An Accident of Stars is an ambitious portal fantasy that stands out for its diversity and grounded approach to a magical world. It follows Saffron, an Australian teenager, as she stumbles into the realm of Kena-a land full of civil wars, complex politics, and polyamorous relationships. The book dives headfirst into themes like trauma, gender identity, and realistic depictions of violence, which give it an edge over more sanitized fantasy fare.

That said, the narrative can feel chaotic. The shifting points of view-sometimes without clear transitions-make it tricky to stay fully engaged, and the sheer number of characters and subplots might leave you flipping back to keep track. While Saffron is meant to anchor the story, the focus drifts so often that it’s hard to form a strong connection to her or anyone else.

Still, if you’re craving a feminist take on portal fantasy with strong world-building and thoughtful themes, this one’s worth a look.

I ended up really enjoying this book, although it was a little slow to start. However, once it gets going, it really gets going. The quickly alternating POVs also took some getting used to, but I appreciated the contrast of the young adult’s perspective and Gwen’s adult one. I also really liked the centrality of Black characters and the queer/poly normative cultures.

I was shocked at times at the realness presented, such as the fingers getting cut off at the start, trauma after deaths, the realities of getting transported to another world away from one’s family, and the major death at the end, but I think it worked well for the book and elevated it above the typical YA. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series to find out what happens to everyone, and I’ve read from reviews that a lot of the “random” details from book one come together in book two! Thanks for the arc!

I really wanted this book to be great. However after struggling to stay engaged, I only made it to 27% complete before I ultimately had to call it quits. The book gives great representation and is very female character centered, but unfortunately those characters are numerous and not well defined enough to keep everyone straight. Much of the dialogue was abrupt and POV changes that weren’t well indicated kept taking me out of the story while I figured out who was now speaking. The story line is slow, and while it does seem to be setting up the world, much of the info we are dumped isn’t explored (polyamorous marriages are referenced quite a bit, but we never see these in action). Additionally characters are brought in without much context or introduction and it made me feel like I was just pushing through to maybe see if they had enough story or content to care about. I’m disappointed because I was really excited about this book, and it has so much potential, but ultimately it fell flat to me and I needed to move on to something I enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read the ARC of this book.

An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows is an ambitious portal fantasy that immerses readers in a vividly complex world filled with political intrigue and high stakes. Following Saffron, a teenager from Earth thrust into a magical realm, the story explores themes of identity, loyalty, and survival. The characters—particularly Saffron, Gwen, and Zech—are richly drawn, with relatable struggles and layered relationships that feel authentic.

However, the dense plot, overflowing with intricate political systems and cultural details, can be overwhelming, especially without frequent use of the glossary. While the story’s ambition and diversity stand out, the fast pace and information-heavy narrative may leave readers struggling to keep up. The slow start also makes the early chapters feel dry. Despite these challenges, the book offers a fresh take on portal fantasy and is a compelling read for those who enjoy expansive worldbuilding and complex dynamics.

3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to a 4.

An Accident of Stars is a solid portal fantasy book with complex and realistic characters, high stakes, and a convoluted plot that sometimes left me struggling to figure out what was happening. I enjoyed this book, though I do wish that I had had an easier time following what was happening in the story.

This book begins by following Saffron, a teenager from Australia who follows a strange woman, Gwen, though a portal, and finds herself trapped in another world. She is immediately drawn into the political drama of these lands: a country ruled by a cruel king, and the king’s allies turned renegades seeking to overturn his rule. She befriends Gwen, a fellow worldwalker from Earth seeking to right the wrongs she has done; Zech, a young child possessing powerful magic and the will to change the world; and Viya, the runaway bride of the evil ruler. Together with a larger group of renegades under the supervision of the mysterious and perhaps selfish spymaster Yasha, the group becomes embroiled in the political turmoil, spanning multiple countries and religions. At the same time, Saffron struggles to learn where she fits into this world or, perhaps, if she fits better in the world from which she came.

This book has some solid positives; the first and foremost being that the characters truly feel complex and real, with motivations that make sense. Saffron finds herself an outsider in a world which immediately inflicts great physical harm on her and must find solace in those who look after her; though the relationships are often complex and multilayered, the friendship she builds with the group feels real. Gwen and Zech are similarly well characterized: their struggles, motivations, loyalties, and faults are all understandable, making their actions easy to understand even when the reader wishes they had acted otherwise. Viya was somewhat less easy to understand as her motivations seem to shift dramatically throughout the book, though I do sincerely believe that this is setting up the complicated dynamics of a sequel rather than a plot hole here.

I will say that this book is unlike anything else I have read in its use of portal fantasy. It’s very much a high fantasy, full of complicated political and social systems that the reader, like Saffron, must learn about through context rather than explanation. I was not sure I was going to be a fan of portal fantasy and, while it’s not a genre I expect to seek out more of, I did enjoy the glimpse of it that I got here. This book is very plot-motivated, with minimal time set aside for things such as romance or explanations of how the world works. The stakes are high, and the plot moves at breakneck speed for the duration of the book.

The biggest weakness of the book is that its plot is often difficult to follow. In part, this may have been somewhat due to my version making it very difficult to access the glossary of terms and characters, meaning that I didn’t reference it when it might have been helpful. Even then, the book dumps an absolute ton of information on you: characters, loyalties, religions, races, cultures, governmental structures, magic. The reader has to either follow along every word of it or end up lost and trying to remember what the characters were up to. I do think having access to the glossary would have helped with this but not solved the problem. This book is a lot, and thus at times left me struggling to recall what’s happening at any given moment. As a side note, this book also has a slow start: the portal fantasy has to build Saffron’s life outside of Kena as well, and this feels dry and long. It gets better once she’s in Kena, but at the beginning of the book I felt the pacing was too slow.

This was a really well written book.
With a good plot and likable characters.
I had really fun with it.

A complicated (but ultimately endearing) endearing portal mystery. This one had very likeable characters and a fun, diverse cast, though there were a few points that had me backing up to reread key parts that came before. Nonetheless, I found it enjoyable, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Meadows's other works, as I did.

The format file I received for my ereader didn't show up properly for this book. Thankfully, it appears this book has been published prior so I can request it from my library or buy it once I save up! Glad to have been able to sample this book for free, as I quite enjoyed it.

I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I rated this book 5 stars because it really deserves it. It deserves even more! More stars! All the stars! It's so good omg! So well created! So well written!

In *An Accident of Stars* by Foz Meadows, we follow Saffron Coulter, whose life shifts dramatically upon discovering a portal to a magical realm on the brink of war. Meadows’ narrative challenges societal norms, featuring a diverse cast of LGBTQ+ characters and intertwining political and fantastical themes, similar to the Tithenai Chronicles.

While I loved the Tithenai series, I felt overwhelmed by the ambitious scope of *An Accident of Stars*, which detracted from the emotional depth of character relationships. I prefer more focused, character-driven stories like *A Strange and Stubborn Endurance*, where the relationships ket the plot engaging and more narrow. Despite this, I admired Saffron’s journey of self-discovery in a complex world.

Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this intriguing tale.
3.5 Stars

This is such a great portal fantasy! Very well written the plot was easy to follow and the character depth and development throughout the story is fantastic,

Who wouldn’t want to escape through a portal and make new life long friends and discover magic!