Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for an e-arc in exchange for my unbiased review.

An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows is an exceptional high fantasy world-walking female centered epic. Saffron Coulter is tired of being harassed by boys at her Australian school. When Gwen Vere happens to be walking by while Saffron is being accosted, Gwen steps in. Saffron is so impressed and thankful that someone FINALLY saw fit to help her, that she follows Gwen, right through a portal to another world. Once their Saffron (Safi) learns new languages, goes through numerous trials both physical and mental, and makes friends she won’t ever forget.

This book was great! I really enjoyed the characters, especially the unexpected strength of Zech. Saffron becomes a completely new person and so much stronger than before. The world building was extensive, and some readers may find it hard to remember all of the nuances of the political landscape and religious beliefs that are present here. Though challenging, it was satisfying to understand the underlying structure of a whole new world. The pacing was mostly good, but I did have to put the book down a few times in the beginning. I’d say about the 60% mark was when I really couldn’t put it down and needed to know what happened.

This book was reminiscent of the Gunslinger but with N.K. Jemisen vibes and a whole lot of woman run communities. I would give this book 4/5 stars and I will definitely be reading book 2!

Meadows weaves an incredible story in An Accident of Stars with strong world-building, characterisation, and a genuine sense the everything will not be all right in the end. From the opening lines of the story where we meet our protag Saffron and she is facing sexual harassment from male peers at her school, I was immediately hooked and knew that this wasn't a story that was going to shy away from some very hard truths.

The is an immediate sense of a stranger in a strange land from the moment that Saffron steps through a portal into a new world and is surrounded by unfamiliar things and people speaking a language she doesn't understand. Whilst there is magic that eventually helps the characters to integrate, the sense of not fully knowing what is happening doesn't truly ease; this creates a really firm sense of believability. I particularly enjoyed the muti-perspective approach of the book as it enabled readers to be one step ahead of the characters as you're able to connect the dots that the characters don't even know to look for and made it all the more satisfying when it came together.

This book has some jaw-dropping moments and definitely had me crying at a couple of times. I look forward to seeing where these characters' journeys take them next in the conclusion to the duology.

When 16 year old Saffron Coulter makes an impulsive decision to just through a hole in reality following Gwen, a strange woman who helped her with a school bully, she finds herself in an alternative universe where she has to decide who to trust and how far to go for these people she just met.

This story switches perspectives between multiple different women all dealing with trying to get the current ruler, Vex Leoden, off the thrown.

The suddens changes in perspective were a bit jarring but I did get used to them the more I read. The story did a lot of jumping around. Admittedly the beginning did drag a little, but there was a lot of world building to do which was well done. You could easily picture what the characters looked like and the lands they traveled through.

This was a coming of age story for multiple of the characters, including Gwen who is in their 40s. I really enjoyed the queer-normative world and the matriarchal society. It was a nice change from most books to see women making the big decisions.

The story was a little more violent than I was expecting but it did make sense in the story. I really did not expect a lot of twists and the politics were interesting and well written.

This ended on a cliffhanger and there is a second book that I can't wait to check out. This was not an easy read but kept me turning the pages to see what happened next. Highly recommend if your looking for an exciting coming of age fantasy.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC in exchange for an honestly review.

This richly layered portal fantasy throws you into a world teetering on chaos, where alliances and betrayals shape every step. Saffron’s journey is both personal and epic, with strong, flawed women leading the charge. Vibrant and immersive, it’s a story that lingers long after the last page.

I loved this book. It has really well written polyamory and queerness which is really hard to find. I liked how the main cast is not just POC but Women of color, it's something not explored enough.

I’ll start with my main negative I wish this book had a chapter or something at the beginning to explain what happened before rather than it just dotted into the story as I found that a little difficult.

I wish I’d of known there was a glossary at the end as I’d of read that to start with.

The book was great, it was very unique and i loved that is showed a map at the beginning I thought it was a nice touch, the plot and characters were both great though it has left it on a cliff hanger which I really hope there will be a second book 🤞🏻

Unfortunately, I have DNF’d this book at 44%.

I don’t think it’s particularly flawed in any way. It’s well-written and overall I think the premise is great. From the blurb, I expected some politics or political intrigue, of course, but it’s a lot heavier than I thought it would be and I find that when I read books with a lot of heavy politics throughout, they tend to drag for me. I’m not talking about the “politics” of race, gender, and sexuality, I’m talking about the politics of government/queens/vex, vex’mara, etc. I find it a little hard to focus or care as much about the world and the characters. So really, it’s just a me thing!

I've never read a portal fantasy before, so this was new and exciting for me! I liked the characters and the setting and I will read the next book when it comes out.

DNF @ 43%

I really wanted to love this one but I just found myself caught up in the confusing politics, the constant shift of POVs and I didn’t feel emotionally invested in any other the characters. The worldbuilding was great and really interesting, but the fact that were dumped in the middle of a political war with a whole information dump just left me feeling stupid for not being able to keep up.

I think some people who are into deeply political fantasy will absolutely love this, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me at all. I am a very character driven reader and the fact that I have absolutely no connection to any of the characters at nearly halfway through a 500 page book doesn’t bode well. I’m sorry, I really tried :(

Thanks NetGalley and AngryRobot for an ARC of this book.

This was a pretty good book! I liked the magical themes, along with the fantasy and the twists and turns this book was taking. I was a big fan of this book and thought it was entertaining plus kept me engaged!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

the positives: this book works HARD to be inclusive in a way a lot of fantasy books dont, although it doesn't always succeed in it (specifically with the transgender love interest, who gets revealed to be transgender and is immediately called "dirty" for doing the transition ritual under a different god) and set up some interesting backing. THe negatives: the protagonist never has an actual character, and feels like you could transplant a rock with googly eyes in her place without shifting the story. the writing style is confusing. 3 stars, i guess. tysm for the arc.

I wanted to love this so, so much because portal fantasies are some of my favorites and don't seem to happen often enough in fiction. Unfortunately, this was such a mixed bag that was largely inconsistent with pacing and very, very clumsy with the inclusivity.

But let's talk about what I liked, first:

- I think the author did a great job, through Saffron, of showing the harsh realities a teen might face being flung into another world. Poor girl goes THROUGH it.
- there were certain world-building elements (like the Storytellers) that were really interesting and creative
- I did like the normalization of varied gender identities and sexualities, even if there were times that it felt a little ham-fisted

As for what I didn't like/didn't work for me:
- the pacing really didn't work for me, especially near the ending
- I think there were certain choices the author made re: writing identities that felt very clumsy. For example, the racial identities in this book were very 1 to 1. Dark skin = this identity. Light skin = this identity. There was very little nuance. Also, the one trans character was both underdeveloped and very clumsily written, to me. I'm not trans, so I can't say for certain about the representation, but there were certain choices the author made that definitely didn't feel like a good idea, in my opinion.
- the "villains" were both non-entities and cartoonish in their villainy that it was honestly difficult to take them seriously
- this book has too many POVs for the page count it has. I really wish the author had cut down on at least 2 of them and saved the other two for the next book. Otherwise, I wish that the story were longer to make the POVs feel like they both belonged in the scope of the world AND got the development they deserved.

I think this was definitely a creative idea, for sure, but reading through this felt very much a chore and I'm unsure if the author got any sort of sensitivity readers that this book sorely needed, imo. Unfortunately, I'm not interested enough to pick up the following book in the series and I honestly don't know if I can recommend this. Even something well-intentioned can still come across in a less than positive light.

An Accident of Stars is an ambitious portal fantasy that stands out for its diversity and grounded approach to a magical world. It follows Saffron, an Australian teenager, as she stumbles into the realm of Kena-a land full of civil wars, complex politics, and polyamorous relationships. The book dives headfirst into themes like trauma, gender identity, and realistic depictions of violence, which give it an edge over more sanitized fantasy fare.

That said, the narrative can feel chaotic. The shifting points of view-sometimes without clear transitions-make it tricky to stay fully engaged, and the sheer number of characters and subplots might leave you flipping back to keep track. While Saffron is meant to anchor the story, the focus drifts so often that it’s hard to form a strong connection to her or anyone else.

Still, if you’re craving a feminist take on portal fantasy with strong world-building and thoughtful themes, this one’s worth a look.

I ended up really enjoying this book, although it was a little slow to start. However, once it gets going, it really gets going. The quickly alternating POVs also took some getting used to, but I appreciated the contrast of the young adult’s perspective and Gwen’s adult one. I also really liked the centrality of Black characters and the queer/poly normative cultures.

I was shocked at times at the realness presented, such as the fingers getting cut off at the start, trauma after deaths, the realities of getting transported to another world away from one’s family, and the major death at the end, but I think it worked well for the book and elevated it above the typical YA. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series to find out what happens to everyone, and I’ve read from reviews that a lot of the “random” details from book one come together in book two! Thanks for the arc!

