Great read on Egyptian culture as Egyptian mythology. I've never read a book like this before! I love the fact that romance wasn't the main focus of this book even though I'm a HUGE lover of romance! Beautiful characters and strong family dynamics.

A fantastic story that was brilliantly written and I would recommend to fans of the genre. Great writing and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Beautifully written and the characters are completely loveable. What a cover!!!

Overall, The Blazing Star has an interesting premise with great characters, but the book’s pacing made them fall a little flat. If you can handle a fantasy sci-fi book where the action is sparse, then give this book a try. This book is worth reading for the characters, but not for an action-packed adventure story.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

I really, really wanted to love this book, based mostly on the premise and that gorgeous cover. Just look at it, incredible. However, I was pretty thoroughly underwhelmed. My first (and biggest) problem with the book was its lack of descriptions. We didn’t get any ‘establishing shots’ in the book, which meant that at the start of a scene characters were just…sort of floating in a sea of nothing. I couldn’t picture what was going on. I don’t need a dissertation on the location or nothing, but “they’re backstage at a school auditorium, peeking out through the curtains” should not take several pages and some deductive reasoning to figure out. And things only got worse when the characters went to ancient Egypt, because that’s a scenario that’s begging for some overblown description, and instead we got…eh, more than the present-day sections had, but that’s not saying much. I had no sense of the setting here, and when the setting is such a huge draw, that’s a problem.

Portia is a fine character, but the way she interacts with the world is…inconsistent. At times her conversations and relationships with the other characters feel incredibly real and natural. At other times, she sounds like a bad after school special. And there’s really no rhyme or reason to it that I could tell. It’s a shame, because there’s obviously some real talent here for displaying a relationship, it just didn’t get extended to all of them for whatever reason.

Overall an interesting concept, but not a lot of good content. Future offerings by this author could be worth checking out, but this one is a little too green.

This was incredibly promising and I am all about supporting diversity, but I could not get into it. I am not interested in writing a review.

I read the first chapter of The Blazing Star months ago and just haven't had any interest in picking it up again. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but I guess it's not for me.

I wasn't going to rate this because I feel it's unfair to rate when I didn't finish it, but NG is not letting me post without a rating, so...

I like Imani Josey's writing; however, the story didn't manage to intrigue me, and I found it hard to go through with my reading. I've been trying to finish this ARC for two years, and I feel it's time to give up on it now. It's definitely a case of "it's not the book, it's me" with this one.

I love the diversity and the fact that the main character had the same name as me.

Really enjoyed reading this book!! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Time travel is tricky. 

Generally, I'm not a fan of it because it tends to be used as an excuse to explain a new fantastical world to the protagonist. Lots of info dumps and whatnot. But I had hopes for The Blazing Star with the promise of Ancient Egypt as a setting. 

Unfortunately, while the story had potential to be great, it fell a bit flat for me. 

Let's start with the world. Cool. Different setting than usual. But I didn't feel it. I guess I wanted more of the Ancient Egypt vibe that seemed to be missing. If you're going to set a book in a different setting like that I want to be there and I wasn't. It was superfluous, just a way to give the story something different. 

And it wasn't even used! Like, the characters travel back in time and to a completely different part of the world and they act like it's normal! There was so much potential there to cause problems for them and they're just chill about it. 

To be honest, I was more interested and invested in the story at the beginning than I was when the setting shifted. 

Portia was alright as far as characters go. The more I read the more she got on my nerves and I stopped caring about her. I liked Alex better after a bit but neither struck a chord with me. 

Honestly, I don't think the Ancient Egypt setting really helped the story. I would have liked to read about Portia coming into her own in our world because that's the part of the story that I thought did well. Afterwards I just wanted to skim the rest. 

The Blazing Star sounded like it would be a blast to read but just lacked that extra something to keep me interested beyond the first bit.

After finding themselves stranded in Ancient Egypt with no way out, Portia, alongside her sister and freshman Selene must navigate their way to safety. But the trio discover their appearance is anything but random.

