12 new YA books you should stay indoors and read this August
By Lacy Baugher
Of Ice and Shadows – Audrey Coulthurt
The long-awaited sequel to author Audrey Coulthurt’s Of Fire and Stars finally arrives this summer. The original princess-falls-for-another-princess fantasy was initially released in 2016, so fans everywhere have been eagerly looking forward to the next chapter in this story for quite a while.
Good news: It sounds as though Of Ice and Shadows will be worth the wait!
Following their defeat of Lord Kriantz, Princess Amaranthine “Mare” of Mynaria and Princess Dennaleia “Denna” of Havemont must travel to a new kingdom. There, Denna, is trained to use her volatile magic by a mysterious queen who is (naturally) not all she seems.
But after an attack on a nearby town, Mare and Denna are set at odds over what to do, and the two women struggle to decide how to move forward when their goals for their kingdoms put them in conflict with one another.
The official synopsis:
"Mare just wants to settle down with the girl she loves, which would be easier if Denna weren’t gifted with forbidden and volatile fire magic. Denna must learn to control her powers, which means traveling in secret to the kingdom of Zumorda, where she can seek training without fear of persecution. Determined to help, Mare has agreed to serve as an ambassador as a cover for their journey. But just as Mare and Denna arrive in Zumorda, an attack on a border town changes everything. Mare’s diplomatic mission is now urgent: she must quickly broker an alliance with the Queen of Zumorda to protect her homeland. However, the queen has no interest in allying with other kingdoms—it’s Denna’s untamed but powerful magic that catches her eye. The queen offers to teach Denna herself, and both girls know it would be dangerous to refuse. As Denna’s powers grow stronger, Mare does her best to be the ambassador her kingdom needs. Her knowledge of Zumorda and its people grow, and so too do her suspicions about the queen’s intentions. As rising tensions and unexpected betrayals put Mare and Denna in jeopardy and dangerous enemies emerge on all sides, can they protect their love and save their kingdoms?"
Of Ice and Shadows is available on August 13.