A Dark and Hollow Star

***A Dark and Hollow Star*** is the first book of the *Hollow Star Saga*. It follows ironborn Arlo Jarsdel, ex-Fury Nausicaä Kraken, and fae Vehan Lysterne and Aurelian Bessel, as they dig behind the incidents of ironborn murders.

## Blurb

**“Beautifully written and deliciously complex…I couldn’t get enough.” —Nicki Pau Preto, author of the *Crown of Feathers* series**
*The Cruel Prince* meets *City of Bones* in this thrilling urban fantasy set in the magical underworld of Toronto that follows a queer cast of characters racing to stop a serial killer whose crimes could expose the hidden world of faeries to humans.

Choose your player.

The “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family.

A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge.

A dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne.

The prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret.

For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world.

Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way?

*Wish them luck. They’re going to need it.*

## Summary

116 years ago, Alecto was summoned before her mother, Urielle, in the Immortal Realm. She burned down an entire ship containing 11 people avenging the death of her sister, Tisiphone. Her wings were pinned to the ground with poisonous iron, and her other sister, Megaera, stood beside her mother. She was anticipating Destruction, but instead was sentenced to the Mortal Realm to never come back, with another immortal taking her place as Erinys Alecto. Alecto took up the name Nausicaä, meaning "burner of ships". Cursing at her mother, she left the Immortal Realm.

Hero, a twenty-eight-year-old ironborn, was working at NevaLife Pharmaceutical when he was sought out by a Hunter, due to his tendency to do experiments. At first, he was very nervous, but Lethe calmed him, taking him into his employment, and making him remember.

Present day, Arlo Jarsdel is called into the Weighing room in the Toronto Fae Academy before the Fae High Council after she turned eighteen, where she will be deemed either fit or unfit of her fae heritage. The Councilors are against her taking up fae status, because of her lack of magical talents. As her fate is about to be decided, her cousin High Prince Celadon inturrupts, bringing up the matter of a ironborn boy murder. He attempts to take Arlo away but is stopped by Councilor Sylvain and Councilor Chandra, and he argues for Arlo's status, asking for the Weighing to be postponed. But Sylvain insists that Arlo's blood is red, to much disrespct. Nayani Larsen apologizes for the Council and Arlo is given a third option, to wait until her twenty-sixth year for another Weighing. Arlo's mother appears, and she defers the Weighing, leaving the room.

Aurelian Bessel stands in the Seelie Summer palace, watching Queen Riadne Lysterne rant about how the Dark Star ruined her palace foyer for the Summer Solstice, which Seelie Summer is about to host. Mauled ironborn are appearing all over the city. Someone snorts, and Prince Vehan lies that it was him. Aurelian listens as Vehan puts up an argument against his mother because he thinks the case isn't as it seems. After Riadne leaves, Teron thanks Vehan for helping her, and after Teron leaves, Aurelian and Vehan talk. Vehan wants to dive into the matter of things, but Aurelian objects, as they are all Mature and can be tracked by the Courts. The two of them decide to investigate deeper in the night.

Nausicaä Kraken is walking in a forest with her troll accomplice, Gar, who helped her during her raid of the Luminous Palace of Summer. The troll saids the forest around them is wrong, but at first, Nausicaä doesn't believe him. The troll then solidifies that the forest is wrong, and it is not the wrong forest. Nausicaä senses magic just as mist starts spreadings, and immediately realizes that it's changelings. Nausicaä summons a ball of fire, not failing to pick up the reek of a Reaper in the air. She plans to team up with the Reaper. Taking another step, Nausicaä calls out to the changelings, and they appear. Then a changeling boy named Haru appears, telling Nausicaä it's dangerous. Haru leads her to the murder scene. Nausicaä is examining the boy when Megaera appears. Nausicaä taunts her sister and tries to step into the matter, but Megaera refuses. There is a philosopher's stone in the ironborn's heart. She asks Haru, who agrees to help as long as Nausicaä passes the help along. Nausicaä is then sent to Toronto.

Arlo goes to school the next morning, spirits high. She arrives late, ignoring the usual classroom gossip. When classes are over, it is raining, but Arlo has no umbrella. It turns out that Celadon has come to pick her up, with Arlo failing to pick out his aura. Then Rachael and Paige show up, saying hi to Celadon. Celadon attempts to insult Rachael, and Arlo quickly intervenes, leaving campus with Celadon. Together, they go meet with Arlo's father, Rory Jarsdel, chatting along the way. Celadon wants to accompany Arlo, but she insists he doesn't. Arlo gets into her father's car and they head towards Good Vibes Only. When she enters, Arlo senses a gagging aura at the same time she realizes it's a faerie café.

## Trivia

* *A Dark and Hollow Star* is a reference to the Dark Star and the Hollow Star, Nausicaä Kraken and Arlo Jarsdel.