Editorial Content for Of Fire and Stars

In a typical princess story, the prince rescues the princess, but it's the other way around in OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst. Princess Dennaleia (Denna) enters the kingdom of Mynaria as the bride-to-be for Prince Thandilion. She needs to train to ride a Mynaria horse, though, and works with her fiance's sister Amaranthine (Mare.) Denna has to keep her fire Affinity under wraps because one slip-up and the alliance between Denna's Havemont and Mynaria will collapse.

But the kingdom of Mynaria is under attack. Who could be causing these attacks?

"Denna and Mare themselves were fantastic characters. I loved reading their secret moments together. Those moments were full of heat and unbridled love."

Denna and Mare themselves were fantastic characters. Mare was very snarky. Her sarcastic remarks were hilarious. I laughed her remarks. Denna was smart. Every time she learned something new, the mystery is unfolded. Even though Denna started out reluctant and shy, I loved seeing her develop. She learned to be proud and stand up for herself.

At the end when Denna fought back with her flames, I felt so proud of her. She truly became a different person. And all of this because of love.

The relationship between Mare and Denna was amazing. Their relationship had lots of chemistry. I loved seeing them together. All of their conversations were full of casual banter and heartfelt words. I wanted to know more about their relationship.

I loved reading their secret moments together. Those moments were full of heat and unbridled love. They had a strong relationship. Even if it seemed a bit rushed.

Even though I love the romance, it feels as if there is no basis. The two of them were supposed to bond over horse riding lessons, but there weren't enough of these lessons to show me proof why they bonded. They barely talked and even hated each other. Why did they become friends? When did they become something more? It felt as if the romance just popped into existence. I wanted more of their encounters. I was confused about their relationship. Why did Denna love Mare? Why did Mare love Denna? Those questions are overused, but they really add insight into a relationship.

Sadly, the story is split between love and war. In the beginning, I was taunted by the idea of Mare and Denna's romance, but that storyline is abandoned for the mysterious white arrows. The story continued to bounce between these two storylines; therefore, neither was completely developed. I wanted to learn more about the deaths. It was expanded on in the last few chapters, but the reasoning behind the deaths wasn't completely clear. The end was a major dump of information: why did these deaths happen and who was the killer. If there were more clues throughout the story, I would have been happier. I understand that the romance was important, but it shouldn't have taken precedence over this important part of the story.

Because there are two characters, the story feels as if it loses perspective. There isn't enough of one girl's perspective to develop a complete picture of their character; too much about each girl is lost between the split perspectives.

We get snippets of both sides of the story. Mare learns more information in a pub. Denna searches the library. I feel that if they had more time sleuthing together, we would have had a more comprehensive picture. Plus, getting them working together would explain their relationship and expand their romance even further.

This book is great for fans of LGBTQ romance. It's a great romance with amazing characters.