Starlight, Shadows and Tears

Life Underground: Love, Loss and the Long Road Home

Fiction - Dystopia
335 Pages
Reviewed on 01/27/2024
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Climate change and global warming really hit home for me in 2012, with Hurricane Sandy. I live 4 miles from NYC, which was devastated by this powerful storm. It made me wonder: what if it had been worse? What if people had sheltered in the extensive subway system, underground and away from the storm, only to find the next day that most of the City was destroyed, the survivors washed out to sea?

"That would make a great short story," I thought to myself, as I began to write.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite

A few years after his father’s demise, Malcolm Stewart had become a detective in the underground colony of New York, a settlement of survivors established three hundred years ago since the apocalyptic Hurricane Yolanda in 2085 AD. His late father being among the richest people in the colony, Malcolm had inherited a lot of wealth. He had also married his high school sweetheart Naztazya, with whom he had a son, Zach, and his wife was expecting twins. Life seemed to be great until all hell broke loose. First, Naztazya gets caught up in a fire incident, leaving their son Zach to Malcolm. Then comes his newest foe who uses Malcolm’s past to stop an important job promotion at the police department. Before Malcolm knows it, he is quickly drowning in alcoholism. He finds himself hurting the people he loves the most and pushing them away. Will Malcolm be able to change before it’s too late? Find out in Susan Greenberg Feltman’s Starlight, Shadows and Tears.

Susan Greenberg Feltman once again weaves an enthralling read in Starlight, Shadows and Tears, the second installment in the Starlight and Shadows trilogy. The dynamic cast and the vivid depictions breathe life into the plot. It felt like I was right there next to every character, helplessly watching the scenes unfold. The subtle tone of the storyline, accompanied by the drama, adventure, and thrills, had me flipping through page after page. By juxtaposing the cast’s complex traits and bringing out their emotions, the author strengthens the story’s grip on reality. Malcolm had grown up in the care of an abusive, workaholic, and alcoholic father. While Malcolm resented and loathed his father, it was interesting that he was slowly turning into him and only giving weight to his worst fears -- that his father still had a hold over Malcolm's life even after his death. Starlight, Shadows, and Tears is a stand-alone book and will appeal to lovers of dystopian, sci-fi and mystery novels.

Amy's Bookshelf Reviews

"This is a very powerful read, and even though it is the future, it brings out the humanity in people, and their struggle for survival, and the everyday things, like spending time with your family, and escaping to work, because it's more peaceful than at home ... A reader can get lost in the story. Both thrilling and intriguing, all the way to the end. A definite attention grabber, so much I couldn't put it down. Starlight, Shadows and Tears is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews." - Amy's Bookshelf Reviews