Hey, everyone! Welcome to my stop for the Starry Nights PH Tour! You can view more details about it here :D
Title: Starry Nights
Author: Daisy Whitney
Release Date: September 3rd 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Source: ARC borrowed from Dianne at Oops! I Read a Book Again
Seventeen-year-old Julien is a romantic—he loves spending his free time at the museum poring over the great works of the Impressionists. But one night, a peach falls out of a Cezanne, Degas ballerinas dance across the floor, and Julien is not hallucinating.
The art is reacting to a curse that trapped a beautiful girl, Clio, in a painting forever. Julien has a chance to free Clio and he can't help but fall in love with her. But love is a curse in its own right. And soon paintings begin to bleed and disappear. Together Julien and Clio must save the world's greatest art... at the expense of the greatest love they've ever known.
Like a master painter herself, Daisy Whitney brings inordinate talent and ingenuity to this romantic, suspenseful, and sophisticated new novel.A beautifully decorated package makes it a must-own in print.Prior to reading Starry Nights, I hadn't heard a lot about it; it's also my first Daisy Whitney book so I didn't know what to expect. But it sounded a lot like Night at the Museum, a movie I really enjoyed, so I looked forward to reading it.
And, holy crap, was it good.
This book is like a modern fairy tale. Magic oozed from its pages, and I was simply captivated. Daisy's lyrical way of writing transported me to the city of love, right alongside Julien as his new "talent" paved the way to a crazy adventure filled with art in all its forms, master painters, and their iconic works. I felt like I was witnessing firsthand Julien's every triumph and downfall with his eccentric group of friends.
And what is a fairy tale without romance? I believe this is where Starry Nights excels the most. Julien and Clio's romance is so dreamy, fluffy as cotton and sweet as candy. Given their real identities, an ominous feeling is a constant in the book, yet I still couldn't help but revel in the beauty of their love.
It was my everything. It was all my days and nights, and I am ruined for anyone else. Because there is only her. She was a revolution and she staged a coup d'etat in my heart.
Julien, our main character and narrator—yes, a male POV!—is very different from most YA heroes. He's Parisian, a romantic, and knows enough about art to give museum tours. Swoon-worthy? Absolutely. But, and this is just my personal opinion, I feel like his character doesn't aim to make you attracted to him. Instead, you'll want to be his friend, his confidante, his partner-in-crime. I don't know, I just feel like I have to get that out here.
The only qualm I had about this book is the ending. It's not that big of a deal, actually, and I can't say much or I might give a spoiler, but I'll say that it's not the most realistic path that I thought of for the story. Like I said, it's just a minor thing and I imagine most people would actually love it; I'm merely being particular here.
An enchanting, fast-paced book, Starry Nights totally blew me away and is unlike anything I've ever read. All the twists made relating to art history and mythology were unique, and now I am completely dying to visit Paris, if only to try to experience part of this story in real life. Starry Nights is the newest addition to my top 2013 reads and I definitely recommend it to everyone!
MY FAVORITE PART is Julien and Clio's "Save the Art!" James Bond-ish mission. It was heartbreaking but it also really showed what Julien's made of.
RATING:
