yuerstruly

YuEr is 23, has finished her undergraduate studies and is starting graduate school. Her mother says she should have finished reading the entire Jin Yong collection at the age of 12, and is making attempts to shovel Water Margin and Dream of the Red Chamber into the reading list. Her bookshelf consists of B&N Classics, too many AP prep books, and a bit of YA squeezed in there.

Wait, YA? You read YA?? I wouldn't say I actively seek it out, but I'll give anything a try if I'm into the premise. This is half the reason I chose to pick up Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu. The other half is that I have been trying to write an idol-verse/spy-verse AU for DoJae since 2020, and came across the premise for this duology and gave it a try. I've read two Marie Lu series in my lifetime, and though they were both YA SFF, Stars and Smoke sounded like a fun change-up.

Believe it or not, Stars and Smoke was a fun read. I have some nitpicks here and there, but Marie Lu delivered an impactful story and pulled her punches as needed for climaxing scenes. Objectively, people might say the work is "OKAY," and I could agree, but what fun is there in rating a book 3/5 and leaving it at that?

Pop star Winter Young meets elite spy Sydney Cossette in a task to infiltrate a crime organization and take down the boss, Eli Morrison. Winter is an asset that contradicts the essence of a spy—he's hot, famous, and always the center of attention. This is, however, the ticket into Eli Morrison's lair, with his daughter Penelope being his biggest fan and wanting a private performance from pop sensation Winter Young. With little time to prep, Winter's training focuses on self defense, and applies his choreography-learning skills to imitate whatever Sydney throws at him. He's a quick learner, much to her annoyance and dismay (though his quick reflexes are just what they need if things go south).