Review: Of Fire and Stars
Read: 1/5/18-1/7/18
Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with an LBGTQ+ protagonist
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Goodreads summary:
Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.
Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine—called Mare—the sister of her betrothed.
When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two become closer, Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. And soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.
But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.
My thoughts:
This was a wonderful YA with a trifecta of amazingness: Magic, love, and a
strong, intelligent female lead. It's like Mercedes Lackey and Tamora Pierce had a baby. I greatly enjoyed reading this by my fire.
I think the world building lacked a little bit. You were kind of thrown into a political mess with little backstory. The histories were referenced enough that you sort of had an idea as to what was going on, but some more detail would have been nice.
I really liked how there was no gay taboo. It was just accepted that men and woman could be with the same sex if they chose. Like, two men dancing were mentioned in the beginning, with the same relaxed tone as commenting on any of the dancers.And Mare felt wrong because she was falling in love with her brother betrothed, not because she was falling in love with another woman.
I’m very sad that the next book in the series isn't out (or has a release date yet). I’m excitedly looking forward to the next installment.