Review: Cinnamon (Shooting Stars 1)

Now, some of you may be wondering why I have so many V.C Andrews Books on here.  While yes, she is my favourite (at least, the classics are – they are written by a ghostwriter since Virginia died in the 80’s) I am one of the admins for two Facebook fan groups called V.C Andrews’ Dolls and Tatterton Cottage: VCA Misfits so when we do our book discussions or our “character of the month” feature, I reread the book and/or series as a refresher.

and I cannot read a book without reviewing it.So that is why they seem so random and out of the blue. 

If you’re interested in the stories, I always suggest starting from the beginning with Flowers in the Attic. A complete list of the books can be found on completevca.com/library. 

but I digress…


V.C Andrews
Cinnamon
Shooting Stars Book 1

Cinnamon Carlson wants to be an actress. She has the look, she has the talent. She doesn’t have the popularity … and that gets her into some trouble. 

With her best friend always ready to be her partner in crime, Cinnamon is really just trying to survive her home life. Her grandmother is a tyrant, her father is never around anymore, and her poor mother is now sent to a clinic from the result of a slight mental breakdown. 

With Cinnamon trying to be the adult in the house, she still manages to make the lead in the school play. While most of the school is happy for her, her competition is out to get some revenge on her. Cinnamon must try and remember that while life is a like a stage, it is important to keep reality and fantasy separate. 

I barely remembered this story.  I especially did not recall how strange the characters were; the father’s secrets, the grandmothers tyrant ways, even Cinnamon description of pale skin and wearing white lipstick had me questioning what the author was thinking. 

As a novella, it was difficult to go into any deep story-line. The main goal for these mini-series (Shooting Stars, Wildflowers, Orphans and Broken Wings) is to set up briefly how each girl’s life is before they come together. For this particular series, it is at a prestigious performing arts school. Overall, Cinnamon story is an intriguing one. There is conflict, emotions running high, drama both on stage and off and an overall happy ending. What more could you ask for? 



*To read more about Cinnamon and what happens to her, check out the rest of the Shooting Stars novellas, and the dramatic conclusion Falling Stars by V.C Andrews