I wanted to love A Sky of Emerald Stars especially since I adored A River of Golden Bones, but this was just not for me. With all the politics here and the shifting POVs, there was just some sort of disconnect with the actual characters. Keep reading this book review of A Sky of Emerald Stars for my full thoughts.
Summary
A secret song. A hidden fortress. A world on the brink of war.
After the long, despotic reign under the evil sorceress, Sawyn, life in the Golden Court is finally rebuilding. New leadership means new beginnings, and Sadie Rauxtide—now a royal guard—has been grappling with how she’ll fit into her new home. But when a rival Wolf king, Nero, kidnaps the Queen’s friend and mentor Ora, any hopes for peace are lost.
The Golden Court springs into action, and Sadie is tasked with an important travel with Navin and Maez to try to win new allies and uncover Nero’s hidden secrets. Yet Navin has secrets of his own, and it’s all Sadie can do to focus on her attachment to him and her loathing for what she discovers inside the man she loves. She has a mission, but the heart wants what it wants. And fate? Fate has its own magic, and it’s one more thing out of her control.
Meanwhile, Queen Calla is forced to seek help from the Ice Wolf pack in order to stop Nero’s prejudicial rule. However, the Queen of Taigos makes Calla’s objectives impossible with their capricious relationship standing in the way—completely unwilling to commit in helping Calla rescue Ora and repeatedly dismissing Calla’s new gender identity. With no true allyship from Taigos Court, Calla battles between diplomacy and being their true self as they realize coming out is only the beginning of their journey of self-discovery.
Tensions rise on both fronts as Sadie and Calla struggle to gain support for the brewing war and realize that the world of Aotreas is more than it seems. Full of high-stakes adventures, self-discovery, and love in all forms, A Sky of Emerald Stars follows the beginning of a revolution and the relentless fight for peace.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
A Sky of Emerald Stars bites off a lot. It takes up where A River of Golden Bones leaves off with this political tricky instability. And it hits the ground running with this kidnapping and the threads from the first. My favorite element had to be the politics of having to fight against how things were done in the past to protect this new family. But it was a threadbare exploration as we quickly got bogged down in the politics and the alliances. And, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind politics but the pacing of the negotiations versus the high action scenes – mixed with the spice – felt a bit like whiplash. There are quick POV changes which didn’t help the feeling of the whiplash especially as they are spread out in action and distance for a while.
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I ended up reading for the themes of exploring our power and how we can make change from within, but A Sky of Emerald Stars felt a bit like trying to hold onto a bit of a chaotic tennis match. I also did not buy the chemistry of Navin and Sadie, so that totally caught me off guard. I loved how gender was explored in this fantasy as we explored the changing times of the pack and the kingdom. In A Sky of Emerald Stars, I just didn’t really end up being obsessed with the main characters like I was for the first and the quick changes made it feel like I couldn’t get a handle on the politics or the character changes.
Find A Sky of Emerald Stars on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.