Of Fire and Stars

Of Fire and Stars is by debut author Audrey Coulthurst.

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.

The Breakdown:
1.  I was excited about the concept for this book. Fantasy, yes, forbidden lesbian romance, yes, the execution of all it, a little bit of a fail.  I felt like that Coulthurst really dropped the ball on her world building.  There was so much potential for this world, but she really did not explore it well. The biggest thing that bothered me about the whole thing was why dies Mynaria hate magic users.  It was just given that magic was evil there with no explanation as to why it was.  It made me a little crazy.

2. I did like the romance between Denna and Mare. That part of the book was well done.  It started to a slow grudging friendship that turns into love.  It was one of the more believable romances that I have read.

3.  Denna and Mare where excellent compliments for each other, Denna with her book smarts and secrets.  Mare with her strength and street smarts.  Their strengths and weakness play off each other very well.

4.  I was disappointed with the development of the supporting characters. While Coulthurst did a great job developing Denna and Mare, her supporting characters really fell to the wayside.  Many of them had so much potential that was just never fleshed out.

5. The ending, while tying up everything in this book, did leaving me feeling a little unfulfilled.  It feels like there could be more to the story, but no word if this a stand alone or the start of a series.

To Read or Not to Read:
Take it or Leave it