A Circle of Stars

The Stardust Duology, Book One

By: Craig Montgomery

Narrated by: Kirt Graves

Sometimes you have to leave home to find it....

All Casper Bell has ever wanted is to belong. But now, abandoned by his friends and family after being outed, he has nothing left to lose when the people of Novilem abduct him.

Except Earth.

Teleported to a world where stars grant humans magic, Casper discovers he has the rare ability to draw power from all 12 astrological signs—a gift that makes him a political pawn for the Estellar
Council.

But Novilem’s inhabitants seem as hard and cold as the stone their city is carved from, and Casper’s new role leaves him more isolated than ever. Until he meets the grandson of the council’s most powerful woman.

Helix is kind, playful, and heartbreakingly handsome, yet it’s how Helix makes him feel that gives Casper hope.

As rebellion brinks in the city, even the Council starts to fracture, reaching for extreme measures that could cost Casper not only his newfound abilities, but the first place he has ever wanted to call home. Together with Helix, he must uncover the secrets of his full potential—because the survival of Novilem hinges on Casper’s powers, whether he’s using them or not.

Set inside a hidden lunar city, where astrology is magic and your birth sign defines your social status, A Circle of Stars is a queer young adult fantasy filled with political intrigue and romance.

©2023 Craig Montgomery (P)2023 Craig Montgomery

Wow!!!

I could not stop listening. I need more… Please tell me there will be more.

Great read

The world building was very nice. I did not feel like it was too much to understand and I could see the world around them grow. The characters were great, the standard tropes hit their marks, and there is plenty of action and emotion to keep you reading. On to the next book!

Captivating!

I was captivated by this story from beginning to end. The world building and magic system was so interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. I was invested in everything that happened to them. The writing was great, not a moment wasted.

The narration was great. I could tell who was what character based just on the voices.

Looking forward to the next book!

Some of the best writing I've read in a long time

Everything about this book was outstanding; the characters, the worldbuilding, the plot, all masterfully written. The *only* real "critique" I could possibly have is that there was little build-up Helix and Casper's relationship—they meet and immediately have a crush on each other, but that's kind of minor because that's realistic and the romance plot is secondary to the political plot. And if you like a political plot, "A Circle of Stars" is, in my opinion, a perfectly executed, highly intense one. The book I would compare it the most to would be Victoria Lee's "The Fever King," which was also an amazing queer SF/F dystopian YA novel with magic and political intrigue. Overall, I highly, highly recommend "A Circle of Stars" to anyone who likes queer dystopian-adjacent SF/F.

wow

this is the best sci-fi/space opera work I’ve read in a while, certainly since The Darkness Outside Us.

great narration from Kirt Graves, as always.

if you’re intrigued from the summary but not sure about the magic system, give it a shot. yes it has the word astrology, but the names of the signs aren’t really key to the story if that’s bothersome - the system would work on its own without anything relating to astrological signs as names or otherwise about it. it’s more about the ideas of castes, structured nature-based magic, and the rest is all that can happen between peoples fighting for dominance and control.

anyways it’s a great read and I’m really looking forward to the sequel

Excellent! Highly recommend!

Great listen. Great story and narration. Perfect mix of m/m romance with a fantasy plot that was super compelling. Looking forward to the second book!

A Wild Ride - Lots of Perspective

This book was honestly so intriguing. An LGBTQ undercurrent always dragging you back. Aliens? Or maybe not aliens? I still have philosophical questions in regards to that. Intriguing magic system - still 16% confused about it in general, had a hard time keeping track of who could do what. Wonderfully narrated. Well written. Structured. Excited for the second half of the duology.

Coercion

Casper continues to be utilized as a pawn throughout the whole story. His only safe place appears to be his mind. Overall I enjoy the story, though it’s a frustrating pace of development for the main character.

Very visual.

Slow to start but overall great story. It’s definitely a book I would recommend and I’m very much looking forward to the sequel.

Full of heart and adventure!

A stunning debut, and so well narrated! Fantasy and sci-fi lovers alike will enjoy this novel.