Book Review: “The Blazing Star” (The Blazing Star #1) by Imani Josey

“The Blazing Star” (The Blazing Star #1) by Imani Josey (2016)

Genre: YA, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Page Length: 286 pages (paperback edition)

Synopsis:

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 center 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.

Great.

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 realize 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.

As Portia and the girls discover that they’re linked to the past by more than just chance, they have to decide what it truly means to be yourself, to love your sister, and to find your way home. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

What a thrilling rollercoaster ride of a fantasy novel! The Blazing Star takes us on the journey of twin sisters, Alex and Portia, along with their friend Selene who are whisked away to ancient Egypt. As the three struggle to adapt to their new surroundings, they try to figure out a way to get back to their modern day home. Adding to the time travel narrative are many elements of fantasy magic, as the three discover that they may have untapped power hidden within them.

I love time travel stories and I don’t see many novels with POC characters as the main leads so I was incredibly excited to read this. I’ve always found Egyptology to be very interesting and the setting of the backdrop was so detailed. Not only do we learn about Egyptian history, but you can truly get a feel for the landscape within Josey’s descriptive writing. I enjoyed how immersive the journey felt and it was like I was right there with the characters.

There is a lot of world building that happens within the first installment of this series. At times it was a bit confusing to keep track of the magic systems and the characters, but nothing that made it too hard to read. There is also a coming-of-age narrative within the novel as Portia realizes that she wants to shed her twin image and become more independent from Alex. All of her life she’s just been following her sister’s path, but now she wants to create her own journey which causes a bit of sibling rivalry.

The Blazing Star has a lot of action-packed scenes, a small bit of romance, lots of magic, and an overall sense of adventure. Looking forward to continuing the story in the next book!

Final Verdict: