Stars, Hide Your Fires is a completely fun science fiction adventure. Cass has grown up on a planet whose resources have all been plundered by the Empire. She makes a living by pickpocketing the tourists. So when she hears about the Ascension Ball – where all the wealthiest families will be in attendance when the emperor announces who will ascend to the throne – Cass realizes that if she can attend, she could lift enough jewels to retire and take her sick father to a healthier planet.

She does get to the planet hosting the ball, and she does almost miraculously score a ticket. But once there, the emperor gets murdered – and it looks like Cass is being set up to take the blame, along with the revolutionary organization that has long been a thorn in the empire’s side. So when an attractive girl from that organization tells Cass that they need to solve the murder before they are accused and the empire has an excuse for war – Cass is happy to work with her, hoping to save her own skin.

The plotting in this one felt a little transparent. But reading it was completely fun. I finished reading, because I really enjoyed the characters. The romance is refreshing, and I liked the way gender is dealt with – people wear a pendant, and the shape shows what gender they identify with. Several of the characters were smoothly referred to as they. I also liked the way clones of the emperor were shown not to be identical (all different ages) and with independent thoughts. So details were well done, even if the main plot wasn’t subtle. Very much a fun read.