“I knew its light instantly, its warmth, the voice I could feel but not hear. Surril. My star.” Star Mother, Charlie N. Holmberg
Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg is a fantasy novel that follows Ceris Wenden, a young woman who is chosen by the Sun God to be a Star Mother, a woman destined to give her life in service to the Sun God by bearing one of his children. However, Ceris achieves the impossible: she survives. Displaced in time, alone, and separated from her daughter, Ceris struggles to find her way to some semblance of normalcy, accompanied only by a mysterious godling named Ristriel as her guide.
Some things I loved about Star Mother were both the religious lore and the themes of motherhood and how it can change a young woman. The plot is difficult to grasp without a full understanding of the religion that Holmberg has spun. Mainly based on astrology and the worship of the sun, the fictitious religion is both based on concepts familiar to us as readers and refreshingly unique and well thought out.
Although Ceris’s story took place on planet Earth (with the Sun and Moon), I still interpreted Star Mother as an other-world fantasy, which I think is credited to Holmberg’s skillful craft of the religion. Holmberg incorporated faith into almost every character, event, and place, which effectively made religion a core component of both the plot and setting. Furthermore, the stories and beliefs of the religion itself were interesting and very well done.
Secondly, the importance of motherhood is a driving force of the book. After giving birth, Ceris is immediately separated from her daughter, Surril. However, it is clearly evident throughout the book that Ceris loves her daughter unconditionally despite the distance between them. I’ve never read a young adult book that has revolved around being a mother like Star Mother does, and it was an intriguing concept. Ceris is twenty years old when Surril is born, which may be older compared to other YA protagonists, but still a notably young mother. I loved observing how her priorities and outlook on life changed after she entered motherhood, and although Surril is not actually in most of the book, her affect on her Ceris is an important component of her character development. Not only is Ceris a young mother separated from her daughter, she is a young woman coming of age, and Star Mother is a story about her finding her family and finding herself.
Although I enjoyed the setting and Ceris’s motherhood journey, I found the plot to be a little bland, overshadowed by the powerful world-building. There was a romantic interest, but the relationship was neither integral to the plot nor well developed, in my opinion. Star Mother is an incredibly light read, one that interested me in the moment, but wasn’t especially impactful in retrospect. I was super supportive of Ceris throughout the book, but none of the other characters really interested me. I was also initially put off by the characterization of the Sun, who seemed to be both celestial and omniscient yet subject to base human desires. However, as the book progressed, I grew more accustomed to the humanlike tendencies of the celestial characters.
Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg is a quick fantasy read that highlights themes of faith and the importance of motherhood. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys detailed and unique world building, especially that of a religious nature. Also, books focused on motherhood––and written from the mother’s perspective––in YA are uncommon, so I would encourage people to read Star Mother if they’re interested in stories fueled by the impact of motherhood.