Of Fire and Stars review

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 the 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.

My rating: 4 stars

Alright. Truth time. I started this back in August for the NEWTS readathon. I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t into it or it just wasn’t the right time, but I just did not want to pick this back up. I am now kicking myself. I just finished this on the 5th via audiobook and I enjoyed it so much. I literally found myself gasping and saying “no!” out loud. I did not think I would be this involved in the characters when I first started reading it. Some just attached themselves to me and didn’t let go and others just irritated me so very much.

Mare stole the show for me. She was my absolute favorite. Her family….not so much. Such a strong, independent woman that everyone except a few looked down on and thought useless.

Denna eventually grew on me. I never disliked her, but she didn’t really stand out either. By the middle and especially the end, I was on the Dennaleia bandwagon.

The plot took awhile to actually come together, but I actually didn’t mind because of the little hints and clues towards the bigger picture. Again, once the middle kicked in I was all in and needed to know what was going on and who was doing what. If my TBR wasn’t so huge already, I would start Inkmistress and then follow it up with Of Ice and Shadows. I just miss the ladies already 😫