Of Fire and Stars: A Young Adult Fantasy Romance About Two Princesses, Forbidden Magic, and Choosing Between Duty and a Love That Defies All Odds

What initially drew me to the book was that it was fantasy novel about a romance between two women; what kept me reading was the not only the likability of the two leads and how well they carried the story, but also just how much this book exceeded my expectations. I mean I just flat out adore Mare and Denna. By switching perspectives from chapter to chapter between the two girls the author makes it so that their characters are much more fleshed out and makes it so that it's impossible (at least for me) to not sympathize with their struggles and root for them to find their happy ending. I love rebellious types, and Mare, with her sharp tongue and roguish attitude, instantly became my favorite character. These qualities eventually brought out Denna's rebellious side, and I loved the slow turn from good girl who does what she's told to the woman who would defy all she was taught in order to save a kingdom and the person she loved. I honestly expected this book to be more of a bare - bones, cliché fantasy story and I am happy to report that it isn't that. The author put forth a lot of effort to make this story and its characters as enjoyable as possible. For example, I was convinced I was going to hate Denna's betrothed, Mare's brother, Thandi, but I ended up sympathizing more with him more than I thought I would. Even the main villian, once he was revealed, had clear and understandable motivations for doing the things he did, however wrong his actions were. I also thought the author was going to do some weird love triangle thing between Mare, Denna, and Mare's friend Nils, but she kept Mare's and Nils' relationship purely platonic despite their past romantic involvement. Plus the switching perspectives caught me of guard because I expected the story to be told from one point of view, and I loved that the author decided to tell it from two because, as mentioned, it made the two main characters that much more likable. The author also added in a lot of political drama to make the plot more than just a romance story that added a lot more conflict for the characters to deal with. My favorite thing overall was how well done the romance itself was. It wasn't a love at first sight kind of romance, but one that followed the less classical trope (at least for a fantasy story) of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. It's a slow burn with the two girls not realizing they have fallen for each other until damn near the end of the book. Hell they weren't even really friends until about half way through. And I liked that because it made their eventual romance feel much more organic because they got to know each other before they realized how in love they were. I've always thought that the best romances are the ones where the two characters can stand on their own without relying on the other to be important to the story and this story gives me exactly that. Mare's initial motivations revolve around her desire for freedom and Denna's around her desire to live up to expectations. What brings them together is a shared desire to save a kingdom and its people. I love that the author took the time to make her characters this nuanced instead of making one or both mearly a love interest for another's story. This is both their story and I couldn't be happier with this choice. Also LGBT romances are common in this world so the whole forbidden romance thing is based purely around the fact that Denna is supposed to marry Mare's brother and not the fact that they are both women. A romance being forbidden between two people of the same sex for just homophobia reasons is a queer fiction trope I'm glad the author threw out the window. As a bonus, the story at one point mocks the classic fantasy trope of ridiculously long and elaborate names by shortening Amaranthine's name to Mare (because she hates how long it is) and then acknowledges how silly the nickname itself sounds. It's all very self - aware and came off much more clever than it might have. Honestly just read this book. If you want a well - written fantasy romance between two women, you've found what you're looking for.

I read this book in one sitting unable to stop myself after starting. I love the way the author shifted between both girls points of view with each chapter. The fantasy world painted in the words came alive with incredible amounts of detail in such a short book. I loved watching the relationship bloom from annoyance to love between Denna and Mare and felt very tense with the suspense of how the story would develop. I am so used to seeing tragedy in lgbt stories that to read one with a happy ending is rare and welcome. The story is compelling and the characters each have a unique voice. It really drew me in. I only wish it were longer or had a sequel so I could learn more about Denna’s affinities and more about the rich fantasy world that we only got to see glimpses of. If you like fantasy, magic, romance between two women, and romantic horseback rides as much you like conspiracy theories, murder, and running through every possible emotion during your reading experience then this is the story for you.

Of Fire and Stars was a very interesting book to read. Our heroines Denna and Mare split the Pov's throughout the book and are very distinct characters. Denna is a Princess who is forced to marry Mare's brother in order for their lands to form an alliance. It's a very strenuous alliance, due to the fact that many in Mare's land oppose the union with Denna. It sounds like your typical book of war, love, and betrayal. What sets this book apart are the heroines themselves. They wind up falling in love--- with each other. Before I move forward, here's the synopsis below: An atmospheric and romantic debut fantasy perfect for fans of Ash and The Winner’s Curse. 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 kingdoms. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a land where magic is forbidden. Now Denna has to learn the ways of her new kingdom while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine, 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 work together, they discover there is more to one another than they thought—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. Denna harbors a secret that could get her killed and ruin the already strenuous alliance with the kingdom she's marrying into. She can control fire. Magic is banned in Denna's new world, and those around her would see it as treason if she were to ever reveal her power. Things get more complicated for Denna when she realizes her power is growing, which begins to spiral out of control. Along the way Denna who is the embodiment of courtly life and grace, meets Mare who is the black sheep of her royal family. She is crass, rough around the edges, and has a spitfire tongue. She's also not conventionally pretty. All of this does not stop love from blossoming between the two women. It was refreshing to see two prominent heroines fall in love with each other. It showed a progressiveness that we don't often find in literature, even though we should. I never take gay characters for granted, because I personally identify as gay, and I love to see how the gay perspective is transformed through story telling. I value reading about the struggle of my people and how they can become triumphant. It gives me hope. I will say that the first third of the book was very slow. I'll also admit that I didn't love Denna at first. She seemed very frivolous and completely at the mercy of her emotions. Overtime she grew on me. I think that's in part by her love for Mare. I fell in love with Denna through the eyes of Mare. Mare showed me the qualities I was overseeing in Denna. It was invigorating to have a character's pov change my perspective on another character. I've never had that happen before. The action in the book wasn't in abundance, another small gripe that I had. I often felt like the love between the two women was too much at the forefront, even if it felt more like a timid cat & mouse game for most of the book. On the romance alone and the themes it's promoting, I'm happily looking forward to a sequel. If you love passionate characters, gay lovers, and war & betrayal, you will love this book

