Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
nWORK TITLE: Of Fire and Stars
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://audreycoulthurst.com/
CITY: Santa Monica
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.npr.org/2016/11/23/502599646/sweetly-familiar-fantasy-with-a-twist-in-of-fire-and-stars
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2016153641
Descriptive conventions:
rda
Personal name heading:
Coulthurst, Audrey
Associated place: Santa Monica (Calif.)
Field of activity: Young adult fiction
Profession or occupation:
Authors
Found in: Coulthurst, Audrey. Of fire and stars, c2016 : t.p. (Audrey
Coulthurst) jacket flap (Audrey Coulthurst writes YA
books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing
the wrong people. She lives in Santa Monica California)
Associated language:
eng
================================================================================
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540
Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov
PERSONAL
Married.
EDUCATION:Portland State University, master’s degree in writing.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Novelist.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
AWARDS:Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow, 2013.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
“Audrey Coulthurst,” stated the contributor of a short biographical blurb to the author’s eponymous Web site, the Audrey Coulthurst Home Page, “writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people.” Her debut novel is Of Fire and Stars, a tale that begins like a traditional fantasy but features a princess who develops an interest in her betrothed’s sister rather than in the man she was destined to marry. “My inspiration for Of Fire and Stars,” Coulthurst said in an interview appearing in Chasing Faery Tales, “came from writing the book I had always wanted to read. I was a big fantasy reader as a teen, but it wasn’t until adulthood that I came across a fantasy book with a female protagonist who fell in love with another girl. I had always wanted to write an unconventional princess story, probably because Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede was the book that got me into fantasy as a kid. So … I stopped to think about what a dearth of fantasy books there were featuring LGBTQIA+ protagonists.”
Of Fire and Stars begins with a young princess setting off to a new life with a husband-to-be. “Princess Denna,” short for Dennaleia, explained a contributor to Sweet Sixteens, “has spent most of her life preparing to marry the prince of a neighboring kingdom and to one day become queen.” “Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria,” stated a reviewer for It Starts at Midnight, “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,” declared a Book Hookup reviewer, “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 (called Mare), sister of her betrothed.” “When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling,” said a Kissin’ Blue Karen reviewer, “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.”
In general, critics enjoyed Of Fire and Stars for its depiction of the kingdom of Mynaria. “The world of Of Fire and Stars was pretty awesome. I loved the idea of gods being originally based off mages, and I always love fantasies with magic use in them,” wrote a contributor to Delicate Eternity. “I also really liked how Mynaria loved horses. But … I wanted to know why Mynaria loved horses so much, and why they were so important to their culture. I wanted to know why the mages had gone from revered to hated over time.” “The central mystery is intriguing, Coulthurst’s world building is excellent,” enthused a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “and the book’s explosive conclusion … thrills and satisfies.” “I enjoyed this book a lot,” declared an Anne Nelson’s RCL Web log reviewer. “The characters were strong and interesting, [and] the magic system, although not fully explored due to its illegal status causing most of the information on it in Mynaria to be destroyed, was fascinating.”
The other aspect of Of Fire and Stars that reviewers mentioned was its presentation of a lesbian couple as its protagonists. “Same-sex love is neither forbidden nor controversial in Mynaria,” said School Library Journal reviewer Patricia Feriano, “so the novel’s theme does not center on LGBTQ issues. It is simply a love story … about two women.” “This is not a typical princess tale,” asserted Donna Phillips in Voice of Youth Advocates; “this is a slow-burn love story about two unique, brave, and endearing young women.” “I liked the romance,” explained a contributor to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, “especially the way Denna imparts some common sense to Mare and Mare wakes up Denna’s rebellious side.” “That is what made me catch my breath as I read this book,” stated Caitlyn Paxson in a review for the NPR Web site: “In so much fantasy world building, authors fall back on existing prejudices rather than creating ones unique to their creations. This book is bold enough to create a world that moves beyond the prejudices we are still fighting in our real world.” “This book warmed my heart,” said a Lesbrary reviewer. “It’s not that this is fluffy or doesn’t have conflict, but it makes me unspeakably happy to know this story is out there for queer girls.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, September 26, 2016, review of Of Fire and Stars, p. 95; December 2, 2016, review of Of Fire and Stars, p. 110.
School Library Journal, October, 2016, Patricia Feriano, review of Of Fire and Stars, p. 108.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2016, Donna Phillips, review of Of Fire and Stars, p. 70.
ONLINE
Anne Nelson’s RCL Web log, https://sites.psu.edu/ (February 2, 2017), review of Of Fire and Stars.
Audrey Coulthurst Home Page, http://audreycoulthurst.com (July 20, 2017), author profile.
Book Geek, http://thebookgeek.co.uk/ (November 18, 2016), review of Of Fire and Stars.
Book Hookup, https://thebookhookup.com/ (November 21, 2016), review of Of Fire and Stars.
BookPage Online, https://bookpage.com/ (November 22, 2016), Sarah Weber, review of Of Fire and Stars.
Chasing Faery Tales, http://chasingfaerytales.blogspot.com/ (June 25, 2016), “A Chat with Audrey Coulthurst.”
Curtis Brown, https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/ (July 20, 2017), author profile.
Delicate Eternity, https://delicateeternity.com/ (November 22, 2016), review of Of Fire and Stars.
Gone with the Words, http://www.gonewiththewords.com/ (November 14, 2016), review of Of Fire and Stars.
It Starts at Midnight, https://itstartsatmidnight.com/ (November 18, 2016), review of Of Fire and Stars.
Kissin’ Blue Karen, http://kissinbluekaren.com/ (November 30, 2016), review of Of Fire and Stars.
Lesbrary, http://lesbrary.com/ (November 22, 2016), Danika Ellis, review of Of Fire and Stars.
NPR Web site, http://www.npr.org/ (November 23, 2016), Caitlyn Paxson, “Sweetly Familiar Fantasy with a Twist in `Of Fire and Stars.’”
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/ (January 27, 2017), review of Of Fire and Stars.
Sweet Sixteens, https://thesweetsixteens.wordpress.com/ (May 23, 2016), “Meet the Author: Audrey Coulthurst.”*
Jun 25, 2016
A Chat with Audrey Coulthurst || Pride Month 2016
Hi guys!
Today, for our pride month special post, we have the author of one of the most awaited and exciting upcoming releases of 2016, a LGBT YA about royalty, magic, horses and forbidden romance - Of Fire and Stars! Let's welcome Audrey Coulthurst, and today she's being interviewed by yours truly!
Mish : Tell me 5 random facts about yourself!
Audrey :
I started saving money in a change jar to buy a horse when I was six years old and finally bought my first horse—a psychotic barely-trained Morgan gelding—when I turned 11.
I judged classic Jaguar car shows as a teenager, and at the time I was the youngest judge ever recognized by Jaguar Clubs of North America (JCNA).
After my first year of college, I spent a summer working as a ranch hand in Montana.
My Siamese cat and I have entire conversations that consist of us yowling at each other until my wife tells us both to shut up.
Although I’m a writer now, my undergraduate degree is in music history, and I am a total fanatic about women composers of classical music.
Mish : What does diversity in books mean to you? Why do you think there should be more diversity in books?
Audrey : What I’d love to see is more thought put into how closely the books we read reflect the world we live in and whether every person has the chance to be the hero of his, her, or their story. I spent a long time not seeing myself (a non-straight woman) as the protagonist of the stories I loved most (fantasy books). I hope that all readers will someday be able to find stories that show them they can be the heroes of their own stories no matter their race, gender identity, sexuality, or (dis)ability.
Mish : Can you share with us your top 5 LGBTQIA+ reads?
Audrey : Oh, this is a great question! Readers interested in stories featuring LGBTQIA+ identities should definitely check out the website lgbtqreads.com. It’s a great resource to find books with protagonists that represent all the colors of the LGBTQIA+ rainbow across lots of genres. To narrow it down for today, I’ll recommend a few wonderful 2016 releases featuring female protagonists who like girls:
Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace (YA Horror—January 2016)
The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (YA sci-fi—February 2016)
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown (YA contemporary—August 2016)
As I Descended by Robin Talley (YA Contemporary/Retelling—September 2016)
Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard (YA Contemporary—September 2016)
Mish : What inspired you to write Of Fire and Stars?
Audrey : My inspiration for Of Fire and Stars came from writing the book I had always wanted to read. I was a big fantasy reader as a teen, but it wasn’t until adulthood that I came across a fantasy book with a female protagonist who fell in love with another girl. I had always wanted to write an unconventional princess story, probably because Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede was the book that got me into fantasy as a kid. So once I stopped to think about what a dearth of fantasy books there were featuring LGBTQIA+ protagonists and how much it would have meant to me to have one as a teen, I knew I needed to write one.
Mish : Does the fact that you're part of the LGBT community influence your writing or characters?
Audrey : It does, mostly in the sense that I think a lot about the casts of characters in my books and who I am choosing to represent. I would be doing a disservice to the LGBTQIA+ community to try to be a voice for all of those identities, but being aware and inclusive might help make space for future stories from other writers who might not see themselves represented enough in fiction.
Mish : What's your favourite part of being a writer?
Audrey : Without question, the best part of being a writer is other people in the book community. Walking into a room of book lovers always feels like walking into a room full of friends. I love hearing what books other people are excited about—there is so much passion among readers.
Mish : What has been the easiest and the most challenging part of writing Of Fire and Stars?
Audrey : Writing the scenes involving horses was the easiest part of creating Of Fire and Stars. I enjoyed developing a kingdom and society that largely revolved around horses and horsemanship, and it was fun to put my years of riding to good use on the page. The most challenging part of writing the book was figuring out all of the history behind the politics, religion, and magic in the Northern Kingdoms. Fortunately, I have some very smart friends and critique partners who were a huge help!
Mish : LGBTQIA in YA fantasy is really rare. What would you like to say about this?
Audrey : The only thing I have to say about this is that I can’t wait to see more! Even though it’s unfortunate that right now there are not a lot of LGBTQIA+ stories in YA fantasy, that means the possibilities are infinite. I can’t wait to see what writers develop to fill these gaps in the market, and I could not be more excited to immerse myself in the worlds they create from the unique perspectives they have to offer.
Mish : What advice would you give to teens who are coming to terms with their sexuality or struggling with the discovery?
Audrey : For those who are still struggling, mostly I want to tell them to hang in there. What they’re going through is very hard and might have some serious low points. But it will have some high points too. Do what you need to do to remain safe. It might take time, distance, or work to find your tribe—the group of people who love you for exactly who you are and help you become a better person—but it is absolutely worth it, I promise.
Mish : What are you working on right now? Any future projects you're allowed to share?
Right now I’m working on the companion to Of Fire and Stars. All I can say about it right now is that it has a different cast of characters and involves a lot more magic and murder. *smiles innocently*
Thanks for chatting with us, Audrey!
Have you all checked out Audrey's debut Of Fire And Stars??? I personally am beyond excited for the book, and can't wait to start reading it!
Title : Of Fire and Stars
Author : Audrey Coulthurst
Release Date : November 22nd 2016
Publisher : Balzer + Bray
Synopsis :
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 before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), 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, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. 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.
Doesn't the book sound amazing??? *flails*
I got a chance to meet Audrey at BEA this year, and she was so sweet! It was so great to be able to chat with her, and I am so excited to be featuring her on the blog!
Here's Audrey and me at BEA! :D
About the Author
Audrey Coulthurst writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people. Her debut novel, OF FIRE AND STARS, will be published by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins on November 22, 2016.
When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can usually be found painting, singing, or on the back of a horse. Audrey has a Master’s in Writing from Portland State University, is a member of SCBWI, and studied with Malinda Lo as a 2013 Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow. She lives in Santa Monica, California.
Find out more about Audrey and her books at audreycoulthurst.com or follow her on Twitter at @audwrites.
Audrey Coulthurst writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people. Her debut novel, OF FIRE AND STARS, was published on November 22, 2016 by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can usually be found painting, singing, or on the back of a horse.
Audrey has a Master’s in Writing from Portland State University, is a member of SCBWI, and studied with Malinda Lo as a 2013 Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow. She lives in Santa Monica, California.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Will there be a sequel to Of Fire and Stars?
A: The short answer is that I don’t know. The long answer is that it likely depends on how well Of Fire and Stars sells. You can help (for free!) by leaving a nice review on Amazon, B&N, or another book retail website; asking your local library to order the book; or recommending it to your friends.
Q: What other books do you have coming out in the future?
A: Currently I have two books slated for 2018.
Inkmistress (Winter 2018) is a YA fantasy set 200 years before Of Fire and Stars. Asra, a demigod who can change the the future by writing in her blood, but only at the cost of her youth. When Asra accidentally kills everyone in her village trying to change the future, she must go on a quest of redemption to rewrite the past and stop the girl she once loved from murdering the king.
The other book is a YA contemporary co-authored with the fabulous Paula Garner called Starworld (Fall 2018). The novel follows two very different high school girls with painful home lives who fall into an intense text-message-based friendship built around an imaginary world, until their real lives unravel and one falls in love with the other.
Q: Will you read or critique my short story/novel/fanfiction/essay?
A: Alas, I can’t. I work a full-time job in addition to being an author, which means my free time is extremely limited and it is important to me to spend time with my friends and family. I highly recommend taking advantage of some of the critique partner matching services out there, or perhaps getting involved with a local writing group or organization. SCBWI or RWA are both great and have chapters in many locations. If being social online is more your scene, check out AbsoluteWrite or AgentQueryConnect.
Q: I can’t get your book in my country. When will it be translated/available?
A: Unfortunately, translations and foreign sales are not something I have any control over. However, Book Depository ships for free internationally, and is a great place to order a copy if you want one in English. Of Fire and Stars will be released in 2018 in German by cbt Verlag as Feuerhimmel, Sternennacht.
Q: Will you send me a free copy of your book in exchange for a review?
A: Prior to a book’s publication date, I will generally have some Advance Reader Copies that I am happy to distribute to bloggers/booktubers/bookstagrammers/reviewers. The book will also probably be available on Edelweiss where you can request an e-ARC. Once a book is past its publication date, I no longer have any copies to give away.
Meet the Author: Audrey Coulthurst
Posted in Fantasy, Meet the Author, Young Adult Authors by victoriajcoe
Audrey CoulthurstAudrey Coulthurst writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can usually be found painting, singing, or on the back of a horse. Audrey has a Master’s in Writing from Portland State University, is a member of SCBWI, and studied with Malinda Lo as a 2013 Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow. She lives in Santa Monica, California.
Audrey’s debut novel, OF FIRE AND STARS (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, November 22, 2016), is a Young Adult fantasy. Princess Denna has spent most of her life preparing to marry the prince of a neighboring kingdom and to one day become queen. But as her forbidden magical gift for fire becomes harder to hide and she starts to fall in love with her fiancé’s rogueish sister, Mare, she has to choose between her duty, her power, and her heart.
Fun facts:
Favorite book growing up: She loved too many books to pick just one, but BY THE SWORD by Mercedes Lackey was a huge influence on her as a writer.
Favorite time of day/place to write: Writing either early in the morning or very late at night after everyone else is asleep seems to work best for her.
Book currently reading/most recently read: SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli.
Favorite things to do (other than reading): Horseback riding, singing, and trying new restaurants and foods.
Favorite sports teams: Her apathy regarding sportsball is legendary.
Surprising personal fact: She judged her first car show at age 14.
Greatest thing about being a 2016 debut author: Making lots of new friends whose books she can’t wait to read.
Biography
Audrey Coulthurst writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people. Her debut novel, Of Fire And Stars, will be published by Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins. When she's not dreaming up new stories, she can usually be found painting, singing, or on the back of a horse.
Audrey has a Master's in Writing from Portland State University, is a member of SCBWI, and studied with Malinda Lo as a 2013 Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow. She lives in Santa Monica, California
Of Fire and Stars
263.49 (Dec. 2, 2016): p110.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Of Fire and Stars
Audrey Coulthurst.
HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99
ISBN 978-0-06-243325-1
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
At the start of Coulthurst's spectacular debut, seven-year-old Princess Dennaleia of Havemont discovers that she has a magical "Affinity" for fire. Unfortunately, she is already betrothed to Prince Thandilimon of Mynaria, a kingdom where the practice of magic is considered heresy. Dennaleia's mother swears that if she ignores her gift, it will fade, but the opposite proves true; when 16-year-old Dennaleia arrives in Mynaria to start her new life, she nearly 'starts a conflagration. While hiding her ability, Dennaleia must also find a way to work with the prince's prickly and rebellious older sister, Amaranthine, to dissuade Mynaria's king from waging an unjustified war. But Dennaleia is faced with difficult choices about her future after something other than friendship unexpectedly develops between the two princesses. Dennaleia and Amaranthine's narratives combine to create a powerful and exquisite love story that also provides incisive political commentary and cautions against zealotry, vengeance, and intolerance. The central mystery is intriguing, Coulthurst's worldbuilding is excellent, and the book's explosive conclusion both thrills and satisfies. Ages 13-up.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Of Fire and Stars." Publishers Weekly, 2 Dec. 2016, p. 110. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA475224729&it=r&asid=fdb81188921f6c128ef3b4fb258d76ab. Accessed 12 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A475224729
Coulthurst, Audrey. Of Fire and Stars
Donna Phillips
39.5 (Dec. 2016): p70.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
4Q * 4P * J * S
Coulthurst, Audrey. Of Fire and Stars. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2016. 400p. $17.99. 978-0-06-243325-1.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
This debut novel tells the story of two princesses who defy stereotypes. Denna appears all fluff on the surface, ready to be married to a prince in another kingdom, but her magical gifts and keen thinking defy convention. Mare, like her name, is all about horses. While each princess seems destined to wed her own prince, as Mare teaches Denna the skills she needs to ride a horse, the two become devoted to each other. Reason and romance are at war in their kingdom, where Denna must hide her fire magic from a power structure that persecutes those who possess magic. As their love for each other gently develops, the girls find themselves accused in two murders, including that of the king. In a disturbingly familiar trend, those who challenge authority become the scapegoats, and the results of their persecution are bad for everyone.
