After days of struggling to get invested in this novel, the multitude of characters made it tough to be engaged. While I'm not saying all YA novels must be quick in the introduction and worldbuilding, readers still want expectations to be established and have an idea of where the novel is going once they begin it. This novel, almost 25% in, still felt like it had no real goal and I was left seeking how the characters would possibly collide and what the main objective was. Even once two of them meet, the reader still doesn't feel any sort of connection, especially assuming that they will be the main couple of the novel. Will I give this a chance when it comes out? Probably. But for now, it requires more effort than many other YA novels out there and doesn't deliver on what was promised soon enough.

I loved this book! It's chock-full of banter and video game references, juxtaposed with a dark and glittery fae world. In ADAHS, Toronto is bursting at the seams with magic, and the author's lush descriptions are a joy to read. Plus, a team of magical disasters stumbling their way through a conspiracy investigation? Perfection.

This is such a fun read, especially if you're a fan of Final Fantasy or other jRPGs!

4.5 stars

A Dark and Hollow Star is an fantasic debut, filled with a thrilling plot, loveable characters and a creative world! It feels very much like urban fantasy, which for me is a very nostalgic reading experience, reminding me of all my favoruite books from when I was younger.

One sign of a good book for me is when it sparks my imagination and I start making up little stories in my head based on the world/characters of the book and that defiently happened with this one! There were so many elements to play with in terms of imagination, and while I do think sometimes there were slightly too many influences overall it built into a very vivid world. We have elements of greek mytholgy, fae and faerie lore as well as alchemy and philosphers stones.

My favourite part of the book was the characters and their relationships with each other. There were so many different dynamics that had their own dynamics and I loved the banter (especially in the latter half of the book), the two "romances" were also a highlight for me - I was so invested and shipping them so hard!

We are following 4 main POVs in the book, who are brought together to solve mysterious murders that are happening to the ironborn (a type of magical person).

Arlo - Arlo is a sweet, slightly naive character, who at the start of the book is being judged whether she is worthy of being a fae citizen or not. She doesn't have much magic, which in their world is seen as inferior and Arlo struggles with feeling useless. Arlo is such an easy character to root for, I love her slight awkwardness and dorkiness!!! I also really love her relationship with her cousins Celadon and Elias, strong family bonds are something I love in books and their relationship was so precious!! I also really loved Arlo growth throughout the book, watching her realise her worth.

Nausicaa - Previously known as the fury Alecto at the start of the book she gets exiled from the fury realm and is made to live in the human world. Nausicaa is very much the bad ass character, and it was so refreshing to have this character as a girl, as normally in this type of book it would be the charming bad boy meeting the main girl. Nausicaa struggles with depression, as well as having lost her sister fury to suicide. I really loved how she casually drops in that she goes to therapy - I thought this was so powerful! She is very saracastic and witty on the outside but she actaully has a lot of sadness and a soft side. Seeing her an Arlo develop a friendship and then into something more was SO SATISFYING. I'm so soft for sapphics in love uwu. We also see how they compliment each others characters and bring out the best in each other. Watching Nausicaa, who is adamant she is only out for herself start to get all protective and soft for Arlo ughhhh i'm so weak.

(only a minor gripe but I didnt like how I kept reading her name as nausea :( )

Vehan - Vehan is the prince of the summer seelie court, who while he seems like on the outside has a perfect life, he is actually very lonely and is quite starved of affection, his mother is also very manipulative but Vehan still sees her as a good person and I think this storyline was very interesting look at abusive relationships. Vehan is looking into the ironborn murders as he feels they are connected to alchemy when the rest of the fae are conivced they are the fault of the dark star (nausicaa).

Aurelian - Aurelian is Vehan's bodyguard (essenially) and is the type of character I love who is all gruff on the outside but is actually a big softie. He and Vehan are quite clearly in love with each other but Aurelian is keeping his distance in order to protect Vehan and when we get the reveal of this it is so juicy!!!! THE ANGST. I also really love the childhood friends to being in love with each other but can't be together UWU.

We also follow a POV of a character called Hero, who at first we are not sure how he ties into the main plot and his POVs seem to be on a slightly different timeline, but it becomes quickly clear how he is relevant and my opinion from how I felt at the beginnning towards him very quickly changed haha.
I also think the villains are interesting as there always seems to be a mastermind behind each person we intially see as the villain, adn teh epilogue had me very excited for book two and the dynamic between two certain characters (although I did see the reveal of who the 'mastermind' was coming).

In terms of pacing, I think the book took me a while to get into (around 25%) but after the that the plotting was incredible, I was so engaged and kept interested in terms of the slow reveal of infomation, knowing who to trust and following the characters on their adventures. The ending was slightly abrupt but it made me so excited for book 2!!

