The 24th of May marks the Pansexual and Panromantic Visibility Day, a day dedicated to recognising, celebrating, and educating about the pan communities – and who better to ask about some incredible recommendations with pan rep than the amazing author of a beloved YA queer fantasy series, The Hollow Star Saga, ASHLEY SHUTTLEWORTH! Without further ado, let’s look which books Ashley recommended! Maybe you’ll learn a little something about Ashley’s own work and their much anticipated sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star, A Cruel and Fated Light – out TODAY – , as well! 😉
Show Your S(h)elf is a series at Diversify Your Shelves that was created to amplify marginalized voices in the book community and to give authors, readers, and creators, who promote diversity, a space to show themselves and their shelves. There is nothing we love more than sharing our favourite books – and seeing others share theirs!
Ashley’s Recommendations
In the Ravenous Dark by AdriAnne Strickland
A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead.
In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.
Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.
Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.
Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
A deadly competition for the throne will determine more than just the fate of the empire in this duology opener.
Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy. Her mother sacrificed everything to bring peace to the quadrant, and her uncle has successfully ruled as emperor for decades. But the last thing Alyssa wants is to follow in their footsteps as the next in line for the throne. Why would she choose to be trapped in a palace when she could be having wild adventures exploring a thousand-and-one planets in her own ship?
But when Alyssa’s uncle becomes gravely ill, his dying wish surprises the entire galaxy. Instead of naming her as his successor, he calls for a crownchase, the first in seven centuries. Representatives from each of the empire’s prime families—including Alyssa—are thrown into a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire. The first to find the seal wins the throne.
Alyssa’s experience as an explorer makes her the favorite to win the crown she never wanted. And though she doesn’t want to be empress, her duty to her uncle compels her to participate in this one last epic adventure. But when the chase turns deadly, it’s clear that more than just the fate of the empire is at stake. Alyssa is on her most important quest yet—and only time will tell if she’ll survive it.
Don’t forget to also check out the sequel to Crownchasers: Thronebreakers!
Once & Future by Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta
King Arthur as you’ve never imagined! This bold, sizzling YA retells the popular legend with the Once and Future King as a teenage girl — and she has a universe to save.
I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.
Now I’m done hiding.
My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.
When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.
No pressure.
And next on your to-read list after Once & Future should be its sequel, Sword in the Stars!
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.
Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.
When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.
When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.
We are more than excited to add these recommendations by Ashley to our TBRs and devour them ASAP! But of course, we also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask Ashley about their writing – and, specifically, about the explosive sequel to (one of our favourite books!) A Dark and Hollow Star, an amazing queer urban fantasy tale full of faeries, betrayal, danger hiding behind every corner, and, of course, some tender love stories that will melt your heart – they sure did ours!
We read A Dark and Hollow Star last year and it made its way into our top favourite books of 2021 – AND we got an opportunity to read an ARC of A Cruel and Fated Light last month and we know that no one is ready for the jaw-dropping plot twists and many new surprises this sequel brings! Can we get book 3 now? Please and thank you!
1. Ashley, thank you so much for joining us! Could you tell us and our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello all! I’m Ashley Shuttleworth, author of the Hollow Star Saga, a 4 book YA urban fantasy series set in modern Toronto, about fae, alchemy, and four hot mess queer teens attempting to survive a deadly plot to overthrow the Courts of Folk. I’m a graduate of Trent University in Ontario, Canada where I studied English Literature and Ancient Classical History. My favourite things to do when I’m not absorbed in writing a million-page books are to read other YA fantasy books, play video games, and in attempt to have some sort of physical health to speak of, I’ve gotten into weight-lifting.
2. Everyone is beyond excited to finally dive into A Cruel and Fated Light, the thrilling sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star! Can you tease a bit what the readers can expect from this second installment?
Trauma. Lol, I’m so sorry, everyone who’s read an advance copy of this book has the unanimous comment of EMOTIONAL DAMAGE. But you can expect a few things other than just tears! There’s also two developing romances, villains you didn’t expect to feel things for, and the addition of a certain character’s POV whom I think pretty much everyone demanded after finishing book one. There’s also so much more Hollow Star magic, and as ever, Nausicaä doing Nausicaä things.
