Of Fire and Stars audiobook

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO SO MUCH. I am 100% filming a video review because WOW more people need to read this story.If you're looking for a fantasy novel with an LGBT+ relationship, I would highly recommend this one! I can't personally speak for the representation, but to my interpretation, this world's view of sexuality is extremely balanced. I feel the best way I can describe it is by this: The problem is NEVER that these two girls have fallen in love with each other and that's bad because they are of the same gender. The problem is that two girls have fallen in love while one is betrothed to the other's brother. In an interview I read with the author, she expressed that she created a world where homophobia does not exist (hello this is what fantasy was created for) so I can promise you, the dismissal of sexuality will not be found within the pages of this book. What I got out of it was in this world, "Love is Love" and that was really refreshing to see, especially in fantasy.Additionally, the sexuality of my new favorite princess couple are never disclosed in the book. I think it's wonderful that we have a book that does not enforce any sort of pressure to define yourself using labels and allows way for interpretation by the reader. Also, it's an own voices LGBT+ novel (*shoots fist into air*).This is sincerely one of the best romances I have read in a really long time. Just the combined presence of Denna & Mare in the same room together had my heart fluttering. Their chemistry is absolutely electric and you can really tell that there is a deep, true love between the two. I would probably give up my first born child or something if it meant I got to read more of their adventures together.For a standalone fantasy novel, I feel the magic system was really well developed! I would have loved to see it expanded more through an extended series (obviously you can tell I'm bitter I don't have more books to look forward to) but regardless, it was unique and well explained!The only negative thing I really felt about this book is the political relationships weren't delved into as much. This is something I almost ALWAYS have an issue with in high fantasy novels with expansive histories, so it may just be me! I would have liked some more development on that end, but I don't feel it significantly impacted the story in any way.In conclusion; This book was amazing. I am obsessed. It's at the top of my recommendations list. I'd do anything for a sequel. #NewFavoriteStatus. Please pick this one up. Thank you for your time.

I really want to get more into f/f books, but nearly all of them are contemporary, which I'm really bored with atm. I picked this up with mahana (hi binch) and read it somewhat on audiobook and somewhat physically, and I really enjoyed it! As a horse owner I was really happy that this centered around a lot of discussion about riding horses and training horses, so it had my attention there. I also loved the character dynamics, the breaking of gender roles, and the general rebellion of the characters and world against norms of fantasy was refreshing. The world itself, however, I thought was a bit dry. It bore no significant differences than any other run of the mill fantasy world out there with a pretty generic elemental magic system. I'm kind of tired of the "I have magic and have to hide it!" trope, so hopefully in book two, Denna will embrace her magic and master it.But Denna and Mare's relationship was so slow burning and lovely, and I loved all the side characters in this, so they kept it afloat. This definitely isn't a stand-out fantasy world, but I fell in love with the characters and the way they were written, and I would definitely recommend this to people looking for f/f romance in non-contemporary settings.

*4.5/5 starsI will have many more thoughts on this book when I do my video review, but for now I just want to say that my heart feels like it is glowing. I put the book down 10 minutes ago and I haven't been able to stop feeling so happy about the way this story developed and the way that Mare and Denna's relationship evolved.If you are a huge fan of the dislike-to-love relationship trope, I would highly recommend this book. If you love horses, you would love this book. If you love QUEER FANTASY (and #ownvoices at that) you will LOVE THIS BOOK. I can't get over how much I adored so many aspects of it. A bit slow to start, but the second half knocked me off my feet and I seriously can't wait to read more by Audrey Coulthurst. *I received an ARC of this book through a giveaway, all thoughts are my own*

Really enjoyed this book. I LOVED the romance between the two princesses! I literally DIED for the descriptions! Also i loved the magic in this fantasy novel, so unique and easy to understand. WONDERFULWAY to much 'horse' talk for me personally, but thats my only issue with the story! OH PLEASE I NEED A BOOK TWO

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH AND IF YOU THINK I'M HECK'N EXCITED ABOUT THE SEQUEL COMING OUT IN AUGUST, THEN YOU'D BE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

