Review by Booklist Review
Ceris did not plan on becoming the mother of a star. She planned on getting married to her betrothed and moving into the house he was building for them, starting a family and living the rest of her life in the same tiny village she was born in. But everyone knows the saying, "men make plans and the gods laugh." When the god Sun lights the altar fire in Ceris' village, everything will change. The town elders must choose one woman as a sacrifice--and it will be a sacrifice, because a mortal woman could never survive the birth of a star. Caught up in the long-standing animosity between the Sun and the Moon, the world as Ceris knew it is being torn apart. Fighting for survival, she will be forced to make a choice between the burning sunlight and the call of the dark. Gods and men mingle in this fantasy tale of celestial beings, battling gods, and time travel. Fans of Neil Gaiman's Stardust (2008) will appreciate the unique characters in this fantasy adventure.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A woman tries to find her place in the cosmos in this jam-packed celestial fantasy from Holmberg (Spellmaker). When the torch is lit above the church in Ceris Wenden's village, it signals that a star has died, and the Sun seeks a vessel to birth another star child. Unloved by her betrothed, Ceris volunteers to be the one to lay with Sun and birth a star--though she knows star mothers die in the process of giving birth. Miraculously, however, Ceris survives. She attempts to return to her family on Earth, but discovers that 700 years have passed during her time with Sun. Sought by gods and mortals alike, Ceris finds herself caught in the middle of the eternal war between Sun and Moon and goes on the run with a mysterious man named Ristriel. Holmberg's worldbuilding is unique but rushed, encompassing gods, galaxies, love affairs, and epic warfare in a short span of pages. At its core, however, the novel offers an enticing exploration of the human desire to belong and be loved within a lifetime, however long that may be. Readers will find entertainment and hope in this sweeping, mythic tale. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary. (Nov.)
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