A gripping flight into fantasy that is heavy-handed in its presentation of conventional beauty standards.

A Dark and Hollow Star | Book by Ashley Shuttleworth A Dark and Hollow Star | Book by Ashley Shuttleworth

Beautifully written and deliciously complex, A Dark and Hollow Star is utterly engrossing. The magic is bloody, the humor sharp, and the murder mystery drenched in violence and intrigue. Like a fallen Fury set on vengeance, I couldn’t get enough.” Touted as a mix of The Cruel Prince and City of Bones,the story features an array of appealing queer characters and a high-stakes story of politics and murder. Here are just three reasons you should make sure to add it to your winter must-read list this month. A Dark and Hollow Star: Four compelling POV characters

Eight proud fae from the Four Courts of Folk made up this panel of judges. One each from the factions of Seelie Winter, Summer, Autumn, and Spring—those folk who drew power from day and most valued the qualities of grace and responsibility in their people. One each from the factions of UnSeelie Winter, Summer, Autumn, and Spring—those folk who drew power from night and were known for their indulgence and their cunning. And lastly there's Aurelian Bessel—this guy . . . he acts all grump and uncaring, but to find out the truth about the why behind it and know it's because of that MONSTER...

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth | Waterstones

I feel SO strongly—so passionately—about speculative fiction set in Toronto, and Canada more broadly. We are a city, land, and many cultures and communities that deserve representation ( beyond the white eurocentric norm). We are rife with magnetizing stories and settings. As Ashley Shuttleworth writes: As the rich world she’s created unfolds around us, readers get to experience everything from the faerie grey-market hidden within a human shopping mall to the secretive club known as “The Faerie Ring”, where pretty much anything goes. It’s exciting, and lived in, and feels like a place that could really exist, just a little bit out of our own reach. A Dark and Hollow Star: Multiple slow burn queer romances If the most recent case had indeed occurred right here in Canada—in territory that belonged to UnSeelie Spring—their government could no longer afford to do nothing. The Fae High Council would be forced into searching out possible culprits; they had enough to keep them occupied without grilling Arlo for what was now twice as long as her Weighing should have taken, but throwing their failures in their faces and rushing them along probably wasn’t the best way to force their meeting’s conclusion—certainly not, given the look on most of the Councillors’ faces.I knew right then and there, I'd lay down my life for this girl. it sounds ridiculous BUT SHE LOVES ANIME SO IDC But in Arlo’s opinion, there were only two paths her future could conceivably take. The Council was surely humoring Celadon and the possibility that he could make their lives miserable for what Sylvain had said. It was highly unlikely that Arlo was too fae to possess any magic right now. No matter how or what she and her family had tried over the years to coax it out of her, she’d simply never shown a hint of promise in that area.