The Spark & the Star is a beautifully written, atmospheric read that subverts common fantasy tropes at every turn. Hunter's background in professional writing shines through in the tight pacing and cinematic imagery. It will leave you desperately anticipating the next installment.

This was a really stellar indie and a spectacular debut novel. This fantasy took me on a journey in a very detailed and well thought-out world, with characters that you both love and love to hate.

The premise of the book is something quite unique: a world where magic cycles on and off every 25 years. This system introduces a lot of unique challenges in the world and for our characters. We primarily follow Danika, an alkemist (magic-user) that has a ticking time clock as the impending non-magic cycle approaches that makes her desperate for a way to hold on to magic. We also get a lot of perspective from Adrik, an Anastasia-style prince that survives a slaughter of the royal family and has a vendetta against the ruler that murdered his parents and siblings. We get POVs from a few other characters as well, which helps build the rich world and gives us a view of different parts of the plot.

I was a bit thrown off by the lore drops at the beginning due to the categorization of the book as “Teen/Young Adult” on NetGalley. It felt like a lot of information all at once, but once I adjusted my expectations I felt it was a reasonable amount for an adult fantasy. I would categorize this as fantasy, bordering on high fantasy. There is a romance subplot but I definitely wouldn’t call it Romantasy. There are mentions of sex and some fade-to-black scenes, but otherwise no spice.

Hunter did a great job making me feel for the characters - betrayal, joy, frustration, and more. There were a few copy editing issues but not enough to meaningfully detract from the story, and on par with other indie novel editing. The pacing was a bit strange at times (stuff like asking a character if they want to do something the next day, then the next sentence is that next day activity without an explicit transition) but it was consistent so I think it was a stylistic choice. I liked the Slavic inspirations as well. It reminded me of books like Mistborn, The Witcher, and Throne of Glass.

All in all I think this was a great book and I’m excited to continue reading future installments! It was a bit hard to find the book on StoryGraph and the author on Instagram, but I did find them eventually. This was among the best indies I’ve read, so I hope it becomes a bit easier to find online to be able to get the attention I think it deserves.

The Spark & the Star by Tess Hunter really stands out for its world-building. The idea of a magic system that collapses every 25 years gives the story a constant sense of urgency, and the use of alkhemy as both a science and a source of power adds an interesting layer to the world. There’s a lot of detail woven into how magic, politics, and survival all intersect, which makes the setting feel immersive, even if it can be a bit dense to fully take in at times.

The characters are a mix of strengths and missed opportunities. The multi-POV structure introduces four main perspectives, each with their own motivations and moral gray areas, which keeps things interesting. Some characters—especially the more ruthless or conflicted ones—feel more fully realized, while others don’t get quite enough depth to stand out. The relationships, including the romance, are present but more understated, with the focus staying primarily on each character’s individual journey. Overall, I’d rate it 4 stars—ambitious, layered, and worth the read, even if not every storyline lands equally.

I went into The Spark and the Star expecting something along the lines of romantasy, but it’s actually much more of a straight-up fantasy—which I really appreciated. The story focuses more on the world, the magic, and the plot rather than romance, and that felt refreshing compared to a lot of what’s out there right now

One of the strongest aspects of the novel is its magic system. It feels inventive without being overwhelming, and it brings a sense of novelty that keeps the story engaging.

I also really liked the plot. It kept me engaged and curious about what would happen next, and I didn’t feel like it dragged at any point.
The characters were enjoyable overall, but I did feel like a few of them could have used more depth. There were moments where I wanted a bit more insight into their motivations or backstories

One small thing I wish the book had was a pronunciation guide. With fantasy names, that always helps me stay immersed instead of second-guessing how things are supposed to sound. But that’s just me.

Overall, this is a solid fantasy read with a refreshing take on magic and a strong, plot-driven story. Definitely worth picking up if you’re looking for fantasy that isn’t heavily romance-focused.

I received a copy of The Spark and the Star via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I gave The Spark and the Star 4 stars for an innovative world, characters with thorough motivations, and an intriguing plot. While it definitely falls more heavily on the fantasy side than the romantasy side of things, it was a solid fantasy story with a world unlike many I have seen before. I definitely saw the Anastasia influences, but those influences were lighter than I expected, and the story was more solemn - closer to Game of Thrones or Wheel of Time what was given weight and seen as important to the story, with less of the lighter romance aspects.

I found the world to be a complex and interesting one, full of different cultures and ways of life that each felt unique and reasonable to the circumstances, and each character had their own motivations and sense of self that held up well to each other as well as to the story itself. The character relationships are complex and feel very realistic, and it was a very well grounded story, with excellent hooks for a sequel.

I would recommend The Spark and the Star for anyone looking for the start of an epic-style Russian-inspired fantasy adventure with deep characters and an innovative magic system.