3. Which characters are your favourite to write about and which one would you say is most like you?
Difficult question! In the “I don’t care for Job” sort of way, I love all my children equally!!! I will say I have so much fun writing Lethe and Riadne, but everyone has their own special quirk that makes me go “ah, yes, excellent” when it comes time to write from their POV. In a similar vein, I think all my characters get a piece of me when I’m crafting them, so there are ways I’m a lot like each. In all the ways that aren’t badass or cool, I’d say I’m probably the most like Nausicaä. She’s the one who speaks the most like I do naturally, so her POV always comes easiest to me, and I like to hide my emotions behind thick walls of sarcasm and pop-cultural references.
4. Some early reviewers have been very vocal about the EMOTIONAL DAMAGE *insert TikTok sound* A Cruel and Fated Light brought them. Care to comment? 👀
I’ve been threatened with a lot of therapy bills, yes haha. In all seriousness, I didn’t come at this for the shock factor. That wasn’t my intent in writing the things I chose to write. Everything that exists in this is the natural progression of what it really means to a) suffer from anxiety, depression, and anger and b) to be caught in the power struggle of 2 functional psychopaths. I don’t aim for GOT levels of death and gore and trauma, but *gestures at the scenery* a lot is going on in the Hollow Star world—there’s going to be casualties. And this is very much a story about surviving the darkest depths of anger, so… it’s going to get worse. It’s just also a story about hope, and a romance and a faerie tale, so it’s going to get worse… but I promise it will also get better.
5. What are some author dreams you still want to achieve?
I’ve been pretty fortunate in my career to have so many wonderful things happen right out of the gate for me! A Dark and Hollow Star has done so well, for example (thank you immensely to the readers and social media professionals for that!) that I get to switch to full time writing at the end of May and spend the rest of the year focusing on what I love most—my stories. I have high, high hopes for ACAFL, the story I put my whole heart and soul and also trauma into. This book was written during a really rough time in my life, not to mention the whole pandemic, so I’m both very proud of it and emotionally attached haha I want it to do well. One day, purely for the aesthetic of it all, and getting to see it on the cover of my books, I would like to be a NYT Bestselling author. If we’re shooting for shots I’d also like to see the Hollow Star Saga get an Arcane style Netflix series! But in quieter things actually within my control, my biggest dream is to see this series concluded on my bookshelf, and to find another story to tell with as much passion and heart (and badass queer teens) as I tell this one.
But Show Your S(h)elf series didn’t only get its name for all the wonderful guests sharing their favourites – we also quite literally ask them to share a picture of their bookshelves, tbr carts, ebook/audiobook libraries or the random stack of books on their bedside table that we all have.
Shelf-envy is REAL when it comes to Ashley’s gorgeous shelves! And look at all those different copies of A Dark and Hollow Star and A Cruel and Fated Light! *clutch at their hearts*
About the Author
Ashley Shuttleworth (they/them) is a young adult fantasy author born in Canada and currently living in Ontario. They have a degree in English Literature from Trent University with an emphasis on Milton and the Romantic Period, as well as a focus on Ancient History and Classical Studies. They’ve worked many jobs in their life, roles such as a bookseller for Indigo Bookstore, a barista at Starbucks, a teacher in South Korea, and a Wine Merchant for their local wine store. In their spare time they enjoy cosplay and gaming (particularly The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts) and adding to their ever-growing collection of prop swords. They’re also pretty big into winter sports like skating and skiing and driving back and forth between work without snow tires. Despite the fact that there are roughly 9000 fanfics on their computer, A DARK AND HOLLOW STAR is their first published novel.
About the Books
A Dark and Hollow Star
Choose your player.
The “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family.
A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge.
A dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne.
The prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret.
For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world.
Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way?
Wish them luck. They’re going to need it.
A Cruel and Fated Light
Half-fae Arlo becomes entangled in the courtly intrigue at the Seelie Summer palace as danger for ironborns mounts in this gripping sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star that’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones.
After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders—and breaking several fae laws to do so—all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck’s Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?
But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods’ attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it’s Arlo they’re going to use to do it.
When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She’ll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she’s just been greatly misunderstood.
With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she’ll soon be faced with a choice that won’t only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.
Ashley, thank you so much for joining us at Diversify Your Shelves, recommending some amazing books, and answering our burning questions about A Cruel and Fated Light! We are beyond excited to (re)read it and scream about Arlo, Nausicaä, Vehan, and Aurelian with everyone!
Diversify Your Shelves 