A GOD OF MOONLIGHT AND STARDUST

A woman tries to suppress her magical abilities to avoid a malevolent force in Brower’s SF/fantasy series starter.

On the planet Andora, the Council has outlawed magic. Doctoral candidate Renna Strongborn has been hiding her own magic talents, which she can only access when she’s angry, for the past seven years. After a childhood in which an abusive man trained her in magic, Renna would rather not use it at all; she hides it even from her best friend, Helena Troyes. A mysterious, dark force attacks the campus and surrounding town while calling out Renna’s name. Afterward, a man named Khellios arrives with an offer to shelter her in Taria, a haven for those possessing magic. Also, Renna’s “soul guardian,” Sethos, comes to her in a dream, telling her that he’d been searching for her for years. In Taria, Renna learns that Khellios is a god of the moons and stars and that his relatives are gods too. She also finds out that the malevolent force is a powerful deity named Am-Re. She forms a close friendship with his cousin Nera (a moon goddess) and gets to know Ukara (Goddess of War) and Cylas (God of the Planets). As she resolutely avoids using magic, Renna develops an intense attraction to both Khellios and Sethos, who pays her dream visits. However, they’re both hiding a secret. In this series opener, Brower delivers an exciting tale about magic, friendship, passion, and asserting one’s agency. Renna and Khellios narrate the novel, effectively offering readers intimate insights into their motivations and true natures. Renna is particularly compelling; readers will appreciate that she’s an active player in her own story and doesn’t shy away from her intimate desires. Supporting characters are equally complex and intriguing. The worldbuilding is also comprehensive, complete with histories, rules of magic, and detailed descriptions of outdoor settings: “The landscape had changed from a seaside drive with palatial homes dotting the mountainside to a town with two- and three-story buildings made of glittering limestone and red roofs. Cobblestone lined the roads and sidewalks.”

An expertly crafted fantasy featuring compelling, well-developed characters.