The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin

The quick cut: A girl living deep in the mountains finds her life thrown off track when she's identified as the next Starmaker. Drama ensues when she finds herself increasingly attracted to her predecessor. 

A real review: 

 Every society has their mythology and stories, but what if yours was based on reality? For Aurora, this is the truth for her mountain town of Reverie. 

 Deep in the mountains, there is a town with a story about the Sun. It fell in love and came in person, but the cost was that a Starmaker must now bring the light to their town every day. Aurora's family lives in that town, on a plot of land that doesn't get any light. Using ingenuity and some mirrors, she brings light to her family to survive. On her wedding day, she goes hunting and is stopped by the current Starmaker, who informs her that she has the magic and is her replacement. In a moment, her life is thrown in a completely different direction. Can she deal with the new reality? 

 Rachel Griffin has a talent for writing nature based fantasy stories in a way that no one else does. With one foot in reality, they pull you in as a reader because you can see yourself in them. This is the case with her most recent release. 

 Aurora is someone who has dealt with plenty of pain. Her father has died and her mom clearly still mourns the loss. Her younger sister has been ill for quite some time and she isn't improving. The marriage she has agreed to will give her family what they need to better survive, which is her primary goal. The Starmaker showing up and feeling her magic within sends that future she imagined into an impossibility. 

 The Starmaker from the outside seems cruel and heartless, but learning more about the role he plays tells you why he is that way. While living forever sounds perfect, it's not when your daily life is painful and you're bound to watch everyone you care about die long before you ever will. Your life is not your own. Seeing him get to know Aurora and how she chooses to live life changes him in the best way. 

 These two have a rough start, but by the end they have a chemistry that's heartbreaking. As soon as Aurora has the Starmaker power fully, the previous one dies. Seeing that chemistry slowly build is one that all great love stories are made of. 

 A fun and romantic fantasy story. 

My rating: 4.5 out of 5