Stars and Soil

Die as a queen or live as a rebel? 

 Caitlin Peddigree faces a dire choice: accept a loveless marriage to the crown prince, or die as a traitor to the throne. While Caitlin still grieves the death of her wife, a rebellion simmers in Fayn, the streets filled with cries for the monarchy’s fall and the rise of democracy. When Caitlin unwittingly befriends a rebel leader, she believes she may have a way out of her unwanted relationship.   

Marrying the prince would protect her family’s fortune, but can she also be an informant for the rebellion? Caught in a tangled web of political intrigue and court gossip, Caitlin treads a treacherous path, made more dangerous when a spirited new lady arrives at court and ignites a new fire in Caitlin’s heart.    

 But power in Fayn is ever-shifting. Whispers of magic and long-forgotten gods stir beneath the surface. Religious orders conspire against each other. New nobles scramble for power and old bloodlines seethe with resentment. The rebellion fractures into factions as they bicker over strategy. But underneath it all and unbeknown to most, dark and ancient forces are waiting, watching, and plotting. Surrounded on all sides, Caitlin finds herself a pawn in a deadly game.    

 But she must decide for herself: remain a prisoner of her circumstances—or reclaim her own life. And she must decide fast, otherwise the flames of revolution may be put out by a force far darker than a tyrannical king.   

Stars and Soil is the exciting first novel in the Scions and Shadows series from Dax Murray. A finalist for the 2024 Indie Ink Awards for “Writing the Future We Need: Best Disability Representation by a Disabled Author” and “Writing the Future We Need: Best Gay and Lesbian Representation,” Stars and Soil is perfect for those who like their fantasy full of shifting alliances, deep worldbuilding, backstabbing and betrayal, and sapphic and disability representation set in a magical, queer-normative world.   

 Note: This book contains LGBTQ+ characters who use gender-neutral pronouns such as they/them/their, xie/xir/xirs, and more.

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Spice Level: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 

Rep: 

Main character: sapphic, bisexual

Secondary characters: sapphic, aromantic, asexual, trans, non-binary, achillean, disability (POTS, PTSD), neurodivergent

Content Notes: contains depictions of discussions of consumption of drugs and alcohol, consensual physical intimacy including kink, abortion, pregnancy, infertility, contraception, execution, civil unrest, oppressive systems and people, violence, murder, domestic violence, religious abuse, uprisings, revolution, grief, loss. If you feel I am missing something, please report it on my main website. Everyone has individual sensitivities, boundaries, and triggers and I am happy to update this list to accommodate within reason. 

Interior Art: Etheric Tales

Cover: GetCovers

Word Count: 135,000

Interior Formatting: Dax Murray 

Editors & Proofreaders: Ingrid Moon, Liz Sauco

PROVIDED FILE TYPES: epub, mobi, pdf 

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PRAISE FOR STARS AND SOIL

A complex story about grief and trying to find both agency in one's life and what one wants out of it, Stars and Soil has a large, diverse cast of characters - some charming, some despicable, but all complex and real. Tons of description paints vivid pictures that really draw you into the environment and the story, and the intrigue will leave you second-guessing everyone's motives as the events of the present eerily echo events of the past that refuse to let go.

~ Liz Sauco, Author of the Blades of the Goddess

Stars and Soil hits the ground running with the introduction of Caitlin, a woman coming to terms with everything that’s happened to her while simultaneously navigating her moral proclivities in a society filled with pirates, religious zealots, and the ever-shifting world mercantile business. She comes to odds with her own family, battling frustrations she buried in her heart for years, the anger and isolation of being uprooted, and the resentment towards having others direct her life. Dax has a very emotionally convincing main character, making her journey through her fantastical world all the more engaging. I look forward to seeing the rest of Caitlin’s journey.

~ Ka'ua Lara, Author of A New World For You

"Dax Murray has a way of getting you hooked and their descriptive style is quite endearing. Their will to craft a world that is so unapologetically and simply queer was also something that made me quite happy while reading." 

- NetGalley Reviewer 

"You can tell how much work has gone into the worldbuilding. Fascinating cultures and magic systems, and plenty of intriguing threads that can be addressed in later works." 

- Amazon Reviewer 

"The world-building is intricate and immersive, drawing you into a universe filled with rich lore and compelling characters." 

- Amazon Reviewer 

"I really enjoyed the overall worldbuilding and magical elements and loved the nuances of the political intrigue. Definitely recommend this book with a hot cup of cocoa and some tissues to help you work through the expansive range of emotions this will invoke." 

- NetGalley Reviewer

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2024 INDIE INK AWARD NOMINEE:

• Best book cover and cover artist,
• Best morally gray character,
• Best setting,
• Side Character MVP,
• WTFWN: Bisexual or Biromantic Representation,
• WTFWN: Disability Representation by a disabled author,
• WTFWN: Gay or Lesbian Representation,
• WTFWN: LGBTQ+ Representation,
• WTFWN: Mental Health Representation,
• WTFWN: Trans or Nonbinary Representation.

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“Don’t trust anyone, Lady Caitlin. Not even me. Especially not me. You can have allies here, but this court does not allow you the luxury of friends.”

Read the Next Book in the Series: