Scan barcode
A review by k_cao_xai
The Fate of Stars by S.D. Simper
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Mermaid falls for butch who happens to be the princess to a powerful kingdom. What more do you need?
Character Impressions:
Tallora
Sassy bisexual mermaid.
I’m surprised she didn’t do as much as I thought she would to escape. Of course, it’s because there are things limiting her from escaping, but I thought she would at least try to learn how to escape the castle.Or find a way to remove the bracelet that keeps her from leaving the kingdom’s border. But I understand she’s miles from home and can’t do anything about it.
I love how she provokes and pushes Dauriel’s buttons at first, only softening her insults once she sees Dauriel’s more vulnerable side. She’s not a fighter or someone who has status but she fights back in whatever little ways she can.
Dauriel
She’s an ass but she’s kind of funny.
My heart breaks for the Princess of Solviraes.All she wants is for her mother to love and approve of her. She doesn’t think she’s beautiful or worthy of affection yet she tries to cling onto whatever semblance of love she can find. I was wondering how she and Tallora would fall in love when she was so horrible to Tallora at first, but thank goodness she makes up for it.
Sassy bisexual mermaid.
I’m surprised she didn’t do as much as I thought she would to escape. Of course, it’s because there are things limiting her from escaping, but I thought she would at least try to learn how to escape the castle.
I love how she provokes and pushes Dauriel’s buttons at first, only softening her insults once she sees Dauriel’s more vulnerable side. She’s not a fighter or someone who has status but she fights back in whatever little ways she can.
Dauriel
She’s an ass but she’s kind of funny.
My heart breaks for the Princess of Solviraes.
Minor Characters:
Plenty of minor characters who have their own roles, jobs, and goals. I like how they’re only mentioned once or twice but when I saw their names again, I wasn’t confused as to who they were.
Empress Vahla: Dauriel’s mother. Empress to the Kingdom of Solviraes. It’s no wonder Dauriel is the way she is with how her mother treats her. I relished the moment she got her karma.
Khastra: General. Council member. Half demon. Dauriel’s mentor and even a mother-figure. She was the most interesting character to me. I loved every interaction she had with Dauriel and I love how she’s the only one who can talk back to Empress Vahla.
The Triage: The trio of goddesses who supervise the world. Neoma, Staella, and their daughter, Illune. I absolutely love the way the gods and goddesses are handled in this world. They interact with mortals, manifest in the world, and even pass judgment on criminals. I can’t wait to see how much more is explored about them in the sequels.
Empress Vahla: Dauriel’s mother. Empress to the Kingdom of Solviraes. It’s no wonder Dauriel is the way she is with how her mother treats her. I relished the moment she got her karma.
Khastra: General. Council member. Half demon. Dauriel’s mentor and even a mother-figure. She was the most interesting character to me. I loved every interaction she had with Dauriel and I love how she’s the only one who can talk back to Empress Vahla.
The Triage: The trio of goddesses who supervise the world. Neoma, Staella, and their daughter, Illune. I absolutely love the way the gods and goddesses are handled in this world. They interact with mortals, manifest in the world, and even pass judgment on criminals. I can’t wait to see how much more is explored about them in the sequels.
Story Impressions:
The plot did not go at all where I thought it would, but that’s not a bad thing. I thought it would be about Tallora trying to escape once she got captured, all the while she and Dauriel fall in love in a cat-and-mouse chase, but what transpired was a welcomed subversion.
TW: This is my only gripe.There are way too many mentions of r*pe. Once or twice, I can handle, but more than four or five times and I start to find it challenging to continue the story. There are many ways to make a world dark without using r*pe as the sole element. Death, hopelessness, even torture can be an alternative but for some reason, SA is always the go-to for dark fantasies and I don’t know why. This is not a criticism, just a personal gripe.
I love the worldbuilding. There’s enough lore built into the narrative that you understand how history, politics, and gods work but not so much that it becomes exposition dump.
That trial scene in the last act was tense and glorious.
TW: This is my only gripe.
I love the worldbuilding. There’s enough lore built into the narrative that you understand how history, politics, and gods work but not so much that it becomes exposition dump.
That trial scene in the last act was tense and glorious.
Highlights:
- Highlight 1: I love the names in this story.
- Highlight 2: I enjoyed the modern-sounding dialogue a lot more than I thought I would.
- Highlight 3: Seeing Dauriel come to sympathize with Tallora and accept that she did Tallora wrong was great to read.
- Highlight 4: A love interest who pretends to be tough on the outside to hide her vulnerabilities.
- Highlight 5: Goddess Staella is MVP.
- Highlight 6: Yes, give me more married lesbian goddesses.
- Highlight 7: Dauriel.
- Highlight 8: Yes, more female villains please.
- Highlight 9: I love Dauriel and Khastra’s student-mentor relationship.
- Highlight 10: Khastra is way too clever in helping the heroines without having to break her own flawed loyalty to the crown. I love her for it.
- Highlight 11: Tough butch lesbian being cute or adorable makes me weak. More, thank you.
- Highlight 12: That book cover.
My Personal Tags About the Book:
- Bisexual heroine
- Lesbian heroine
- Butch/femme pairing
- Explicit sex scene
- Brooding love interest
- Lesbian royal
- Princess/citizen
They don’t get together in the end, but what are sequels for?
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape