I was really excited to read this as I love dragons and the excerpt was interesting but I found it really hard to get into this story. The characters felt older than they were supposed to be.

I think it was just not my cup of tea.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC!

Starfire by Naomi Hughes is a science fantasy novel about a young man who wishes to see the real sky. On the planet he calls home, a large barrier fills the sky keeping the population safe from star dragons, large creatures who almost decimated human settlers when they arrived a thousand years ago. The barrier has kept the dragons out but kept the humans locked in beneath a white sky. Peregrine has wanted to see the sky beyond the barrier for as long as he can remember, and he would do anything to see beyond it.

When a star dragon breaks a hole in the barrier, Per’s wish comes true in the worst way possible. Star dragons have the devastating power of uncreation, anything hit by their starfire is unmade, and instantly removed from reality and memory. As star dragons leave destruction and death in their wake, places and people disappear from memory as if they never existed. As Per watches his world devolves into chaos, he can’t help finding himself drawn towards the star dragon when he should be running in the opposite direction.

Finding a place on a submarine along with the famed “Star Slayer”, Per believes that he can find answers to his questions. He’s started having vivid dreams of star dragons, which concern him. Every day is a daily struggle against intrusive thoughts that tell him he is going to harm someone, a condition known as harm OCD. Despite being completely out of his element, Per is finding some comfort in the charismatic captain, Z, and the more time he spends with Z, the more Per realises he’s falling for him.

This was always going to be a journey of self-discovery, Per knew that. He just never realised how big those discoveries were going to be.

Some books just knock the wind out of you, and Starfire is one of those. It is an incredible book that combines science fiction with elements of fantasy and features a lot of representation. There is an M/M relationship, a bisexual main character, a non-binary secondary character, BIOPC characters and disabled and mental health representation.

As mentioned, Per has harm OCD and a foreword by Hughes describes this as involving “intrusive thoughts (scary/ violent thoughts that seem to pop up out of the blue), along with a pervasive fear that the “bad thoughts” mean you are a bad person who is likely to carry out those violent actions in real life […].”

This was a type of OCD I was unfamiliar with, and the inclusion of its representation in this book is why I wanted to highlight it for repDISND. This book is a brilliant example of how featuring representation in fiction can help spread awareness about mental health. There is always the chance that the representation might not be correct, however, when the author includes a foreword about the condition with advice and links to more information that is a very positive sign that it is going to be a good portrayal. In Hughes’ case, her author bio also mentions that she “writes ownvoices mental health into everything she can”. For those who are not familiar with the term “ownvoices” it refers to authors writing from lived experience.

The scenes showing Per’s OCD and anxiety felt familiar to me as someone with mental health conditions of my own, even though harm OCD was new to me. Rather than feeling alienated by the difference between us, I was drawn further to Per as Hughes helped me understand how his intrusive thoughts made him feel. There are many types of intrusive thoughts, and while mine do not involve violence, I’ve certainly questioned whether I was a bad person many times.

In addition to mental health representation, another main character, Z the captain of the submarine, uses a hover-propelled wheelchair. Z is an ambulatory wheelchair user and is not paralysed, however, walking is very difficult due to intense pain. No details are given regarding his disability, so it is not clear whether he has a chronic illness or his pain is the result of an injury.

Hughes is an excellent storyteller who embodies her characters with so much life and energy. I loved the realism she infuses into them and their relationships, particularly between Per and his family members. His sister, Anthem, is a force of nature and very different to her brother, and the scenes between the two siblings are powerful and emotional. The dialogue throughout the book is on fire from start to finish, especially Anthem’s witty one-liners. If you love sassy bisexuals, she’s your girl.

I was impressed with the way Hughes handled character development, showing the way each character processes events and new information. The journey the younger characters are making on the submarine is juxtaposed by Per and Anthem’s parents, who unlike most parents in YA books don’t just sit ideally by as their children run off unsupervised in the middle of a global catastrophe! Let’s just say that Anthem inherited her sass from somewhere, and as an adult, I truly appreciated that the adult characters were well-written.

At the heart of Starfire are themes of identity, and the journey to finding where we belong in the world. Be warned though, Hughes turns the coming-of-age trope on its head in this book with some incredible twists and turns, so if you think you’ve been there, read this before, I can assure you that you have not. This is me telling you to go read this book right now.

4 ⭐️
Plot:
In a world where dragons hatch from stars, Peregrine Kent would give anything to see the sky.

It’s an impossible dream. The Barrier surrounding his planet makes sure of that. Everyone else might feel safe, but the flat white sky just makes Per feels trapped. His OCD has been getting worse each day; if he could only be out among the stars, though, he would finally feel free.

His dream seems impossible…until the day a real live star dragon tears a hole in the sky, setting off a worldwide panic. With the help of a homemade submarine and its surly—and distractingly handsome—captain, Per sets off on a quest to escape the confines of his world and his own anxiety. But what he discovers instead is a devastating truth that will change everything he thought he knew about dragons, his planet, and himself.

In a world where dragons hatch from stars, Peregrine Kent would give anything to see the sky.

It’s an impossible dream. The Barrier surrounding his planet makes sure of that. Everyone else might feel safe, but the flat white sky just makes Per feels trapped. His OCD has been getting worse each day; if he could only be out among the stars, though, he would finally feel free.

His dream seems impossible…until the day a real live star dragon tears a hole in the sky, setting off a worldwide panic. With the help of a homemade submarine and its surly—and distractingly handsome—captain, Per sets off on a quest to escape the confines of his world and his own anxiety. But what he discovers instead is a devastating truth that will change everything he thought he knew about dragons, his planet, and himself.

➡️ Important topics for teens (adults also) and learning to be okay with being your trueself while also telling an amazing story. But sometimes I was a little bit bored so it wasn‘t full five stars. Still would recommend, very nice YA book which you still think about after reading it!

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This was a fantasy about dragons and the last humans. The dragons breathe star fire which unmakes everything they breathe on including said humans. Our hero has memories of being a dragon. This was a touching story of how he comes to terms with who he is.

I was expecting a sort of typical fantasy story about a struggling boy making a connection with a dragon (albeit a star dragon, and don’t get me wrong, typical can still be great), but what I got was something unique and surprising and creative with an interesting mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and the real. Maybe these ideas are in other stories, but they were new to me or used in ways I’ve never seen them used before. And I’m not just talking about the star dragons that can erase things from existence and memory with their starfire. (When that’s not the most interesting thing in a book, you know you’re in for a treat!)

And the story itself kept me on my toes. There were emotional moments and tense moments and dangerous moments. There was some action, but also a lot of quiet, relationship or internal-focused scenes. A lot of the book took place on a submarine, which sounds terrifying to me but was more cozy for the characters, aside from the occasional giant eel encounter. And as it went on, I really didn’t know what was going to happen or how they were going to solve their problems.

Peregrine, the main character, was caring and anxious and determined. Z, the handsome submarine captain, was enigmatic and grumpy but had his own less obvious ways of showing kindness. Anthem, Per’s sister, was pushy but also determined and a problem-solver. The sibling bond was a strong and sweet and a big part of the story. There was also a small bit of romance, and I enjoyed the tension between them.

There was disability rep! Peregrine had harm OCD with intrusive thoughts, and I can’t speak from experience, but it seemed to be portrayed realistically and with care. Z used a hover chair (like a wheelchair).

Small complaint #1: I could not get a handle on the ages of these characters. The main character was 17 or 18. Ok. His sister was a year younger than him, but she was interning to be a therapist and mentioned having bad bedside manner. At 16 she’s working with patients? And Z was 19 or 20, I think, but a mechanical/engineering genius, and Per found an article from 10 years ago about him working with his mother to repurpose a ship. So he was building ships and doing research when he was 10? Maybe I just missed something. But this would have made a lot more sense to me if the characters had all been like 3 years older. Because then it would still make sense for the MC to be struggling and figuring things out in life, but his sister would be in college, and Z would’ve been working with his mother in his teens. This wasn’t a huge deal, but it did distract me for a moment every time these things were mentioned.

Small complaint #2: I’m no expert, but there were some things that I don’t think would’ve happened the way they did, in terms of science. (I’m not talking about the dragons, obviously those were never going to be realistic.) So you have to be able to just let that go for the sake of a good story and some touching moments.

Overall, I found this creative and unique and didn’t know what would happen, but I cared about the characters and loved this take on dragons living among the stars!

In addition to being a delectable Science Fiction Fantasy (Dragons!!), starring a protagonist who despite almost insurmountable difficulties, PERSEVERES, I appreciate the author's devotion to not just the hearts of her characters, but to the hearts and well-being of her readers as well, making the novel an encompassing "virtual hug."

