May 22, 2026
By Olive Bautista
Staff Writer
In the prologue of Rachel Griffin’s young adult fantasy romance “The Sun and the Starmaker,” the protagonist, 18-year-old Aurora Finch, then a child, eagerly listens to her upbeat mother recount the history of their village, Reverie.
By the start of chapter 1, Aurora’s mother has lost her whimsy because her husband has died and her youngest daughter, Elsie, has fallen ill with the Frost, a disease more severe than frostbite. The Frost emerged after a massive earthquake separated Reverie from the rest of the world, causing the Sun’s light to no longer reach it.
Aurora cannot help but worry about Elsie, so her mother suggests she take a walk in the woods to relax. That is when she meets a stranger protecting the stag she is trying to hunt. The stranger claims to be the Starmaker, a person chosen by the Sun every several hundred years to draw the light to Reverie.
The Starmaker tells Aurora that she will be the next to hold this position. He instructs her to leave her family and fiancé because, if she does not use her magic, she will die. She agrees to follow the Starmaker on the condition that he heal Elsie and marry her.
This pact moves the plot forward and exemplifies Aurora’s maturity because she makes a sacrifice to help her family. Being the Starmaker Rising also grants her immortality, forcing her to come to terms with the deaths she will witness.
Alternating between Aurora’s and the Starmaker’s perspectives every few chapters enhances the novel by revealing what the main characters are thinking. The Starmaker calls Aurora a stubborn girl, but she is just determined to fight for what she loves, while the Starmaker is too afraid to start anything he cannot sustain. Both face their fears of intimacy and fall in love in the process.
There is never a dull moment, as each chapter makes readers gasp, tear up, smile and pause to reflect.
Making a wonderful reading experience even better, “The Sun and the Starmaker” is as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside. It has a colorful, pastel cover depicting the Starmaker, the Sun and their castle high up in the mountains of Reverie. Even the page edges are gorgeous, featuring a sunset gradient with a sun pattern.
With every aspect of the book meticulously thought out, “The Sun and the Starmaker” is a masterpiece. There is never a dull moment, as each chapter makes readers gasp, tear up, smile and pause to reflect.
Aurora’s journey teaches readers how to accept their losses and make way for new memories without forgetting their old ones. It is perfect for those who love fantastical romances that end happily, and readers will be nothing short of delighted that they decided to read this incredible text.
