What Happens Next: A Gallimaufry

melancholic romantic comic cynic. bi & genderqueer. fantasy writer. sysrae on ao3.

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Title: An Accident of Stars

Author: Foz Meadows

The Story: 16-year-old Saffron makes a split-second decision and finds herself leaving Australia via a portal to another world, where she quickly gets mixed up in a tense political situation. Taking shelter with a group of rebels who hope to overthrow a corrupt ruler, Saffron joins them on their urgent quest to stop a potential war, and finds herself growing closer to them as she learns more about their world.

The Characters: Characterisation is definitely one of the author’s strong suits, and I loved all of the characters in this unreservedly. Viya, a spoiled but smart young woman thrown in at the deep end of the situation via an arranged marriage, was incredibly compelling. Zech, a preteen girl who helps Saffron to understand her new surroundings, was lovable. Gwen was fascinating, and Saffron herself took my heart along with her as she struggled to adapt to her new surroundings and be there for her new friends.

The Representation: Most of the story takes place in a world with its own ethnic and cultural groups unlike the ones on Earth, several of which are represented in the main cast. One of the main characters is an older, Black woman from England, who is aromantic (but not asexual). Another main character is bisexual. Same-gender attraction is considered usual, and polyamorous marriages are the norm. One character is transgender. One character has a chronic illness which is likened to fibromyalgia. Many characters have impairments sustained through injury in battle. One character has unusual skin markings, another is recovering from stroke-like symptoms after poisoning, and another experiences PTSD-like symptoms.

Why I Loved It: This story did so many things that ticked all of my boxes! It delved into the difficulties of magically learning a language without necessarily having the cultural context for it, which was fascinating. It showed communities of women of all ages, working together – and sometimes against each other – and getting stuff done. It spent time thoughtfully exploring the impact of trauma has, particularly on young people – characters are given lots of space to deal with and begin to recover from their experiences. The worldbuilding was magical. The characters were wonderful. The book explored the complexity and bittersweetness of a life lived between worlds. I’m waiting impatiently for the next book in the series.

A lovely review of An Accident of Stars!

  1. arirashkae reblogged this from fozmeadows
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  3. iampeopletoo said: Hi Foz, I would like to purchase your book. Do you have a preference in where/how I purchase it? Such as a paperback from a particular bookstore, kindle version, off amazon etc.? Thanks!
  4. samiferjones said: I’ve been waiting for this!! I have to find it. :D
  5. undun-duz reblogged this from fozmeadows
  6. fozmeadows reblogged this from starship-library and added:
    A lovely review of An Accident of Stars!
  7. starship-library posted this