The Stars Fell Sideways [Paperback]

Full disclosure: I am friends with the author, and I read this book twice (once in development and once when complete). However, Cassandra had absolutely no hand in this review, and she has no idea what I'm posting. I agreed to review her book because she was kind enough to let me read it pre-release, but to be honest I would have anyway.

Alison Arroway is a stunt girl for Pomegranate Posey, the biggest teen star in the world - but nobody cares apart from her awesome stuntman dad. When Alison's dad suffers an accident on set and can't come with her, Alison must fly to Portugal all on her own to work on Pom's latest film. Pom can be a little...rhymes with witchy, but when her hunky co-star, Erik, invites Alison to spend the day with them on a yacht, Alison takes it in stride.

Things go horribly wrong: the boat hits a storm and breaks apart, leaving Pom and Alison stranded on a strange beach, with no signs of civilization in sight. Erik has vanished...probably drowned. But Alison pulls herself together, because her dad taught her how to survive. She and Pom set out to find help - and discover that this place isn't just a little strange, it's downright WEIRD. People are dressing in stupid old-fashioned clothes, there's blue lightning everywhere, and when they're found by the locals they're locked up in a cell rather than taken to a hospital.

The Captain, the leader of the town, doesn't seem to know ANYTHING: nothing about 9/11, nothing about bird flu, nothing about the internet or even cellphones, not even about WWII! He tells Alison and Pom that they haven't seen a "Lost Soul" (whatever that is) in two hundred years! He says they're on Atlantis. Atlantis?!?? That's just a fairy tale, right?

Worse, the girls will be separated and sent to learn trades that will help the island, because they can't go home! Not only that, but there's trouble brewing between The Captain and the other leader of the island, The General.

Alison must reunite with Pom, save Atlantis, get home to her dad, find an ancient book, learn to rock-climb in a skirt, teach some good sense to hunky men who expect girls to wear said skirt 24/7, and on top of it all kiss right. Argh! At least she has her little companion canary, Mollie, to figure things out for her.

"The Stars Fell Sideways" is fun, well-paced, and at times really adorable. Alison is smart, tough, but realistic, even though I have to admit, Mollie was my #1 favourite character. (Sorry, Alison!) I recommend this to teens who are interested in exploring steampunk, and anyone who's looking for a light, funny read.

Some reads are just meant for vacations or travelling: fast paced, straight-to-the-action tales that whip readers along from beat to beat just as quickly as the readers themselves are taken from airport to airport, city to city, or hotel to beach, book (or e-reader!) in hand. The Stars Fell Sideways by Cassandra Marshall is just such a read, a story that looks to transport a reader from her own life to distant lands on a wild adventure.
The Stars Fell Sideways actually pulls this trick off twice, as we meet our hero, Alison Arroway, a teen stunt double from a family of stunt doubles, who fills in regularly for Pomegranate "Pom" Posy, one of America's hottest teen movie stars. This in itself is a fascinating world in which to be dropped, full of sycophants, fans, commercial shoots, limos, and even teen heartthrob, Erik (#3 on People's Hottest Stars under 25 no less.) But for Alison, whose face is never seen on camera and whose deeds are always credited to Pom, life in this world is just short of glamorous; on the fringes of a dream life, close enough to be near fame and fortune (and especially boys like Erik) but not quite as close as Alison would hope.
Whisked away to a film shoot in Portugal with Pom and Erik, Alison is thrilled to be invited on an evening Yacht trip with the two stars. But in an unexpected and violent storm that tears the yacht apart on the open seas, Alison is plunged into a world even more bizarre and dangerous than stunt work in Hollywood: the lost city of Atlantis.
It is here that Ms. Marshall adds a nice twist to the Atlantean myth. As opposed to the traditional, ivory-white towers and pseudo-Greek/Roman influences, this Atlantis has reached a Victorian-era, Steampunk period, full of hydro and wind-powered electricity, locomotive conveyances, top hats, and corsets. And of course, Alison and her friends also find themselves in the middle of a power struggle between two authorities bent on control of Atlantis's future, and on a race in search of a lost piece of Atlantean knowledge called the Book of Blue, which, according to legend, can unlock the secret to an event that will cause the "stars to fall sideways" and return Atlantis to the glorious peak of it's civilization.
The adventure beats flow fast and furious in this book, with Alison meeting new allies (including the sweet Betsy and a young Atlantean looker named Corben) and also creepy villains, all the while discovering Jules Vernesque technologies and even undertaking some Lora Croft-like explorations beneath the caverns of Atlantis, where ancient drawings and great machines lay dormant, awaiting the fulfillment of their long-forgotten purposes. But above all else, what may stand out sharpest to the intended audience are Alison's heated moments with both Erik and Corben, which will probably get young readers' pulses racing pretty quickly.
This is not a story with the most intricately laid plot or tedious character profiles. It is a blisteringly paced romp loaded end to end with escapes, falls, discoveries, flirtations, romance, derring-do, and a satisfyingly epic conclusion that indeed sees the stars fall sideways. So if you have a vacation or trip upcoming, and you're looking to escape for a few hours on a wild ride (or perhaps just to add a little teen-romance or some Steampunk-light to your reading list) The Stars Fell Sideways may be just what you're looking for.

"The Stars Fell Sideways" is an interesting exploration of what happened to Atlantis. Alison, Erik, and Pom are ship-wrecked and appear on the mysterious island. They have to figure out a way home, seeing as they are not comfortable living with these odd people. Alison is determined not to conform to the standards of the Atlantis people. She's a rough character, having grown up with her dad and as a stunt double, people don't exactly treat her with ice cream and candy.

I enjoyed the book and stayed up late finishing it one night. I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It seemed almost abrupt and a little rushed. Yes, the characters wanted to go home, but it needed a little more resolution. The slight romance between Alison and Corben felt a little forced and sudden, but it didn't have a clear resolution since they never really said anything about it, except for the one time they made-out and tried to undress each other. I had a little trouble finding Alison likeable, but she is a strong character. There was a twist with Erik which didn't seem right for the way he was depicted, but oh well.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I just felt it could have used a little something more. I do recommend the book to others looking for a different take on the lost city of Atlantis.