Fire to the Stars coming August 4th, 2026 from Knopf Books for Young Readers; 416 pages
Content Warning: Animal cruelty, death of a parent, murder, self-harm, torture, violence, weapons
About the Author: “Morgan J. Watchorn is the author of fantasy books that feature unapologetic girls at the heart of cataclysms—either fighting or causing them. Her debut YA fantasy novel FIRE TO THE STARS will release from Knopf Books for Young Readers on August 4, 2026. A Southern California native, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of California, Irvine with an overachiever complex that both haunts and motivates her to this day. When she’s not writing, she can be found at the barn with her spoiled horses. She is represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary” (Bio from author’s Goodreads profile).
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When the Gods, and brothers, Diu and Noctu created Florent and the first humans, the Immortals, they didn’t expect them to turn into covetous monsters set on overthrowing the Gods. As punishment, the brothers stripped the Immortals of their magic and Diu created the dragon curse: once a month on Ignition day, the greediest humans turn into dragons. The Ignition destroyed Claire Belgard’s life as her hometown was ruined and her father was murdered by a vicious dragon, leaving her to work as a thief. Claire decides to hire the dragonslayer Abel Estellio in hopes of getting her life back. Abel, coming from a family of dragonslayers, has been shunned ever since his brother turned into a dragon and Abel decided to look for a cure. In an attempt to restore his reputation, Abel takes the job from Claire, and as they work together, the secrets of their past come to light.
Fire to the Stars was such an interesting read, and I finally understand the hype about dragon-related books. Claire and Abel were both morally gray characters, and I liked how they were able to share their shame about their past actions with each other. They’re both selfish characters, and I’m glad that didn’t change by the end of the story because it made them feel distinct. While they were interesting characters separately, I found their relationship to be boring. I loved learning about Claire’s history, from her childhood in Sellecastel and her work with the thievery group—the Dames Blanches—and I thought her romance with Abel didn’t fit in with the story. Similarly with Abel, he holds so much guilt about the events that occurred after his brother first turned into a dragon, and his relationship with Claire felt uninteresting in comparison. Also, the pacing of this book felt off. The beginning and ending were both great (I felt like I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough), but the middle felt really slow and disconnected. There were too many plot points that felt unnecessary. By the end of the novel, they prove to be important, but the lack of connection in the middle of the book just felt overwhelmingly confusing. However, like I said above, the ending was so fun to read. Watchorn really delved into the politics of Florent, which I found to be the most interesting part of the story. Overall, this was a good read with great political commentary.
Fire to the Stars releases August 4th, 2026.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Emersen Cooper, Pine Reads Review Co-Assistant Director, Lead Editor, and Website Manager
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