Set the Stars Alight

This. THIS BOOK. I cannot fangirl enough about this book because the words to adequately describe it are a mix of feelings."Set the Stars Alight" by Amanda Dykes feels like home. Like magic. And starlight and mystery. Family and found family. Redemption. And the slowest, sweetest slow-burn romance ever created in one book. My heart is very full from wandering in starlight. So full that it could burst. What a beautiful, beautiful story!

Oh my heart! This book! There are 5 star reads and then there are 5 STAR READS! I give this book 5 shooting stars and a supernova! This story was everything, everything I could ever want or need from a book: amazing dual timeline with a mystery to solve, outstanding characters with beautiful, heartwarming relationships, immersive writing. A tale that will take your gently bind your heart as it breaks, cradle it as it grieves, give it wings as it heals, and the courage to make it soar.You will fall in love with Dash, the lost boy with his head in the clouds and eye to the sky, with no real family or true place to call home, he happens upon a girl at a fountain one day, finds a friend and gains a family.You will charmed by Lucy, the matchstick girl, who is light itself, she lives in a cozy cottage with her sweet, humble mother and precious, doting father, dreaming of lost ships and turncoat sailors.You will treasure Simon, the watchmaker, keeper of time and protector of timeless stories, filling Lucy’s and Dash’s days with magic and wonderment and contentment, fueling their imaginations and planting seeds of curiosity and companionship, anchoring their souls together to withstand any tempest no matter the distance separating or the time apart.You will ache for Frederick, the boy who longs for love and purpose and acknowledgment. Always wanting to prove himself, to atone for mistakes, the truest friend in every sense of the word, choosing selflessness and sacrifice at every crossroad in the journey of his life.Superb in every sense of the word! Prepared to be swept away in torrent of emotions from happiness to sorrow to joy, from excitement to fear, ending in pure satisfaction. I could go on and on. Just go read it!

I was hesitant and skeptical about Set the Stars Alight. However, this book probably gets my honor of Best Surprise Book of 2020. It's a classic case of a sophomore release being infinitely better than a debut and making me want to read the author again.The setting and writing style are absolutely charming. They remind me of some of my most beloved children's books, like The Secret Garden and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as some tales I "rediscovered" as an adult, like James and the Giant Peach or even Coraline. I adored the descriptions of Candlewick Commons and wanted to visit. Stone's Throw Farm and its "hobbit house" spring cellar was another favorite location, and while the Jubilee started as a bit of a "misnomer" and place of sorrow, I learned to love it, too. One more literary allusion--the last quarter of the book, where the Jubilee becomes an underground home, gave me some definite Swiss Family Robinson vibes.Of course though, no setting is complete without great characters, and boy, aren't they. Lucy and Dash captivated me from the time they were kids. I loved the way Lucy was named for light itself, and how she and her family provided that for Dash, a "lost boy" whose picture you'd find under "charming" in the dictionary. As a kid, I just wanted to hug him, and he grew up into a swoon-worthy hero I enjoyed rooting for. The same is true for Lucy; I loved seeing her grow, overcome her fears, and reconnect with the important parts of herself, including her dad's stories (I'll get back to that in a moment).The secondary characters are wonderful, too. I loved Copper Clara and Silver Sophie, as Lucy called them. They read as a warm, quirky, female Odd Couple, and the vibe works great. I might've liked a little more of Barnabas, Roger, and Violette, but they, especially Violette, lent wonderful flavor to the story. Violette especially intrigued me. I cheered for her unconventional budding romance with Spencer (who, thankfully, is not as annoying as he was in Whose Waves These Are). But I wanted to know more about her history, her current passions and dreams, and so on. That's more a nitpick, though.The spiritual thread in Set the Stars Alight was wonderful, too. Like Lucy's dad, I am a big believer in the fact that you can find God, and His truth, in stories. This is, of course, not a substitute for the Bible, but I appreciated how Christian truths were communicated without some of the "usual Christian behavior" or "Christian-ese," so to speak. The story of King Canute's challenge to the sea is a prime example, as is the overall story of Frederick Hanford and what really happened to him. I had a sense that Killian Blackaby was talking about both Frederick and Jesus in his last ballad, although it's tough to put your finger on unless you're already looking. Maybe the spirituality should've been just a little more obvious, but I also wonder if it doesn't hearken back to the Scripture that says Christians can see spiritual things that non-Christians cannot. Either way, it works.Although the historical half of the book didn't engage me as much as Lucy and Dash's story, I enjoyed it, too. I was never quite sure where it was going to go, and sometimes I wanted a stronger connection between it and the contemporary story. But again, sometimes you have to look harder for those connections and here, that works. Frederick and Juliette put me in mind of an 1800s Dash and Lucy, but with personalities and trajectories unique to them. I especially liked the characterization of Juliette as wind or the sea flood in human form, because Lucy was characterized as light for those around her. I also enjoyed Frederick's arc, because it was familiar yet different. That is, he wasn't the typical snooty aristocrat who needed to be humbled. He was a boy, later a man, who wanted nothing more than to do the right thing, and every time he tried it blew up in his face. My heart broke for him, but he never felt pathetic to me. Rather, he felt like a reminder to give grace to others and accept it toward myself, because sometimes life doesn't give you much.Once again, the overall tone of the book will enchant you, and the connections between stars and sea will add a layer of myth and magic I think a lot of fiction is sadly lacking these days. I'm actually looking forward to more from Amanda Dykes now, and recommend this with great enthusiasm in the meantime.

