Ratings11
Average rating4.1
A vivid, evocative YA lesbian romance about how the universe is full of second chances Ryann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn’t an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the “wrong” side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends. One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann’s offer of friendship. After a horrific accident leaves Alexandria with a broken arm, the girls are brought together despite themselves—and Ryann learns her secret: Alexandria’s mother is an astronaut who volunteered for a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system. Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother. And now it’s up to Ryann to lift her onto the roof day after day until the silence between them grows into friendship, and eventually something more. The Weight of the Stars is the new LGBT young adult romance from K. Ancrum, written with the same style of short, micro-fiction chapters and immediacy that garnered acclaim for her debut, The Wicker King. An Imprint Book “The Weight of the Stars is one of the most gentle, gracious, and, overall, kind books that I've read all year ... It's a YA romance about girls and stars and friendship and mercy and loss and regret and what we owe each other and what we give away to lift each other up ... This book is starlight on broken concrete, it's flowers on a broken rooftop, and it's a masterpiece.” —Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart a Doorway “As bright as it is stellar ... a story with a lush, dark atmosphere; heartbreaking circumstances; bright, new love that blossoms from ugliness; and vividly real, magnetic characters.” —Booklist (starred review) “Touches on sexual identity, friendship, nontraditional families, and the price of human space exploration. The characters' resilience and vulnerability are deftly handled ... For readers who are drawn to the unconventional, this will be a satisfying read.” —Kirkus Reviews “Their slow-burn romance ... is sweetly, devastatingly understated.” - BCCB PRAISE FOR THE WICKER KING: “Ancrum delves into the blurry space between reality and madness. A haunting and provocative read that will keep teens riveted.” —School Library Journal “Teen fans of moody psychological horror will be entranced.” —Booklist “Give this to readers who like complex, experimental fictions about intense relationships that acquire mythic resonance.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books “An eerie piece of realistic fiction whose characters revel in intense emotions.” —Kirkus Reviews “An eerie and mesmerizing thriller that questions the space where reality and perception overlap, The Wicker King is a spine-tingling read that will have you riveted.” —Caleb Roerhrig, author of Last Seen Leaving and White Rabbit
Reviews with the most likes.
“Things happen in this town that are difficult to describe and difficult to live through. It's almost like it's a magnet that pulls things from the periphery that could never exist anywhere else. You are incredibly rare, and now you're here. In this unremarkably remarkable town. In the right place and the right time for whatever will happen.”
Wow. I feel like a majority of my five star book reviews start with that. K. Ancrum gave us something so beautiful and tender.
Ryann has always dreamt of being among the stars but due to circumstance felt that it was out of her grasp. Often pegged as a problem child she is providing for her brother and his son. Alexandria is new at school and refuses to connect with those around her. After an incident involving both girls Ryann is tasked to take on Alexandria's nightly routine - catching radio signals from her mother who just happens to be in space.
Even with a large cast of characters I did not feel disconnected from this story. K. Ancrum's writing has the ability to make you feel like you're a part of this group. You're feeling for your friends. You are desperately wanting what is best for them even if you may not know what that looks like.
Also that author's note just made me feel a whole lot.
the relationships in this book were only built because of the main characters bullying and abuse towards others and like that was never addressed? Like they all just forgave her/brushed it off. Even the teacher purposefully pulled her aside to ask her to more or less invade the new students space to get them to “open up to her peers” but all she did was annoy/bully her?
Also when did she ever want to go space? The ending was... off. Just a weird and odd book.