RELATABLE MODERN FANTASY: Fitting into its own genre of not-quite urban fantasy, this is a story of magic, twisty schemes, and a centuries-spanning grudge match set in a modern-day small town that most young adults can relate to.
INDIE COMICS CREDENTIALS: Writer Kel McDonald has a long list of comics industry bonafides including an Eisner Award nomination, widely viewed webcomics, big name licensed titles, and an editorial pedigree from the smash hit middle grade anthology series, Cautionary Fables and Fairytales. Kel is plugged in to the indie comics scene with a strong 4,000+ following online.
EVOCATIVE ART: Similar in feel to the work of Jillian Tamaki or Tillie Walden, Jose Pimienta’s soft-lined artwork is highly detailed and literary, cartoony enough to be inviting and appealing while realistic enough to ground you in the story’s fantasy elements. After a few pages it’s easy to feel like you live in the story’s post-industrial town.
RESONANT THEMES: Though it’s fantasy through-and-through, the story’s heart lies with its main characters and the pressure of their small-town setting. STARS, HIDE YOUR FIRE is for anyone who remembers yearning to get away and the ache when that dream was in jeopardy.
FAST-PACED READ: A plot-heavy yet character-driven story propels the book, and well-versed readers who know what a spirit's promise to a young fool entails will be dying to know what happens next.
EMOTIONAL PAYOFF: Not content to be just a gripping fantasy tale, STARS reads like a descendant of Tuck Everlasting or Stardust, creating a mood of fragile hopes and dreams threatened by dangerous magic lurking nearby.