The point of view alternates between the two young women, and as they fall in love and become more like one another, readers may occasionally find themselves looking back to check the name of the current speaker: is it Denna or is it Mare? The themes are familiar--good vs. evil, logic vs. emotion, duty vs. desire--as is the political intrigue. The love story and the two main characters are engaging and refreshing. This is not a typical princess tale; this is a slow-burn love story about two unique, brave, and endearing young women.--Donna Phillips.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Phillips, Donna. "Coulthurst, Audrey. Of Fire and Stars." Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec. 2016, p. 70. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA474767973&it=r&asid=36bb7cc58dc1962f60e80ea2b630e17a. Accessed 12 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A474767973
Of Fire and Stars
263.39 (Sept. 26, 2016): p95.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
* Of Fire and Stars
Audrey Coulthurst. Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-06-243325-1
At the start of Coulthurst's spectacular debut, seven-year-old Princess Dennaleia of Havemont discovers that she has a magical "Affinity" for fire. Unfortunately, she is already betrothed to Prince Thandilimon of Mynaria, a kingdom where the practice of magic is considered heresy. Dennaleia's mother swears that if she ignores her gift, it will fade, but the opposite proves true; when a 16-year-old Dennaleia arrives in Mynaria to start her new life, she nearly starts a conflagration. While hiding her ability, Dennaleia must also find a way to work with the prince's prickly and rebellious older sister, Amaranthine, to dissuade Mynaria's king from waging an unjustified war. But Dennaleia is faced with difficult choices about her future after something other than friendship unexpectedly develops between the two princesses. Dennaleia and Amaranthine's narratives combine to create a powerful and exquisite love story that also provides incisive political commentary and cautions against zealotry, vengeance, and intolerance. The central mystery is intriguing, Coulthurst's worldbuilding is excellent, and the book's explosive conclusion both thrills and satisfies. Ages 13-up. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Of Fire and Stars." Publishers Weekly, 26 Sept. 2016, p. 95. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA465558318&it=r&asid=6c5da918ef8fa6ef0d374f151e77cf06. Accessed 12 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A465558318
Coulthurst, Audrey. Of Fire and Stars
Patricia Feriano
62.10 (Oct. 2016): p108.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
COULTHURST, Audrey. Of Fire and Stars. 400p. ebook available. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. Nov. 2016. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062433251.
Gr 8 Up--In this fantasy world of kings and magic, Princess Dennaleia has been groomed for her most important task: to marry Prince Thandilimon in order to solidify the relationship between their kingdoms. It is a future that she fully embraces, hindered only by her secret magical affinity for handling and creating fire, which she has kept hidden and cannot control. Upon her arrival in the kingdom of Mynaria, Denna is paired with Princess Amaranthine (Mare), who is to give her riding lessons in preparation for the wedding day. Mare's standing in her own kingdom is somewhat tenuous, as she has very little interest in her duties as a princess and prefers to spend her time riding and training horses. The two strike up a friendship amid a series of royal murders and terrorist acts supposedly orchestrated by renegade magic users and separatists. The real focus is on the attraction and love that soon develop between Denna and Mare. As they work to solve the murders and mysteries, the teens fall in love and begin to question their predestined roles. Same-sex love is neither forbidden nor controversial in Mynaria, so the novel's theme does not center on LGBTQ issues. It is simply a love story that just happens to be about two women, and the setting and plot are tangential. Some mild sexual scenes make this appropriate for older readers. VERDICT Those looking for a complex sci-fi/fantasy may be a little unsatisfied with the narrative. However, the gentle LGBTQ romance will win over many teens.--Patricia Feriano, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Feriano, Patricia. "Coulthurst, Audrey. Of Fire and Stars." School Library Journal, Oct. 2016, p. 108. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA466166954&it=r&asid=1fd4be4e3d1badedad05f16b0354e501. Accessed 12 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A466166954
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst – Spoier Free Review
Of Fire and Stars is a dual perspective fantasy novel that follows two Princesses, Mare and Dennaleia. Dennaleia, youngest princess of Havemont, was betrothed at a young age to Mare’s brother, Prince and heir to the throne Thandillion of Mynaria. However, there are two major problems with this betrothal; 1. Denna is a magic wielder, which is rare ability that is punishable by death in Mynaria. 2. Denna, upon meeting Thandillion, does not fall in love with him, but does start to fall for his sister.
Well, it actually takes a while for Denna and Mare to fall in love. At first, Denna believes Mare hates her, which is understandable. Mare values her freedom, and so when she is assigned to teach Denna how to horseback ride, she sees Denna as an inconvenience. Eventually, Mare grows to respect Denna even though the two have very different personalities and then they fall in love. A blessed break from insta-love, which is so common in YA books.
Plot-wise, a lot happens in this book. Almost too much, especially toward the beginning before you really get to know the characters. But as the book progresses, we get to know this problem is solved, and although there is always a lot going on, it becomes less overwhelming and more interesting.
Our protagonists suffer from both personal and political problems. Mare desires freedom from court life but is barely allowed to leave the castle, Denna wants to love her betrothed but even before she falls for Mare, she cannot bring herself to love him, and dreads being trapped in a loveless marriage. She would, perhaps, find this condition more tolerant if she were allowed to do anything important for the kingdom. In Havemont, she was trained thoroughly in how to run a kingdom, but in Mynaria the role of the Queen is a much more social role, mostly left with party planning and child-raising.
The Mynarian court’s sexism presents a huge obstacle for both princesses, as whenever they have important information, the court will not listen to them. This goes double for Mare, whom the King already sees as unreliable due to her rebellious nature. The girls have to take a lot into their own hands in order to prevent war.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were strong and interesting, the magic system, although not fully explored due to its illegal status causing most of the information on it in Mynaria to be destroyed, was fascinating and I hope to learn more about it in the next book. In fact, I just generally look forward to the next book, I really think this series is headed in a great direction.
Thanks for reading!
Rating: 4/5 (fires and) stars
Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Published by Balzer + Bray on November 22nd 2016
Pages: 400
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Edelweiss
Goodreads• Amazon • Book Depository
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 before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), 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, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. 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.
reviews2
The disappointment stings a bit here, let’s be real. Luckily, Holly prepared me before I went in, which I think was good. I had actually hoped she’d be wrong (after all, we differed wildly in our thoughts on Three Dark Crowns and several other fall books!), but alas, I am with her on this one.
I mean, look, it wasn’t all bad or anything, so that’s good? Let’s start out with the good, because I like to look at the positives. In books anyway.
The Good:
I really did ship the relationship between Mare and Denna! I was rooting for them, but I think that is mostly because I liked Mare. Though sadly I didn’t feel… anything really for Denna, but I wanted Mare to be happy.
The society was pretty cool about women in general. There were women in positions of leadership and in the army, and pretty much everywhere. I also liked that the idea of a f/f relationship in itself wasn’t some kind of taboo, it was only made so because of other circumstances, not because it was two women.
I want to hang the cover up as art in my room. Beyond gorgeous, yes? 😍😍😍
The Not-So-Good:
The world and plot felt so… generic fantasy, I guess. Secret magic powers, forced to marry a prince, royals fighting and scheming, I have seen it all before so many times. I didn’t really feel anything new with this one. Denna had her “family duty”, but oh wait, she has secret powers, but oops, she has to hide them… I feel like I had heard it before, basically.
The characters were also underwhelming overall. Like I said above, I did like Mare. But she was kind of it. A few side characters held my interest, but mostly, I was apathetic. The names were also quite unwieldy, and I resorted to calling one guy “Lord Blahblah” for most of the book (meaning every part of the book he appeared in, you see).
I was basically able to predict everything that happened before I read it. For example (and this happens early on, but I still blurred out the name cause I am nice like that):download-1
This was basically me the whole book. Even the end, I could see coming from a mile away, and I was kind of bummed and not as excited to read because of that.
The dialogue kind of faltered a bit between super old-timey sounding to way too modern. It was like the characters couldn’t decide if they were from 1524 or 2012, and I didn’t know either.
There were some pretty big instances of telling instead of showing. I am not usually even very critical of this, but it struck me enough to mention. In one instance, Denna was having a conversation with another character, and then randomly spurts out a bunch of feelings that I had no idea even existed, because there was no lead up to them, no sense at all that she’d been thinking anything along these lines. She just randomly tells us, like it’s now gospel because she said it out loud. It threw me off, and is probably one of the reasons I felt disconnected with the characters in general.
This one is spoilery so… good luck deciding if you want to click that tag 😉 View Spoiler »
Bottom Line: In theory, great. In execution… less so. I still enjoyed the romance, and I am glad to have read it, because yes please to more LGBT+ in fantasy.
Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
separate post
Reviews
of-fire-and-starsWhat: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Who: Balzer + Bray
When: November 22nd 2016
How: A copy of this novel was provided by HarperCollins for review via Edelweiss.
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 before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), 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, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. 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.
3cats2I had somewhat of an interesting time reading Of Fire and Stars. Hands down, it was one of my most anticipated 2016 releases. A YA fantasy with an f/f romance at its heart? We all know that we need more of those. And besides, this had the added ~forbidden love~ element, which is a plus when it’s not a boring cishet story.
When I started Of Fire and Stars, I was kind of like: oh, no. Because (not including the prologue) it started off with Dennaleia falling over and being generally useless in front of her betrothed. And being scared of horses.
And then I found out that Dennaleia wasn’t the only POV character in this book, even though the blurb makes it sound like she is the only one. Her love interest, Mare (this name. I cannot with this name), also had POV chapters – in fact, they alternated equally. Mare was extremely immature in the beginning of this book. She’s eighteen years old, and yet acts so much younger than that. She can’t stand Dennaleia, and despises the fact that she has to teach her how to ride a horse.
You could say that the romance in Of Fire and Stars was that of the slow burning type. The girls don’t even really like each other to begin with, and start a friendship before either of them fall for the other. Kisses only happen towards the end of the book, which is kind of awesome. However. I say it could be called slow burn. I think it was supposed to be slow burn. But … the romance also kind of came out of nowhere. I like my slow burn to be a gradual realisation of hey, this cutie has my heart not a sudden change from ugh, this girl, I hate her to I love her and my life is wretched because I can’t have her. I wanted more of the in between bit. I felt like this happened more on Dennaleia’s side, rather than Mare’s, but I still just wanted a bit more of the ‘falling’ in love part.
The world of Of Fire and Stars was pretty awesome. I loved the idea of gods being originally based off mages, and I always love fantasies with magic use in them (they always feel so much more like a fantasy when there’s magic). I also really liked how Mynaria loved horses. But, sadly, I felt like the world building was halfway done. I wanted to know why Mynaria loved horses so much, and why they were so important to their culture. I wanted to know why the mages had gone from revered to hated over time. I just wanted more in general from the world building, because it had so much potential, and I felt like half of it was unused.
I have to say that the ending was dramatic and kind of came out of nowhere, and I was starting to think that it would be the first in the series. It would seem that it isn’t, as the ending did come around with some closure.
All in all, I ended up enjoying Of Fire and Stars. Sure, there were things that I think could have been expanded on that probably would have made me fall head over heels with it, but I am still going to recommend this for anyone looking for a standalone fantasy, and one with an f/f romance to boot.
© 2016, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.
trigger warning: death of uncle (murder), death of father (murder), murder (including that of a friend), animal cruelty (murder), use of abelist language, and forced marriage (not fulfilled) in this novel
Review: OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst
Review: OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey CoulthurstOf Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Published by HarperCollins on November 22nd 2016
Pages: 400
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, General, Romance, LGBT
eARC provided by Balzer & Bray
AmazonBook Depository
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.
Look at that cover. It’s gorgeous! Ooh, the synopsis looks good. Yay, diversity in YA! Wait a minute, what is this? Ummm, this book wasn’t what I thought it would be.