First thing that drew me to this book was the blurb, Dragons hatched from stars so going in I was intrigued. The story was about teenage Peregrine (Per) who had a fascination about dragons and wanted an explanation about his dreams. I love reading to learn new things and whilst I know of OCD. I had never heard of harm OCD and although the story is fiction, Per's condition is real. Whilst his thoughts could be graphic, they were showing what Per was going through every day. Per was a caring, sweet young man who had a good relationship with his family and although his sister Anthem was a bit full on she was one of Per's biggest fans.
Wanting to find out more about the dragons Per runs into Z, an "acting Captain" of a submarine. He had his own secrets which did make him come across as grumpy, but even from their first meeting they had a connection.
The description of this world made you feel you were there. The scene at the market, you could imagine hearing the hustle and bustle of folk going on with their lives. The technology used was a mixture of futuristic and real technology. Z had a hover chair and they used watches similar to our smart watches.
Whilst the 1st half was a bit slow, it was setting the scene, but wow the last 50% flew by and before I knew it I had finished it but I want to know more. I have not read a good YA in ages and I am glad that I had the pleasure of reading this book. If we could have more in this world I would be extremely happy

Peregrine Kent has been dreaming. About dragons. He doesn't understand why, but he is drawn to the creatures born from the hearts of stars. When dragons begin attacking his planet, Peregrine rushes to the center of the fight, hoping for answers.

This sci-fi adventure was a little bit different. I mean, how often do you get dragons in space? I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. The lore surrounding the dragons was very well thought out. To be honest, I just think they were so cool.
I also enjoyed the characters. They were an incredibly diverse cast. Peregrine had OCD, and Z - ship captain - was paralyzed from the waist down. It was clear that the author put a lot of thought into how to present this sensitively and accurately, and they did a great job. Personality wise, Peregrine, Z and Anthem all had distinct and interesting personalities with a fair bit of depth to them. Peregrine came across as a little whiney at points, but Anthem balanced him out nicely. They were a very fun duo to read about.
I struggled a bit at the start to get into the book. I would have liked a bit more context and history. Peregrine did 't live on Earth. Instead, they lived on a new planet with a protective barrier. The reason for the barrier became clear as we learnt about the dragons, but I would have liked to have known what happened to old-Earth and why they left the planet.
There were two major twists in the story. One of the I'd guessed the gist of fairly early on, but the other I did not see coming.
This was a good sci-fi book, and one I'd be interested in seeing sequels to!

Before I tell you why I loved this and gave it five stars I will admit there are weaknesses. But I’ve always tended to rate my books for the way I feel when I’m done, and so take this review with a grain of salt.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Starfire is the story of Peregrine Kent, a seventeen year old boy who years for the stars. Unfortunately for him, they are cut off by a white barrier protecting the planet from Star Dragons who have the power to uncreate anything with Starfire. In the story you will see Peregrine struggle with Harm OCD and the inescapable feeling that he is dying and he needs to get to the stars. To do this he tracks down the star-slayer, the only man who knows how to kill a dragon, in hopes he may be able to lead him to answers about the star dragons and why he himself is dreaming of them.. When a dragon breaks through the barrier and creates planet-wide panic, Peregrine and his stow-away sister Anthem board The Shitty Clunker with reluctant acting-captain Z determined to figure out the mystery or die trying.

What I loved
- Peregrine Kent. He is funny, he is struggling and terrified and he’s a teenage boy. I loved him from the beginning and only more as the story went on.
- Anthem she is feral and spunky and determined and apologizes for none of it. I enjoyed her character even if she was periodically a bit flat.
Z - this grumpy guy was hilarious and then he was devastating and I ached for his choices in the final half of this book.
- the Dragons, hello? Dragons born of stars? Say less.
- the world. I cannot say much without big spoilers but needless to say I was flabbergasted and really loved that aspect of anything I would have loved more world building to really understand the scope.
- the plot. There are holes, but in general the bones of this story are new to me and I couldn’t get it out of my head.

Some of my favorite quotes: * unfortunately I lost the saved ones from the first half of the story but I saved many so here are a few from the back half *

“I realize now that I never understood wrath before, but now I am made of it.”

“In my oldest memory, I am ancient and endless” 🌎

“I hope you get your ship back,” I tell him, trying to put everything in me into the words “I hope you see the stars.” 💔

“I would know you in any shape” 🫶🏻

Onto what I didn’t love:

- pacing, it dragged a bit in the first half, and then a lot happens really fast in the last 40%
- this may only be a me thing or the intention but the harm OCD was jarring to start, and decreases as Peregrine grows himself and I’m unsure if the point was to jar you right out of the rest of the story but in the beginning it was hard to get through and it’s pretty graphic so one should be mindful of the trigger warnings. I actually had to take a break for a few days before diving back in because it was a bit like whiplash. I appreciate the picture that the author was painting though. It really highlighted how debilitating it could be. I don’t wish Peregrine was “fixed”, it was such a huge part of him but I did struggle so that’s why I list it here.
- the rest of the characters fall flat compared to our three most prominent.

Overall I enjoyed this a lot, and I will be happy to add a physical copy of this book to my collection. ❤️

The premise of this book was interesting novel - it’s not your typical YA fantasy about a teenager and their dragon. There were definitely a couple of twists. I also enjoyed the OCD harm, disability representation, and queer representation. Although I don’t belong to any of those identities, it seemed like these topics were handled with respect. I did very much enjoy the MC’s thought processes when working through his anxiety and OCD. That being said, I found this book to overall really drag on. I put it down several times and had to really pull myself to pick it back up again. I think the main reason is because there is so much telling and not enough showing, and in some cases it felt like the dialogue just went on and on. It also felt like the MC was very much in his own head, which to some expect makes sense with the character because he is so anxious with complex thought processes, but at some points it was just too much. I also:was confused by the ages of the characters. They seem like teenagers because they’re still in school and live with their parents, but some of their actions seem too adult-y for the context. I didn’t think the love story was believable at all - the MC and his love interest barely interact but by the end are somehow falling in love? Maybe that is very typical teenager behavior, but it didn’t seem to fit the context of their subplot. Also the love interest seemed like he was in his early 20s or so, which firstly is weird if the MC really is still a teenager and secondly still doesn’t make sense with some of the timelines provided in the book.

Overall, it was an interesting plot and dragon- related storyline, but the lack of worldbuilding and clarity detracted from the overall experience.

“Why doesn’t everyone long to rip a hole in the sky the way I do—to leave this shell of a world behind, to swim out into the starlight of infinite possibilities? To be free?”

Naomi Hughes’ Starfire is surprisingly (and successfully) ambitious for a modern YA novel, packed with action, introspection, and so much heart. Seventeen-year-old Peregrine Kent is afflicted not only with a particular subset of OCD, but also by the sudden onset of cosmic dreams and a deep longing to see the sky beyond the barrier that surrounds his home planet. He begins a quest to find the source of his visions, accompanied by reserved submarine captain Z, his ultra-capable adopted sister Anthem, and their family dog. With mythical star dragons finding their way through the planet’s shield, Per must work through his mental illness and unravel the secretive motivations of those around him.

Starfire reminded me why I enjoy YA; teen protagonists can experience so much with a fresh worldview that often is not obscured by the generalizations and emotional rigidity that accompanies adulthood. Hughes delivers a satisfyingly diverse story that contains the twists and turns of navigating OCD and family loyalty, with a delightful queer romance that doesn’t overshadow the novel’s plot. It was surprising to discover that Starfire’s main character doesn’t just experience harm OCD (a type of obsessive-compulsive-disorder in which vivid intrusive thoughts make a person feel as though they might cause harm to others), but also guides the reader gracefully through daily life with this illness. I have personally struggled with harm OCD, so discovering this type of representation in YA fiction was delightful. I wish I had read this story when I was seventeen.

Hughes is obviously a talented author, but a few things stood out to me during this read. There were a lot of similes, sometimes several on a page, and it was a bit jarring. Why does everything have to be compared to something else? Also, characters often dumped descriptions of others’ features at times when no one would be paying attention to “dark bronze skin, wavy black hair that could star in shampoo commercials, and dark brown eyes”. If these descriptions had occurred a bit more gradually, the first half of this novel would feel a lot less like a wattpad fic. Finally: the use of sentence fragments. There were only a few, but they briefly ripped my grammar-loving attention from the characters and plot.

Overall, Starfire was a delight to read, and has become one of my staple YA recommendations. I sincerely wish there were more stories like this out there.

