All the Stars and Teeth

Gr 9 Up–Grace’s novel combines dark fantasy with romance and a far-ranging nautical adventure. Amora Montara is heiress to the kingdom of Visidia and fiercely proud of her role as her people’s protector. However, on the eve of her ascension to the throne, she comes face to face with dark secrets about her own magic. In the ensuing adventure, she battles tyrants, sea monsters, and mermaids with a siren’s call, but nothing is more challenging than the truths she finds within herself. This book centers strong female characters and draws readers in with its lush description of the islands Amora visits. The characters, like the setting, are complex—at once loving and harsh, gentle and deeply violent. Perhaps because this book hints at more to come, Amora does not reach the most satisfying resolution in her relationship to the violence within and around her. While often taking care to show particular characters in nuanced ways, the book could do more to complicate Amora’s unrelentingly violent conception of justice.