Stars, Hide Your Fires

By: Jessica Mary Best

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

A wanted thief. A murdered emperor. A killer loose on the station.

Knives Out goes sci-fi in this gripping YA mystery set in space.

As an expert thief from a minor moon, Cass knows a good mark when she sees one. The emperor’s ball is her chance to steal a fortune for herself, her ailing father, and her scrappy crew of thieves and market vendors.

Her plan is simple:
1. Hitch a ride to the planet of Ouris, the dazzling heart of the empire.
2. Sneak onto the imperial palace station to attend the emperor’s ball.
3. Steal from the rich, the royal, and the insufferable.

But on the station, things quickly go awry. When the emperor is found dead, everyone in the palace is a suspect—and someone is setting Cass up to take the fall. To clear her name, Cass must work with an unlikely ally: a gorgeous and mysterious rebel with her own reasons for being on the station. Together, they unravel a secret that could change the fate of the empire.

©2023 Quirk Productions, Inc. (P)2023 Blackstone Publishing

A fun lighthearted adventure with a touch of romance

I enjoyed this book and I really liked the ‘world’ the author set up. Good characters and a fun story. Murder mystery made a bit more complex due to sci-fi aspects. (Don’t want to spoil anything)

This is a fun book with some depth to it

a lot of good gay fun with tropes alongside some good discussion of systemic oppression

Great Narration

Natalie does an amazing job of bringing this story fully to life. An amazing story that captures you from the first word. characters come fully to life and the story unfolds.

It is illegal for this book to be this short

The author should be put on trial in the book Hague for giving me so little time with this amazing story and even better characters. Here's hoping this isn't the last adventure of Cass and Amaris I get to read. Also, shame on me for not getting that the title is a Macbeth quote until after finishing the book.