From a Distant Star: An Adorable Tale about a Teenage Girl on Road Trip With an Alien

From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion

So I routinely check the daily deals on my kindle, and find the dollar price tag is never too high for even a mildly interesting book And now months later after this habit began, I have a collection books that appear to be mildly interesting that I have not given a shot yet. So since money was tight this month and I was indecisive. I chose one at random. I decided to read From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion and here is my review

What is the book about? It’s a young adult novel focusing on Emma. Emma is a high school junior who had found the love of her life, Lucas. These two are the ultimate lovebirds and when Lucas falls sick with cancer, she never leaves his side. All the way into hospice, she never gives up hope that he'll wake up and they’ll have the happy ever after they always dreamed of. Then one night, a small space ship lands in the family yard and a small spirit like alien takes refuge in Lucas’s body to survive. This also in turn cures Lucas, and the family sees it as a miracle. Emma is not easily fooled. She knows it is not her Lucas who woke up, but someone else and she must help him to get back home so he can have get boyfriend back and so the men in black don’t take him and test him like a lab rat for the rest of his life.

The good? Though it sounded like a fun little story on the surface, my biggest fear was that this would follow in the shoes of Twilight. I have a hate for Twilight that runs unbelievably deep. But to my relief, Emma is not a Bella Swan. Is she in love? Yes. But the love seems real. She seems to have her own agency and is her own person. And I am so thankful for that. The story’s strong points are the little things. Her growing friendship with this alien is engaging as they go on this road trip. Her growing friendship along with this alien’s discovery of music and fun are great. And there is something intriguing when toward the end they both seem to be hesitant to go through with the plan because they won’t see each other again. This story is just adorable and oozing with this charm I did not expect.

The bad? The action is sparse and the detail in these scenes are awful. Also this is one of these young adult novels that focuses on the young part. Unlike books like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and the Hunger Games, this story is overly simplistic. The moment they ran into trouble, some incredibly convenient coincidence happens to get them out of trouble. It was a bit annoying really, because there were no real stakes to the story. If there was a real sense of danger, this could have been so much better.

Overall, the story is a teeny bop version of John Carpenter’s Starman, with little imagination to the core story to make it unique in any sense. But the chemistry and friendship between the characters is the real hook and sinker here. There is just something adorable and enchanting about these characters and their friendship. That is what makes the story is worth the read. So if you’re looking for a light hearted fluff read, this is perfect.

3 smoothies out of four.

Overall Rating: An Adorable Tale about a Teenage Girl on Road Trip With an Alien