A Sliver of Stardust

Summary: Wren Matthews discovers that magic is real, and that not only can she perform magic (and that not everyone can) but that her magical gifts are quite unusual.

I am a fan of good young adult or middle grade fantasy, but I do not pick up new authors randomly very often. I found Marissa Burt on twitter and after following her for several months and being aware of her work on a book about Christian parenting, I notice her comment about her earlier books. I put them on my kindle watch list and then picked up A Sliver of Stardust when it was on sale for audible. And then the kindle edition about a month later when it was also on sale.

I decided that I needed a bit of light fiction at the end of Christmas break and started to read A Sliver of Stardust. Within less than 24 hours, I had finished the book, alternating between reading on kindle and listening to the audiobook. I immediately purchased the second book in the series and a few days later starting reading it as well.

One of the complaints about middle grade and young adult fantasy is that it follows some traditional themes. The main protagonist is often a bit isolated. They often have a history of "clumsiness" or things happening which they can't quite explain. They are "chosen" and welcomed into a world of magic that those around them (often their parents) cannot see or participate in for one reason or another. There is often a mentor or teacher who instructs the in the magical arts. And there is often an evil person who wants power, or wants to use the power they have, for wrong purposes.

These themes (or tropes) are common because there is a developmental reality about the junior high/high school years where children want to be part of something bigger. They often are not involved in overt imaginative play any longer, but books can still play a role in imagining themselves in different situations that serves a similar purpose to the imaginative play of younger children. The transition from child to adult also involves doing things on their own apart from adult supervision to gain confidence in their own skills and decision making and independence. The tropes are common because they are important and part of what kids look for as their are reading.

Part of what I have appreciated with KB Hoyle's writing and the development of the publishing house that she helped to found is that they are conscious of that narrow line between playing with traditional themes and writing becoming too rote or boring. Tropes are tropes for a reason, but as a reader I do want to be surprised.

Wren Matthews is a gifted young adult. She loves science and being smart and sometimes the competition with others she enjoys. At a science competition she is distracted by a woman in strange clothes and what appears to be her falcon. But no one else seems to be able to see the woman. When Wren gets a note from the woman, she eventually discovers that magic is real, and that she (and the annoying Simon) have been invited to learn about magic.

That starts a novel that does involve many traditional middle grade fantasy themes, while still giving a new twist on many of them. The magic involves rhymes, what the rest of the world sees simply as nursery rhymes, but which in the right context and with magical stardust, allow some people to perform magic. There is good and evil and things are not necessarily what they seem.

I do not particularly try to figure out what is going on as I read. But it was pretty clear to me where the traitor was that plays an important role toward the end of the book. Because I am about 1/3 of the way into the second book as I am writing this, I know more than what is just in this first book, but without any spoilers, friendship, character, honesty and perseverance, are all part of what is required to move forward. There is struggle and separation. People are misunderstood. But that is part of life.

I really did enjoy this book. I tend toward pretty heavy fiction or non-fiction and when I get stuck or burned out, middle grade and young adult fantasy is almost always what gets me out of my rut. Marissa Burt has four books and I am sure I will read all four this year.

I originally posted this on my blog at https://bookwi.se/a-sliver-of-stardust/