I had a really hard time getting into this book as it was very slow from the beginning. I enjoyed the Sci-fi, dystopian, fantasy aspect of it because Drangons and who doesn’t like dragons? I also enjoyed that the Author put our main character as someone dealing with harm OCD, this is one of the first books I’ve read with someone dealing with mental health problems. Other than that, I thought it would be more enjoyable.

DNF - formatting was very difficult to read. Pages are colored for some reason and text is formatted weirdly.

Still very interested in reading and would love to read if formatting issues are fixed!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book.

Thoughts/opinion: The approach to Harm OCD with intrusive thoughts was skilfully done throughout this book. The sibling relationship between Peregrine and his sister adds to the development of them as characters. The plot developed well and the twists and ending were well crafted. The LGBT representation felt a little lacking and the romantic elements could have been more detailed but this is a personal preference. Please don't be put off by this as there is certainly enough representation to connect with.

I’m a mood reader and initially I thought this book was not going to be for me at the start but I was pleased to be proven wrong!

Recommendation: I loved the characters within this story and would recommend it to others

Starfire by Naomi Hughes

This plot is difficult to describe, and the plot summary does it much better than I’m going to. Peregrine Kent lives with his adoptive family in a world that lives under a dome the approximate color of eggshell, though he’s been having dreams of soaring through a sky full of stars. Then his world becomes chaos when fabled star dragons break through the dome and begin uncreating the world and the people in it. Driven by a need he doesn’t fully understand to meet the star dragons, he boards a submarine heading in the direction of a star dragon.

This book is full of twists and turns. It’s super fast paced. It gets going almost immediately, and stays moving at a good clip. It’s well paced and the plot line is really good.

I loved the characters. I identify strongly with Peregrine, as I have OCD myself and struggle daily with violent intrusive thoughts. (Prozac is a life changer.) That being said, like most books with mental illness rep, there are parts of Peregrine’s narrative that are hard to read, in the way that it’s meant to be hard to read. But I think it’s pretty well balanced, and while my heart was breaking that Peregrine was struggling so much with this, the book never feels like it stagnates in describing intrusive thoughts.

Anthem and Z are great side characters. They play off each other and Peregrine so well. I just adored them. They add so much heart and tension and spark to this story.

If I have a qualm with this story, it’s in the worldbuilding which is…a little wacky. The plot mostly carries it off, and most of the questions about the worldbuilding I’d garnered throughout the book are answered by the end. And honestly, the ride is so much fun, and the OCD rep is so accurate and so good and so needed, I forgive this book for pushing the limits of my suspension of disbelief.

Thanks to NetGalley and Naomi Hughes for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up really enjoying this book. It combined two of my favorite things when it comes to books: sci-fi and dragons. But, this book was quite hard for me to get into, because of the combination of getting through Per’s violent intrusive thoughts, as well as the book not really picking up until about 35%.
Despite this, I did enjoy this book quite a bit and would recommend reading it.

"Starfire" by Naomi Hughes takes readers on a journey through a world where dragons hatch from stars, promising an imaginative adventure. The protagonist, Peregrine Kent, yearns to break free from the confines of his planet and his anxiety. The story unfolds with unexpected twists and turns, accompanied by Per's struggle with OCD. While the premise is intriguing and the character development commendable, the pacing sometimes feels uneven, and certain plot elements could have been explored further. Overall, "Starfire" offers an engaging read with a unique concept.

3.5 stars. Familiar tropes and storyline, but done with compelling characters and authentic representation.

Of course I immediately wanted to pick up this book since it has dragons. It was very interesting to have a story with/about dragons but make them space dragons. I did call one thing fairly early ish with the main character. Though luckily I didn't call the full thing, so there was an aspect I wasn't expecting. Seeing a main character with a severe form of OCD was cool too in terms of seeing OCD representation. There was another character who was in a wheelchair, which I really enjoyed as well.

This took a while for me to get into, which is no fault of the book and due to my challenges with the protagonist's intrusive thoughts. I would advise folks to be mindful of their own mental state when reading this book, in regards to reading violent intrusive thoughts. I set it down, and picked it back up when I was in a better place for it, and then I was able to sink into the story.

The first half of the book still did drag a bit for me, but the latter half picks up quite a bit and the information we learned about the world/the big 'twist' really surprised me and added further emotional depth to this character driven narrative.

I was a bit confused about the ages of the characters. I believe our three main characters (Per, his sister Anthem, and Z) are supposed to be teenagers but the way their current and previous exploits get described, Anthem and Z seem like they should be much older.