perhaps if we allow ourselves to remember the pain of the people in the past, we can be kinder, better to the people in our present.

if you have been reading my blogs for a few years, you will have realized that i have a weird obsession with world war two. i took numerous courses on the era in both high school and undergrad, and i am helpless to ignore a book set during or just after the time period.

such was the case with katherine king’s the other side of the stars, a debut novel i found when perusing the kindle unlimited offerings prior to my se asia trip. i wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but i knew there would be flashbacks and underlying tension surrounding the war, so i was intrigued.

while the other side of the stars was a fast and interesting read, i couldn’t help feeling a little let down by it. i think the story had a lot of promise, but it was over too soon and wrapped up too nicely. this was one of the few instances where i wanted a book to be longer so that each character could be explored further and more details could be introduced.

in a short space, king introduced a love story, life in a concentration camp, intrigue and secrecy, and forgotten identities, and i just think it went too quickly. i would have loved more background and history, because i think it would have informed the characters’ current decisions more thoroughly.

i do think king is a talented writer, and i will be interested to read more of her works in the future, but i can’t help being left wanting more with this one.

my goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 // average rating is 4.37

xx