From every review that I've read/watched for this book from many a booktuber, they made it sound like such a soft and magical story about two princesses. That is NOT what I got reading this. I got LOTS of death. No really, so much death. Don't get me wrong, I sure did get two gay princesses and magic, however, I didn't expect this book to be filled to the brim with so much prejudice. Hearing reviewers say this universe is void of homophobia, naturally, I thought that everything would be hunky-dory in terms of humans being terrible to each other. But no, the prejudice is rampant in this book, just not for the reason you think. And my only thought about how everyone markets this book as having no homophobia exist within the story, there isn't any homophobic acts towards people in same-sex relationships, however, I felt that a lot of concepts that are present in our world were in this novel as well. For example, Denna immediately assumes that her friends' obviously gay yearning for a girl back home is only that of friendship. I'm sorry, but if homophobia isn't a thing and gay relationships are so normalized, why is heterosexual relationships still the default throughout this book? Heterosexuality is more normalized in this book than homosexuality, which shouldn't have been the case if same-sex couples are so normalized. While I guess you could say this book has no homophobia, it isn't free of its heterocentricity, just like any form of media, which would not be the case if homophobia didn't exist. So, you decide how you feel about that claim. Besides all of that, the slow burn in this book claims my entire heart and soul. Ugh, it's so good. I love reading a relationship between two people grow from annoyances to the other to being in love. In my opinion, coaxing that dynamic out throughout the story and building it up so well is nothing short of talent. Speaking of good writing, I was literally so stressed throughout my entire time reading this. The story is building up to something you know is going to inevitably happen, however, I didn't feel like knowing made the stress of the situation any less exciting. I loved that the book ended with basically the same sentence that it had started with. It made my heart absolutely twirl, and it added to the slow-burn dynamic. Basically, this book was not at all like I expected it to be based from so many reviews I'd read, but I ended up enjoying the heck out of it anyway, which I'm so grateful for.

Love this book so much!

Even thought it took a while for the book to really get good for me, I still loved it! I really enjoyed that there was definitely no instalove involved, Denna and Mare's relationship was slow moving and slow to start and I really loved that, especially because it was technically against the rules for Denna to be with anyone but her betrothed at this point. The politics interspersed throughout the book really gave it a good overall balance between romance, action, and info-dumps, so I was never too overwhelmed or bored with one over another! Overall I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend. Great start to my diversity bingo this year!

❝Every time she looked at me, I felt like the only person in all the kingdoms. She lit me from within.❞

When I was seven winters of age, my mother caught me in the hearth stacking red-hot coals with my bare hands. recently i've begun to read more f/f romance in hopes of finding myself represented in those books. when i saw the synopsis for this story, where two princesses defy all odds and fall in love against a backdrop of impending war, i knew i had to pick it up. while of fire and stars definitely managed to interest me, i didn't expect to like it as much as i did, having read some controversial reviews about it.denna's character arc was something i really liked. the way she came into her gifts and stopped trying to suppress them was fascinating. some have commented that she was obviously a goody-two-shoes but by the end she definitely wasn't. her character's development was both believable and enjoyable, i had very neutral feelings towards her at the start because she felt very awkwardly written but i liked her a lot more at the end.thandi was about as interesting as white bread, and most other characters weren't given enough air time, but mare? fierce, brave, rebellious, stubborn. she was probably my favorite character. her need for freedom is something that resonated very deeply with me, and i think part of the reason why i liked her so much was because i saw a lot of myself in her. her hatred for showing vulnerability, her inner strength, her devil-may-care attitude -- it was like i was seeing myself in those pages. as for the plot, and the world-building, i thought it was all pretty average. not terrible, but nothing amazing either. there was a lot of telling instead of showing -- this made sentences run on longer than they should and some paragraphs just weren't necessary. additionally, it wasn't very well-developed, and there was no reason given for the prejudice against magic. the story took place in one country the whole time, although neighboring countries were frequently spoken of or mentioned, and it was very wasted because there was no exploration of the other lands. in my opinion, this was an amazing fantasy idea but with rather poor execution. there was a lot of potential to create something more complex and memorable, which just wasn't there.the representation was very well done. i loved that the world wasn't heteronormative, and throughout the book many characters mentioned same-sex relationships and no one batted an eye. i read the author's note later and it turns out the author herself is married to another woman, which would explain the believability surrounding the romance between denna and mare, and i appreciated that she didn't just focus on the f/f relationship between the MCs and put everyone else in a straight relationship as is the case in some other books.overall, the story was fairly intriguing, and i can admit i was invested in denna and mare's romance. i liked the book enough that i will read the sequel when i find the time/money to. coupled with the lesbian romance (which is something that still sorely requires more normalcy in YA books), it solidly deserves its four stars.

This was everything I wanted from it and more. A delight to read. I want to give it as gifts and peddle it to strangers. It warms my heart that this book is in the world for queer teen girls. Do you like Frozen but wish it was more gay? Of Fire and Stars. Perfect if you like fantasy or court politics or trying to find out who the betrayer is or magic or starcrossed lovers or grudging-friendship-turns-into-love or... Honestly, I just fell head over heels for this. All the best part of Tamora Pierce with twice the queer content. This reminds me of everything I wanted from Disney movies, but with added depth and maturity. (Maturity as in there is brief sexual content and swearing.) I can't wait to have a finished physical copy. I haven't swooned this hard for a book in years.

What a lovely book! I'm not sure if this is a standalone or part of a larger story, but I think it works either way. This novel definitely does stand on its own (though I wouldn't say no to a companion!). The writing is quite nice, the characters complex, and the worldbuilding very interesting!

