, a sorcerer in a world where magic is banned. This world’s pantheon of gods is a wide and lively one- they worship seven stars, the leader of which is Celyse, the goddess of life. Unfortunately, however, since the current king took power, the people have been seeing more of Celyse and less of all the other gods. Especially her younger sister, Sar, goddess of magic, the worship of whom has been banned across the country. Starting the book, we know only a couple things about Digger: she’s a thief with a talent for language and forgery, she just had to abandon her partner in crime in a fight, and there is, as is common in YA novels, a deep family secret that she is desperately trying to flee. So, upon encountering thirteen-year-old noble Merista Nemair, and befriending her under the pseudonym “Celyn,” Digger opts to flee the city of Gerse where she has lived all her life and go to serve as Merista’s ladies maid until she deems it safe to return. However, when she reaches Merista’s family’s fortress, all is not as picturesque as she imagined. The Nemair are planning something with the other guests, who are there, supposedly, for Merista’s fourteenth birthday. And, on top of that, Digger is being blackmailed into digging up even more secrets, by Merista’s foster-uncle, lord Remy Daul, who seems to have it in for the Nemair.
I’ll get to the review part of this, and get to explaining why it achieved so much when it came to feminism, but I’m going to start with a rant about how underrated this book is. It is fantastic. The world that Bunce created is ridiculously complex and fascinating, the characters are colorful and alive, and the plot is simultaneously fast-paced, well-written, and hugely entertaining. It's what all YA fantasy novels should aspire to.
If I had to critique Starcrossed, I’d say the plot is generic. People forced to worship the wrong god? Magic is banned? This skinny white girl is a thief? She has a dark family secret that seems to involve a beef with her brother? A villainous and vaguely rapey antagonist that blackmails our poor MC and calls her “Little Mouse”? Please, we’ve all heard those ones before. The protagonist, too, is generic- Digger isn’t “pretty," but she’s thin and white and conventionally attractive. She’s sassy, and has problems with listening to authority. And she has a lot of secrets. Perhaps even more than you’d expect going into it. Digger isn’t quite a Mary Sue, but I wouldn’t call her particularly unusual.
Despite all this, there are a few things that make the plot not so generic after all. For one thing, there’s almost a complete lack of romance. Perhaps a small attraction to a handsome prince. But Digger is never swept off her feet by any tall, dark, and handsome strangers. She’s not the type. And, (shocking, I know), this doesn’t detract from the plot in the slightest. In fact, it just leaves more time for character development for everyone. Now, where Digger lacks romance, Merista Nemair does not. She is, throughout the book, carrying out a scandalous affair with a young mage she met in the woods. And the amazing thing about Starcrossed is that Digger never once begrudges her for it. Merista is some naïve little nob that Digger had initially intended to use only for her wealth. Digger helps her friend through these scary tides of romance, and through even the every-day trials of life as a young noble girl. And Merista, in turn, remains unshakably loyal to her maid and friend, "Celyn."
And with this, I can move directly into what made this book wonderfully feminist. These were the aspects that I didn’t notice the first time I read the book, maybe not even the second or third time. These were the things I discovered going back to it much, much later. What I’m talking about, of course, are the female characters and their relationships with one another. The book is centered almost completely around the development of a close friendship between to girls. Two intelligent, talented, interesting girls with a remarkable character foil that doesn’t make them hate each other, but makes them become even closer. And it doesn’t stop with Merista and Digger; there's Lady Lyllace Nemair, Merista’s mother, a talented healer and scientist, as well as a badass who’s almost singlehandedly plotting a rebellion and hiding wanted criminals in her basement while still remaining a lovely sophisticated lady and a loving mother. This, my friends, is what we call an Interesting Female Character. There is Marlytte, the courtesan from Gerse, Digger’s former acquaintance and now ally, who came to the fortress unwillingly as a certain lord’s lover, but who becomes so much more than that. A *gasp!* sex worker, who's still a smart, loyal, BAMF. There is Phandre, who fills the “bitchy blonde rich girl” trope, but who ends up possessing a more important role in the plot than we ever imagined. And there is Lady Cardom the rebel, the little mage girl in the woods, the Corless cook who’s Lyllace’s accomplice, Merista’s former nurse-maid and close friend, and so, so many more.
For once, the ladies out-do the gentlemen. And for this, I love Starcrossed more than the majority of what I read these days.
-Razi
No comments:
Post a Comment