STARS AND SMOKE, by Marie Lu, Roaring Brook Press, March 28, 2023, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult, ages 14 and up)
An international pop star becomes a secret agent in the Stars and Smoke, the first book of Marie Lu’s new YA series.
Meet Winter Young – 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 – just imagine what they’d do to become his latest fling.
Meet Sydney Cossette – Part of an elite covert ops group, Sydney joined their ranks as their youngest spy with plans to become the best agent they’ve 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 – 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 organization’s 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, she’s forced to admit that there’s more to Winter Young than just a handsome face . . . —Synopsis provided by Roaring Brook Press
Stars and Smoke is a wild ride from beginning to end. This dual point of view book is smart, fast and full of action.
Readers familiar with author Marie Lu’s dystopian novels will be happy to learn that she easily slides into a more contemporary setting.
At the center of Lu’s story are Winter and Sydney. The two are as opposite as possible, and that’s a great setup for this sort of book. Both characters are extremely well written and their inner thoughts and emotions are well explored. Though I finished feeling as though I knew Winter better than Sydney, leaving her with a little mystery fits well with her position as a spy.
Lu’s pacing is superb, and the world she’s created is believable. Her cinematic setting is easy to get lost in.
Stars and Smoke is a fast-cased action/thriller that you won’t want to put down. I can’t wait for the sequel.
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