After Reading: The Stars Fell Sideways by Cassandra Marshall

By: Meradeth Houston on 5:00 AM

Alison Arroway takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. She has to, or she won’t get paid. Alison is a stunt double for pampered teen actress Pomegranate and when the director takes the shoot to Portugal, Alison is anything but thrilled to be rooming with Pom. But getting to hang around teen hearthrob Erik? Now that’s a plus. 

Erik invites both girls on a sunset boat trip and Alison manages to have a decent time. Until the storm hits and the boat is shipwrecked on a small island, leaving Erik missing and the boat captain dead. 

In the morning light, Alison and Pom find themselves on the lost island of Atlantis. Only one problem: now that the girls know the secret of the island, the Atlanteans don’t want them to leave. They're stuck with corsets, full-skirted dresses, and the strange steam-driven contraptions that are just a way of life for the islanders.

When a plot by the ruthless army Captain to take over the island and declare himself General over all emerges, an underground group promises to return the girls to the mainland if they can help stop him. They'll go through a mountain, literally, to find the Book of Blue, a book that will explain how to make ‘the stars fall sideways' in order to save the day and earn their freedom.

I picked up this book not really knowing what to expect. I mean, Atlantis, Steampunk, shipwrecks, movie stars? Sounds like a ton of stuff to mix together! But Marshall pulls it off really well. I really loved Alison and her ability to get out of so many crazy situations. Also, all the funny movie references cracked me up continually. There was plenty of humor in the book, and it was incredibly fast-paced to keep the pages turning. There were a few points where I went "Seriously, that too??" but for the most part it was a really fun, quick read. Definitely a fun one to pick up for the beach!

Have you read this one?