Miller, Linsey. Ruin of Stars. Sourcebooks Fire, 2018.
Having won the position of Opal, Sal now works for the queen. In the meantime, though, they are also pursuing their own agenda of revenge on those responsible for their family’s death. The Queen sends Opal on a mission: discover why children have been disappearing. Kill those responsible. Sal works to uncover this mystery as they also discover that revenge isn’t always as good as it seems.
This is a well-written fantasy epic that fits in perfectly with the multi-hundred page tomes I devoured as a teen. I know the teens at my library will love it. I enjoyed the discussion of gender and the presence of gender fluid, bisexual, aromantic, and transgender characters. The idea of a land where gender and sexuality are seen as fluid and not binary is truly beautiful.
What I missed, though, was the page-turning intensity of the first book. Sal is already Opal at this point, so people are still trying to kill them, but not with the same frequency as when they were vying for the position. There is a fair amount of political intrigue mixed into this book, which is not something I particularly enjoy, either. Nonetheless, this is a good addition to the series and worth reading. I recommend reading the two books close together so the storyline is not lost.
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: fantasy violence (main character is an assassin)
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Edelweiss for the purposes of review.
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