It took me a while to finish this book, due to my massive book slump during the exam period. Luckily, I did finish it in the end and I'm glad my lack of desire to read didn't affect my opinion on this book massively. To start, the book's introduction was incredibly difficult to get through. To be honest, I found it rather dull. At first, their introduction didn't really hook me in. The character of Selene was a big question mark until you learn what her part is in the novel. At the beginning, the only thing kept me going was the fact Portia and Alex were twins. However, it started to changed once they actually made it to Egypt. Trust me when I say staying put with this book was worth it.

Being a twin, I'm always a bit biased towards twin books and Blazing Star follows the similar pattern most YA novels do. One twin struggles with her own identity while under the shadow of their overachieving sibling. But the location makes it different and interesting, we mainly watch Portia learn to accept herself but it lacks in the twin dynamic since they're mainly apart for most of the novel. Since it's very character driven, Portia grabs your attention as she evolves from an insecure person to a stronger and more self-assured character.

The book's strength lies in its location, its description of the city, its people and culture. I particularly liked how everything is introduced into every interaction, you definitely feel Portia's exasperation as we learn everything about Egypt as Portia does. I feel like there should've been more of a contrast between the language. They speak a lot in slang and feel like no one questions it as much as they should. It could've added greater tension between the two different groups. Sometimes the girls from the present speak in ways that didn't seem fitting or wouldn't have been understandable to someone from Ancient Egypt however, I brushed that off quite quickly since, maybe, writing wise, it's easier.

The main problem with this book was its pacing. It was just so slow! It takes a while for the premise to finally kick in and towards the end, it truly delivers. It’s a shame that I can tell many people will be put off by this and will fail to see a truly decent book by the end. The ending ends on such a good cliffhanger, I definitely need the sequel since I know it will be better now that we’re past the introduction. I still enjoyed it despite its flaws, but I will anticipate anything Imani Josey will do with this series and any future novels she will write.

Overall, structurally and pace-wise, THE BLAZING STAR could've been better but definitely look into this if you love fantasy and time-travel. It was, towards the end, a truly fun and diverse read.

This disappeared from my e-reader, and then when I tried to put it back again, the file had been removed from NetGalley.

The plot of The Blazing Star follows Portia White, whose biggest worries in life are her high school prom and going to a different university to her twin. That is, until she touches an Egyptian scarab during a class history trip and gets sent back in time to ancient Egypt.

What first drew me to the book was its diverse cast of characters and the time travel elements that were promised, but I ended up being disappointed by almost every aspect of this novel.

From start to finish the plot was monotonous and too simplistic. We're jerked through sequences of events that don't hold any cohesion and left jarred and dissatisfied. Many of the key moments had no consistency with what had come previously and, somehow, even the time travelling was boring.

The writing style was dull and the narrative was poorly executed; half of the reason the plot was so calamitous was the fact that the narrative often just didn't make any sense. There were also grammatical and editorial errors which didn't make reading easier. Words were missed out, the wrong punctuation was used in the wrong places, random extra spaces were included, and there was even a semi-colon in the middle of a word.

I was hoping (wishing/praying/doing an exorcism) for some good characterisation to make up for the other flaws, but no. It never came. Portia, the main character, is one-dimensional and spends the majority of the novel being completely obtuse. It takes her an entire chapter to work out she's no longer in a modern-day American museum, despite being outside and surrounded by different people, who are speaking another language. Presumably, the author made her oblivious for the sake of plot advancement, but from experience, this strategy never works. It only serves to frustrate the reader (especially when we already know what they don't) and alienate them from the character.

Sadly, the other characters also fell flat. Portia's twin, Alex, offered childish complaints every time her 'famed' intelligence wasn't useful, and the prince had no defining personality traits at all. I couldn't invest in any of these characters and they just hold my interest.

The novel's one saving grace was it's diversity. Almost all of the characters are POC and it was incredibly refreshing to read a book where the majority of the cast aren't white, and it's the norm.

Overall, The Blazing Star sadly didn't deliver. The author seemed to have a clear idea of the novel in her mind, but it didn't translate well onto the page and could have done with more rigorous copy editing.

