Of ice and shadows

Audrey Coulthurst

Book - 2019

"Princesses Denna and Mare are in love and together at last--only to face a new set of dangers. Mare just wants to settle down with the girl she loves, which would be easier if Denna weren't gifted with forbidden and volatile fire magic. Denna must learn to control her powers, which means traveling in secret to the kingdom of Zumorda, where she can seek training without fear of persecution. Determined to help, Mare has agreed to serve as an ambassador as a cover for their journey. But just as Mare and Denna arrive in Zumorda, an attack on a border town in Mynaria changes everything. Mare's diplomatic mission is now urgent: she must quickly broker an alliance with the queen of Zumorda to protect her homeland. However, the qu...een has no interest in allying with other kingdoms; it's Denna's untamed but powerful magic that catches her eye. The queen offers Denna a place among her elite trainees--an opportunity that would force her to choose between her magic and Mare. As Denna's powers grow stronger, Mare struggles to be the ambassador her kingdom needs. By making unconventional friends, her knowledge of Zumorda and its people grow, and so too do her suspicions about who is truly behind the attacks on Zumorda and her homeland. As rising tensions and unexpected betrayals put Mare and Denna in jeopardy and dangerous enemies emerge on all sides, can they protect their love and save their kingdoms?"--

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Subjects
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Novels
Published
New York : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 2019.
Language
English
Main Author
Audrey Coulthurst (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Sequel to: Of fire and stars.
Physical Description
452 pages : map ; 22 cm
ISBN
9780062841223
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Mare and Denna, princesses of two kingdoms, are finally together, but their love hasn't come without cost: to be with Mare, Denna has had to fake her own death in the explosion her fire magic caused in Of Fire and Stars (2016). The two travel to the neighboring kingdom of Zumorda, where Mare is to be an ambassador for her country of Mynaria, and Denna poses as her maid. But as the political situation quickly deteriorates beyond Mare's control, Denna finds herself in a new world: here magic is not persecuted or feared, and for the first time, Denna is offered an opportunity to learn to control her fire magic. While control means she'll be able to keep Mare safe, leaving to train means that Denna may have to choose between magic and Mare, and she isn't ready to do that. Though this sequel moves at a slower pace than its predecessor, it offers an essential allegory for the tenuousness of queer relationships in an often damaging world. Buy to complete the set.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Stakes heighten and our heroes' world expands in this sequel to the princess-falls-for-princess novel Of Fire and Stars (2016).On the heels of defeating Lord Kriantz, Princess Amaranthine "Mare" of Mynaria and Princess Dennaleia "Denna" of Havemont encounter new trouble in the neighboring kingdom of Zumorda. The girls suspect that the kingdom of Sonnenborne is plotting major attacks, but it will take covert investigation to discover the truth. At the same time, Denna seeks training for her volatile powers, which prove dangerous to Mare and others. Denna values her identity as a magic-user despite the challenges she encounters because of it, inviting parallels to queer identity in the real world. Denna and Mare, finally able to be together, also face a new hurdlewhat to do when their personal goals and priorities put them on diverging paths. Unfortunately, momentum lags, a result of a plot that attempts to incorporate myriad elements and a narrative style that bogs readers down in the princesses' thoughts. That said, expect action, political intrigue, new allies and enemies, and even a face familiar to readers of Coulthurst's (Starworld, 2019, etc.) second novel, Inkmistress (2018). Residents of the Northern Kingdoms have a variety of hair and eye colors, but skin color is not noted.The going is slow but worthwhile for readers seeking thoughtful romance and an intricately crafted fantasy setting. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.