Peregrine Kent has been dreaming. About dragons. He doesn't understand why, but he is drawn to the creatures born from the hearts of stars. When dragons begin attacking his planet, Peregrine rushes to the center of the fight, hoping for answers.

This sci-fi adventure was a little bit different. I mean, how often do you get dragons in space? I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. The lore surrounding the dragons was very well thought out. To be honest, I just think they were so cool.
I also enjoyed the characters. They were an incredibly diverse cast. Peregrine had OCD, and Z - ship captain - was paralyzed from the waist down. It was clear that the author put a lot of thought into how to present this sensitively and accurately, and they did a great job. Personality wise, Peregrine, Z and Anthem all had distinct and interesting personalities with a fair bit of depth to them. Peregrine came across as a little whiney at points, but Anthem balanced him out nicely. They were a very fun duo to read about.
I struggled a bit at the start to get into the book. I would have liked a bit more context and history. Peregrine did 't live on Earth. Instead, they lived on a new planet with a protective barrier. The reason for the barrier became clear as we learnt about the dragons, but I would have liked to have known what happened to old-Earth and why they left the planet.
There were two major twists in the story. One of the I'd guessed the gist of fairly early on, but the other I did not see coming.
This was a good sci-fi book, and one I'd be interested in seeing sequels to!

Before I tell you why I loved this and gave it five stars I will admit there are weaknesses. But I’ve always tended to rate my books for the way I feel when I’m done, and so take this review with a grain of salt.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Starfire is the story of Peregrine Kent, a seventeen year old boy who years for the stars. Unfortunately for him, they are cut off by a white barrier protecting the planet from Star Dragons who have the power to uncreate anything with Starfire. In the story you will see Peregrine struggle with Harm OCD and the inescapable feeling that he is dying and he needs to get to the stars. To do this he tracks down the star-slayer, the only man who knows how to kill a dragon, in hopes he may be able to lead him to answers about the star dragons and why he himself is dreaming of them.. When a dragon breaks through the barrier and creates planet-wide panic, Peregrine and his stow-away sister Anthem board The Shitty Clunker with reluctant acting-captain Z determined to figure out the mystery or die trying.

What I loved
- Peregrine Kent. He is funny, he is struggling and terrified and he’s a teenage boy. I loved him from the beginning and only more as the story went on.
- Anthem she is feral and spunky and determined and apologizes for none of it. I enjoyed her character even if she was periodically a bit flat.
Z - this grumpy guy was hilarious and then he was devastating and I ached for his choices in the final half of this book.
- the Dragons, hello? Dragons born of stars? Say less.
- the world. I cannot say much without big spoilers but needless to say I was flabbergasted and really loved that aspect of anything I would have loved more world building to really understand the scope.
- the plot. There are holes, but in general the bones of this story are new to me and I couldn’t get it out of my head.

Some of my favorite quotes: * unfortunately I lost the saved ones from the first half of the story but I saved many so here are a few from the back half *

“I realize now that I never understood wrath before, but now I am made of it.”

“In my oldest memory, I am ancient and endless” 🌎

“I hope you get your ship back,” I tell him, trying to put everything in me into the words “I hope you see the stars.” 💔

“I would know you in any shape” 🫶🏻

Onto what I didn’t love:

- pacing, it dragged a bit in the first half, and then a lot happens really fast in the last 40%
- this may only be a me thing or the intention but the harm OCD was jarring to start, and decreases as Peregrine grows himself and I’m unsure if the point was to jar you right out of the rest of the story but in the beginning it was hard to get through and it’s pretty graphic so one should be mindful of the trigger warnings. I actually had to take a break for a few days before diving back in because it was a bit like whiplash. I appreciate the picture that the author was painting though. It really highlighted how debilitating it could be. I don’t wish Peregrine was “fixed”, it was such a huge part of him but I did struggle so that’s why I list it here.
- the rest of the characters fall flat compared to our three most prominent.

Overall I enjoyed this a lot, and I will be happy to add a physical copy of this book to my collection. ❤️

The premise of this book was interesting novel - it’s not your typical YA fantasy about a teenager and their dragon. There were definitely a couple of twists. I also enjoyed the OCD harm, disability representation, and queer representation. Although I don’t belong to any of those identities, it seemed like these topics were handled with respect. I did very much enjoy the MC’s thought processes when working through his anxiety and OCD. That being said, I found this book to overall really drag on. I put it down several times and had to really pull myself to pick it back up again. I think the main reason is because there is so much telling and not enough showing, and in some cases it felt like the dialogue just went on and on. It also felt like the MC was very much in his own head, which to some expect makes sense with the character because he is so anxious with complex thought processes, but at some points it was just too much. I also:was confused by the ages of the characters. They seem like teenagers because they’re still in school and live with their parents, but some of their actions seem too adult-y for the context. I didn’t think the love story was believable at all - the MC and his love interest barely interact but by the end are somehow falling in love? Maybe that is very typical teenager behavior, but it didn’t seem to fit the context of their subplot. Also the love interest seemed like he was in his early 20s or so, which firstly is weird if the MC really is still a teenager and secondly still doesn’t make sense with some of the timelines provided in the book.