Kind of disappointed. I was really intrigued when I read the discription, I mean how incredibly awesome that there is a story like this set in ancient Egypt !! But when picking it up and reading, I did not feel like it was set in Egypt at all. We could have been anywhere for all I knew.. Also Instalove, I hate instalove. It is just not realistic. Yes okay, okay you can meet someone and fall for that person.. but not like that. That is just ridiculous. So yeah, not really for me this one.

Many of you have been seeing me on Twitter talk about The Blazing Star. Its a book that I’ve been anxious to read. I first fell in love with the cover. Its truly stunning and gorgeous. After I read the synopsis, I was really hooked. This book had everything I could need in a YA Historical Fantasy novel. Its got diverse characters, fantastic world building, action, romance, and so much more.

I’ve been really into time travel books, and this one was the perfect fit. I always love books that start off in present times and then the main character is thrown into a different time. I love to see characters struggle with being thrown into a different time and society. To see them try to grapple their mind about what just happened while at the same time trying to blend in with what ever setting they’ve arrived in.

The Story.

I didn’t know what to expect when it came to the story. The synopsis presented a story that I had never read before, and thus I didn’t know what to expect. I merely thought this was going to be a story about trying to escape, but it became so much more. There were so many twists and turns, and so much mystery. I found myself furiously flipping pages in order to find out the truth behind the mystery. And when things were revealed, I still found myself surprised even thought I thought I figured it out. This story keeps you on your toes, folks!

The Characters.

I always find stories about twins to be interesting. I grew up with twins in my family, and its always interesting to see how they act similar and different at the same time. I’ve read studies about twins, and its great to see stuff like that translated onto the page. I loved the exploration of the plot line of living in someone’s shadow. We often read stories about siblings living in another sibling’s shadow, but its an entirely different thing to live in a twin’s shadow.

As for the other characters, I thought they were developed well. I wanted more stories from side characters explored, but I understand that they were not the main focus of the story. The women in this story were fantastic. I found them to be strong, wise women and I loved their confidence contrasted with their flaws. I love stories that feature a band of women fighting for the greater good.

The Setting.

Oh I loved the setting. I feel as though I might have felt a little bit more comfortable with the setting than others may have been. There are a lot of Ancient Egyptian terms in this book, and it takes a while to get used to. I did some intense Ancient Egyptian study while I was in college, and was a little bit more familiar with some of the terms, the places. I’m by no means an expert, but it was great to see how much research was put into this book. You can really feel how much work was put into this story. If you’re not familiar with some of the terms in the book, I urge you to take this as a learning experience. Take the time to look up some of the terms on google. You’ll learn some new facts, and it’ll be easier for you to carry on with the story.

Final Thoughts.

I was anticipating this story since its announcement, and I’m really glad that I fell in love with it the way that I expected. And then some. If you love Ancient Egpyt, history, or even a great time travel story, this is a great story to read. I also suggest this book if you’re looking for a great diverse read.



*I received an ARC of this from a blog tour in exchange for an honest review.

The thing that drew me to this book was a black girl on the front cover. Let me repeat that: A BLACK GIRL ON THE FRONT COVER. I saw it and just said to myself "about bloody time." The cover design is absolutely beautiful and I genuinely can't get enough of it and look at the typography! Look how amazing it is! Another thing that drew me to this book is that it's set in Egypt. This is the first young adult book that I have ever read that is set there, and I couldn't wait to get sucked in.

Sixteen-year-old Portia White is used to being overlooked—after all, her twin sister Alex is a literal genius.

But when Portia holds an Egyptian scarab beetle during history class, she takes centre stage in a way she never expected: she faints. Upon waking, she is stronger, faster, and braver than before. And when she accidentally touches the scarab again?

She wakes up in ancient Egypt—her sister and an unwitting freshman in tow.

