One facet of the society’s attention to food made me think of how certain “improvements” in our own food supply has led to our acceptance of a loss of taste in some instances. Woe to the Non-Eater who loses a trial because the consequences are dire but the truth is no one has a comfortable position in this world that’s focused on fighting off starvation. Dunn has added a dollop of freshness with the concept of people being divided into Eaters and Non-Eaters. But when someone begins to sabotage the Trials, Vela must reevaluate her own integrity-and learn the true sacrifice of becoming a ruler.Īlthough Star-Crossed is reminiscent of The Hunger Games with its trials, Ms. Refusing to accept losing the boy she loves, Vela bends the rules and cheats. And he’s determined to win, because by doing so, he can save the life of his Non-Eater sister. But then Carr, the boy she’s loved all her life, emerges as the best candidate in the Bittersweet Trials. Vela is tasked with choosing a boy fit to die for the king, which is impossible enough.

Her father, the king, is dying, and only a transplant of organs from a healthy Non-Eater boy will save him. In a world where nutrition can be transferred via a pill, and society is split into Eaters and Non-Eaters, seventeen-year-old Princess Vela has a grave dilemma. Barnes & Noble // Kobo // Amazon // Entangled Publishing

Star crossed pintip dunn