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Blurb
A bed posed on a stage under a dazzling spotlight. An audience of hungry eyes. And him, the other half of my soul, our supple bodies moving as one . . .
Sundara: the lush and forbidden oasis in the desert where men travel to watch acts of sexual deviancy, and the only existence seventeen-year-old Karys has ever known. But despite a life where secrets and sin are in high supply, and freedom remains far beyond their reach, Karys and her partner Zakai find safety in each other, their passionate love the light that helps them both survive the darkness.
Very suddenly, Karys and Zakai find themselves in the bright and confusing world of New York City, navigating separation, school, and relatives who are all but strangers. If they’ve been found, why do they still feel so lost? As their new lives threaten to drive them apart, and Zakai spins out of her grasp, Karys must figure out who and what can be trusted in this strange city, seemingly filled with more venom than the desert they once called home.
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Review
5 stars!
I absolutely loved this book! I was captivated from the first page and could not put it down. The prologue alone broke my heart and I knew I was in for a crazy emotional ride but all the pain is well worth it. It’s a well- written, engaging, and fascinating story that pulls from you so many feels that you don’t quite know what to do with them all. There were sweet moments that made me swoon, frustrating times I wanted to scream, heartbreaking experiences that crushed my soul but its a love that was meant to be and one I couldn’t stop rooting for!
We are two halves of the same beautiful star, broken in the heavens. We fell to earth, separate, yet yearning to be together.
This book is as much a journey of self discovery as it is of love. Karys and Zakai grew up in Sundara and their youth was stolen from them. They performed for people in the only way they knew how but they saved their love for just themselves. When they are rescued and sent to New York City, they are thrust into a world they know nothing about. A world that is so much bigger than they could have imagined. And though once Karys was the light in Sundara and Zakai her protector, their roles seem to change as they navigate their new lives.
A star could not live with only one half. It’s light would fade to nothing and blink to darkness.
NYC is much different than their life in the desert and it is far from easy for either of them. They both face difference challenges and truths that pull them apart and it is difficult to see they struggle. But with the struggle comes the fight and I loved seeing them persevere in a world that was a mystery. Though their paths cross at times over the years it isn’t until they are finally whole and can love themselves that they are able to finally be together.
I adored Karys and Zakai and my heart broke as we get the ups and downs of their life in Sundara and then in NYC. They love hard but sometimes love isn’t enough and as they are pulled apart I found myself weeping for them. However, I loved experiencing their growth, healing, and forgiveness, and then ultimately rediscovering the love that began years ago that was only able to grow after their journey apart
This book deals with a sensitive subject that I felt was well done and the whole story is different than what I expected. It was unputdownable and I loved it.
Once we were starlight. But now, now we were a universe.
*ARC generously provided by the author*
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