Many thanks to NB Publishers for sending me a review copy!

• SPOILER ALERT * SPOILER ALERT * SPOILER ALERT *

"Why should you read this? Sing down the Stars is a glorious mash-up of everything that I love about Star Wars and Anne McCaffrey. That is all." - Nerine Dorman

The winners of last year's Sanlam Prize For Youth Literature in English are both writers within an author's group, that all help each other produce their books, called Skolion; Sing Down The Stars by Nerine Dorman won Gold and The Music Box by Toby Bennett won Silver.

I have had the pleasure of working with a few of these awesome people from Skolionand I got to read some of their amazing books; some I bought and some were sent to me for review.

Have a look at these reviews:

Received in sub boxes:
Beastkeeper by Cat Helisen
Of Magic And Memory by Cristy Zinn
For review:
A Study Of Ash And Smoke by Yolandi Horak
Keyflame by Tallulah Lucy, review coming soon, which will be released 6 March 2020
The Music Box by Toby Bennett is on my TBR.

I also did an Author Profile for Cristy Zinn, so please click here if you want to check it out.

Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature

Since its inception in 1980, the prestigious Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature has consistently rewarded work of outstanding quality, becoming a trusted brand among both the general book-buying public and the educational sector.

Prizes worth R90 000 are up for grabs and prize-winning authors will get their books published by Tafelberg Publishers, catapulting their writing career to the next level.

Anyway, let's move on; before this review becomes a fluff piece on Skolion...

I had the pleasure of meeting Nerine in person at their book signing event last year and she is such a lovely person, and after having a nice little chat with her and Toby, too, I was even more excited to read her book.

This SciFi adventure follows the story of twelve-year-old Nuri, an orphan from the slums performing petty crimes for a crimelord in order to survive, as she is swept up by her destiny.

If you've ever spent any time imagining what it would be like to live in space, Nerine's beautifully written world will capture your imagination and bring a sparkle to your eyes. I have to admit that I was so confused throughout the first chapter, but luckily everything was made clear in the next few chapters; from then on, her words swept me away to an alien integrated society amidst star-faring space ships, robots galore and a super being that is almost godlike in stature.

Nuri soon realizes that having no knowledge of who she is or where she came from, she is nothing like anyone else living on Terra; not human, J'Veth, Heran or Mahai-kin - is she all alone in the universe? Who is she?

Nerine has done a masterful job tackling all sorts of highly relevant youth-related themes that we all have to face, the main theme being the age-old question of home and family and a sense of belonging. Even though it's a "racially" integrated world, Nuri also has to learn who to trust, deal with bullies, get an education and face death.

Sending out some heavy Firefly vibes, Sing Down The Stars will transport you away from this world and into star-jumper territory. This is a book that is fantastic for the youth of all ages!

This is an excellent read and I can see why it won the gold prize! Highly recommended; for you, your children, your grandchildren, to anyone of any age.

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