The setting was also very interesting, set in our world in Toronto but with a hidden world of fae and magical creatures among us! It was also interesting to see how the political structure was set up in the world of fae with their courts and also how the 'immortal' characters played into it, characters like the furies and deities. One of my favourite things in books is when powerful old immortals get themselves involved in what is going on. The writing did feel slightly like a debut book, but it was very easy to follow and get into, I think dialogue is a massice strength of Shuttleworth.

In conclusion this was a great start to a new YA fantasy series, with a sapphic ship to die for and an intriuging plot which I can't wait to see where it goes!

So happy I got to read an early copy! This was a fantastic action adventure and murder mystery rolled into one. The mix of fae culture and politics into the bustling city of Toronto was wonderful, and I found something to love in every POV character. Also so many times where I just laughed because there were so many funny moments too. This is such a wonderful and FUN book with such heartfelt characters. Also, Nausicaa is my favourite and I will love her forever.

I've been lucky enough to read an ARC of A DARK AND HOLLOW STAR, and it's absolutely everything I didn't know I needed in a YA fantasy. Full disclosure: fantasy, for some reason, isn't what I normally gravitate to in fiction (even though I love it in movies/TV/games!), so when I say the writing jumped out at me from page 1 and held me captive all throughout...... it's so serious lol. Ashley has created a rich, alternate universe, an alternate Toronto (🔥🔥🔥!), one that is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, and they do so with such elegance and style that it forces you as the reader to pay. attention. So captivating! And I must give a shoutout to my girl Nausicäa, whose charm and wit and mysteriousness made her such a joy to read. :) I can't recommend this book enough!

*Spoiler free*

I have a complicated relationship with fae books. I'm undeniably drawn to them. Whenever I hear about a fae book, I want to jump on it. But, I find myself not liking a lot of them. So, of course, I wanted to jump on this book. I knew it was fae and I knew it could go either love or hate for me, but it sounded too good and too queer for me to pass up. The more I thought about it, four queer teens trying to stop a war between realms caught up in the mystery of gruesome murders, the more eager I was to read it. Trigger warnings .

I loved this book. I loved this book so much. It's everything I've ever wanted out of a fae book and makes me want to throw it at everybody who loves a certain very popular fae series. Truly, this book is a masterpiece.

One thing I was wary about, was the fact that this book would take place both in the real world and a fantasy one. I've found that mixing those two doesn't usually work for me. I think it's because I love fantasy elements, fantasy lore, and fantasy worlds, that I feel pulled out them when the real world is mixed in. So, it's a really huge deal when I say that I loved this blending of the real and a fantasy world. Like, it was so done well. It's a part of the book that made it so amazing to me. As aspect that I usually don't like. That's how good this author and this book are! The fantasy and real world are seamlessly blended together to create something that is intricate and fascinating.

This world also included the fae! Obviously haha. I dunno what it was about Shuttleworth's fae that spoke to me so much, but they did. I didn't have any of the qualms that I usually do with fae books. They felt harder, more sturdy in their make up and what made them tick. Plus, I think because I liked how the worlds were woven together so much, that it made me like what made up the fae themselves even more. More maybe Shuttleworth is just an incredible author whose books are just straight up my alley! The point is, these fae were gorgeous and incredibly written.

Alright, we're delving into characters. To start off, this book is really freaking queer. Like, I'm pretty sure most of the characters are queer. Plus, they're all really, really great. And, I want so many of them to kiss haha. Arlo is so human (even though she does have fae parentage). She doesn't want to be a hero, she gets freaked out when faced with things that want to kill her, and she sometimes gets frustrated with big huge things, things the adults should be handling, that are thrown her way. Nos was fury and fire. She's hurting and she hides behind chaos and sharp barbs of sarcasm. But she's also wonderful, with all her spikes and anger. Vehan is lonely. He wants to do good and he wants people to like him. Aurelian has such heavy burdens to carry. He's stoic, but his emotions rage fiercely beneath the surface.

And those are just the four main, POV characters. They each have their own bubble, their own lives that they walk through. They have their own relationships and those characters were just as brilliant as the main characters.

The writing is breathtaking. It weaves a picture that's incredibly vivid and just left me in awe most of the time.

These converging circles were one of my favorite parts of the book. So many circles coming together to create something bigger. So, that leads me to the plot. It was complicated, vast, intricately woven, and had me gasping at even the smallest details that were revealed. It's a book where many pieces are in play and are constantly moving. There's hidden plots within hidden plots, pawns hidden from sight, and players not even seen on the board. Really, it's just brilliant.

I think one of the best things about this book, and there's a lot of best things, is how everything leads to something bigger. The tangle of threads is still yet unraveled. There's more to come, there's an air of mystery that's left on the last page, there's secrets still yet to be discovered. It shows just how well done this book is, laying out the ground pieces and making it seem like a castle, only to pull back to see the rest of the framework of what's to come.

All in all, this was a book I fell head over heels in love with. It's incredible. It's dark and emotional and gorgeous and just all around amazing. I could go on and on about how much I truly adored this book. I won't make you suffer through that, but just know, that this book is really, really good.