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Threaded Entanglement #2
Stars on Fire
Murmurs of the dead drift through the streets of post-war Paris, where a freshly discharged Holden Thompson is recovering from his time on the Western Front. The continuous stream of cigarettes and women do little to pacify the voices of his violent past—or the soured dreams of who he was supposed to be. Under the watchful eye of his beloved brother, and with a few fateful meetings along the way, Holden begins to unravel the threads of his personal tapestry and rewrite his own story.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 24, 2023
“From the edge of the glassy lake, we found ourselves caught in a reflective lattice of ancient asterisms—their stars on fire, flickering resistantly against a timeless void.”
I knew that Holden’s story would be heartbreakingly beautiful, and DeBohun delivered. It was a delight to read Stars on Fire before its release and to drop into Holden’s world and war, finally seeing firsthand the seeds that eventually bloom in All the Yellow Posies. While I enjoyed that first book, I loved SoF even more—not only because Holden is such an engaging narrator and I always love war stories and their aftermath, but also because of DeBohun’s masterful command of her developed style and the richness of her prose. The writing is immersive and life-like, and wonderful to get lost in. I loved Holden and Dane’s relationship; I think Dane was maybe my favorite character in ATYP, and that was reaffirmed here. Their camaraderie, history, and care for each other was so well-done. The Princeton storyline was completely unexpected and perhaps one of my favorite parts of the book—even though we’re not in that setting for long, that whole sequence was so vivid and sticks in my mind.
I do wish it had been longer, especially to more fully flesh out some of the characters. I found it a bit difficult at times to keep track of the women and their various personalities and attachments to Holden. In particular, it felt as if Natalia had a significant role that was underplayed on the page and I wish we had gotten to know her better. But that only makes me even more excited for whatever story DeBohun has next. If you love historical fiction, unreliable (and yet still very lovable) narrators, rich imagery, and brotherhood bonds, all expertly guided by a deft hand, then I can’t recommend Stars on Fire enough. A gorgeous story with characters who linger long after the last line.
I knew that Holden’s story would be heartbreakingly beautiful, and DeBohun delivered. It was a delight to read Stars on Fire before its release and to drop into Holden’s world and war, finally seeing firsthand the seeds that eventually bloom in All the Yellow Posies. While I enjoyed that first book, I loved SoF even more—not only because Holden is such an engaging narrator and I always love war stories and their aftermath, but also because of DeBohun’s masterful command of her developed style and the richness of her prose. The writing is immersive and life-like, and wonderful to get lost in. I loved Holden and Dane’s relationship; I think Dane was maybe my favorite character in ATYP, and that was reaffirmed here. Their camaraderie, history, and care for each other was so well-done. The Princeton storyline was completely unexpected and perhaps one of my favorite parts of the book—even though we’re not in that setting for long, that whole sequence was so vivid and sticks in my mind.
I do wish it had been longer, especially to more fully flesh out some of the characters. I found it a bit difficult at times to keep track of the women and their various personalities and attachments to Holden. In particular, it felt as if Natalia had a significant role that was underplayed on the page and I wish we had gotten to know her better. But that only makes me even more excited for whatever story DeBohun has next. If you love historical fiction, unreliable (and yet still very lovable) narrators, rich imagery, and brotherhood bonds, all expertly guided by a deft hand, then I can’t recommend Stars on Fire enough. A gorgeous story with characters who linger long after the last line.
August 17, 2023
Stars on Fire shares the richly textured background story of Holden Thompson. After reading All The Yellow Posies, I was eager to further understand Holden and his motivations. DeBohun weaves both the joys and challenges of Holden's past together, creating a multifaceted and complex character. We are shown his decisions and the many traumas that accompany them. We hear his thoughts and feel his emotions. We are devastated by his many losses as he experiences them. I truly appreciate this felt connection with Holden's character.
In addition to Holden's beautiful characterization, DeBohun's descriptive writing is striking. The theme of the cosmos echoes throughout the book like a golden thread. But perhaps my favorite thread is the one that joins the prologue and epilogue of the book.
