When I first started reading this story, I was unsure if it was for me, but as I continued to read a beautiful and diverse story continued to unfold.

Elizabeth Bertelmen grows up in a traditional Morgan household but had lofty dreams of becoming an astronomer. When she leaves home to help her sister during childbirth, she realizes that the world she knew is nothing like the world she would like to be a part of. She is able to pursue he dreams and realizes that she can have the best of both her faith based world and the scientific world she craves to learn more about.

I enjoyed the narrative of the story, although sometimes slow in pace, and knowing the characters that Elizabeth meets were all historically based. Elizabeth herself is based on the authors great great grandmother. It was interesting to read about the ties between faith and science, as most young adult/middle grades books do not allow the two to mix. Although not my own religious background, I was intrigued by how the two would tie together. In looking for diverse characters in a text, this book certainly allows the myths of single stories and assumptions to be broken. Girls/women in science is just the icing on the cake for main characters that should be written about more often.

I wanted SO BADLY to like this. But I just couldn’t get into it, and I wound up DNFing it. It felt very predictable, and I didn’t find the characters to be very appealing. Also, as others have said, the pace was painfully slow.

Historical novels about teen girls are nearly always going to be focused on the war between duty and dreams. We tend to see girls who dream of a high achieving life while their parents expect them to be practical - either through marriage or a job. The conclusion of such stories is that following your dreams is worth it, even if it means leaving your family and home behind. I admire this book because it acknowledges that such a choice is not so simple. It's not just that Elizabeth has dreams; she genuinely wants to be a "good" daughter and a good Mormon. She wants to submit to the plan she feels God has for her. She has to learn to find balance, to dream but also stay practical. Her journey emphasizes that prioritizing her desires over everything else causes trouble. This doesn't mean that her desires are wrong, only that she must consider consequences before she makes decisions. While some of the problems and resolutions are idealized, the overall journey is engaging.

I tried to like this one, I really did. And from a Mormon's point of view I appreciated that everything in the story was accurate as far as religion went. But the mouth to mouth resuscitation that was used in the story just didn't ring true and it pulled me out of the story as well as a few other things. But the story itself was soooo slow. I had to force myself to pick it up each time until I decided enough was enough and I DNF'd it.

A Mormon girl and aspiring astronomer goes on a daring journey for a chance to view the 1878 solar eclipse in Colorado.

BEYOND THE MAPPED STARS immerses readers in a nineteenth century Morman community, exploring both its strengths and its weaknesses and the ways that its younger members struggle to be true to their community and families' values while also forming their own personal identities and beliefs. The book features a racially diverse cast and addresses a gay teen's concerns about homophobia in his town. Given the thematic depth of this book, it would be an excellent choice for book clubs and classrooms. I'd recommend it to fans of character-driven, YA historical fiction.

I really wanted to love this one.
Unfortunately, my overall impression of Beyond the Mapped Stars is boredom. There were several moments in the story that were SUPPOSED to be exciting, I knew they were. However, there was something lacking in the writing that made what should have been heart-racing scenes move at a languid pace.

The characters are the ultimate downfall of this story, I think. Our protagonist is taught a few interconnected lessons through this story, and she makes such stupid choices while learning them that it’s almost painful. Her decisions really don’t make any sense, especially stacked one against another. I think the idea is supposed to be that she swings between two extremes after being given permission to be a little selfish, but it doesn’t ring true. The upshot is that she gets preached at A LOT, and the story is rife with “moral of the story moments” that are too heavy-handed. Another character likes to take risks. Why? Honestly, couldn’t tell you. I kept waiting for an explanation of why this guy does dumb stuff for a thrill, and I really never got one.

Lastly, I think the book jacket would do well to nix any mentions of romance, because it was disappointing at best. The love interest is barely in the book, and I think we’re supposed to rely on the description of a fraught history with the love interest character to become invested in the love story. It’s no more than an afterthought.

I did enjoy some elements of the book— the few shining moments when the narrator wasn’t being insufferable. And, overall, it wasn’t BAD. I think my review is coming off rather more harshly than the book deserves. I was just pretty bored.

Eves has a natural storytelling voice, lyrical but never flowery, deftly unfolding the journey of a young girl trying to reconcile differing views on faith and science as she forges a path for her future. The first half of the book is structured much like a modern road trip narrative, as Elizabeth encounters various perils, allies, and antagonists in her journey from her small, isolated town toward a larger city full of opportunities. The second half follows her struggles in The Big City as she weighs input from members of scientific and religious communities, wondering whose example to follow. Teen readers will relate to the search for the perfect mentor, only to discover that while they can take bits and pieces from several influences, their path won't precisely mirror anyone's but their own.

At heart, the book is a personal story of a girl deciding what future to pursue, but it also thematically focuses on various prejudices and assumptions, be they about race, religion, gender, or class, and how those assumptions can be a barrier to personal and professional fulfillment. I enjoyed the way Eves wove in real historic facts and figures, while never halting the momentum of the story, and when the eclipse finally arrives, we sense the wonder of a girl on the precipice of womanhood, ready to grab her future with both hands and hold on tight.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this. I read the first chapter and didn't connect to the characters or story. Elizabeth went off on tangents multiple times and I don't care for books where the main character's mind wanders. It pulls me away from the story to the point where I'm confused on what is going on when the mind wandering finishes.

In Beyond the Mapped Stars, Rosalyn Eves has crafted a story of self-discovery that will connect with many upper middle grade and young adult readers who find themselves searching for their own footholds in a world that is bigger than they expected. Protagonist Elizabeth Bertelsen stands on the precipice of adulthood in 1878, and two competing forces tug her in opposite directions. As a Mormon living in a Mormon community in Monroe, Utah, she knows the life she is expected to lead, one that involves marriage, children, obedience to God, sharing her husband with his plural wives, cleaning and sewing and cooking. Raised by her demanding mother to help care for her large family, Elizabeth knows she can do it all, but it will pull her away from the strongest tug of all, her love of learning and science and the stars above. She loves her God, her faith, her family, and her dusty canyon home, but she longs for knowledge. As the famed total eclipse of the sun nears, she is crushed that she will miss the totality of the eclipse, while the lucky people in more northern cities will see it.

When her half-sister in Wyoming asks for someone to come to her for the delivery of her first child, Elizabeth volunteers, believing that the trip will redeem her in her parents' eyes and give her a break from the monotony around her. And the trip does not disappoint. From train robberies to gun-slinging cowboys, from her first African American friends to her first clashes with religious bigots, Elizabeth experiences more than she expected, but when her sister urges her to go to Denver to see the eclipse, Elizabeth gets the chance to explore the stars above and the girl she really is and wants to be.

This novel is an excellent example of historical fiction, weaving factual history into a fictional story so deftly, that readers are pulled into a world that feels real and vibrant. In the categorization of modern literature, this would be classed a "quiet book," one that is becoming harder to find amid the high stakes fantasies and contemporary plots today, but one that many readers want. Many want to feel the atmosphere of a booming Denver street, experience the drama of a train crossing a high trestle bridge, and listen to the heart of a girl who is searching for a life that she can live and love. This story has action and conflict, but it gives readers time to feel Elizabeth's confusion and hope as she finds her footing. Adolescents in every era need that time and space to see characters working through the struggles they face themselves.

I thought this novel was well written and unique for the YA genre (science & faith in a historical fiction about a Mormon girl), but I never connected to Elizabeth in the way I wanted to. I also found the first half of the story slow, and enjoyed the second half much more. Still, it would be a good fit for readers of Julie Berry's YA historical fiction.