I love both spy books and the bodyguard trope, so mixing them both together in this book was **chefs kiss**. I loved how Sydney and Winter interacted together and how we also go both perspectives. While the plot twist was something I “seen” I also didn’t fully see it coming. I love Marie Lou’s writing and hopefully we get to see more of these characters going forward.

A good stand alone action/romance by Marie Lu is something I’ll never say no to. And neither will my students, so I’m glad this story was met up to my hopes and expectations. Yes, the story was somewhat predictable but in the best of ways. I kept reading with a sense of just knowing I’d be satisfied at the end. Nicely developed characters and an action packed plot made for a great weekend read.

This was really enjoyable! I was a little hesitant in the beginning as I wasn't sure it was really for me, but the story sucked me in from the very first page. The plot was great and the characters enjoyable. I'm excited for the next installment!

First, let me say that I love this author's stories. This is a bit different but equally as entertaining. The author combines the world of spies and covert operations with super stardom. Take the most unlikely character, a pop star, and ask him to help with a dangerous operation. Add in a bit of romance and danger to create a story that will keep you reading. I will be recommending it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Winter Young is an international pop star, selling out stadiums to rabid fans. Sydney Cossette is the youngest spy to join a covert ops group, with no time for romance. But a major crime boss gifts his daughter a private concert with Winter for her birthday, Sydney becomes Winter's bodyguard so she can investigate the organization. Winter is now the newest spy recruit, but Sydney is unaffected by his charms. Or is she?

This book is billed as Kingsman crossed with the Bodyguard, and we have our moments with the experimental spy gear early in the story as well. Winter has his own moments where you feel sorry for him: his older brother died years ago, his mother can barely look at him, and he has the love and admiration of fans but no real close friendships. Sydney had opted to join the group to get out of her small town, the alcoholic father who had been abusive, and the dying mother. Both are highly competent nineteen-year-olds, and the moments of physical attraction are eclipsed by the seriousness of the job: the man they're looking to investigate trafficks in weapons, people, and all kinds of illegal goods, and may be shipping a material that would make an incredibly dangerous bomb that could wipe out Europe. Definitely the high stakes worthy of a spy novel.

Winter has his own powers of observation, which had been honed from being ostracized when young as well as being a star that had been attacked in the past. He isn't the shallow musician type, and I really liked the chapters from his POV. He was all in and eager to help. Sydney is prickly and harder to get to know, which is very deliberate on her part. Even so, I didn't feel too distant in her part of the book at all. We had enough twists along the way, with the mission getting compromised and people not being exactly who we thought they were. I don't want to spoil it, but it's such a fun ride to get through, I kept reading while trying to move around the house doing something else at the same time because I had to know what happened next.

Marie Lu has written many fun and engaging series, and this book is no different. I hope we see more of the Panacea group, and that this is the start of a new series.

Title: Stars and Smoke #1
By: Marie Lu

Genre:
YA Teen Fiction/Spy Thriller
Romance

Recommended Ages:
8th grade-adult

Red Flags:
murder, violence, loss

Summary:
Winter Young, is a nineteen year old, pop star living life in the lime light. He is abducted after a concert, and asked to go undercover to assist taking down one of the world’s biggest tycoons. Apparently, the tycoon’s daughter Penelope is a huge fan. Reluctantly, Winter knows he needs to live a more purposeful life, and feels this situation could meet his current needs. Enters Sydney Cossette, Winter’s undercover body guard from the Panacea Group. This top secret mission is exactly what Sydney is waiting for, however, the friendship with Winter is not on her radar.

Review:
This is my first novel by Marie Lu. I am not a huge science fiction fan, and tried her other novels several times. For this reason, I was a little reluctant to read this novel. I really enjoyed it though, with the young adult twists and unexpected turns throughout the novel. I believe teens today would love this read based on the hype of a super star and the suspense Lu’s build in her main characters. The story takes an unexpected twist and although it was slightly predictable after, I think my students would love it! I did listen to the audio version, and the narrator does a beautiful job!

Thank you to Marie Lu, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Roaring Book Press, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#marielu
#netgalley #roaringbookpress
#starsandsmoke #macmillanchildrenspublishing

Teens will eat this up, I think, and I understand why!

Fantastic concept, an engaging premise, but I do personally feel like Marie Lu has always lacked skill when it comes to her prose. However, I believe more people feel the opposite of this, so I feel it's likely a personal preference. At points, given the premise, there was a lack of action, but I did feel like that was made up with character work (though I did feel the romance was underdeveloped.) Ultimately, this was fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Marie Lu does next!

The first book in the Royal Blood trilogy introduces Evan Bright, the illegitimate American daughter of Britain's King Alexander. After being expelled from her ninth boarding school for setting it on fire, the king's personal secretary spirits her away to Windsor Castle, where her half sister and stepmother greet her with cold shoulders. Evan wants to go home to her mother Laura, who is schizophrenic, but because of the disease, Evan is not allowed to live with her. Her 18th birthday, when she can make her own decisions, is only a month away. But during her time in England, Evan is assaulted by Jasper Cunningham who ends up murdered with Evan being the prime suspect She and the king's nephew Kit attempt to clear her name. Readers who enjoy everything royal will find this a unique take on the genre.

Trigger Warnings: gun violence, blood, injury, chronic illness, off-page death of a sibling and parent, murder.

Nineteen-year-old Winter Young is the biggest pop star in the world, but ever since his brother died in the Peace Corps, he's wondered if what he does, performing and making music, is actually meaningful. Enter Panacea, a hidden spy organization that essentially carries out the CIA's dirty work. After yet another sold-out concert, Panacea kidnaps Winter and offers him the chance to make a difference: infiltrate the home of the CIA's most wanted man, under the guise of performing for his daughter's birthday. They pair him with Sydney Cossette, the youngest and most proficient spy Panacea has. The two don't exactly get along, but as their mission progresses and hidden plans come to light, they find themselves drifting closer and closer.

Let me start off by saying: everything is simply better when there are queer characters. Romance isn't really the point of this book, since it is first and foremost a spy thriller, but Winter being bisexual and a side character being lesbian literally made me so happy. Proof that queer representation doesn't have to be huge and will still positively impact readers.

Moving on to the plot and characters themselves: I absolutely loved both. Winter and Sydney are beautifully fleshed out, and though I figured out the plot twist a little early, it was still very interesting. There were some parts where I had to suspend my disbelief a little, but I didn't even mind so much because the twists and pay-offs were so engaging. (I did stay up late to finish this book when I had a test the next day, if that counts for anything.) The energy of this book is so similar to Carmen Sandiego (the Netflix animated version) and it felt like such a love letter to YA spy thrillers despite the more mature content.

If you like spy thrillers, I highly HIGHLY recommend this book. The energy was so good and I never wanted it to end.

Thank you NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an eARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

(P.S. Don't think I didn't miss that reference to Jimin's Lie during Winter's birthday performance... I know exactly what you are, Marie Lu....)

Stars and Smoke was such a wild ride and impossible to put down!

Winter is a pop star that ends up being recruited to help with a spy mission run by the Panacea group to thwart an international sell to the highest bidder plan.

Sydney is one of the operatives for Panacea and becomes Winter's bodyguard so they can schmooze their way in to get the info needed.

Winter and Sydney made a great pair. Lots of tension between them, but also a lot of respect. They're able to get into their roles and begin to infiltrate the Morrison family, through the daughter, Penelope. I thought the story and action were great and even though I was pretty sure who the mastermind was (and I was right) it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the journey.

A pop star teams up with a spy to go undercover on a secret mission. This premise was intriguing, and since Marie Lu is an auto-read author for me, I had to read this.

I really liked reading about Winter's pop star background and fictional lifestyle. I also loved the Asian representation, and I think the closest real-life counterpart for Winter would be K-pop idols (people are obsessed!)

For a book about spies, I thought there would be a little more action. A lot of the book was introducing different characters and showing their backgrounds, so I found the pacing slow. The main part of the mission was really executed in the last 25% of the book. I also found it difficult to suspend disbelief for a lot of the plot points, and didn't feel invested in the romance. While I probably will pick up the sequel to see what Winter's next mission will be, this is definitely not my favorite book by Marie Lu.

I've been trying to love this book, but I can't do it. It's a basic paint-by-numbers spy story - there are a few interesting twists here and there, but not enough to sustain my interest. It is generally well thought out with characters that seem unique on paper, but I think that's the problem. It is such an averagely competent book that does nothing new with all the potential it has.