OF FIRE AND STARS starts off without world building. Immediately, our two protagonists meet. Denna is betrothed to Mare’s brother. Denna has magic. Magic isn’t allowed. Denna likes Mare. Mare doesn’t want anything to do with Denna. Someone dies. Then all of a sudden Mare wants to get to know Denna. They sing some songs and fall in love. But they don’t tell each other.
That’s basically this whole story.
The characters are really simple. Denna is good and grew up to be a princess. Mare is also a princess, but she is a bad girl and breaks all the rules. I didn’t see any character growth or redeeming qualities in these girls. They sound ridiculously alike as they switch POVs and think about each other. Also, side characters die and no one cares. They don’t have much of a role other than to die anyways.
The main issue in this story is that they can’t be together. Only, this world is far more female friendly then real history has been. A woman leads security in this kingdom, and Mare herself is a horse trainer. So not much oppression is not happening. Except for maybe to Denna, who is leading the life of an old style princess. Oh and also the king, Mare’s father, doesn’t listen to Mare. She has it all figured out if only someone would listen. Especially in the matter of this side-character’s death. No one really mourns this guy’s passing, but it is enough for security to think it is this rival kingdom and possible start a war. Only Mare and Denna have the wits to investigate who really did it. Really?
There is magic in this book, but it isn’t clearly used. Also, there is a whole religion this is not clearly explained. I felt like the author was using a lot of old words just to throw me into thinking this was well written. It was obviously well researched, at least the horse aspect was, but not well executed. I got super comfortable thinking this book would be accurate and interesting in some way. It just fell flat for me though.
I didn’t DNF this book only because I really wanted to see if these girls could become honest partners. Lesbians in YA are pretty rare. The whole book is built up for this romance to happen. Once they finally admit things to each someone really important to the kingdom dies, these girls want to abandon their future plans for each other, and have sex almost in the same scene. Whoa!
The only thing that saved this book for me was the slow burn romance. Looking at it now, I have more questions then answers about why they couldn’t just confess their feelings. there were other homosexual and bisexual characters in this story, but for some reason these girls wanted to hide what they were. In the end they were still hiding. I don’t think that sends the right message. I think I wasted a lot of time reading this book. I can’t get that time back. I don’t recommend this book. Unless maybe immature YA with some confusing romance angst is your thing.
My Rating
kiss2
{ARC REVIEW} Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
{ARC REVIEW} Of Fire and Stars by Audrey CoulthurstOf Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: November 22nd 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Diversity, LGBTQIAP+
Pages: 400
Format: e-ARC
Source: Edelweiss
Rating: Stars
Goodreads
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 before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), 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, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. 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.
♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: DNF at 66% (for now)! My first indication that this book might not have been for me probably should have been when it has taken me more than a week to make it halfway. I just kept telling myself that I was busy and that it wasn’t the book’s fault, but after making a concentrated effort to dig into it yesterday, I still found myself wanting to put it down out of boredom.
I won’t lie, I’m extremely disappointed that not only did I not really enjoy this book up until this point, but that I didn’t even find enough reasons to finish it. I truly loved the idea of a f/f romance in fantasy as it’s not too commonly represented, particularly in YA, and so I desperately hoped that I would be able to champion this book and the relationship within it. Sadly, that doesn’t seem like it will be the case. I’ve almost called it quits several times already, hoping that on the other side of this wall filled with repetitious scenes and stalled pacing, I’d eventually make it to the place where Mare and Denna finally tap into their deeper emotions and feelings they have for one another, and somewhere around the 50% mark, it almost felt like we were making progress, but then that was thwarted once more and now I just really don’t feel like I can go on. Furthermore, I feel like the plot is taking us in general circles, and it’s not even the exciting variety that keeps you guessing about the villains and the real traitors to the crown, but rather the frustrating kind that makes you wonder if all the run-around the author is giving you isn’t just for the sake of word count. Additionally, I’ve found it rather challenging to connect with any of the characters, especially our two narrators, and that makes caring about the progression of their love and the plot even more difficult. As individuals, I truly liked their personalities well enough, even if they both bordered a bit as one-note personalities, and I enjoyed the potential I had in my mind’s eye for them, but even as as slow-burn romance, it felt extremely slow. I think a major contributing factor to that is based in the way the author delivered the story, which felt more like showing me–Look, see they like each other!– instead of letting me experience firsthand through the girls and their interactions with one another. There was a time period at the end where it felt like it was developing more naturally on the page, but I shouldn’t have had to wait well past the halfway mark to notice that kind of budding energy. Lastly, I feel like a major pitfall for this book started in the very beginning when we were cast headlong into this storyline with very little world-building or setup for the countries and territories around it, nor do we know why some territories are magical and others are completely against magic-use and see it as heresy. In addition, even at this 66% mark, we’ve still discovered little more about any of this. I had hoped that the magical aspect of this novel would carry my interest where the gaps of other intrigue was missing, but seeing as Denna knows little of how to use her magic or why she even has the affinity for it in the first place– nor does she seem particularly curious to learn at this point– I find my hope dwindling on the magic-wielding being the saving grace of this plot either.
There may come a point in time that I may pick this up again because I admit to being in a rather foul reading mood as of late and perhaps that’s hindering my reading experience of this novel all the more, but as for this moment, I simply have little desire to continue on with this book.
Seeing as I do not officially rate novels that I don’t complete out of respect for the author, book, and the publisher, I can not offer a rating or recommendation for or against this book. I’ve personally seen both high and low star ratings for it thus far, so it seems to be a person-to-person basis, and this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.
♥ A very special thanks to Balzer + Bray and Edelweiss for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.
*Disclaimer: An e-copy of this title was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
Sweetly Familiar Fantasy With A Twist In 'Of Fire And Stars'
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November 23, 20167:00 AM ET
Caitlyn Paxson
Of Fire and Stars
Of Fire and Stars
by Audrey Coulthurst
Hardcover, 389 pages
purchase
In most ways, Of Fire and Stars treads over very familiar ground. We find ourselves in a fantasy kingdom where magic is feared, and a princess must hide her powers in order to fulfill her destiny as a future king's bride. There are schemes and plots and romantic agonies aplenty, especially when the princess begins to fall in love with the wrong person. All of this would make an enjoyable enough read, but then Audrey Coulthurst elevates the story with a refreshing twist: The princess doesn't fall in love with a stable boy or the captain of the guard. She falls in love with another princess.
