Gonna preface this by saying that I wasn't aware this was a sequel and more than likely why I didn't connect with the story as well as I should have, BUT Star Father is beautifully written and I probably would have connected and felt more engaged with the story if I had read Star Mother first. Whoops, my bad.

Overall, great book just didn't hook me--again, my fault.

(looks at 5-star review of Star Mother)

Well, I'll somehow have to give Star Father a 6-star rating, because Miss Holmberg LEVELLED UP. If I thought the chronologically first of these companion novels was amazing, I wasn't prepared for the happily ever after Saiyon deserves (and gets). This book is much faster in its romantic development, dramatic, and written on a far more epic scale. I had wished for certain characters to make an appearance as soon as I finished the first book in the duology, and my hopes were surpassed.

Where Ceris was loving, caring, and soft, Aija is determined, stubborn, and desperately in love. And she's in her thirties! Yes! The standards sure are low for me to get so excited about her age, but a heroine past her twenties who is single and childless borders on a wonder even these days. While I was still a little suspicious of Saiyon by the end of book one, I turned into a puddle of pink mush for him by the end of his own story. And I'm still not over the way Charlie Holmberg writes kisses.

As a disclaimer, I would still recommend reading Star Mother first! While both stories can easily be read independently, the knowledge of Ceris' story will multiply your enjoyment of Aija's quest. I'm also still convinced that the worldbuilding was better delivered in the first of the two novels, though it's hard to say going into Star Father biased.

Anyway - more???

I'm so glad I got to read this early! I finished Star Mother, and then read this immediately after. It didn't disappoint. Everything by this author is on my favorites list.

This is a beautiful, epic tale. I had no idea it was technically a sequel; it works perfectly well on its own! I may have to go back and read Star Mother now. However, the pacing was a bit slow in some places, until it took off and raced to the end. It reads like ancient mythology, with godlings and demigods and epic journeys. The characters seem slightly detached, which I think is a product of the prose; not necessarily a bad thing, but it took me quite a while to feel a connection to them. The tale itself is wondrous and bittersweet. If you're a fan of Charlie N. Holmberg (or mythology), you will find plenty to enjoy!

Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with MC at all. She started out like a strong independent woman, but was reduced to a gooey mess who would do any reckless thing for her man, including some very stupid ones. That's a bit of a turn off for me.

Same as with the first book I really enjoyed this. It was different enough from Star Mother to still be interesting, revisiting and building on the first one. For anyone who enjoyed that, definitely give this a go. Ill be adding both books on order for our customers.

After reading ‘Star Mother’ I wasn’t entirely sure how it would possibly become a duology. It was such a beautiful love story and it felt utterly whole by the end. So I was apprehensive to try ‘Star Father’ but man am I glad I was able to cast aside my reservations to give it a chance.

Charlie N Holmberg is a master of writing fantasy with rich worlds full of lore and gods, and the best love stories I have read in years. There is a serene beauty to ‘Star Father’ that mirrors ‘Star Mother’ perfectly as it slowly paints a tale of a love that can only be held onto through pain and hardships. A perfect partner to ‘Star Mother’ which also holds strong standing on its own.

i devoured star mother perhaps a month ago, which made me excited for the follow up. while i prefer star mother, it’s really interesting to see saiyon as a real character with desires and flaws. i found his relationship with aija to be well developed too

Phenomenal as usual. I’m glad Holmberg ended up turning this into two books, even if that wasn’t her original intention. I could see both working as stand-alones, but then you would miss so much of the rich drama, as well as two stories that need to be told, and in Holmberg’s unique fashion of creative writing.

The second was completely unlike the first, yet the similarities are there. It took me off guard, but in a positive way. New characters to fall in love with, including her two non-human companions which exhibit so much love, loyalty, and concern for Ai’s well-being and outcome, that you can’t help but become enraptured by them. Her cousin surprises you when she gets caught up in the story, going against who you may think she is.
All this in a world that has already been set up and built in the first.

Immensely enjoyed the fact that the Sun got His happy ending in a totally unexpected way.

