More like 3.5 stars. The writer is no doubt,talented, penning a story which brings words to life. Its a long book (with over 400+ pages) with a time line flipping back and forth between past, present and current. For me, this made it challenging to follow, especially at the start. With short chapters, a vast array of characters narrating each one, I spent extra time re-reading and sorting out what all was going on. My favorite part of the book was the plot line surrounding the curse and the blue diamond. What took away from the book was the lack of cohesion at the wrap up. The characters stories were too loosely tied for me. I needed more story line and less descriptive writing, I think.