Ai que história divertidaaaaa.Pra quem não sabe, e deveria saber porque são poucos os livros que ficam populares com essa temática, Of Fire and Stars é uma fantasia com personagens lésbicas (ou bi, esse detalhe não é bem explorado). E já fazia mais de 1 ano que eu não lia uma protagonista lésbica. A culpa pode ser minha? Pode ser sim, mas quantos livros desse tipo estão sendo esfregados na nossa cara todo dia pelas editoras? Isso mesmo, quase nenhum.Outro ponto que preciso levantar é o rating: 3.6! WHAT? Assim, uma coisa que aprendi: rating do Goodreads serve para muitos nada. Eu já li livros super problemáticos, ou mal escritos mesmo, com notas tipo 4.4 de média. Mas me incomodei muito nesse específico, porque eu QUASE não comprei o livro físico ao ver essa média. E agora terminando de ler eu fiquei pensando: gente, MÉDIA 3,6 é muito baixo. Significa que muita gente deu 1...2 estrelas pra puxar a média tão pra baixo assim, e assim, de verdade: NÃO ACEITO. Eu ia deixar de apoiar uma autora por conta de rating!Não é a melhor fantasia do mundo. Lá pro final algumas coisas são descritas sem a mesma riqueza de detalhes de antes, mas mesmo assim. São 2 personagens SUPER bem escritas. A relação entre elas é desenvolvida com todo cuidado e bem aos poucos. E o poder mágico que uma delas tem é bem foda, ok? Eu só consigo pensar o quanto as pessoas não estão preparadas para ler personagens lésbicas. Deve ser por isso que tem pouco livro sendo publicado e amplamente distribuído, então assim, faça a sua parte e se abra para realidades fora da sua, sabe? Eu recomendo de verdade essa história e, POR FAVOR, não deixem o rating "baixo" afastar vocês dessa leitura. Só aceito 3 estrelas pra cima, ok? PAREI.Estaria eu muito irritado?

“Well, fate and your parents might have completely different ideas about what your life is going to be like. So keep that in mind, too.”Trigger warnings : abusive relationship, misogyny, homophobiaLet me start this review with this : QUEER PRINCESSES. It should be enough to make you want to read this book. Seriously, it’s safe to say I’ve been waiting for this book for my entire life. I wish it had came out sooner when I was a teenager - it feels weird to say that when I’m only 21, makes me feel old ^^ - because 17-year-old Romie would have needed this book in her life.Denna has to travel to another country to marry the Prince Thandi so their respective country can create an alliance. Unfortunately, Denna possessed an Affinity with the Fire god, which means she has magic, but the country she’s soon going to be the queen of is known to be against magic users. This marriage was planned when she turned 6, which means she had 6 years to ‘get used to’ the idea of hiding her true identity. She also spent her entire childhood learning how to be a queen, learning every little fact of each country surrounding her soon-to-be home. Basically, she was raised to be a scholar.When she arrives to her new country, she meets Thandi’s sister, Mare, who is absolutely not impressed with her knowledge and sees her as a stupid little princess.Circumstances oblige these two girls to spend all their afternoon together and somehow they learn to trust each other.Denna wasn’t who I expected her to be. I seriously thought she’d be more shy maybe, but not this petite strong woman, ready to make her book more acquainted with your face if you talk bad of her friends.She’s extremely smart but people think she’s just this ‘pretty thing’ to look at, they keep underestimating her and not listening her even though she’s right. I swear, if Thandi had listened to her at least once, things would have turned out a lot better than they did.She’s torn between her duty to her kingdom and her love for Mare, she can’t seem to find a way to make both work and it’s eating at her.Mare is this wild woman who prefers to spend time riding/training her horse Flicker than wear a dress or fake a smile. She’s true to herself, she’s not trying to erase the aspects of her personality that her family can’t stand, even when it means less freedom for her.That’s the thing, her family doesn’t approve of her, they want to marry her of far away from the kingdom and from Denna, because they think she’s a real bad influence.Because she’s true, nobody listens to her, they all dismiss her, again and again, not taking her seriously.The relationship between Denna and Mare was one of my favourites. Of course it’s a hate-to-love relationship, kinda, they never really hated each other, they just didn’t know each other really well. They both learn things about the other, learn about the true self they’re both hiding behind a mask, but most of all, they learn to trust each other with their life.It’s a healthy relationship, they both know that’s what they need because they can’t deal with another person thinking they have the power in the relationship, it’s just not for them. They’re equal.I liked the magical aspect of this book, it was really interesting to learn more about it, and I thought it was pretty well explained. I had enough details not to be lost, and more generally I like to learn about the magic system in a story, so this book worked really well for me.The plot was also interesting, though I wasn’t blown away by all the different twists in the story, I thought they were quite predictable if you took the time to actually read all the little details in the story.But some things are stronger than years of lessons.The draw of fire.A longing for freedom.Or a girl on a red horse.4.5

4.5 *** i posted a video review on my Booktube channel >> https://youtu.be/GBkgiBFB7FkThis is the first book in a series right? RIGHT?!? I need this to be a series!