If you loved All The Yellow Posies, you will love Stars on Fire and deeper understand it gifts you of one of your favorite characters.
In addition to Holden's beautiful characterization, DeBohun's descriptive writing is striking. The theme of the cosmos echoes throughout the book like a golden thread. But perhaps my favorite thread is the one that joins the prologue and epilogue of the book.
If you loved All The Yellow Posies, you will love Stars on Fire and deeper understand it gifts you of one of your favorite characters.
May 31, 2023
This book was the perfect backstory that we needed to understand the beauty that is Holden Thompson 🌼
I went through so many emotions as a reader as we peeled back so many different and heartbreaking layers of Holden. For readers of “All the Yellow Posies,” this prequel is complete perfection ⭐️❤️🔥
Set in post-war Paris, I truly felt like I traveled back in time with this book. I have never been to Paris and yet this book made me feel like I was walking the streets alongside Holden. Elaine does such a beautiful job of capturing historical fiction and creating amazing imagery of her characters. I smiled, cried, and felt such a strong connection to these characters. I highly recommend!!
I went through so many emotions as a reader as we peeled back so many different and heartbreaking layers of Holden. For readers of “All the Yellow Posies,” this prequel is complete perfection ⭐️❤️🔥
Set in post-war Paris, I truly felt like I traveled back in time with this book. I have never been to Paris and yet this book made me feel like I was walking the streets alongside Holden. Elaine does such a beautiful job of capturing historical fiction and creating amazing imagery of her characters. I smiled, cried, and felt such a strong connection to these characters. I highly recommend!!
May 22, 2023
The characters. Oh, the characters. I have such complicated and overwhelming feelings about them all. While DeBohun writes pure poetry—while her lyrical prose wounds me—it's her nuanced and vivid characters which plunge the dagger into my heart. There is so much heartbreak. So much sorrow. So much love. After reading All the Yellow Posies, I needed to know much, much more about Holden and his life. He is so mysterious...and yet...I know him so well. My heart ached as I turned the pages, following Holden through post-war Paris. He is broken and a beacon of light. I will be reading this book again and again. Utter perfection.
November 8, 2024
A heart-wrenching and deeply poetic tale of a man struggling to find meaning and love in post-World War 1 France. Holden's story is both unique and familiar in that his experience with loss, grief, and finding redemption is so very, very human.
June 23, 2024
Perfect backstory for Holden. He is such a charming character with intense inner struggles.
March 31, 2024
This book killed me off, then brought me back to life again. This book, alongside All The Yellow Posies, will break you, and then make you whole again.
Elaine Debohun is a fantastic writer. She weaves so many emotions through these lovely stories. Grief, loneliness, desire, family bonds, love, guilt etc. She does an excellent job at portraying PTSD, and the conflicting feelings of just living life.
My recommendation is to read All The Yellow Posies first. This is set later in time when you first meet Holden. Then come read this one, set earlier in time. You'll love it even more because you know Holden, you know his story, and of course, you know how things play out too. It feels extra special because this one is written in his perspective, so it does feel like you're stumbling across his secrets many years later. You also get to meet Dane, his brother, and learn a bit more about him and what his relationship with Holden was like when they both lived in Paris.
I think the events of this book may have you reflecting on why some of the things in All The Yellow Posies worked out the way they did too. I'll deffo have to sit with this for a while.
It is a fascinating Historical Fiction, I always find falling into the past I never experienced so wonderful, but also a learning curve too, discovering history and how people lived / what society was like etc.
Also:
- A little black cat! You know me and my love for black cats!
- Beautiful, beautiful quotes. I rarely annotate books but I so wanted to with this one - which is funny really as its something Holden does too which his own books.
It is worth checking trigger warnings for both books as there are many upsetting topics - fairly expected for historical fiction as you can imagine but it's deffo worth being prepared for it regardless. However, if you can manage it... Please please do! These books will forever remain with me.