Princess Dennaleia of Havemont has spent her whole life preparing to be the perfect bride for the crown prince of Mynaria. She's studied politics and manners, and has carefully hidden away her problematic aptitude for fire magic. She knows that through her marriage, she will ensure safety for her people, and she is at peace with her destiny.
Then she arrives in Mynaria and immediately discovers she is woefully unprepared in one regard: Mynaria's chief resource is warhorses, and she has never learned to ride. It feels like a punishment when she's sent to riding lessons with the prince's surly sister, Mare, who would rather deal with horses than people. When a tragic assassination shakes the kingdom, the two of them form an unlikely team to get to the bottom of a murky political plot — and as they grow closer, they are forced to admit that their feelings run deeper than friendship.
'Of Fire and Stars' [is] reminiscent of the kinds of fantasy books I loved when I was a young teenager, tales of princess angst, horses, and the blossoming of reluctant love.
Caitlyn Paxson
Here's the thing. Their love is forbidden, and tortured, and could potentially tear the kingdom apart — but not because they're both girls. Other same-sex couples are mentioned casually, and the fact of their love is not a problem. It is Denna's own sense of duty and self-doubt that stands between her and Mare, and that is what made me catch my breath as I read this book: In so much fantasy worldbuilding, authors fall back on existing prejudices rather than creating ones unique to their creations. This book is bold enough to create a world that moves beyond the prejudices we are still fighting in our real world.
Despite this departure, there is something familiar about Of Fire and Stars. It's reminiscent of the kinds of fantasy books I loved when I was a young teenager, tales of princess angst, horses, and the blossoming of reluctant love. There is a sweetness at the core of these stories; they offer us a sense of awakening and gentle adventure, and provide a more straightforward coming of age than we are usually offered in the real world.
My one regret for this book is that Denna and Mare spend most of it cooped up in a castle. It makes sense with the story's subtext — they're both beating their wings inside gilded cages. But they are a team that I long to see on the road, free to explore more of this intriguing world. I will definitely keep my eye out for a sequel, in eager hope that my wish will be granted.
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
by Carrie S · Jan 27, 2017 at 10:31 am · Leave a comment
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
C+
Of Fire and Stars
by Audrey Coulthurst
Of Fire and Stars is a YA about two princesses who fall in love. It’s a fantasy-romance crossover that has delightful characters and a charming romance, but it needs more world building to fully succeed.
Princess Dennaleia (also called Denna) is sent to the kingdom of Mynaria to marry the Mynarian prince. It’s a marriage that was arranged when she was born, and she has been raised to be a paragon of propriety at all times. However, once she gets to Mynaria, Denna forms a bond with her fiancé’s sister, Princess Amaranthine (nicknamed ‘Mare’). Mare is Denna’s opposite – she wears men’s clothes, works with horses, and rebels against her own fate as a princess with all her might. The two women fall in love, and while gender is not a problem – in this kingdom, homosexuality and bisexuality are accepted – Denna has magical powers that she must conceal, as working magic is punishable by death in Mynaria. And oh yes, there is the pesky detail that Denna is supposed to marry Mare’s brother.
I liked the romance, especially the way Denna imparts some common sense to Mare and Mare wakes up Denna’s rebellious side. The book has one of the most delightful last lines of all time. That said, the romance is fairly lightly sketched in the midst of political drama, and without sufficient world building the political drama is just noise. I have no sense of what these kingdoms are like or why I should care about their alliances. Mynaria seems consist of a castle, a stable, a market, and a pub. I’m not looking for 1000 pages on the culture of the various kingdoms at play, but I do want these places to have more character so I can care about what happens to them. Despite this story leaving me wanting more, I definitely want more stories like this one.
– Carrie S
Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
14th Nov 2016 Morgan @ Gone with the Words 2016, Reviews, Reviews by Morgan
Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey CoulthurstReview: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey CoulthurstOf Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Published by Balzer + Bray
Pub Date: November 22nd 2016
Pages: 400
Format: ARC | Source: Publisher
Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Young Adult
Buy the book! | Goodreads
2.5 Stars2.5 Stars
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 before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), 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, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. 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.
Of Fire and Stars was one of my most anticipated books of the year; it sounded amazing and looked amazing! I was overjoyed to get a copy at BEA. And even though the world-building and characters were fairly cliché, I was enjoying the first half; it reminded me of The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I liked Mare the most and liked how her relationship with Denna was developing. I was even intrigued with the mystery and political subplot even if the Directorate was totally useless. I couldn’t stop reading.
*Slight spoilers ahead*
Unfortunately it fell apart for me in the last 120 pages. All of a sudden, the pace went at breakneck speed because the story had so much to cram into the end. I’m certain this will be a book with a sneaky sequel. The search for the spy and the dagger was basically dropped; I was left wanting so much more in general. I wanted to know MORE about Affinities, MORE about the different cultures, and I wanted a more natural progression of Mare and Denna’s feelings.
It was so abrupt, from stolen glances and blushing faces to declarations of love and “can’t live without you.” I could feel their emotions in the first half; once they admitted their feelings, it was a lot of telling. I was disappointed to find that Denna was awfully selfish while Mare was somewhat immature. No one else had much personality to speak of.
At the end, I just wanted to finish the book. It didn’t have enough depth for me and had some terrible dialogue in the last 30 pages. I was sincerely happy to see two princesses in love, but I wanted to feel their love and I wanted their story to be more compelling in its other aspects. (Side note: the German cover is so gorgeous I’m tempted to buy it despite everything.)
This is difficult for me because I want this book to do well. Diversity in fiction is important and I’d really really love more f/f fantasy and more LGBTQ fantasy in general, especially from #ownvoices authors. Maybe Of Fire and Stars will work for some readers, but it was mostly wasted potential for me.
