Note: this is a new adult fantasy book and contains mature themes. It is intended for audiences 18 years and over.
“In the land of Thraina, wishes weren’t granted from falling stars. They were granted by those who caught them”
The Greywick triplets are trouble. Vivian, Marion, and TimothĂ©e seem to attract the wicked parts of the world wherever they go. First, they are nobodies, then they are supposed descendants of gods? How are siblings in their twenties supposed to keep up? In Wicked Academia: Lost Stars sisters Jasmine Jenkins and Sophie Suliman take readers into a world of magic stars, gods and goddesses, and monsters as they follow these triplets through trials and tribulations.Â
“She would keep making terrible choices. Again, and again, and again. If it meant a chance. A chance for someone she loved”
Vivian Greywick is the oldest of the triplets and the one with a mysterious illness and a longing for adventure. With her siblings treating her like something fragile, she longs to feel normal. When a chance encounter with Prince Darius (insert swoon) has her feeling more alive than she has in years, she holds onto the feeling and him. Her bond with the prince and her longing to feel normal leads to the triplet’s fate unfolding in ways none of them could’ve imagined.
“She would be the villain. A coward even, if that’s what they needed to call her. As long as it kept them safe”Â
Marion is the middle of the triplets and in the midst of their father’s death, has made herself a parent for her siblings. She holds the weight of the world on her shoulders and gives herself grief when she doesn’t need to. She holds onto the weight of the past and does not allow herself to get swept up in any fantasy. She is logical and grounded and keeps their family structured. Going to the Academy is asking for trouble and with siblings like hers, that is something Marion cannot afford.Â
“To wield magic would be to change his entire life. He’d never be a nobody, ignored or loathed by society”
TimothĂ©e is the youngest of the triplets and the one most likely to get himself into trouble. With an affinity for boys who give him nothing but problems, he is the triplet that gets chased after the most. Whether is the baker’s son (aka his boss’s son) or a mysterious violet-haired boy in the dark of the Academy, he finds himself in less-than-ideal situations a lot. He does not know what to do with the wickedness that seems to be brewing inside of him and the likeness he has with a dark figure of the past.Â
“She’d become part of something magical. Or perhaps she’d found a magical part of herself”
The magic system in this book is just complex enough to keep readers on their toes. There are gods and goddesses that rain stars that, when ingested, can grant a person the ability to wield magic, or can burn them up from the inside. However, star catching is forbidden for those outside of the Celestial Academy for Fallen Stars which resides on a floating island, always overhead the common people. Three houses comprise the Academy, or the only place one can practice starcraft. There is Morning Star: Disciples of Rhaemyria, the creators, Evening Star: Disciples of Xydrious, the changers, and Dark Star: Disciples of Noctis, the destroyers. Each house can wield a different type of starcraft. Those in Morning Star can create from nothing and those in Evening Star can meld and change. Well, that’s two houses down, so what of the third? Those in the Dark Star house have the power of destruction, but they are not allowed to use it. They are ostracized as their magic is bound immediately and they are forced to study alchemy. They are hidden in the shadows due to the god Noctis’s crimes.Â
“Leave the past to burn and rise from the ashes of despair”
With an active online community and a website that gives readers the information to keep the fantasy system straight, these authors are ones to keep on your radar if you like new adult fantasy. Also, there are characters that are complex but so realistic, so this story will enthrall readers from the start. There are side characters that are charismatic and mysterious and sometimes insufferable. It is honestly a book with enough romance, spice, and fantasy for anyone. It shifts POVs between the triplets so readers get a sense of personality from each. There is never a dull moment with triplets that are claimed to be descendants of gods, so be sure to check out this world and experience the spellbinding tales of the Greywick triplets (the next book comes out this summer so there’s time to love this book and get excited for the next).