Thank you Elaine for being such a beautiful and magical writer, your words have left the pages and entered my heart.
Elaine Debohun is a fantastic writer. She weaves so many emotions through these lovely stories. Grief, loneliness, desire, family bonds, love, guilt etc. She does an excellent job at portraying PTSD, and the conflicting feelings of just living life.
My recommendation is to read All The Yellow Posies first. This is set later in time when you first meet Holden. Then come read this one, set earlier in time. You'll love it even more because you know Holden, you know his story, and of course, you know how things play out too. It feels extra special because this one is written in his perspective, so it does feel like you're stumbling across his secrets many years later. You also get to meet Dane, his brother, and learn a bit more about him and what his relationship with Holden was like when they both lived in Paris.
I think the events of this book may have you reflecting on why some of the things in All The Yellow Posies worked out the way they did too. I'll deffo have to sit with this for a while.
It is a fascinating Historical Fiction, I always find falling into the past I never experienced so wonderful, but also a learning curve too, discovering history and how people lived / what society was like etc.
Also:
- A little black cat! You know me and my love for black cats!
- Beautiful, beautiful quotes. I rarely annotate books but I so wanted to with this one - which is funny really as its something Holden does too which his own books.
It is worth checking trigger warnings for both books as there are many upsetting topics - fairly expected for historical fiction as you can imagine but it's deffo worth being prepared for it regardless. However, if you can manage it... Please please do! These books will forever remain with me.
Thank you Elaine for being such a beautiful and magical writer, your words have left the pages and entered my heart.
May 16, 2023
𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥—𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘐’𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.
𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯.
“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦.”
“𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰." (...)
“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴.”
I had the pleasure of reading Stars on Fire before its release. I sat down to read a chapter or two, and found myself utterly spellbound and unable to put it down. This insight into our beloved Holden made me ache. Debohun has a way of writing pain and grief so tangibly, that as I sit here recovering from her captivating story, I'm left raw by the journey. Her prose is searing, gutting in an honest way.
Another stunning work from this incredible author. Her characters will live in my head for years to come.
𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯.
“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦.”
“𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰." (...)
“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴.”
I had the pleasure of reading Stars on Fire before its release. I sat down to read a chapter or two, and found myself utterly spellbound and unable to put it down. This insight into our beloved Holden made me ache. Debohun has a way of writing pain and grief so tangibly, that as I sit here recovering from her captivating story, I'm left raw by the journey. Her prose is searing, gutting in an honest way.
Another stunning work from this incredible author. Her characters will live in my head for years to come.
May 22, 2023
“The god of war is a good ally to have.”
Elaine returns with the [now] first most captivating story I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Lucky enough to find myself as a beta reader, I couldn’t set the book down once opened. In true Holden fashion I waited until the last minute to admire the words, stumbling over every chapter as the hits got heavier, and midway through I forced myself to analyze what I had read up until this point. A tale of tremendous traumas, poignant promises, and of course, love. In just over three hours I was at a bitter end.
How do you reconcile grief when all you want to do is re-read it? This is the question I’m sure many will face when they find themselves lucky enough to recieve a copy. Absolutely stunning work once again.
“We found ourselves caught in a reflective lattice of ancient asterisms- their stars on fire, flickering resistantly against a timeless void.”
September 14, 2023
Do not sleep on this one!
I actually enjoyed the prequel even more than the original. I thought All the Yellow Posies was fantastic for a debut novel, but the author shines in telling this story as unreliable Holden. This book covers a much shorter time span, with some flashbacks scattered throughout. It's really a psychological workup of an elusive, misunderstood character from the first novel. And at the end you feel almost raw, for him and for yourself. The author is very skilled at fitting a lot of pertinent information into conversation, and somehow, the dialogue always feels authentic. In this way her books (especially this one) remind me of a screenplay. My only wish was that Stars on Fire was longer.
I actually enjoyed the prequel even more than the original. I thought All the Yellow Posies was fantastic for a debut novel, but the author shines in telling this story as unreliable Holden. This book covers a much shorter time span, with some flashbacks scattered throughout. It's really a psychological workup of an elusive, misunderstood character from the first novel. And at the end you feel almost raw, for him and for yourself. The author is very skilled at fitting a lot of pertinent information into conversation, and somehow, the dialogue always feels authentic. In this way her books (especially this one) remind me of a screenplay. My only wish was that Stars on Fire was longer.
January 14, 2024
God I flew threw this novel so fast. Honestly I was obsessed with everything about it- but of course the star of the show was Holden so of course it was rich! The traumas and love that entangle us result in the most interesting of connections with people. Writing that so clearly is so impressive to me. I also am overly fond of it when it results in love. Some of the dialogue was so emotional and intimate at times that I felt like I was imposing.
It served everything a prequel should, and exceeded my expectations.
I loved it even more than All the Yellow Posies. Elaine is truly underrated and I have been recommending the pair of novels to everyone i know recently. I really feel like it can be appreciated by everyone.
It served everything a prequel should, and exceeded my expectations.
I loved it even more than All the Yellow Posies. Elaine is truly underrated and I have been recommending the pair of novels to everyone i know recently. I really feel like it can be appreciated by everyone.
July 27, 2024
I spent half this book hating Holden for being such a womanizing slimeball but it was all part of the process of breaking this young man into pieces to be who we meet in All the Yellow Posies.
Technically a prequel, I still think it works better to be read second to AtYP. We are shown all the events and reasons for why our Holden comes to Lou a haunted man. Why he is terrorized by nightmares, disappointed in himself for the acts of violence committed, why he can’t write, and why he doesn’t trust himself enough to trust those around him who want to love him.
In turns heartbreaking and infuriating, SoF is another solid book by DeBohun, who knows how to take her readers on the path of grief and trauma.
Technically a prequel, I still think it works better to be read second to AtYP. We are shown all the events and reasons for why our Holden comes to Lou a haunted man. Why he is terrorized by nightmares, disappointed in himself for the acts of violence committed, why he can’t write, and why he doesn’t trust himself enough to trust those around him who want to love him.
In turns heartbreaking and infuriating, SoF is another solid book by DeBohun, who knows how to take her readers on the path of grief and trauma.
May 2, 2023
I loved All the Yellow Posies, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this one early. Stars on Fire finds you in a head of a very complex (even sometimes downright unlikable) Holden: a character that leaves you with many questions in the first novel. Debohun answers all of them and then some as she leads you by the hand through this memoir-style prequel, peppered with her usual esotericism themes and witty dialogue. Most importantly, she manages to tell a sensitive story with precision once again. Bravo!
May 21, 2023
Lucky to read this as an arc reader, I found myself completely infatuated with our protagonist Holden. This being a prequel, I was already in love with him, I managed to somehow become even more obsessed. (didn’t think that would have been possible!) This book followed him closely and gave us an eye to exactly where Elaine DeBohun crafted up such a character, adding in so much depth as a successful prequel should.
DeBohun has a way with dialogue and emotion that left me with a lasting impression. I am looking forward to rereading and to what comes next!
DeBohun has a way with dialogue and emotion that left me with a lasting impression. I am looking forward to rereading and to what comes next!
January 27, 2024
Loved this book. An amazing prequel to all the yellow posies.
March 9, 2024
Good story, not as good as the first book and too many flash backs, flash forwards. It made me feel A.D.D. at times. I appreciate the author giving us Holden’s story.
April 11, 2024
What a gut punch of emotions. All the stars for this incredibly poetic story.
January 12, 2025
I loved learning about Holden’s “before”! I gave it a 4.5 because I didn’t feel satisfied with the ending. I’m hoping there’s more of Holden’s POV.
December 11, 2023
I can’t emphasize this enough—read All The Yellow Posies first. And when you’re finished, undoubtedly with many questions about the enigma that is Holden Thompson, delve into this novel, his origin story of sorts. You will not be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews