Premise: Born of a star and a human, Sheetal has spent her entire life hiding in plain sight. Constantly dying her hair, hiding her talents, and keeping in control of her fire is starting wear her down. When her father’s life is in danger, she must seek out her celestial mother to save his life, but must also face the side of herself she has kept hidden as well.

Review: I really loved the premise of this coming-of-age story and it started out so well. I loved the connection I had with Sheetal being a girl who lives in one culture at home and another outside. It was also great to learn about a mythology new to me with so many references to Hindu mythology plus the excitement of the night market and celestial court. I felt like I was watching the Bollywood version of The Crown, constantly going to Wikipedia to learn something new. The descriptions of the celestial court and the politics of the stars were all so dazzling. But about 1/3 through the book, I just lost interest. The plot spans three days and you would think this would be a fast-paced story with political intrigue, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Halfway through, I just didn’t connect with the story anymore. It felt like it wasn’t going anywhere. The ending was nice, but underwhelming for me. I read an ARC version of the book, so I don’t know if there is a terms guide or guide to the celestial houses in the official version, but that would have been really helpful in keeping myself in the story instead of going down multiple Wikipedia rabbit holes.

2/5

Romance: Yes, light

Violence: None

Tropes: competition, hidden powers, regular girl is secretly part of powerful family

Trigger Warnings: None