The characters are fine. The premise is fine. Everything is just fine, but it's not enough. I couldn't get attached to any of the characters, let alone the protagonists. I will say this - if you have never read a YA book with a strong female protagonist, you will love Sydney. If you have, she is entirely forgettable. And I would say that tracks with the rest of the book. If you have never read a book about a celebrity with hidden insecurities, you will love Winter... etc. I really wish there was more done with the main antagonist at least. There were a lot of opportunities to create sympathy for the antagonist (foils!!) or at least complexity, and while I could understand them on some level, it wasn't really enough to get me emotionally invested. For how much I felt like nothing happened, I still felt like we didn't get a proper resolution for half of the plot threads introduced.

It's not a bad book, technically. But I personally was not interested in it at all, and I was expecting a lot more depth than I got. It's an alright spy adventure and it reads like it's for a much younger audience than it seems to be marketed towards, so this could definitely work as a lower-age YA book.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!)

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu is another amazing book from Marie Lu! She always hits it out of the park and the story is amazing!

I was trying to think of which of my March ARCs I should read before I start my April ARCs, and I decided on this book, feeling like I needed something fun and purely escapist as a palate cleanser before I started a pretty thriller-heavy month for me. Plus, I’ve never read a Marie Lu book before (I know, late to the game, right?) and I just wanted to give her writing a try, even though I know this isn’t her usual game.

While not perfect, this book is a ton of fun! Is it absolutely over-the-top ridonkulous? Yes, yes it is! Is it, as described inside, Kingsmen meets The Bodyguard? It totally is! Do I care about how much I had to suspend my disbelief? Heck-to-the-NO!

Marie Lu is an admitted fan of BTS, and when I sent my bestie (who is also a BTS fan) the summary of this book, my bestie said, “OMG I know exactly who she based Winter Young on!”. I could only laugh, because I am an occasional BTS listener and don’t know the difference between any of them. Winter Young, the male protagonist in this book, may be a pop superstar on par with the Taylor Swift’s of the world in this book in terms of stardom, but he’s much poorer in terms of family and the people who truly know him and love him. His brother died when he was a kid, his dad didn’t want him, and his mother hasn’t been able to really look at him or be around him since his brother passed. The three people closest to him, his manager and two main backup dancers, don’t even know about his brother. So really, no one truly knows him completely.

If you know me and have read a good deal of my reviews, then you know how much I love female spies and assassins. Our female protagonist is Sydney Cossette (also known as The Jackal), who works for The Panacea Group, the secret black ops company who recruits Winter for a secret mission to help take down one of the richest men in the world by having him perform at his daughter’s massive, private birthday gala while Sydney does her dirty work behind the scenes. She’s to pose as Winter’s bodyguard while Winter gets to know and distracts the birthday girl. Sydney was recruited by The Panacea Group at 15 when one of their agents was accompanying the CIA on a recruitment mission at her high school. The CIA couldn’t use her, but she was perfect for The Panacea Group. Eager to escape her nightmare life in her small town, Sydney left that day to become an international spy and never looked back. She feels alone too, clinging to her handler almost like he’s her father and keeping a great deal of secrets. (And can I just tell you how tickled I was that the girl from the poor side of the tracks had the last name Cossette? Shout out to Les Mis fans.)

Beyond these two protagonists, this book is like a popcorn movie hyped up on coffee, fandom, BAMF females, pretty boys, shiny toys, and glittering fun. It’s a quick, page-turning read that might actually make a solid movie or animated film. If you just want some escapism in a world less ordinary, pick it up!

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All views, ideas, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Contemporary Romance/YA Romance/YA Fiction/Book Series/Coming of Age/Espionage Thriller/LGBTQ Friendly/YA Book Series/YA Drama/YA Mystery/YA Suspense/YA Thriller

This was a sweet spy/bodyguard romance. Sydney kind of reminded me of Annie from the show Covert Affairs (especially in the last few seasons when she is hiding a lung condition from her employers). The characters were multidimensional enough to really root for them. I was hesitant to read a "pop star" book, but I liked Winter a lot. It was a little bit confusing how the biochemical weapon worked since they used it in multiple ways, but it didn't detract from the story too much. I don't know that I'll continue the series, but it was a fun action novel for when I wanted something light.

