Ruin of Stars

June 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-In this sequel to Mask of Shadows, genderfluid Sal continues their career as Opal, one of the Queen's Left Hand, an elite assassin corps. Sal believes that they are the sole survivors of their homeland's annihilation and vows to kill every responsible political leader. Gruesome zombielike monsters, Shadows, are thought to be extinct with the banishment of magic, but they are being secretly harvested by Gaspar del Weylin-aka North Star-the kingdom's most powerful and ruthless leader. Sal's route to murder North Star and his cronies involves investigating the recent disappearances of children; surviving the deaths of friends and allies; and sustaining their romance with Elise, the daughter of one of Sal's targets. Political allegiances, real and false, are difficult to track even as the story reaches its conclusion. The convoluted plot and confusing multitude of geographical and personal names frustrate the flow of what could be an engaging genre-bending hybrid. A clear message about challenging society's binary gender and sexual orientation definitions motivates the Queen to unseat the supremacist leaders who devalue or outright forbid an individual's right to a spectrum of identities. Sal, in spite of all the throat-slitting, remains an endearingly sympathetic character, and their passionate voice for justice is this story's gem in the rough. VERDICT Overall flawed world-building makes this ambitious fantasy a choice for fans of the first book who want to see Sal's journey through.-Elaine Fultz, Madison Jr. Sr. High School, Middletown, OH

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
In this conclusion to a fantasy duology, genderfluid assassin Sal hunts down the five Erlend nobles on their hit list.Sal is out for revenge on North Star, Deadfall, Riparian, Caldera, and Winter, the code names for those responsible for the decimation of Sal's home country, Nacea. Designated the new Honorable Opal and afforded the resources of the queen of Igna's elite assassins, Sal hunts down the Erlend nobles who now threaten Igna with war. While uncovering the dark plot that connects flayed corpses, severed ears, and missing children, Sal copes with PTSD and deepens their relationship with Elise de Farone. The bloody action is diluted by scene after scene of lengthy dialogue and repetitious narration. Despite technical issues, readers will appreciate the novel's timely parallels to our world; Erlend's "us first" mentality and adherence to heteronormative gender roles are particularly familiar. Miller (Mask of Shadows, 2017) remedies the previous book's misstep of conflating expression and identity. This time, she more accurately represents genderfluidity by asserting that presentation does not equate gender identity and by introducing more transgender and nonbinary characters. The cast is also racially diverse; Sal is presumably white, with other characters' skin ranges from pale to dark brown.Though at times long-winded, this is a fitting conclusion to an inventive fantasy series. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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June 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Gender-fluid Sal Leon, crown assassin, has finally begun taking their revenge against the forces who wiped out Sal's people by unleashing monsters from a twisted magical experiment on an unsuspecting populace. To destroy the shadow creatures, magic was eradicated from the land. However, as Sal closes in on their targets, they uncover a trail of disappearances and mutilations suggesting that someone is trying to recreate the past. Meanwhile, Sal's beloved Elise has been kidnapped by her father, one of the people Sal has sentenced to death. Can Sal, a refugee-turned-killer for an adopted kingdom, avenge their people without sacrificing the realm's peace? Sal's strong-willed personality and rich emotions create a protagonist who continues to shine against an obscure setting and conflict. Divested of the organizing structure of the previous book's competition plot, this sequel to Mask of Shadows (2017) struggles with pace and coherence. A bright spot is the romantic chemistry between Sal and Elise, also a winning character. The antagonists' tyrannical opposition to freedom of gender engagingly broadens Sal's fight beyond retribution alone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)