REVIEW: Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

I have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the publisher. This has not affected my rating or review in any way.


Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an Advance Reader’s Copy of Stars and Smoke!

Stars and Smoke is everything I want in a young adult adventure novel- enemies-to-lovers (!!!), a pop star boy, a secret agent girl (and y’all know how much I love spies and secret agents), and one big espionage mission. Fortunately for me, Marie Lu delivered on exactly what she promised.

Sydney Cossette is a child prodigy and trained spy, always awaiting her next mission- despite the secret that lurks beneath her skin. Winter Young is a K-pop idol, coming off from his most recent tour, trying to keep his familial issues out of the limelight. When Winter is brought in to team up with Sydney for a secret mission, tensions rise and lives are at stake every moment.

This novel was brilliantly written, and I loved every second of it. The characters were well-developed and entertaining, I especially loved the spy Sydney Cossette. The popstar Winter Young was also great. As for the plot, it’s a spy thriller with plenty of action and steamy romance sprinkled in- it’s definitely upper young adult level romance.

My favorite part of the novel was definitely the secret agent and espionage aspects of the story. I’ve loved spy stories since I was young; Black Widow is my favorite Avenger and one of my favorite book series is the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. Would I have loved this novel without all of the spy stuff? Yes, but probably not as much as the novel wouldn’t have a plot otherwise (lol).

I’m eagerly waiting for the next novel but for now, I’m giving Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu 5 out of 5 stars.


Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu will be available on March 28th, 2023.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2024 Reading Wrap-Up

Image
Happy end of year everyone! This one has been absolutely crazy for me, dealing with some of the uppiest ups and the downiest downs. I would summarize this year in one word: a rollercoaster. But throughout this year, one thing has been pretty consistent for me, and that would be reading. Through all of the crazy events of my life this year, it was rare when I was without a book (or e-reader) in hand. I actually read so much, that... I read 110 books this year! Go me! I'm very proud of myself for achieving this goal, as I've never read 100 books before, much less 110. My previous record was 79 books in 2021, and my original goal for this year was 80. I credit my ability to read so much more due to two things: one, the Kindle Fire HD 8 I received for Christmas in 2023, and two, my job allowing me ample reading time (while the kiddos sleep, of course). And with so many books comes many feelings, particularly of like and dislike, some of which I felt stronger for than others. Listed...
Read more

The Disappearance of Mekayla Bali

Image
Every person interested in true crime has that one case that sticks with them. The one case that keeps them awake at three in the morning, the one case that boggles the mind. For me, that case is the disappearance of Canadian teen Mekayla Bali. Why? Well, there’s so much coverage of her last movements before her disappearance, and yet no one knows where she is- or if she’s still alive. So, who is Mekayla Bali? Mekayla Margaret Kim Bali (formerly Niebergall) is a Canadian teenager from Yorkton, Saskatchewan. She lived with her mother, Paula, her two siblings, Joshua and Eliyora, and aunt, Rhonda. She had interests such as The Hunger Games and video games like League of Legends. She enjoyed playing the violin and accordion, and nature photography. She wanted to go into a career working with children or animals. She was just a normal teenage girl… However, there may have been something darker going on behind the scenes. Bali had multiple Facebook and Instagram accounts, including an Inst...
Read more

From The Vault: Speculation On the Upcoming Vault Tracks from Reputation (Taylor's Version) and Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)

Image
With the Tortured Poets Department era seemingly coming to a close soon, considering the speculated upcoming announcement for Reputation (Taylor's Version) , my mind has been on the vault tracks lately. In particular, the countless possibilities for the Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version ) vault tracks. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of interest in the Reputation vault tracks, but we don't have much knowledge on what those might be. Beyond possible re-recorded versions of "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" with ZAYN, Taylor-penned Rihanna hit "This Is What You Came For," as well as scrapped Lover track "Need," we only have one other known song from this time: "Family," a song registered by Taylor in May of 2018 on GEMA and mentioned in an interview with Scott Swift, is the only unreleased song from the Reputation era that the public is aware of. Other than that, we're in the dark as to what Taylor may release from her sixth album...
Read more