Daughter of Starlight follows Luma, a fierce, guarded young woman aging out of foster care, who stumbles across a hidden cave in the Colorado mountains and ends up transported to the magical world of Edira. There, she learns she’s no ordinary girl; she’s the one marked by the stars, the key to healing the ancient Sacred Stones and stopping a dark tide of invading wizards. With a mix of gritty real-world struggles and rich fantasy adventure, Molly M. Hammond spins a story that feels both deeply personal and sweepingly epic.

Hammond’s writing made a profound impact on me from the very first chapter. She sets up Luma’s pain, the blood on her knuckles, the loneliness, the worn kindness of her social worker Frank, with such realness that I was immediately hooked. That opening scene, where Luma picks at the scars on her palms while waiting to be lectured, felt so heartbreakingly tangible. Hammond doesn’t waste words but paints her world with quick, sharp brushstrokes that sink in deep. Even later, when Luma first hears her name whispered in the mountains during the storm, I could feel the same eerie pull she did. It’s hard to find YA fantasy that captures both grounded reality and wonder so seamlessly, but this book pulls it off.

While the middle of the book took a slightly more deliberate pace, I appreciated the deeper look into Luma’s early interactions with Corr, the gruff yet oddly endearing elf guide. Their spirited exchanges added texture to their relationship and highlighted Hammond’s talent for character dynamics. Moments like Luma’s stumbles and Corr’s teasing remarks provided a playful contrast to the story’s more intense scenes. And when the raptera attack burst onto the page, chaotic, brutal, and utterly thrilling, the story’s momentum surged, and I found myself completely engrossed once again. Hammond’s prose truly shines during these breathtaking moments of magic and mystery.

The themes explored in the novel, particularly those concerning destiny, loneliness, and belonging, resonated with me more deeply than I had anticipated. Luma’s reluctance to embrace the role of a hero and her belief that she is not inherently special felt especially poignant, reflecting sentiments with which I could personally identify.That deep reluctance, that aching disbelief in her own worth, felt incredibly real. When she finally unleashes her starlight powers to save Corr from the monstrous bird (and then immediately pukes afterward, because of course she would), I found myself grinning like an idiot. Hammond doesn’t write magic as something clean or effortless; it’s messy, painful, and exhausting. That choice made Luma’s journey feel earned instead of just fated.

I came away from Daughter of Starlight deeply moved by its heart and emotional resonance. It is a beautifully crafted fantasy that offers real emotional depth, a stubborn and relatable heroine, and a story that intertwines everyday struggles with dazzling magic. It is the kind of book that keeps you reading late into the night and leaves you sitting quietly afterward, feeling both a little wrung out and a little more hopeful as you linger over the final page.

Pages: 289 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DHWBV71Q