An Accident of Stars

Paperback, 494 pages

English language

Published July 15, 2016 by Angry Robot.

ISBN:: 978-0-85766-585-0

(3 reviews)

When Saffron Coulter stumbles through a hole in reality, she finds herself trapped in Kena, a magical realm on the brink of civil war.

There, her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different women: Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. But Leoden has allies, too, chief among them the Vex’Mara Kadeja, a dangerous ex-priestess who shares his dreams of conquest.

Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin, a secretive order of storytellers and mystics, the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens. Saffron is out of her world and out of her depth, but the further she travels, the more she finds herself bound to her friends with ties of blood and …

When Saffron Coulter stumbles through a hole in reality, she finds herself trapped in Kena, a magical realm on the brink of civil war.

There, her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different women: Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. But Leoden has allies, too, chief among them the Vex’Mara Kadeja, a dangerous ex-priestess who shares his dreams of conquest.

Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin, a secretive order of storytellers and mystics, the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens. Saffron is out of her world and out of her depth, but the further she travels, the more she finds herself bound to her friends with ties of blood and magic.

Can one girl – an accidental worldwalker – really be the key to saving Kena? Or will she just die trying?

2 editions

M Is For Awesome reviewed An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows (Manifold Worlds #1)

Review of 'An Accident of Stars' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Lively world building and very good battle scenes are what shine in this book. And I love a portal fantasy where the hero doesn't remain unscathed by their experiences. This book is a Young Adult adventure sitting somewhere between Joel Rosenberg's "Guardians of the Flame" series, and Kameron Hurley's (very not YA) "Worldbreaker Saga".

This was pitched to me as not being Young Adult but it very much is. The main heroes are all high school aged, and the author frequently inserts jarringly obvious Educational Moments to literally school the reader. Lessons are spliced into the story on how to examine ones motives for bigotry, be sensitive to the differing life experiences of others, and not to promote the misinformation that evil people are crazy, among others. As an adult who learned those lessons long ago these sudden bald interjections just broke the fourth wall and with it the spell …

Lively world building and very good battle scenes are what shine in this book. And I love a portal fantasy where the hero doesn't remain unscathed by their experiences. This book is a Young Adult adventure sitting somewhere between Joel Rosenberg's "Guardians of the Flame" series, and Kameron Hurley's (very not YA) "Worldbreaker Saga".

This was pitched to me as not being Young Adult but it very much is. The main heroes are all high school aged, and the author frequently inserts jarringly obvious Educational Moments to literally school the reader. Lessons are spliced into the story on how to examine ones motives for bigotry, be sensitive to the differing life experiences of others, and not to promote the misinformation that evil people are crazy, among others. As an adult who learned those lessons long ago these sudden bald interjections just broke the fourth wall and with it the spell the story was weaving.

The story itself is simple, full of evocative locations and characters, with no grimdark or sexual assault. The book inverts the traditional proportions of male to female characters, presents healthy sexuality in a positive light, and adresses issues of racisim, sexism, and intergenerational pressure. Overall a very worthwhile read for any young adult fan of fantasy.

Note: get a physical copy to read. The ebook version I read was a hot mess of formatting errors- I don't think I have ever seen so many issues in a professional book. Not the books fault however - had no impact on my rating.

Kida

rated it

March 20, 2023

moonshadow

rated it

Jan. 10, 2020