Mysterious and beautiful, Egypt is more than they could have ever imagined from their days in the classroom. History comes alive as the three teens realise that getting back to the present will be the most difficult thing they’ve ever done. Stalked by vicious monsters called Scorpions, every step in the right direction means a step closer to danger.The first 30/40 pages of this book were quite slow and

The first 30/40 pages of this book were quite slow and almost made me give up on it. But then I realised that I can't really judge a book by the first 30 pages and anyway, I'm here to review the entirety of the book, not just a little bit of it. So I carried on, and I'm so glad that I did. Ancient Egypt sounds amazing. I love how Josey portrayed this time in history and how she was so good at the cultural appropriation. She described the clothing that they wore, the Gods that they believed in, and the superstitions that surrounded the Egyptians of that time.

I could relate to Portia in so many ways. Even though I am not a twin, I know what it feels like to live in someone's shadow and constantly compare your achievements to someone else's, so Alex tended to really annoy me. It was no fault of her own, she wasn't annoying on purpose, I just felt what Portia felt. But when they got sent to Ancient Egypt, that's when Alex actually started to annoy me because of her actions. She was desperate to get back home and I understand that I really do, but you're in ANCIENT EGYPT! TAKE IT ALL IN! LIVE IT! BREATHE IT! Because how many times can one experience that type of history first hand? She was lucky to be able to partake in the Egyptian lifestyle and she just seemed so ungrateful of everything that the High Priestess did for her.





“You have kept me from a dishonourable death," he said. "It would be my honour to do the same for you."
I smiled at the odd compliment.
"Look!" he said. "I have cured her sour disposition. My debt is almost repaid.”
― Imani Josey, The Blazing Star



I think I just loved the magic of it all. It just felt like I was there with Portia experiencing this magnificent world. For a debut novel, Josey wrote with such beauty. There was such gorgeous imagery of Egypt and the temples in which the characters lived. I just think that the descriptions were absolutely breathtaking, it's almost like I travelled down the River of Time!

There is a little bit of romance in this book, but not enough for me to add this book into the romance category. This book focused on how Portia's character developed on her own and not how she kept comparing herself to her twin. We follow Portia in her fight for survival, knowledge and acceptance within the Egyptian society and I absolutely loved her friendships with some of the characters.

I need for there to be a sequel. That ending just demanded to carry on and be developed and I really hope that Josey decides to write one (or two!) more books because that would just be brilliant!

Overall, this is a book that centres around a lot of female characters trying to do good in the world. The Blazing Star is everything that I would want a book set in Ancient Egypt to be, and even though the beginning was quite slow, I am so glad that I carried on reading as this turned out to be a fantastic book!

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Okay, I've been struggling with this review. My thoughts are all over the place and nothing is really coherent and solid (even after thinking about it for a few weeks now). This was a DNF for me at around 60% and it's not because the book was bad because it wasn't.

I just didn't see it going anywhere and it was a very slow read for me. Which is saying a lot, because The Blazing Star was strong in the beginning . . . we're introduced to the bad-ass Portia and her twin sister Alex who is a genius, and the first few chapters cover their dynamic with one another and Portia's jealousy toward her sister. But once Portia went back to Egypt, it just s l o w e d down.

Then it felt like it was just one repeating event after another, and just "getting by" until something big happened, and nothing happened. There were a few moments of something happening but nothing worthwhile. Maybe I was expecting more action or just needed to keep reading, but it just wasn't doing it for me.

It's a shame, too, because there was an entire cast of female POC characters. Portia knew how to handle herself - even if she was snarky and some of it was uncalled for or came up in inappropriate situations - so I could see her as a great heroine. Even before they went to Egypt, she helped Selene even after her twin sister told her not to and she was feeling ill.

Also, as a white woman . . . I feel a little awkward saying this, because it might be something I'm reading into, but Selene's character was described as having dark black skin and then treated a slave while in Egypt. I know that in today's society, that darker black skin is considered unattractive, etc., and that makes me worry if that was intentional somehow.

I was hoping The Blazing Star was going to be much better than it actually was, and I wish I could've finished it. It might not be my cup of tea, but I'm sure it'll speak to many others.

Relatable characters and awesome prose. A ya fantasy set in ancient egypt was a a beautiful concept. I sure hope there's a book 2!