<i> Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. </i>

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Probably 2.5 stars I had a hard time with this one. I requested it because of the author, but I am sure I compared it to books of hers that I like, and that made it fall short. It was a typical teen romance with not much basis to the developing love. The twists and secret weapons and stuff were cool, but it wasn’t enough to pull my rating up. I like the main characters on their own. I like the diversity. I like the strength given to females here. But couldn’t see what all of a sudden brought these two together in strong like. I see there’s possibility for a sequel, but I wont be reading it. That all being said, I can see some teens liking this, and it’s pretty clean other than some kissing and referenced to past love history, which was mild. There’s some violence but nothing crazy graphic, in my opinion. I just wanted more substance. Love the cover as it’s one of the things that sucked me in.

enjoyed it but definitely shouldn’t be marketed as a romance! More of a spy book with a romance sub plot.

I am always a fan of Marie Lu's writing and this delivered as expected! Super fun, mission impossible type vibes, I was very into the mission and the dramatics! The characters were great, Sydney had major June energy which I loved, and Winter definitely read like Jimin/Jungkook (not sure if that was intentional but I was there for it!). Overall, a fantastic read, I just went in expecting a more romance heavy book

TW: betrayal, manipulation, gunfire, injuries

A superstar and a spy go undercover in this action adventure thriller.
✨
When secret agency Panacea taps pop superstar Winter Young for a top secret mission, he’s definitely confused as to why they would choose him, but when he finds out his deceased older brother worked for them too, he’s all in. Although he might change his mind after meeting his snarky partner, Sydney Cossette. She’s been a part of the agency for a while, joining when she was in her teens to escape a dead end town, an absent father and a mother who had just died. She has a gift for languages and is ready for a promotion. This op will get her there if only she can get along with her new partner. As the two go undercover they realize this mission is more complicated and dangerous than they ever knew.
💨
Marie Lu’s Legend series and Warcross duology are my ultimate novels from her, but this is now a close second. I really enjoyed this young adult almost new adult adventure book as it had all the elements of an action movie—something we haven’t seen from Lu before. She normally does dystopian, fantasy and sci-fi so this was such a nice surprise to see something different, but very awesome from her. Can’t wait for the sequel!

CW: violence, kidnapping, guns, death, murder, poisoning, hospitalization, death of a parent, death of a sibling (both recounted), parental abandonment, emotional abuse, depression, blackmail, drug smuggling

Book Review: Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

Stars and Smoke is a young adult spy novel and thriller about a pop star that pairs up with a special ops team to bring down a billionaire arms dealer.

Winter Young is a pop star and world wide phenomenon that is approached by a clandestine group (Panacea) to act as a covert operative when he performs at a private concert for a billionaire’s teenage daughter. Winter is paired up with an experienced spy (Sydney Cossette) and sparks immediately fly. The two will have to navigate a weekend of galas and events in order to find the players involved in a deadly arms deal. But the plan goes sideways and the two will have to depend on each other (and their growing feelings) to save the mission and themselves.

Stars and Smoke is a more at the upper end of YA but I wish Marie Lu took it even further. I think both characters could have been aged up even further with more realistic violence (Sydney was always knocking various goons out with her gun instead of just outright killing them) and romance. There is a lot of heat and tension between the two characters that could have created a love scene or two but it’s actually quite chaste. I also found the two characters overly mature and accomplished for their ages and I think they would have worked on the page even better as 21-24 year olds. I do look forward to more books in the series (mostly to see Winter again) and what their relationship and spy work will look like in the future.

Overall, this was a fast paced and fun teen spy novel.
3.5 stars

Winter Young is an international pop sensation who is still grieving the death of his older brother, Artie, and wondering if something is lacking in his life. Sydney Cossette is a spy for a covert ops group, Panacea, who has learned to rely on nobody but herself. When Panacea approaches Winter about putting on a private concert for the daughter of a major crime boss so that Sydney can obtain incriminating documents while the family is otherwise occupied, Winter sees this as an opportunity to do something important and meaningful. Sydney, on the other hand, is less than thrilled about having a useless pretty boy for a partner, but she soon realizes that there’s more to Winter than meets the eye.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed both of the main characters and their backstories, but I didn’t really buy the whole “enemies-to-lovers” storyline that the publisher is pushing. Winter and Sydney worked well together, and they definitely forged a solid friendship along the way, but I didn’t feel much of the smoldering romance that they were supposed to be developing. Still, I look forward to reading more books in this series.

Recommended for gr. 7-12. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.