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Stars and Smoke by Marie LuStars and Smoke #1
Published by Roaring Brook Press on March 28, 2023
Age Group & Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Young Adult
Representation: Chinese American protagonist
Format: Physical
Source: Library
This smoldering enemies-to-lovers novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu puts a superstar global phenomenon and a hotshot young spy on a collision course with danger β and Cupidβs arrow β in an electric new series perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Ally Carter.
Meet Winter Young β International pop sensation, with a voice like velvet and looks that could kill. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. His rabid fans would move heaven and earth for even a glimpse of him β just imagine what theyβd do to become his latest fling.
Meet Sydney Cossette β Part of an elite covert ops group, Sydney joined their ranks as their youngest spy with plans to become the best agent theyβve ever had. An ice queen with moves as dangerous as her comebacks, Sydney picks up languages just as quickly as she breaks hearts. She's fiery, no-nonsense, and has zero time for romance β especially with a shameless flirt more used to serving sass than taking orders.
When a major crime boss gifts his daughter a private concert with Winter for her birthday, Sydney and Winter's lives suddenly collide. Tasked with infiltrating the crime organizationβs inner circle, Sydney is assigned as Winter's bodyguard with Winter tapped to join her on the mission of a lifetime as a new spy recruit. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter's charms, but as their mission brings them closer, sheβs forced to admit that there's more to Winter Young than just a handsome face...
Trigger & Content Warnings: blood, death of a parent, gun violence, child abuse, murder, poisoning, kidnapping, alcoholism
Stars and Smoke was fun to read β I liked Marie Lu’s take with an idol-featured story going undercover as a spy and teaming up with one of the youngest spies in a group hoping to become one of their best agents.
The story does take time to really start picking up, so depending on preferences, this might feel slow. A good early half focuses on setting things up and delving into the main characters’ (Sydney and Winter) backgrounds and personalities as they prepare to head to London to infiltrate a crime boss’s inner circle through a private concert Winter is invited to for his daughter’s birthday. I personally thought this worked well, especially with the dual POV, and I thought Lu’s writing was engaging enough that I mostly ignored the story not picking up.
I also just loved Sauda and Niall! For the very few page time they received (given they’re like the handlers of the mission Sydney and Winter are on), Lu makes the most of it and I loved their dynamic much more than our mains β I’d read a whole book on their agent days.
Really there were only two things bothering me: the acronyms Sydney used, which didn’t feel like something most teens use (but maybe every teen I know just uses acronyms sparingly?), and the romance between Winter and Sydney felt unnecessary, but these two issues really boils down to personal preference.
Ultimately, Stars and Smoke was light and fun with compelling writing that was addicting to read, and I’m looking forward to continuing the duology with Icons and Inferno.
Hannah has a penchant for chaos, which is probably how she ended up blogging since 2012. That, and she was probably too expressive for her parents to handle, so it had to go somewhere. She can be found occasionally at The Arts STL. If youβd like to fuel her boba addiction or just enjoy her posts and want to support her, stop by her KoFi or Buy Me a Coffee!