Stars, Hide your Fires is marketed as a Knives Out mystery set in outer space, but the thing that got me hooked right away is that it's queer-normative! From the first page introducing the main character's friend Jax who uses they/them pronouns, to the description of gender pendants and conditional 'I's, to casual mentions of queer spouses. It's just so refreshing to see a world where queer people can thrive without it being a big deal. And I don't really understand the gendered second/fourth condition Is thing, but it's really cool :) 

I also love the world building in this, from the desert minor moon Sarn to the lavish planet of Ouris. You have Sarn, dusty and poor due to their topsoil being taken, but attracting tourists nonetheless. Our main character, Cass, is from here. People from Sarn live on scrapping junk and canned food. Then there's the great royal party in Ouris, where the new emperor is to be appointed. The descriptions for all of these are so well done, it's like a whole movie in my head.

Cass, the main character, is a witty pick-pocket, whose main goal was to steal enough jewelry from party patrons to make a better living for her friends and most importantly her dad, but now has to work with the smart, reserved Amaris to prevent her from being framed as the Emperor Hyperion's murderer. It's so fun watching these two interact with each other, polar opposites but unified with a main goal: to clear Cass's name and find the real murderer. I love how the story's more focused on the mystery unravelling, rather than Cass's feelings for Amaris. The softer moments have their own place in the story, and the timing's really great! Oh, to have what Cass and Amaris has,,

The other characters are so likeable too! even the evil ones at first,, And I was glued to my seat (or bed) the whole time, guessing who actually did kill the emperor and flabbergasted when the twists, though predictable, hit me right in the face. It was such a fun reading experience!

The only problem I have is the lack of character description. I actually had a hard time picturing what any of the characters look like, and sometimes vague details are mentioned one or two times, and then it never resurfaced in the book -- all I remembered was Jax and Osman's tatoos, Amaris's fiery dress, and that the emperors clones looked the same. But I like that it feels like a podcast, where the character designs are open to interpretation (my hands are itching,, to draw them now).

Otherwise, if you love fast-paced action paired with the slow unravelling of a mystery with multiple twists, space-centered stories, funny moments, or just queer people in space, this book is for you!

[eARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers]