Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was rough. I loved the synopsis but it fell very flat for me. I did not connect to the characters until half way, and then I couldn’t stop myself from thinking how annoying they were. The whole fight with Reed and Ale was so stupid. I didn’t see why she was so mad at him. And they kept bringing it up over and over. Just made it more annoying. Every time a moment was supposed to be emotional I felt nothing. I skimmed half of the ending because I just didn’t vibe with it. I was too dedicated to DNF. I liked the magic and the characters were interesting, but I wish there was more done with them. I was so confused through most of the book. I’d love to read more books like this in the future, however. Thank you again for the ARC.

Thank you Macmillan and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A fun read. Reed always felt he was destined for an adventure and when he finds a ruby gem on the beach he gets one. Turns out the gem will give him powers and lead him to another hero. Together all the heroes will save the world! But can they? And will Reed find the nerve to discuss his feelings for his best friend and crush Arno? The story is full of action and diverse characters! It’s fun getting to read about a queer boy gaining powers! There’s also some interesting mythology and lore added in! Definitely worth the read!

this book was sick and the cover definitely shows it! I loved the epic fantasy mixing with school life. The characters were so fun and I loved the crystal names

DRC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Barakiva's jump into fantasy was a home-run. It had everything it needed: great characters, intriguing plot and magic, and flowing writing.

I have to admit, I’m not much of a fantasy reader, but sometimes, just sometimes, a blurb starts tugging at me, and then …
 
I fell in love with the cover of this book and felt this want in my chest, an ache, a need to read this story. The cover shines, and it’s so incredibly vibrant and colorful that I wanted more, more, more. Like a spectator watching a painter with his pallet and waiting impatiently for a miracle to appear on the canvas. I felt a little nervous when I started reading because what if it wasn’t that miracle and I didn’t like the story as much as I loved the cover?
 
But I didn’t have to worry. The story is equally vibrant. Even though the writing is different, it reminded me of F.T. Lukens’ books. But also of Naz Kutub’s The Loophole and Lev. A.C. Rosen’s Lion’s Legacy. Keepers of the Stones and Stars delivers a fantastic, diverse cast, is full of mythology, and, yes, it’s fantasy, but at the same time incredibly easy readable for those of us who actually prefer contemporary more.
 
So, even though I’m not much of a fantasy reader, smiles danced on my face while reading, and I closed my e-reader with a sigh after finishing. Highly recommended!

Thank you for the digital ARC!

This was such a fun, queer book! From the cover to the plot and characters, the book is colorful and exciting. I was worried the premise was generic YA fantasy, but the author puts a fresh twist on a familiar trope with a diverse cast of characters and some really fun development arcs. Looking forward to more from this writer!

This is an ambitious book which works in some ways and not in others, for me. The action of the story makes it hard to put down (a good thing!). I appreciated the diversity in the cast of characters: religious, ethnic, LGBTQIA+, and body image differences all had a place in this story. I also found the forays into Armenian religious traditions, Mughal history, and Aztec mythology to be very interesting, although not as well integrated into the arc of the story as I feel they could have been. That is my main problem with the book as a whole: it could have been more tightly woven with fewer digressions and more emphasis on developing the main characters (which by the end of the book, I still didn't feel very connected to).

I would recommend this to fantasy readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.