Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

Coulthurst, Audrey. Of Fire and Stars. Balzer + Bray, 2016. 389p. ISBN: 9780062433251. $13.99. HS OT ***

Dennaleia, who prefers Denna, is betrothed to the prince of another land, a land that despises those with magic. Denna must hide her growing fire magic, and the feelings she has growing for her future husband’s sister, Mare. Mare is passionate and fierce and perfectly unsuited to her role as princess. But of course the two pair up to solve an assassination and find more than they bargained for.

This book was a struggle to get through. There were not a lot of basic plot elements, but far too much “extra.” There was a plot, but it was predictable at most turns. There is some value in that the book does include LGBT representation. But overall it was an underwhelming addition to the fantasy genre.

Patricia Zeider, Mountain View Public Library