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst Of Fire and Stars by Audrey CoulthurstOf Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst Published by HarperCollins on November 22nd 2016 Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Young Adult Pages: 400 Buy on Amazon Goodreads 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. Let’s start with the positive: there’s an LGBT romance. And also there’s… er, nope, sorry, that’s all I got for you. Of Fire and Stars is a mind-numbingly generic YA fantasy novel, and the attempts to spice it up with a lesbian romance just don’t work. Take that aspect out and you are left with nonexistent world-building, poorly-developed characters, immature writing and just extreme boredom. If you’ve read a few fantasy novels, this one adds absolutely nothing but paper to the pile. In this book, Denna is betrothed to Prince Thandi of Mynaria. She arrives in Mynaria, determined to marry the prince and guard her secret fire magic from this kingdom that – for no apparent reason – despises magic, but she soon finds herself falling for the sister of her future husband. That would be Mare, lover of horses (yes, I’m serious). There is absolutely no set-up or world-building – we are thrown completely into this situation with no knowledge of the land or world we are in, no understanding of the political and cultural landscape, no understanding of the magic system or why the Mynarians hate magic. At times, the book felt very juvenile, written for an audience that presumably doesn’t care about world details or character development. The lack of any depth throughout simply made it uninteresting. And very little actually happens. If you are put off by YA fantasies that spend too long talking about pretty dresses and palaces, then this one should put you to sleep. Most of Denna and Mare’s story features them horse riding, learning about the horses, and not really doing anything. When we’re not focusing on their snoozeworthy antics, we have to listen to councils (i.e. the adults) being unbelievably obtuse. Both the characters and the relationships were one-dimensional. Denna is, without question, the “good girl” and Mare is the fiery and quick-tempered one. And on that latter note, Mare is so so annoying. Once again I felt like I was in a very juvenile story when Mare throws her shoes at doors and makes rude faces behind people’s backs. She’s eighteen, by the way, not twelve. “Fine,” the liegeman said. “See that you do.” He turned on his heel and walked away. I made a rude face at the liegeman’s retreating backside. The whole book is silly and ill-conceived. Without getting into spoilers, there were so many ludicrous moments when the adults of the novel behaved like clueless sheep, when supposedly trained guards stood around twiddling their thumbs while shit went down, and nothing was happening so the author killed off another side character who we obviously didn’t give a damn about because they weren’t given a personality. The romance is undoubtedly the best part. It’s a slow-building climb from disdain to friendship to love. But even that is marred by some poor plot choices on the author’s part. This is a world that seems to readily accept homosexual and bisexual relationships. It seems pretty commonplace, even. And yet, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Denna and Mare spend too long completely adamant that they are definitely, absolutely just friends. And then that they definitely, absolutely cannot be together. Perhaps there was a good reason for this, but it was not explained well – I felt like their refusal to be together was contrived plot angst, rather than arising from a legitimate concern. I’m sorry to say it, as this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, but Of Fire and Stars is neither thought-provoking nor entertaining.
Danika reviews Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Posted on November 22, 2016 by danikaellis — 7 Comments ↓
of fire and stars
I haven’t fallen so head over heels for a book in years. Here’s the premise: a YA fantasy book where two princesses fall in love. I mean, there’s a lot more to it. There’s court politics and betrayal and suppressed magic and warring religious factions, but that’s the hook that got to me, and I suspect it’s what will convince a lot of people to pick it up.
This is a perfect read for Tamora Pierce fans, complete with loving attention paid to the horses in the story. This uses tropes that are common in fantasy books, but you just so rarely see play out with two girls as the main characters. The story is told from the two main characters’ perspectives, and initially Mare is unimpressed with Dennaleia, so we get to see that grudging-friendship-grows-into-something-more plot, which I love. Mare may be a princess in name, but she prefers riding breeches to dresses and digging for information in seedy pubs to attending balls. Dennaleia, on the other hand, has been training to be the perfect, proper princess (then queen) her entire life.
For all the fans of Frozen who wished Elsa got a girlfriend in the end, suppressed magic is a big part of the plot in Of Fire and Stars. Dennaleia struggles to keep her fire magic hidden in a kingdom that considers magic blasphemous, but when her emotions get out of hand, things begin to go up in smoke.
Basically, this is everything I ever wanted from Disney princesses, but with added depth and maturity. (Maturity as in there is brief sexual content and swearing.) Although this is a love story, it’s just as much about the two of them trying to find out the truth about the conflict (soon turned deadly) in their kingdom, especially when Dennaleia’s husband-to-be and the rest of the political powers don’t have any interest in the opinions of two teenage princesses.
This book warmed my heart. It’s not that this is fluffy or doesn’t have conflict, but it makes me unspeakably happy to know this story is out there for queer girls, and especially one that’s published by one of the big publishing companies, which hopefully means it will be on the shelves of enough bookstore to be discoverable. Have I mentioned that I love this book? 5 stars. I’ll definitely be buying myself a finished copy, giving it away as gifts, and peddling it to strangers.
Web Exclusive – November 22, 2016
Of Fire and Stars
Unexpected love
BookPage review by Sarah Weber
Dennaleia has been training all her life to leave her home in Havemont, marry Prince Thandilimon and become Queen of Mynaria. So when she arrives in her new home and her fire Affinity—a forbidden magical power she’s kept hidden for years—grows unwieldy, she fears the life she’s trained for is about to be ripped out from under her. What’s more, shortly after her arrival in Mynaria, an assassination attempt on the King leaves the kingdom in shock. When Dennaleia joins forces with her betrothed’s sister, Mare, to find the culprit, the friendship becomes something more than she’d bargained for, and she begins to question whether the life she’s always envisioned is the life she wants after all.
Audrey Colthurst’s debut novel, Of Fire and Stars, is a captivating story that follows the young royals as they grapple with the roles they’ve been assigned and their true passions. Dennaleia and Mare are a compelling pair—both whip smart in their own ways, with complementary talents and plenty to teach one another. Supporting characters, from palace guards to Dennaleia’s fiancé, are complex and relatable, and grow over the course of the novel.
If Colthurst’s world is a bit underdeveloped—the rules of both physics and magic are sometimes unclear—she makes up for it in sharp prose and characters whose spirit, tenacity and deep humanity drive the story from beginning to end.