3 reasons to add A Dark and Hollow Star to your winter must-read list

These days, faerie-themed YA fantasy feels as though it’s everywhere in the world of publishing. And while we can probably thank Holly Black’s megapopular “Folk of the Air” trilogy for a big portion of this trend, you’ll find faeries and other related members of the folk playing major roles in works from Sarah J. Maas to Naomi Novik.

This is all to say that it’s kind of difficult right now to release a faerie book that stands out from the pack, and any attempt had better give readers a compelling story to go along with all that lore. Thankfully, Ashley Shuttleworth’s debut A Dark and Hollow Star does just that – and more.

Set in the magical underworld of Toronto, it follows the story of ironborn teen Arlo Jarsdel, whose half-human, half-fae blood leaves her an outcast in her own family; reckless former Fury and known murderer Nausicaä Kraken; Fae prince Vehan Lysterne from the Seelie Court of Summer; and Aurelian Bessel, the prince’s steward, and childhood best friend. Though this group has little in common, the four will eventually form a tenuous alliance to try and both stop a serial murderer and save their world as they know it.

Touted as a mix ofThe Cruel Prince and City of Bones, the story features an array of appealing queer characters and a high-stakes story of politics and murder. Here are just three reasons you should make sure to add it to your winter must-read list this month.

A Dark and Hollow Star: Four compelling POV characters

Writing a multi-POV story can be difficult: It needs to feature distinct voices, with characters that are both distinctly drawn and who have arcs of their own.  When done poorly, it’s painful. When done right, it’s propulsive, drawing readers deeper into the story in an attempt to connect the dots between a group of seemingly disparate stories.  And thankfully, A Dark and Hollow Star definitely falls into that latter category.

The story follows four distinct characters, each with their own agendas and flaws.

• Arlo, a half-human/half-Fae girl (known as an “ironblood”) who desperately wants a life in the magical world that looks down on her for her slightly less than pure birth. An introvert who doesn’t believe she’s anything special, she’ll find herself drawn into a dangerous mystery involving other ironborn teens suddenly going missing.
• Nausicaa is a former Fury, with heartbreaking and horrifying reasons behind that “former” designation. An immortal condemned to spend eternity in the Mortal Realm, she’s torn between causing chaos for her own amusement, and figuring out why dangerous creatures are suddenly stalking the streets.
• Vehan is the Crown Prince of the Seelie Court of Summer, who wants to do his best to protect the people he will someday rule over. With the help of his future steward and current (sort of) best friend Aurelian, he’ll attempt to investigate the ironborn murders on his own, which may lead to dangerous consequences for them both.

This quartet all have plenty of their own problems – and most of their stories don’t even intersect in any real way for at least the first half of the novel. But the thoughtful, deft way they all come together is both entertaining and natural, and you’ll find yourself rooting for all of them by the end.

A Dark and Hollow Star: Complex plotting and worldbuilding

The complex story of A Dark and Hollow Star is set in a world that looks a lot like our own, the eight fae courts work hard to keep the peace in the Mortal Realm – and prevent humans from finding out about the existence of fae, immortals and other magical beings. This naturally gives rise to a great deal of complex politics, often based on history and relationships that go back generations. And Shuttleworth simply drops her readers into the middle of all this and expects them to keep up.

(This is a great thing, by the way.)

As the rich world she’s created unfolds around us, readers get to experience everything from the faerie grey-market hidden within a human shopping mall to the secretive club known as “The Faerie Ring”, where pretty much anything goes. It’s exciting, and lived in, and feels like a place that could really exist, just a little bit out of our own reach.

A Dark and Hollow Star: Multiple slow burn queer romances

A Dark and Hollow Star is particularly notable for the effortless way it incorporates LGBT and nonbinary characters into its story.  And its two central romances are queer ones, taking place between the former Fury Nausicaa and ironborn girl Arlo, and Seelie prince Vehan and his steward Aurelian. Or at least, we’re well on the road to seeing them take place. Sort of.

This quartet of characters is on what is perhaps the slowest of slow-burn tracks – exactly one kiss is exchanged between one of these two couples in the entirety of this book’s almost 500 pages  – and the entire group are romantic disasters of varying stripes, but the feelings of all parties involved for the others are palpable. In short, this is one of the most entertaining aspects of the book, and I can’t wait to see what happens between both pairs in the sequel.

A Dark and Hollow Star is now available. Let us know if you’ll be adding this fantasy to your TBR pile!