Me fascinó, no pude dejar de leer hasta terminarlo. Personajes estilo enemies to lovers, enamorarse de quién se casará con tu hermano, magia, poderes ocultos, mujeres poderosas... De todo! Me enamoré del personaje de Mare y ya pedí el segundo libro. Súper recomendado, calidad buenísima de páginas, portada y encuadernado.

Do you like princesses, forbidden romance, sinister plots, magic and lgbtqa+ ? Then you will probably like this; Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. This is the authors debut novel and it is absolutely wonderful. Starring the Princess Dennaleia of Havemont, a secretly magic wielding, book loving, political genius who is starting her new life in the kingdom of Mynaria as she prepares to marry her intended the Crown Prince Thandilimon a move to strengthen the allegiance between the two kingdoms. There are just one or two problems. The first being an overarching plot that seeks to start a war between another kingdom, using Mynaria’s hatred of magic as its focus, and of course Denna’s own hidden magic is starting to grow in power which threatens to expose her. And then there’s Princess Amaranthine (Mare) who is the Prince’s unladylike, short tempered older sister whom Denna finds she is falling for when she really, really shouldn’t. —- It’s a really good read. The plot twists are somewhat predictable in places but they are still well written. The romance itself doesn’t feel forced, although at times you might be internally screaming at the pair of them for being hopeless about their feelings. The pair bounce really well off each other, going from total strangers to, mostly through sheer persistence on Denna’s part, becoming allies, friends and then much more. The other nice thing about this story is that their romance isn’t a forbidden one because they are both girls but rather because of their political standing. It’s shown throughout the book that there are multiple lgbtqa+ relationships which are accepted. So if you want to read about hopeless lesbian princesses in a fantasy setting with magic and political intrigue then I highly recommend you give this a shot.

This book was a lovely read and I will be purchasing the next one. It's a slow-burn f/f romance with characters that feel real and make you root for them. The writing is beautiful and the story hints at a much broader world. The pool for this genre is small but I think this book floats to the top. 10 points to Gryffindor.

Il s’agit d’un livre que j’ai découvert grâce à Ouidad du blog Book Ouioui. Je ne crois pas qu’elle l’ait lu, mais comme à moi, la couverture l’avait interpellée et elle m’en avait donc parlé. Grâce à l’offre d’Amazon qu’elle m’a communiquée, j’ai pu l’avoir neuf à moins de 5 €, je lui en suis très reconnaissante ! Comme pour ‘As I Descended‘ (que j’ai acheté en même temps) c’est le thème lesbien qui m’a attiré, puis la sublime couverture ! La princesse Dennaleia se rend à Mynaria pour accomplir son devoir et épouser le futur roi, Thandilimon. Ce qu’elle n’avait pas prévu, c’est qu’elle tomberait amoureuse non pas du prince mais de sa soeur, la princesse Amaranthine (Mare). Un autre problème se présente, Denna possède une Affinity, un pouvoir. Malheureusement pour elle, dans ce royaume c’est interdit et elle devra le cacher, encore plus lorsque certains crimes seront commis avec l’aide de la magie. Il s’agit d’un style littéraire que je ne lis pas, ou peu. Cet univers médiéval-fantastique m’a rappelé la célèbre saga ‘Game of Thrones’ ou encore une que j’adore, ‘Kushiel’. Néanmoins, l’histoire n’est pas aussi travaillée et j’ai cru comprendre grâce aux commentaires des autres lecteurs que beaucoup ont été déçus car ‘Of Fire and Stars’ avait un grand potentiel qui est resté inexploité. Je dois être honnête, si vous aimez les guerres, les conflits, les codes de l’époque et tout ce qui englobe le médiéval-fantastique, vous ne serez pas servis avec ce roman. L’auteure s’est permis quelques fantaisies et ne donne pas assez de matière pour les amateurs du genre. Mais pour moi qui était surtout attirée par la romance lesbienne, c’était très bien ! J’ai dévoré le livre car j’ai immédiatement apprécié les personnages. J’ai été de suite charmée par Mare et j’ai aussi été touchée par Dennaleia. C’était une agréable surprise d’être captivée dès les premières pages grâce à ces protagonistes très plaisants. Leur relation est amenée avec beaucoup de douceur et elle était sincèrement belle. Il est vrai que le livre manque un peu de rythme mais en même temps j’ai tellement aimé les héroïnes que je ne m’en suis pas trop soucié. J’ai aimé l’aspect fantastique, l’histoire, le double point de vue (Denna et Mare) et les personnages. Même s’il aurait été intéressant qu’Audrey Coulthurst élabore un peu plus son histoire, j’ai quand même passé un excellent moment avec ‘Of Fire and Stars’ et je le recommande à ceux qui cherchent une jolie romance lesbienne venant d’une autre époque / d’un autre univers.

Ha llegado toda la punta del libro roto.