I will admit there’s parts of His character, which makes you toggle back and forth between a love/hate relationship.

Does He deserve happiness, even though He’s so by the book which causes others to pay the price of His law, as He knows it? But than you see parts of Him that makes you realize He’s just doing what He’s been "taught" to do as His job as a God-which is to uphold what’s right, at all cost. Even though He’s a God, He’s not perfect, and has His flaws, just like humankind does.
He does have more compassion and benevolence, along with a strong sense of standards, principles, and an ethical sense of philosophy, far deeper than some of the other Gods and Demi-Gods.

How you can’t fall in love with Ai from the beginning is beyond me. She’s very self sufficient, with a side of vulnerability, that tugs at your heart, no matter how much she tries to fight or deny it. You end up with the understanding of what has brought her to this point in her story, it’s hard not to root for her, and her happy ending as well. She definitely comes across as one tough cookie, and the heroine we all beg to see more of in novels. She literally goes to Hell and back for what she strongly believes in, willing to give up so much, in order to get there!

I did receive a free pre-release in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this book.

This was a beautiful love story and the main character was a strong willed women that will stop at nothing for those that she loves and in the process she will change the world. The characters where all so unique, lovable and loyal. I really liked getting to know the Star Father better and so glad that his story was told.

I want to say that I love when authors do series but the books all stand alone without the other. I like getting a brand new set of characters but all the nostalgic feelings from remembering the first story. I personally would recommend reading Star Mother first but even if I hadn’t I would have enjoyed the book just as much!

I want to thank the publisher for allowing me to read this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. (Although, if I’m being completely honest I planned on getting it even if I had to wait for it!) Charlie is an amazing author and I will continue to get any book she writes without even reading the synopsis!

Holmberg returns to the world that she first introduced in Star Mother and finishes the story of Saiyon, the Sun god who is locked in battle with the Moon. Aija lives on a farm with her mother and grandmother, and in her free time, she is an artist who loves to the capture the beauty of her surroundings. When the Sun is suddenly knocked from the sky and the world is covered in darkness, Aija stumbles across a man who is hurt. She brings the man back to the farm and she and her family nurse him back to health. She is instantly captivated by this man and he becomes her artistic muse. As he recovers and Aija gets to know him better, she finds herself falling in love with him even though she suspects that he is not a normal man. When she realizes what he is, she realizes their love is doomed unless she can become immortal. Despite Saiyon's pleas and knowing that there are no safe ways to achieve immortality, Aija sets off on a journey to be reunited with her love no matter what the cost might be.

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Star Mother, I appreciated another chance to return to this world. Aija is a compelling hero and her stubbornness is crucial to the plot, but I found myself feeling frustrated with her at times. And Saiyon is aggravating at times too, but I liked him a lot more in this book than I did in the previous book. The plot had good pacing and I struggled to put it down. I felt like it had a satisfying end and I enjoyed it overall.

A big thank you to Charlie N. Holmberg, 47North, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!

I did not believe this second installment could top its predecessor, Star Mother, but it did. I would describe this as truly one of the most beautiful, epic, love stories I have every read. Aija and Saiyon's love story and how far they go for love is heart-wrenching and once you start reading, you'll be unable to quit.

To personify the Sun, Moon, Earth, and more into characters without coming off as a greek mythology spin-off is a great feat. You see these celestial bodies as celestial beings capable of love, grief, pain, and empathy. My only real complaint is that I need more than a duology for this new universe.

Five full stars for another work of art from Charlie N. Holmberg. A very creative, brilliant, and kind soul.

You can read this as a standalone, but it makes for a better story to read Star Mother first.

Thank you Charlie N. Holmberg, 47North Publishing, and NetGalley for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Because I enjoyed Star Mother so much, I was pleased to see that the author chose to follow through with a companion story for Saiyon, the Sun god. The story is set in an alternate universe formed not from science but myth, and there's a noticeable lack of technological advancement despite the passage of 1,000 years and more.

