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olivialandryxo 's review for:
Of Fire and Stars
by Audrey Coulthurst
What a spectacular book to end the month with. I never expected this to be a new favorite, but it surprised me and became one anyway.
At this point in time I can't think of anything I disliked about the book, so I'll just make a list of reasons why you should read it if you haven't. (Other than "because I said so," which is still perfectly valid haha.)
» It's a stand-alone fantasy. That never happens and we should appreciate it now that is has. I love the wild ride of a fantasy story without the tortuous wait between books and commitment to a series. Currently 50% content with it being a stand-alone and 50% wanting a sequel about Denna and Mare doing ANYTHING.
» An adorable, slow-burn, girl-girl romance. It's a bit of a hate-to-love story also, but not entirely. It's more of a "this girl was shoved into my life and I don't like it but hey she's kind of adorable and what are these feelings" story. Yes, that's a thing. Regardless of what we call it, they're adorable and my new OTP and tied with Mnemba and Kara (Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember, also a must-read) for my #1 lesbian couple.
» Denna was a clever princess prepared to do what she must for her kingdom. Mare was a defiant princess that preferred riding and training horses to being a princess. Together they were just perfect. Oh, and the side characters were great too. I loved Ellaeni and Nils.
» Mixed in with the romance is an assassination mystery plot along with some magic and it was brilliant. There was a red herring that I totally fell for and the reveal hurt. It honestly hurt. Did I mention this book gives you feelings??
» I loved the magic system. There are six gods, and with each god there's a certain magic Affinity. There are people that support magic and people against it, and though that specifically is nothing new I thought it was executed well here.
Overall I absolutely adored this book. I would love a sequel, even though the ending tied things up and left me satisfied in a warm fuzzy way. If you haven't read this, please do it for me. You won't regret it. *heart eyes*
At this point in time I can't think of anything I disliked about the book, so I'll just make a list of reasons why you should read it if you haven't. (Other than "because I said so," which is still perfectly valid haha.)
» It's a stand-alone fantasy. That never happens and we should appreciate it now that is has. I love the wild ride of a fantasy story without the tortuous wait between books and commitment to a series. Currently 50% content with it being a stand-alone and 50% wanting a sequel about Denna and Mare doing ANYTHING.
» An adorable, slow-burn, girl-girl romance. It's a bit of a hate-to-love story also, but not entirely. It's more of a "this girl was shoved into my life and I don't like it but hey she's kind of adorable and what are these feelings" story. Yes, that's a thing. Regardless of what we call it, they're adorable and my new OTP and tied with Mnemba and Kara (Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember, also a must-read) for my #1 lesbian couple.
» Denna was a clever princess prepared to do what she must for her kingdom. Mare was a defiant princess that preferred riding and training horses to being a princess. Together they were just perfect. Oh, and the side characters were great too. I loved Ellaeni and Nils.
» Mixed in with the romance is an assassination mystery plot along with some magic and it was brilliant. There was a red herring that I totally fell for and the reveal hurt. It honestly hurt. Did I mention this book gives you feelings??
» I loved the magic system. There are six gods, and with each god there's a certain magic Affinity. There are people that support magic and people against it, and though that specifically is nothing new I thought it was executed well here.
Overall I absolutely adored this book. I would love a sequel, even though the ending tied things up and left me satisfied in a warm fuzzy way. If you haven't read this, please do it for me. You won't regret it. *heart eyes*