There once was a village so far north that most considered it the top of the world… and in that village, the Sun fell in love with her Starmaker. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches comes a whimsical and sweeping romantic fantasy.
The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
Published by Sourcebooks Fire; February 17, 2026
Genres: Fantasy | Romantasy | Fiction | Magic
Pages: 448 pages, Hardcover
Format: Kindle epub
Source: NetGalley
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T/W: Death, grief, blood, toxic relationship, sexual content (one spicy scene).
Rated: YA and up
★★★☆☆ | 3.5 / 5
Summary
Nestled deep in the snowy mountains of the Lost Range, the village of Reverie is a small miracle. Beyond the reach of the Sun, Reverie is dependent upon the magic of the mysterious Starmaker: every morning, he trudges across a vast glacier and pulls in sunlight over the peaks, providing the village with the light it needs to survive.
Aurora Finch grew up on tales of the Starmaker’s magic, never imagining she’d one day meet him. But on the morning of her wedding, a fateful encounter in the frostbitten woods changes everything. The Starmaker senses a powerful magic within her and demands she come study under his guidance. With her newfound abilities tied to the survival of the village, Aurora is swept away to his ice-covered castle and far from everything she’s ever known.
The Starmaker is as cold and distant as the mountain itself, leaving Aurora to explore his enchanted castle alone. Yet the more she discovers about the sorcerer, the stronger their attraction grows, pulling her closer to the secrets he refuses to share. But a deadly frost approaches and Aurora must uncover what the Starmaker is hiding before she is left in an endless winter that even the Sun cannot touch.
My Review
This story was a cute, whimsical fairytale about the Sun and how she fell in love with a human. How the human was granted power to use the sunlight and ‘power’ the village, before passing those powers to others over the centuries. Their village can continue to survive and thrive in a land otherwise unable to obtain sunlight naturally.
It reads romantasy, with little world-building and heavily focused on character development and the relationship between Aurora and the Starmaker.
The writing was easy to get into, and I did fall in love with the characters. Aurora is very stubborn and headstrong, and she’s constantly headbutting the Starmaker, our male lead, as she’s forced into a position she never wanted. She is constantly making it clear that she never asked for it (but she admired the stories she was told about it as a child).
My favourite character out of all of them was the Starmaker himself. He’s dreamy and poised and a man of very little words, but when he speaks his words are carefully chosen to reflect what needs to be said.
Art by: Hach Andrews
I didn’t care much for the spicy scene. It was a little unnecessary, but I’m sure some readers will enjoy it.
Overall, a 3.5 / 5 star read for me.
I believe the February 2026 Fairyloot YA box will include a special edition of this book. I look forward to adding it to my collection.
★★★☆☆ | 3.5 / 5
