Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller

September 18, 2018     erinthebooknut     Book review

Ruin of Stars by Linsey MillerRuin of Stars (Mask of Shadows, #2) by Linsey Miller
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on August 28, 2018
Pages: 416
Goodreads

The thrilling conclusion to the Mask of Shadows duology that weaves a tale of magic, shadows, and most importantly, revenge.

As one of the Queen’s elite assassins, Sal finally has the power, prestige, and permission to hunt down the lords who killed their family. But Sal still has to figure out who the culprits are. They must enlist the help of some old friends and enemies while ignoring a growing distaste for the queen and that the charming Elise is being held prisoner by her father.

But there’s something terribly wrong in the north. Talk of the return of shadows, missing children, and magic abounds. As Sal takes out the people responsible for their ruined homeland, Sal learns secrets and truths that can’t be forgotten.

4.5 Nuts

Awwwww hell yeah! Now THAT is what I’m talking about. If you want a book that discusses identity, culture, and has an awesomely shameless genderfluid character? This one is for you. Sal doesn’t give a fuck if you think they’re wrong, Sal is how they are! Let’s give a hand for Sal and for Linsey Miller for fabulous queer rep!

I had a lot of problems with the first book in this duology. IT sort of felt like it was meandering this way and that, Sal’s identity wasn’t entirely clear for a while and I was a little confused about how they fit in the world.

Boy did Linsey turn that around in RUIN OF STARS. This book was EVERYTHING I wanted MASK OF SHADOWS to be. It was well paced, brutal, and gave Sal plenty of time with all the characters I loved. Plus there’s plenty of politics and intrigue to get into, which leaves nary a boring moment. A huge change from book one.

RUIN OF STARS does an excellent job of discussing gender in this world’s setting. I definitely understood better why different characters behave certain ways, and loved to see many of them usurp the expectations of their cultures. Badass women, badass fluids, badass everyone! Look out gentlemen, you aren’t the only ones who are large and in charge.

This book has some of the best queer rep I’ve seen in a long time. Lesbians, bis, and all genders are represented in this one. It’s also the only book I’ve read so far with a fluid MC. It’s also wonderful to see than many characters, and in fact several countries are completely accepting of it, even when the villains are being a bunch of twatwaffles.

These books may only be a duology but DAMN I want some more in this world. I need some more stories about Nicean culture, about magic, about The Left Hand. These are some of the best aspects of the entire set. I could read a Nicean textbook if if told me more about them.

I highly recommend this book, even if the first one can be a little difficult in places.

What’s your favorite queer book? Share in the comments below.

From my shelf to yours,

Erin

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