The Stars That Govern Us by JR Alcyone is a heart wrenching but beautiful read set in 1956 Western Australia. Alec Serafeim is a congenital heart surgeon who suffers from manic depression. His pediatric patients mean the world to him but are often the reason why he’s distressed. Despite being one of the best heart surgeons of his time, Alec struggles with the fact that he can’t save all his patients. We follow Alec and his surgical partner Pete as they cope with the heartbreaking world around them.

Now, let me tell you why JR Alcyone is a future bestseller! There are so many things I can say about Alcyone’s writing, but let’s first discuss her scene-setting abilities! Alcyone can set a scene flawlessly. Her attention to small details, including surroundings and mannerisms, is what sets this novel apart. Most modern novelists skip over these details, considering them to be fluff. But Alcyone was able to apply just the right amount of detail to help immerse her reader into the scenes. There only two gripes I have with Alcyone’s writing, and one of them is monotony. The beginning of the story felt slow-paced. I felt that it could have been remedied with some editing. Her ability to pack in detail is fantastic, but it can often drone on about one topic. My second gripe is with distinguishing voices. It took me almost a third of the way through to distinguish Alec’s and Pete’s voices. It was not until I learned certain character traits about each of them that I was able to tell the difference. Once Alcyone started adding the character traits, her writing began to soar!

I praise Alcyone for how gracefully she handled the subject of mental illness. She showed how even the most productive and praise-worthy individuals can suffer from mental health problems. The discussion of manic depression and anxiety is partly what made this novel for me!

Author J.R. Alcyone has the foundations to become something extraordinary. The Stars That Govern Us is a must-read for all historical fiction lovers. Fans of medical fiction and dramatic story telling will find plenty to love in J.R. Alcyone’s riveting novel.

Pages: 279 | ASIN:  B08P5KJ9TZ