Overall, it was an interesting plot and dragon- related storyline, but the lack of worldbuilding and clarity detracted from the overall experience.

“Why doesn’t everyone long to rip a hole in the sky the way I do—to leave this shell of a world behind, to swim out into the starlight of infinite possibilities? To be free?”

Naomi Hughes’ Starfire is surprisingly (and successfully) ambitious for a modern YA novel, packed with action, introspection, and so much heart. Seventeen-year-old Peregrine Kent is afflicted not only with a particular subset of OCD, but also by the sudden onset of cosmic dreams and a deep longing to see the sky beyond the barrier that surrounds his home planet. He begins a quest to find the source of his visions, accompanied by reserved submarine captain Z, his ultra-capable adopted sister Anthem, and their family dog. With mythical star dragons finding their way through the planet’s shield, Per must work through his mental illness and unravel the secretive motivations of those around him.

Starfire reminded me why I enjoy YA; teen protagonists can experience so much with a fresh worldview that often is not obscured by the generalizations and emotional rigidity that accompanies adulthood. Hughes delivers a satisfyingly diverse story that contains the twists and turns of navigating OCD and family loyalty, with a delightful queer romance that doesn’t overshadow the novel’s plot. It was surprising to discover that Starfire’s main character doesn’t just experience harm OCD (a type of obsessive-compulsive-disorder in which vivid intrusive thoughts make a person feel as though they might cause harm to others), but also guides the reader gracefully through daily life with this illness. I have personally struggled with harm OCD, so discovering this type of representation in YA fiction was delightful. I wish I had read this story when I was seventeen.

Hughes is obviously a talented author, but a few things stood out to me during this read. There were a lot of similes, sometimes several on a page, and it was a bit jarring. Why does everything have to be compared to something else? Also, characters often dumped descriptions of others’ features at times when no one would be paying attention to “dark bronze skin, wavy black hair that could star in shampoo commercials, and dark brown eyes”. If these descriptions had occurred a bit more gradually, the first half of this novel would feel a lot less like a wattpad fic. Finally: the use of sentence fragments. There were only a few, but they briefly ripped my grammar-loving attention from the characters and plot.

Overall, Starfire was a delight to read, and has become one of my staple YA recommendations. I sincerely wish there were more stories like this out there.

I had a really hard time getting into this book as it was very slow from the beginning. I enjoyed the Sci-fi, dystopian, fantasy aspect of it because Drangons and who doesn’t like dragons? I also enjoyed that the Author put our main character as someone dealing with harm OCD, this is one of the first books I’ve read with someone dealing with mental health problems. Other than that, I thought it would be more enjoyable.

DNF - formatting was very difficult to read. Pages are colored for some reason and text is formatted weirdly.

Still very interested in reading and would love to read if formatting issues are fixed!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book.

Thoughts/opinion: The approach to Harm OCD with intrusive thoughts was skilfully done throughout this book. The sibling relationship between Peregrine and his sister adds to the development of them as characters. The plot developed well and the twists and ending were well crafted. The LGBT representation felt a little lacking and the romantic elements could have been more detailed but this is a personal preference. Please don't be put off by this as there is certainly enough representation to connect with.

I’m a mood reader and initially I thought this book was not going to be for me at the start but I was pleased to be proven wrong!

Recommendation: I loved the characters within this story and would recommend it to others

Starfire by Naomi Hughes

This plot is difficult to describe, and the plot summary does it much better than I’m going to. Peregrine Kent lives with his adoptive family in a world that lives under a dome the approximate color of eggshell, though he’s been having dreams of soaring through a sky full of stars. Then his world becomes chaos when fabled star dragons break through the dome and begin uncreating the world and the people in it. Driven by a need he doesn’t fully understand to meet the star dragons, he boards a submarine heading in the direction of a star dragon.

This book is full of twists and turns. It’s super fast paced. It gets going almost immediately, and stays moving at a good clip. It’s well paced and the plot line is really good.

I loved the characters. I identify strongly with Peregrine, as I have OCD myself and struggle daily with violent intrusive thoughts. (Prozac is a life changer.) That being said, like most books with mental illness rep, there are parts of Peregrine’s narrative that are hard to read, in the way that it’s meant to be hard to read. But I think it’s pretty well balanced, and while my heart was breaking that Peregrine was struggling so much with this, the book never feels like it stagnates in describing intrusive thoughts.

Anthem and Z are great side characters. They play off each other and Peregrine so well. I just adored them. They add so much heart and tension and spark to this story.

If I have a qualm with this story, it’s in the worldbuilding which is…a little wacky. The plot mostly carries it off, and most of the questions about the worldbuilding I’d garnered throughout the book are answered by the end. And honestly, the ride is so much fun, and the OCD rep is so accurate and so good and so needed, I forgive this book for pushing the limits of my suspension of disbelief.

Thanks to NetGalley and Naomi Hughes for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up really enjoying this book. It combined two of my favorite things when it comes to books: sci-fi and dragons. But, this book was quite hard for me to get into, because of the combination of getting through Per’s violent intrusive thoughts, as well as the book not really picking up until about 35%.
Despite this, I did enjoy this book quite a bit and would recommend reading it.

