Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller (eARC review)

TITLE: Ruin of Stars

AUTHOR: Linsey Miller

RELEASES: August 28th 2018 by Sourcebooks Fire

GENRE: Teens + YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi

As Opal, Sal finally has the power, prestige, and most importantly the ability to hunt the lords who killed their family. But Sal has to figure out who the culprits are before putting them down. Which means trying to ignore the fact that Elise is being kept a virtual prisoner, and that the queen may have ulterior motives.

And the tales coming out of north are baffling. Talk of dark spirits, missing children, and magic abound. As Sal heads north toward their ruined homeland and the lords who destroyed everything, they learn secrets and truths that can’t be ignored.

In this follow up to Mask of Shadows, Sal continues the mission to avenge Nacea. With a list and the go ahead from Our Queen, they hunt down those who released the shadows on their lands a decade ago. The plot in this instalment goes a bit slower, but no less interesting. Sal questions themself frequently in their quest, but sticks to the moral code they’ve created that they feel goes against the Lady, but is also justifiable given the circumstances. When they meet a key character, they realise that not all is as it seems and maybe the lack of information they have regarding Nacea is their saving grace. All Sal has ever wanted is to be accepted for who they are and not forced into socially accepted roles. And to be Nacean.

“Mercy’s dead,” I whispered. “… You killed mercy, but vengeance remains.”

Full of action, intrigue, amd badass protagonists, we follow the story of a person who is finding themself while avenging their heritage. I loved this story and kind of wish we got a little more from the epilogue, but it was still really good. It kind of mirrors what’s going on in the world to a point. And we definitely need more diverse books in the world!

This is a story of acceptance and finding your place in the world.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an eGalley. All quotes are taken from an ARC and may not match the final release.