A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth // Book Review

A Dark and Hollow Star drew me in for so many reasons (including but not limited to that cover) and I was so not disappointed by it. It appealed to the fantasy lover in me, as well as the nerdy RPG player, and Shuttleworth does such a good job of pulling all the elements that make an awesome fantasy story together into one magnificent book.

Genre: YA contemporary fae fantasy

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (US), Hodder & Stoughton (UK)

Release Date: February 23rd, 2021

The “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family.
A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge.
A dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne.
The prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret.

For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world.

Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way?

Wish them luck. They’re going to need it.

Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett

I was curious about this book since I heard about it, as part of a cover reveal. It sounded very much up my alley, and although it’s not quite the same as you’d expect from the tagline, I still really enjoyed it. I also happened to recognise the name of one of the authors, and it turns out that I had read one of their previous works, The Shoebox Project (published online), which was a fun coincidence!

Genre: YA fantasy

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 10th of November 2020 (US), 7th of January 2021 (UK)

Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He’s stolen into noble’s coffers, picked soldier’s pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of passersby. Until he’s caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer.

But Rags could never have guessed this “relic” would actually be a fae himself—a distractingly handsome, annoyingly perfect, ancient fae prince called Shining Talon. Good thing Rags can think on his toes, because things just get stranger from there…