Readers are asked to shift their frame of reference from Ceris and Twilight, the youthful characters of the first book, to a more mature and independent heroine, Aija, in Star Father. She's described as being in her mid-thirties, a widow, and effectively middle-aged in an agrarian world where surviving into one's seventies is quite a feat. A local war has displaced Ai from her career as a successful artist, and she has retreated from the city back to her childhood home on her mother's farm, where events in a never-ending celestial war plunge the country into darkness. Saiyon recovers from his injuries and shelters with them until the war calls him away from the Earth Mother, fully restored. He cannot become mortal... so Ai sets her sights on earning immortality.

I enjoyed revisiting the Star Mother world; Star Father isn't so much of a YA novel, given the age of the characters: I was satisfied by the resolution and relieved that it wasn't another emotional wringer like the first book. Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an e-arc of Star Father in exchange for an honest review.

Holmberg is amazing and this book is no exception.

I loved Star Mother and Star Father lived up to it. If you haven't started this series I would recommend it, and if you have never read anything by Charlie, what have you been doing!

Charlie is my all-time favourite author, I read Paper Magician years ago now and I am still thinking about it. Pick up her work!

What an amazing book and series!

I read Star Mother and was completely blown away by the worldbuilding and characters, and Star Father is just as strong.
You'll definitely understand each book better if you read both, and book one first, even though they can be read independently.

Aija lives with her mother and grandmother just outside of town, and they do the best they can with what they have. Their conditions deteriorate when the sun disappears from the sky. When she finds an unconscious man near the river, she manages to bring him home and cares for him until he wakes up.

This is the story of a mortal woman and the god Sun falling in love. When they're separated, Aija literally moves the earth and the heavens to reunite with her lover.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

With the sun disappearing from the sky out of nowhere and the world drowned in darkness, it's time to figure out what happened. And so, an amazing journey of adventure, pain, growth, and love unfolds.

As usual, this book by Charlie N Holmberg is amazing. You can expect great things by this author.

Her writing is elegant and intricate and her stories are woven so well that you get swept away. You just cannot go wrong with this author's books. The characters are always so well developed with their own personalities and the romances are always clean, yet incredibly emotional.

I highly recommend this sequel to Star Mother!

I had no idea when I picked up this book that it was the second book of a series, and honestly I didn’t throughout reading the whole thing either! It wasn’t until reading the author’s notes at the end that I learned star mother exists.

I truly enjoyed it as I have every Charlie N. Holmberg book I’ve read.

This book is great for anyone who loves fantasy, mythology, and a good mission accomplished in the name of love.

Book received for free through NetGalley

This book is absolutely fantastic and I couldn’t put it down. I came across the first book, Star Mother, through Amazon first reads and chose it without reading the description as this author is fantastic! I then looked this book through Netgalley and had the absolute joy of reading them back to back. I think it only took three days for both and was amazingly epic. You will definitely want to read Star Mother first to fully grasp this fantastic world. They are amazing together. One of those few books you truly wish you could forget to read fresh again. So good.

Big thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

The ending almost saved this book - but as much as I wanted to love it, I just couldn't. While Star Mother was a surprise and rather beautiful, this sequel doesn't have the same charm for me. I struggled with enjoying Aija as a main character; though she did have some growth near the end, she was both an independent / stubborn / feminist type woman while also being Bella-of-Twilight level obsessed with the man (god) she loves. I couldn't understand her, and I had trouble even liking her. It was upsetting to read at times, the lengths she was going for a being she had known for essentially a week. I couldn't see why all the celestial beings were so enamored with her. She seemed like a regular, obnoxious mortal. Selfish and immature - so very foolhardy.

Saiyan (the sun god) also lacked dimension here. I enjoyed and was fascinated by him in Star Mother, so was looking forward to his story, but I wasn't swept away by this love story. It fell flat. I'm looking forward to reading reviews and discussing with others, but overall - the mortals were difficult and the gods were far too human. It felt almost irreverent, despite being fantasy.

I'd recommend Star Mother, but probably wouldn't have finished this except to review.

This book is well written, but not really my thing. I also didn't realize it was the 2nd book of a series. I should pay more attention when I'm requesting these books! This one works fine as a stand-alone, but I might have gotten more out of it had I read the first book.