I really wanted this book to be great. However after struggling to stay engaged, I only made it to 27% complete before I ultimately had to call it quits. The book gives great representation and is very female character centered, but unfortunately those characters are numerous and not well defined enough to keep everyone straight. Much of the dialogue was abrupt and POV changes that weren’t well indicated kept taking me out of the story while I figured out who was now speaking. The story line is slow, and while it does seem to be setting up the world, much of the info we are dumped isn’t explored (polyamorous marriages are referenced quite a bit, but we never see these in action). Additionally characters are brought in without much context or introduction and it made me feel like I was just pushing through to maybe see if they had enough story or content to care about. I’m disappointed because I was really excited about this book, and it has so much potential, but ultimately it fell flat to me and I needed to move on to something I enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read the ARC of this book.

An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows is an ambitious portal fantasy that immerses readers in a vividly complex world filled with political intrigue and high stakes. Following Saffron, a teenager from Earth thrust into a magical realm, the story explores themes of identity, loyalty, and survival. The characters—particularly Saffron, Gwen, and Zech—are richly drawn, with relatable struggles and layered relationships that feel authentic.

However, the dense plot, overflowing with intricate political systems and cultural details, can be overwhelming, especially without frequent use of the glossary. While the story’s ambition and diversity stand out, the fast pace and information-heavy narrative may leave readers struggling to keep up. The slow start also makes the early chapters feel dry. Despite these challenges, the book offers a fresh take on portal fantasy and is a compelling read for those who enjoy expansive worldbuilding and complex dynamics.

3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to a 4.

An Accident of Stars is a solid portal fantasy book with complex and realistic characters, high stakes, and a convoluted plot that sometimes left me struggling to figure out what was happening. I enjoyed this book, though I do wish that I had had an easier time following what was happening in the story.

This book begins by following Saffron, a teenager from Australia who follows a strange woman, Gwen, though a portal, and finds herself trapped in another world. She is immediately drawn into the political drama of these lands: a country ruled by a cruel king, and the king’s allies turned renegades seeking to overturn his rule. She befriends Gwen, a fellow worldwalker from Earth seeking to right the wrongs she has done; Zech, a young child possessing powerful magic and the will to change the world; and Viya, the runaway bride of the evil ruler. Together with a larger group of renegades under the supervision of the mysterious and perhaps selfish spymaster Yasha, the group becomes embroiled in the political turmoil, spanning multiple countries and religions. At the same time, Saffron struggles to learn where she fits into this world or, perhaps, if she fits better in the world from which she came.

This book has some solid positives; the first and foremost being that the characters truly feel complex and real, with motivations that make sense. Saffron finds herself an outsider in a world which immediately inflicts great physical harm on her and must find solace in those who look after her; though the relationships are often complex and multilayered, the friendship she builds with the group feels real. Gwen and Zech are similarly well characterized: their struggles, motivations, loyalties, and faults are all understandable, making their actions easy to understand even when the reader wishes they had acted otherwise. Viya was somewhat less easy to understand as her motivations seem to shift dramatically throughout the book, though I do sincerely believe that this is setting up the complicated dynamics of a sequel rather than a plot hole here.

I will say that this book is unlike anything else I have read in its use of portal fantasy. It’s very much a high fantasy, full of complicated political and social systems that the reader, like Saffron, must learn about through context rather than explanation. I was not sure I was going to be a fan of portal fantasy and, while it’s not a genre I expect to seek out more of, I did enjoy the glimpse of it that I got here. This book is very plot-motivated, with minimal time set aside for things such as romance or explanations of how the world works. The stakes are high, and the plot moves at breakneck speed for the duration of the book.

The biggest weakness of the book is that its plot is often difficult to follow. In part, this may have been somewhat due to my version making it very difficult to access the glossary of terms and characters, meaning that I didn’t reference it when it might have been helpful. Even then, the book dumps an absolute ton of information on you: characters, loyalties, religions, races, cultures, governmental structures, magic. The reader has to either follow along every word of it or end up lost and trying to remember what the characters were up to. I do think having access to the glossary would have helped with this but not solved the problem. This book is a lot, and thus at times left me struggling to recall what’s happening at any given moment. As a side note, this book also has a slow start: the portal fantasy has to build Saffron’s life outside of Kena as well, and this feels dry and long. It gets better once she’s in Kena, but at the beginning of the book I felt the pacing was too slow.

This was a really well written book.
With a good plot and likable characters.
I had really fun with it.

A complicated (but ultimately endearing) endearing portal mystery. This one had very likeable characters and a fun, diverse cast, though there were a few points that had me backing up to reread key parts that came before. Nonetheless, I found it enjoyable, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Meadows's other works, as I did.

The format file I received for my ereader didn't show up properly for this book. Thankfully, it appears this book has been published prior so I can request it from my library or buy it once I save up! Glad to have been able to sample this book for free, as I quite enjoyed it.

I am leaving this review voluntarily.