Happy Monday and welcome to my review of Tarnished Are The Stars by Rosiee Thor! I LOVED this book, so I’m super happy to share my review with all of you today! Read on to find my review and favorite quotes, plus more information about the book and author! (And maybe even a surprise giveaway!!!) And now without any further ado, let’s get to the review!

Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor
Published on October 15, 2019 by Scholastic Press
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA, Aspec, Queer
Pages: 384
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library, Rochester Public Library
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The Lunar Chronicles meets Rook in this queer #OwnVoices science-fantasy novel, perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Sharon Cameron.

A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher's chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog -- donning the moniker Technician -- to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner's tyrannical laws.

Nathaniel Fremont, the Commissioner's son, has never had to fear the law. Determined to earn his father's respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father's elusive affection is worth chasing at all.

Their game of cat and mouse takes an abrupt turn when Eliza, a skilled assassin and spy, arrives. Her mission is to learn the Commissioner's secrets at any cost -- even if it means betraying her own heart.

When these uneasy allies discover the most dangerous secret of all, they must work together despite their differences and put an end to a deadly epidemic -- before the Commissioner ends them first.

A TL;DR OF MY REVIEW:

• #OWNVOICES ACE BOOKS FOR THE WIN!
• Cinnamon roll aroace boy + murderous lesbians =  😍😍😍
• GIVE ME ALL THE SCIFI FANTASY GENRE BLEND BOOKS PLEASE
• MORE QUEER KIDS IN SPACE PLEASE (@rosieethor + @mkengland)
• i cried several times while listening to the audiobook on my way to work.

ahem. #OWNVOICES AROACE BOOK. Just any ace books in general are always FANTASTIC but I’m still SOBBING over how amazing this was! Rosiee/Eliza’s explanation of everything aromantic and asexual made me cry. more than once. For some reason (please tell me if this happens to you too!), anytime I read a book with a character like me (fat, ace, autistic) I end up SOBBING if the author gets it right, because it feels so nice to just be seen.

And now for all the reasons I loved this book aside from it being an ace book.

I. LOVE. SCIFI! Sometimes I forget this about myself? Or, more likely, I add a bunch of amazing sounding scifi books to my TBR and then reread contemporaries and fantasies I know I love. *facepalm* This book is perfection as it expertly blends together scifi, fantasy, and mystery. I was trying to figure out what exactly was going on for most of the book, and I’m already looking forward to a reread to see if I catch some foreshadowing! I LOVED LOVED LOVED the slowburn romance between Eliza and Anna, and Nathaniel’s friendship with both of them made me laugh (“That’s called friendship, Nathaniel.” is one of my favorite quotes!) as it filled me with warm fuzzies. If you’re looking for a book about found family and queer kids in space, (aka, you’ve just finished THE DISASTERS by MK England and need something to read RIGHT NOW) this is the perfect book for you! I hope you love it as much as I do!

I WANT MORE. NOW.

please.

This cover is WOW! Blues, purples, SPACE, clockwork!!! It has it all! (in case you were wondering, yes, I do love this cover!!!)

10/10 stars!!!

• THE DISASTERS by MK England
• QUEER KIDS IN SPACE
• I haven’t read Crier’s War by Nina Varela yet, but I really want to put it here because I think it’ll fit perfectly!
• These two interviews I hosted on my blog:
  • Interview with Rosiee Thor
  • Interview with Nina Varela

Rosiee Thor began her career as a storyteller by demanding that her mother listen as Rosiee told bedtime stories instead of the other way around. She lives in Oregon with a dog, two cats, and four complete sets of Harry Potter, which she loves so much, she once moved her mattress into the closet and slept there until she came out as queer.

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Enter here to win an ARC of Tarnished Are The Stars by Rosiee Thor!

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Since this book was one of my most anticipated books of 2019 and I LOVED IT, I want to know your thoughts on some of your most anticipated books! Did you read them yet? If you have, did they meet your expectations? If you haven’t, why not? Tell me EVERYTHING in the comments and don’t forget to have a splendiferous day!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2019 Reviews