The Stars Did Wander Darkling

Overall, I loved this book. The climax and resolution could definitely have used some more explanation, but I wasn't dissatisfied at the end. I hope there will be a sequel.

I loved the spooky vibes of this book, it really kept me up at night both because it was so good and because it was kind of eery.I recommend this book for those who can't quite red Stephen King, but still want something scary to read for the Halloween season.

Very satisfyingly in the way 2001 a space odyssey is.

I really loved this book until the end which explains none of the strange goings on, and needlessly ends on what seems like a cliffhanger? I'd hate to think it is the end as it is not satisfying at all and comes out of nowhere. Extremely frustrating after the well told start and middle of the book. I don't mind a tease for a sequel, but I do require a book to be sufficiently self contained to be satisfying when you turn the final page. This one was not satisfying at all. Which was completely unnecessary as the bulk of it was great.

Great book.

I'd give this less than 1 star if I could. This is unoriginal, unimaginative and a compete waste of time that could be spent reading actual *good* books. This should not be compared to Neil Gaiman. Ever.The writing itself is fine, but there are soooooo many problems with this book. Where do I begin?1980s atmospherics. Overdone much? Felt like the author wanted to jump on the legit awesome bandwagon of the very original Stranger Things and tossed in a little Stand By Me. Totally unoriginal.Character development. Or lack thereof. Give us something/someone to CARE about! The author starts down such a path with some of the characters, but only sort of -- or maybe never -- gets there.The BIG, BAD evil. What IS it? Who are the three weird guys? Why are they aging at such a rate? What is the link between them and the BIG BAD evil? What is their purpose? Why is the BB evil located where it is? How does Langdon appear out of nowhere and what does he know about the BB evil? Why should we care? I kept w-a-i-t-i-n-g for story lines to develop into something really cool and interesting, but nope.It's as if the author had a list of semi-developed story ideas, found a beautiful poem he wanted to build something around, mashed it all together and used a line from said poem for the cover, along with "from the NY Times bestselling author of!" to hook unwitting readers into purchasing, then utterly failed to deliver.Honestly -- do not waste your time.

I'm helping a boy with his reading assignments. This is one of the books on his list. I wanted to read ahead and I could barely put it down! A young adult novel with great scary punch!

A small coastal town of Seaham, Oregon is the 1980's setting of this atmospheric middle grade horror plot that has similarities to the hit program “Stranger Things”. Economically depressed, the community is hoping for revitalization via a multimillion dollar project to be built on the headlands. The local environmentalists are not in favor, and there is also a suspicious piece of history that suggests the headlands should not be disturbed due to evil connected to the town's founding.The plot unfolds around four friends, one of whom is psychic, and their slow realization that something very odd is happening. The night is filled with the sound of wood being chopped, random pennies appear on the ground, and the adults have either disappeared, or are acting like “robotons”. Three strangers who recite lines of poetry, have come out of nowhere and are taking notes as if they aren't familiar with the 20th century. There is an old mansion built by the founding family, and then abandoned...sort of. Best of all is the video store owner who is a wealth of knowledge on all things video and whose shop is the local hangout for the friends. With all these elements, this is the perfect book for those who need an eerie dose of mystery. Although I could keep going on about this book, I am stopping with a "highly recommend" and I seriously hope there will be a sequel.

Creepy, a story that pulls you in and vaguely reminded me of Stephen King's It. The four friends are highly relatable kids, doing their best to deal with a situation that's way beyond their reality. And deal they do, save for one of them. The ending is a bit too ambiguous for me, but everything else is great.

I wanted to love this book, but for me it fell flat. I was excited about the 80's vibe, kids riding their bicycles everywhere, creepy strangers, and the lurking evil. But honestly, the story was too weird for me and I LOVE sci-fi. I'm not sure teens will even get the ending of this book. I didn't get the ending, and I've read everything from classics to Stephen King. Perhaps the author meant to keep the ending vague and mysterious, but for me, it felt like being led on a treasure hunt only to find that there is no treasure. I will give the author credit for keeping the book mostly age appropriate, but if it bothers you to have God, Jesus, and Christ used as a substitute for curse words, then you will probably want to pass.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It was an engaging story and I listened to it in only two sittings. The main cast of characters were so fun, and I found myself really enjoying the stranger-things sort of unsupervised children vibe of the book.My one critique is that I would have liked a more involved epilogue and a bit more of a tidy ending--but that is very much indicative of my personal tastes and not a reflection of Colin's storytelling chops. Maybe we'll get a sequel to find out more of what happens? :)Great job to Colin and Carson, cant wait to read more of their work!

I, an adult in my late 30’s, felt engaged throughout and look forward to reading it again. I enjoyed the nostalgia of the small town and video store, a community in a time before cell phones. I do question the age of the target audience (8-12?), as some of the content seems a bit much for someone younger than junior high age. I had to take frequent breaks when my imagination started to get carried away! Great story.

This book is fantastic. I am not of middle-grade age but will be buying a copy for the kiddos in my life. The story was enthralling, the characters and landscape engaging, and his writing style is truly delightful. I haven't been this captivated by a book in a long time. For the adult readers, you'll enjoy the bits of nostalgia throughout the book.