Such a well-written book that instantly transports you into the worlds and times of the main characters-- Lucy's dad's magical storytelling which has guided her and Dash into academic fields that they love and therefore excel in (riddles in the stories we find out may have been clues to a mystery all along); a boy 200 hundred years ago blames himself for something not his fault, we see the rippling effects his guilt has on those around him, and on history itself.

I have finally found an adjetive to satisfactorily describe this book: it is stunning! Historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and fairy tale all in one, Ms. Dykes' writing stirs the deepest parts of a reader's soul. Set the Satrs Alight is one of a kind. With so many layers full of meaning, it is a book to be pondered. I would deffinetly recommend a slower reading, letting the story sink in.Though some might say that parts of the novel are too sentimental, or repetitive, or that the beginning is slow, for me, the overall effect of the book simply wiped away these potential minuses. If considered individually, yes, they could be downpoints, but in the overall perspective of the book, they are simply parts of the whole - an awesome story."He [God] sets the stars alight, my girl. And we open our eyes to this in benevolent defiance of the dark... by remembering."Amidst a world where people have become more or less automatized and dissatisfied in the whirlwind of our busy lives, Amanda Dykes invites us to pause, take a deep breath, and remember... Remember that we live in a world full of miracles - big and small, ordinary and extraordinary. Set the Stars Alight beckons us to really see the world we inhabit: a wonderous world created by an even more wonderous God, for whom "nothing is impossible."

It took me a little while to get into one of the storylines in this dual timeline book, but I'm glad I stayed with it. It turned out to be a delightful, whimsical book. If you appreciate the art of storytelling and passing along lore, then you will enjoy several of the minor characters in this book.

I love books with two timelines, but this one took me a long time to get into it. It had nothing to do the stories but the length of the timeline sections. So the first time we went back to the first timeline, I was really confused as I could not remember what happened previously, BUT once I got over that, it started to flow for me and I am so happy I stuck with it. I loved this book.

I have no words to describe the beauty of this bittersweet masterpiece. Please just read it.

A truly fantastic story! The story of the old watchmaker and glass factory caught me from the start and the tales of both Lucy and Dash and Frederick and Juliette were captivating. This was a well-written, expertly woven and God-inspired story illuminating the sacrificial love and grand design of our Creator.I commend Amanda Dykes for beautifully depicting the lavish love of the Father of Heavenly Lights.I’m curious though, what’s Violette’s story?I look forward to more books by this author.