Princesses don’t play with fire
This book was all the hype back in 2016 and I worried it would be too much and waited with reading it until now. My worries were right and I didn’t care for it. I found Of Fire and Stars a flat copy of every other great fantasy story and forcing a bi/lesbian relationship into it.
Book Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Rating:
Title & Author: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: November 22 2016
Series: Of Fire and Stars
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—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.
I give Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst three out of five hearts, but it is more like 2,5 hearts instead of three. I didn’t care for this novel, the romance was forced and the characters have such ridiculously long names I can’t even remember them.
Thandi is the crown prince and supposed the marry the main character, Denna. But even though he has a big role to play in the story, he is barely there and doesn’t do much of significance to help the story along.
Mara felt childish and rude. It could be that Audrey tried to make her more of a rebellious character, but failed at it. I have no idea. I don’t understand have of the actions Audrey took while writing this novel.
Denna has magic, otherwise it wouldn’t be a fantasy novel, which she struggles with because she has been forced to keep it a secret for most of her life. It made me think of the Disney movie Frozen a lot and wish the story would just end with Denna moving into a castle by herself leaving humanity behind.
This novel is supposed to be a romance novel and still the romance felt forced between Mara and Denna. I couldn’t figure out why it felt so forced, because without the romance, there wouldn’t be a novel, right? There are a couple of assassination attempts, but further more it was an empty novel.
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For now, let books enrich your life!