STARFISH

Author(s): Akemi Dawn Bowman

Stand-alone or Series: stand-alone

Rating: 5/5 stars

Trigger warning: sexual assault/abuse, emotional abuse and manipulation, suicide attempt

I’d rather have an ugly face than an ugly heart.

Let’s start by talking about this gorgeous cover. I love the illustrations and the background. The way the sea creatures and the space background fit together and connect to the story is amazing! The title too holds great significance. The only thing I’m confused on is why there’s a gain jellyfish and no starfish on the cover.

Starfish is about Kiko, a half-Japanese and half-white teenage girl who has graduated high school, but has no idea what to do. With a tough home life, she’s ready to go far away to art school. But a rejection forces her to tour art schools with her childhood best friend in California, where she learns about herself.

I absolutely loved Starfish. Kiko is defiantly a favourite character of mine now. All throughout the book all I wanted to do is just protect her from all the people who are doing her harm. I wanted her to succeed. To overcome. To find the strength and bravery she so desperately wants.

The writing style was easy to follow and entertaining. Every chapter ends with Kiko talking about what she’s sketching, which gives insight to her feelings. As well, she thinks about what she wants versus what she actually says. It was very easy and quick to get through!

I wasn’t a big fan of Jamie in the beginning, but by the end I really liked him. He was there for Kiko, and I especially loved the scene at the beach (no spoilers!). He realizes what she needs and gives it to her. He’s there for her. It’s amazing.

I also loved Hiroshi. He’s the parental figure that Kiko was missing, the person she needed to show her that her Japanese side is not one to be ashamed of. That beauty comes in all shapes and colours and ways. Having Kiko realize that is amazing, and I know many BIPOC can relate to the feeling of being told your features, the colour of your skin, the very way you look is not beautiful enough. There’s nothing we can do to change how we look. And neither should we, because beauty is not one thing, it’s many.

All in all this was an amazing book, and I recommend to everyone!

Thank you for reading and see you next time ❤