Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Stars Like Acid is an enjoyable and convincing sci-fi romance that follows Tea as she overcomes a series of early childhood obstacles only to be faced with a set of devastating discoveries later in life. Despite its many strengths, the plot is occasionally labored and the doomed romance between Tea and Zephyr can sometimes cross into clichéd territory.
Prose: Though there's much to savor here, and the work's tense and dramatic action sequences are gratifying. Stars Like Acid doesn't fully deliver in other respects, however. The increasingly brutal denouement clashes with the sweeping romance and evocatively described atmospheres described earlier in the book.
Originality: Stars Like Acid is an emotionally resonant work that carves out an intriguing niche within the genre.
Character/Execution: While aspects of the story may strike readers as overblown, the author establishes fine-tuned worldbuilding. The relationship between Tea and Zephyr, while fraught with a degree of melodrama, offers many touching and tender moments that allow their individual characters and relationships to shine.
Date Submitted: August 22, 2023
“Stars Like Acid is a textured speculative landscape marked by a wholly visceral experience of body and geography, both desolate and abundant. Marissa Lupe invites us to explore the psychic and emotional complexities of climate change, emphasizing the relational feedback loops of violence between the human and nonhuman worlds, reminding us that our fates are inextricably linked. She experiments with anarchies and co-operatives without ever succumbing to the dream of an easy utopia; her humans are, in fact, human – violence, secrecy, and corruption exist under many guises. At its heart, the novel exists as a queering of apocalypse, not only because of the prevalence of queer relationships but because of the novel’s embrace of gray areas and liminal spaces. Lupe has gifted us complicated characters with rich inner lives. While connections between soul mates can be so deep as to be etched in DNA, they exist alongside fear, ambivalence, and profound loss. In the end, the fate of the world rests in relationships, without which humanity is lost.” -Dmitra Gideon, published poet, activist, & professor of creative writing
“In a dystopian future where the government controls every aspect of citizens’ lives, Téa must navigate a world where survival is a constant battle. When offered the chance at what feels like freedom but might cost her everything, she must decide what being free truly means. Where Divergent meets The Handmaid's Tale, this gripping speculative tale asks whether love, like life, can flourish under the direst and darkest circumstances. Marissa Lupe’s Stars Like Acid asks trenchant questions about the choices we make for ourselves and the greater good.”
—Jennifer Givhan, author of Trinity Sight and River Woman, River Demon
"Stars Like Acid is a speculative post-apocalyptic novel that never lets you get too comfortable with the tropes. Every time I thought I saw ‘the twist’ coming, something else would happen to make the story that much more complex. Messages of inclusivity abound, even when ‘utopian’ societies are revealed to be rotten at their hearts." - K.C. Norton, author of Hide the Bones
"This tale of two women is part post-apocalyptic clifi, part superhero origin story, part political thriller––with soulmates, found family, and a ray of light in the dark. Ruthless and uplifting, defiantly hopeful as it breaks your heart." –Lilian Zenzi, author of Spark and Tether
"A sweeping and mesmerizing debut from Marissa Lupe finds two powerful and compelling young women coming together and changing the course of history forever." -Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters
