Stars and Smoke(Book Cover may Vary) (A Stars and Smoke Novel, 1)

Present time in America, Winter is a famous performer who is being recruited by the Panacea Agency to help take down a dangerous criminal, Eli Morrison. Eli has invited Winter to perform at his daughter Penelope’s birthday celebration in London. This is why Panacea wants Winter’s help, because he can infiltrate Eli’s life with little suspicion.Sydney Cosette works for Panacea and poses as Winter’s bodyguard. The two seem to come from very different backgrounds but they discover they have commonalities. Winter and Sydney get hit with a few surprises on their mission and they’ll have to rely on their wits and trust each other to make it through alive.Likes/dislikes: Winter and Sydney are interesting characters with unspoken depth. I like the mystery, action and setting of the story. I love the ending.Mature Content: PG-13 for bisexual relationships mentioned, off-page kissing; sex alluded to by stating, “ended up in bed together”; drinking, transporting drugs, kissing.Language: R for 49 swears and no f-bombs.Violence: PG for kidnapping, killing mentioned, death by choking on a chemical weapon, hand to hand combat, shot in the chest. Sydney’s mother Killed by father in domestic abuse rage.Ethnicity: The ethnicity of the main character is Chinese American, other characters are Black, white, brown-skinned, mixed.

Winter Young is an international pop star who seemingly has it all. But Winter’s brother Artie, died years ago and his Mom has backed away from him ever since.Sydney Cossette didn’t have it easy. She grew up poor in a small town with a dead-beat Dad. So Sydney got good at pick-pocketing and learned a bunch of languages for fun and was discovered by the Panecea Group. Now she’s one of their youngest and brightest spy’s.Here’s where things get fun. Panecea has been trying to take down drug lord Eli Morrison for years but they don’t have hard evidence. Eli’s daughter, Penelope, is Winter’s biggest fan and when an offer to do a private concert comes through Panecea decides to take a chance on a pop-star as their newest recruit and pairs a reluctant Sydney as his bodyguard. Can Winter and Sydney stop arguing long enough to actually get the proof they need?Couldn’t put this true YA down (will buy for Jane when it comes out so she can read - age 12).

When I first read the description of a superstar singer being recruited to be a spy, I thought it sounded a little cheesy. The first few chapters changed my mind because they so beautifully captured the emotions of what Winter was going through having lost his brother and being emotionally disowned from his mother. Unfortunately, it did get cheesy again.This story requires you suspend reality in quite a big way. Secret spy agency, sure. 19 year old top spy? Maybe... an entire secret spy complex in a walk-in freezer of a very popular hotel in downtown Seattle complete with underground garage that is large enough to house multiple cars and jets? Uhm. And not to mention said cars and jets are all able to convert into different vehicles with a clap? It was utterly fantastical and not in a good way. Add in a chronic and fatal illness that one of them is hiding from the agency and it starts feeling like Spy Kids meets Telenovela.The main characters are well developed, but I could not reconcile the ridiculousness of everything else in order to enjoy the story.

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu, the first novel in a new series, is a thrilling, action-packed, young adult novel. It’s a Mission: Impossible meets Hannah Montana story in all the best ways possible.Superstar Winter Young has been recruited by The Panacea Group to help collect evidence to put away a notorious and brutal smuggler. He’s been paired with the bristly Agent Sydney Cossette in accomplishing the covert ruse. What danger will they encounter along the way? Was it a terrible idea to enlist a superstar rookie?This novel was a thrill of a ride that I couldn’t put down. It’s quick paced and intriguing that will keep you guessing. The characters are complex and I think it will be very interesting to see it unfold in future books. Lu writes from both Sydney and Winter’s point of views. She also utilizes flashbacks to slowly unwind their pasts, which I thought paired well with the plot. The seemingly inevitable romance storyline in the novel was a delightful slow-burn.Overall, I give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Roaring Book Press (Macmillan) for providing this arc.

Good plot, Bond-level agents saving the world from the machinations of a greedy mega-billionaire. Not the likeliest novel I’ve read, but thrilling none the less. I often think, when reading about such exploits, that I really must work on getting into better shape, in case I have to run from a murderous group of thugs in order to save my life, not to mention the world. Fortunately, that’s not a likely scenario for me. I enjoyed this book — read it in one sitting (ahem, not the way to get into optimal shape).

I knew this isn't exactly a romance novel but the cover gave me the idea it would still have center place in the plot so I needed more scenes between Winter and Sydney. I love the characters and there is a follow up book so not all is lost. The action sequences were well done.