"Starfire" by Naomi Hughes takes readers on a journey through a world where dragons hatch from stars, promising an imaginative adventure. The protagonist, Peregrine Kent, yearns to break free from the confines of his planet and his anxiety. The story unfolds with unexpected twists and turns, accompanied by Per's struggle with OCD. While the premise is intriguing and the character development commendable, the pacing sometimes feels uneven, and certain plot elements could have been explored further. Overall, "Starfire" offers an engaging read with a unique concept.

3.5 stars. Familiar tropes and storyline, but done with compelling characters and authentic representation.

Of course I immediately wanted to pick up this book since it has dragons. It was very interesting to have a story with/about dragons but make them space dragons. I did call one thing fairly early ish with the main character. Though luckily I didn't call the full thing, so there was an aspect I wasn't expecting. Seeing a main character with a severe form of OCD was cool too in terms of seeing OCD representation. There was another character who was in a wheelchair, which I really enjoyed as well.

This took a while for me to get into, which is no fault of the book and due to my challenges with the protagonist's intrusive thoughts. I would advise folks to be mindful of their own mental state when reading this book, in regards to reading violent intrusive thoughts. I set it down, and picked it back up when I was in a better place for it, and then I was able to sink into the story.

The first half of the book still did drag a bit for me, but the latter half picks up quite a bit and the information we learned about the world/the big 'twist' really surprised me and added further emotional depth to this character driven narrative.

I was a bit confused about the ages of the characters. I believe our three main characters (Per, his sister Anthem, and Z) are supposed to be teenagers but the way their current and previous exploits get described, Anthem and Z seem like they should be much older.

This book is such an interesting concept. A mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and post apocalypse. There are star dragons that live in space! I love that.

Peregrine Kent was an orphan, found in a glint mine, when he was seven years old. He has no memories before this point in his life. We get a brief glimpse at this time in his life, shortly after he was adopted.

Then the story moves forward by about ten years. Star dragons have breached the barrier around their planet and are uncreating anything in their way using their starfire.

Our story follows Peregrine (Per) as he follows a compulsion to meet the dragons, feeling he can stop them before the world is destroyed.

Along the way, he meets some great (and some not so great) characters.

I still feel like I have unanswered questions after finishing the book. What happened to some of the characters? They just disappeared from the story at different points and we don’t find out what becomes of them.

I loved the relationship between Per and Z and it’s growth throughout the book. Z is a fantastic character.

I’m hoping that a sequel to this may be in the works eventually, because I think there is still some story left to tell here.

I absolutely loved the careful way the author handles harm OCD and shows the main character's struggle with it as they embark on their journey. I love the unique way Naomi Hughes crafts dragon lore, and immerses the reader into the story. The author really allows her characters especially, Per and Z to shine and humanizes them in a way that allows us to sympathize with them as readers. I personally loved this book. It was fantastic!

This book was definitely different from anything I have ever read. This is a fantasy book about a young boy named Peregrine and his little sister Anthem. This book drew me in on the first page. The fact that dragons could erase things and your memories was intriguing. The characters in this book show some growth throughout the book. Per, Anthem and Z are on an adventure. Per who suffers from anxiety and OCD with intrusive thoughts is our main character. Anthem the little sister was a bossy little thing who would stop at nothing to protect those she loves. Z the genius best friend who was an engineer by today's standards loved building things. There is a lot of emotion so be prepared for that. Although I was not a big fan of basically the whole book taking place in the submarine the book was very well written, super creative, and very unique. I loved it and give it a 4 star ... I would definitely read more from this author.

Read: 04/03/24. Format: E-Book. Recommend to: Young Adults and young at heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and Naomi Hughes for a free electronic copy of Starfire in exchange for an honest review.

Peregrine Kent has no memories from the time before he was found in a glint mine. But what he does have is a burning desire to see the stars unobstructed by the barrier protecting the planet from the ancient beasts of the universe. When an opportunity arises for Per to learn more about the mythical star dragons, he takes it and is thrust into an adventure of unlocking his past, facing his present, and looking to the future.

Starfire has a great concept, dragons in space, who doesn't want that? Per is a great MC, and reading the POV of someone with OCD and navigating the world around them is really interesting. Anthem, Per's sister, is a great female support character, strong, passionate, and protective.

I have to admit, I did guess the "twist" pretty early on, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. My only real criticism is that I feel like the book ended maybe 60% through the story, and I wanted more in this world. Hopefully, a sequel, or something more in this universe, will come!

A great sci-fi/fantasy read!

This uses the dragon element in a way that was unique and had everything that I was looking for. Naomi Hughes writes a great story overall with that young adult fantasy feel that I was looking for. I hope to read more in this world and from Naomi Hughes.

It’s a lovely story, and the world feels alive. It was a bit slow in the beginning but definitely picked up pace further on! Also, who doesn’t love dragons!
Highly recommend!

Quite good! I honestly loved the world building but this didn't got me from the first page. Although is such a good story.