Book Review: Starlight

Starlight (Starlight Chronicles #3) 

Author: Lisa Orchard 

Published by: esKape Press 

Publication Date: 17 Feb 2015 

Page Count: 150 

Buy it at Barnes and Noble or Amazon 

Source: ebook provided by author 

Audience: Young Adult – Contemporary Fiction 

In the third installment of Lisa Orchard’s Starlight Chronicles, we once again re-join Lark and her bandmates as they prepare for their competition. It’s a week away and that is all they can think about. But Lark still has everything else in her life to deal with. The new close relationship with her mom, Bean’s drug addiction, finally knowing who her father is, and now her arch nemesis Dwayne is making advances towards her. Lark can only find peace when she is playing her music. And then the worst possible thing happens and her life comes crashing down around her. Will she have the courage to pick up the pieces and continue on?

I think of the three books in the series so far, this is my favorite. It was gut wrenching and I bawled my head off, but it was so powerful. I loved the emotion and passion, it just radiated off the pages. You could feel how much Lark wanted to win the competition, the fight and spirit when they go up against the other bands. And when the unthinkable happened, you wept with her. Lisa Orchard has a talent for expressing these emotions on the pages of her books and it’s one of the reasons I love to read them.

Orchard once again, flawlessly, seems to be able to reach into the mind-set of a teenage girl and create a very believable and realistic story. It makes you pause and think about how you would react and handle the many things being thrown at Lark. She is a strong girl, one any teenager would be proud to be like or even know.

This book is a bit longer than the first two, though you can tell it’s a part of a longer series. This one has more of an ending to it, but you can also see the possibilities of a continuation. There are several unanswered questions that need their answers. I am looking forward to reading more of Lark’s story in the next book in the series.

Favorite Thing About This Book: I love how realistic Lark’s story is. This could happen to anyone at any time, and it’s how they respond that makes the difference.

First Sentence: “Awesome jam session!” announces Bean as he twirls his sticks in the air.

Favorite Character: Lark

Least Favorite Character: drug dealer

Synopsis 

Everything is on track for seventeen-year-old Lark Singer and her band Starlight. They have a great shot at winning the competition that can launch their musical career. But when Lark discovers they will be competing against her old nemesis Dwayne McIntyre things really heat up. How far will Lark go to win, and what will it cost her in the end?