Everyone (like…internet everyone, I don’t know anyone in real life who read these books) said I’d love Across a Star-Swept Sea more than For Darkness Shows the Stars and I scoffed (that’s right SCOFFED) because I super loved For Darkness Shows the Stars the first time I read it (because Persuasion) so I just couldn’t imagine. And, in fact, had I not reread For Darkness Shows the Stars before reading Across a Star-Swept Sea, the first novel may have remained my favorite. But Across a Star-Swept Sea had something the first was missing…JOY. For Darkness Shows the Stars was great, but it gave me some serious sads as I was reading it, which, sure, there was a lot of depressing shit going on, so that’s fair, but sometimes you just want to read about people doing some happy shit, you know?
Across a Star-Swept Sea is based on The Scarlet Pimpernel, a book I have not read, so forgive me if I leave out any allusions to the classic novel on which this is based. SORRY. But not really.
This novel is (obviously) set around the same time as For Darkness Shows the Stars, but the people in this novel live on one of two islands, and assume that everyone else in the world is super dead. We know this to be untrue so HAHA CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK, WE KNOW MORE THAN YOU SUUUUUUCK IT.
Ahem. The two islands are part of New Pacifica, and they are miles ahead science-wise, partly because there are no Luddites but mostly because they invented a cure for Reduction. So, yay, no more Reduced! Except, uh-oh, sometimes the cure backfires, causing dementia-like symptoms in those who’ve been cured. And also, there’s a new drug being given to the rich inhabitants of the island that causes Reduction. NO BIG DEAL DON’T WORRY.
Fighting against all of this is the Wild Poppy. No one knows who he or she is, and for sure no one suspects Persis Blake, a socialite and friend to royalty who cares more about clothes than politics. At least that’s the image she shows to the world, including a new arrival named Justen, a brilliant scientist whose grandmother invented the cure for Reduction. Persis has to hide her intelligence and true purpose from Justen, even though she’s starting to like him, as she can’t let him know that she’s the Wild Poppy. Still, Justen begins to suspect there’s more to Persis than fancy clothes and a pretty face.
There’s a lot going on in this novel. It’s more action-y, less quiet, than For Darkness Shows the Stars. There is a real threat of death, or for Persis, something worse than death, as anyone can be given the Reduction drug at any time and basically lose their mind and any hope of a normal, fulfilling life.
Not that it’s all doom and gloom. There are some legit funny parts and nice surprises. I don’t want to say anything else for fear of SPOILERS but I’d highly recommend this one. But definitely read For Darkness Shows the Stars first for…reasons.
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