This one was alot! A fantasy quest, good and evil, a style that grabbed me from the prologue- it's all there. I thought it was a little long, but it's largely character driven (which I'm all for). I was into it and I'll keep my eye out for the sequel!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

While I feel like this story has a lot of potential, I found the audiobook difficult to listen to. There’s a lot going on with plot and characters, and not enough variation with the narrator to help break things up in a way that makes it easier to follow. I wasn’t able to finish this one, as I got almost halfway through and realized I was just lost. I do however plan to start over and read the physical book and see if that helps me, as I usually love these kinds of books! I truly believe my issues with this one was just the audio and not the story.

I really wanted to like this book since fantasy is one of my favorite genres, but there were a few areas of this that didn’t work for me.

First was the number of characters and story lines happening. This might be more the fault of the audiobook and there be no difference between the voices of the characters, but I was very confused on what was happening once I got through the first few chapters.

Second was the author choosing to talk about the main female character’s breasts, like a lot. I read a lot of romance novels and I’m queer, so breasts don’t make me uncomfortable. But breasts being used for purely the male gaze is not it.

I feel like this book was just not for me, and that’s okay.

Rating: 2 (dnf ~60%)

Format: Audiobook. I’d like to thank the author and Macmillan Audio for sending me a copy of this audiobook to review!

Review:
The first 20% of the book was pretty engaging and interesting! I thought the main character being blind was a unique perspective and the magic and world seemed intriguing. By around the 40% mark, however, the story started to unravel for me. It took me months, and multiple restarts of this book to get from 40-60% until I finally decided to stop. This is a very long book so normally, I would push through but at 60% there were still roughly 8 hours of audio left. I think the main things that made the story slow down and had me lose interest were that the story gets much more complex in the worldbuilding and cast of characters. While it was easy to get sucked in when there was one character to focus on in the beginning, for some reason it was hard for me to keep the details straight for the other 3+ POV characters that get introduced who all sort of sound the same. I felt like a lot of their details were being told to me rather than shown and I quickly lost interest.

I've had a lot of issues with staying engaged in epic/adult fantasy the past year or two (even though it is normally one of my favorite genres), so I may have just lost my taste for this kind of book, but overall, I found this one hard to stay interested in and it is just too long to force myself to get to the end. Others that like a complex world and cast of characters may enjoy this though!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, James Rollins, and Nicola Barber (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to The Starless Crown in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hoped for this book. I need to start with the fact that I made it about 30% of the way through the audiobook when I realized I had no clue who was who, what was what, or what the heck was going on, so I put it on pause with the plan to start from the beginning and see how a second try would go. About 6 months later, I tried again and still have no clue what is going on in this book. I managed to listen to the whole story as I am a completionist and do not believe in DNF. So here is what I will say for at least offering a 3/5:

This book certainly has potential, especially for fantasy lovers. I feel like there is so much here that is worth the time, it just wasn't the one for me
There are some interesting and creative monsters/creatures
The plot has a lot of potential, that is if you can keep up with all the different characters and the story's history related to the prologue
I really liked the prologue
I think I might like this book more as a traditional paper book instead of an audiobook; for some reason I just kept zoning out with Nicola Barber's narration
There will be more books in the series

I feel like I am really missing out with my inability to follow along or pay attention as I do well with other audiobooks, so I very may well rent or buy a physical version to give this novel yet a third chance. There is so much potential and I feel like this is a great fantasy novel, just not in audiobook format. That is to be determined for the future.

At 500 plus pages, this is one of the longer books I’ve read in a while. I like the story line, but it was just so long. By the last 100 pages I was skimming and reading the dialogue. I really like the characters and where the plot was going, but it had a few dark/violent parts, and that’s not my thing. So I might not read the sequel.

I'm marking this as a DNF for now. I got about 20% and realized I hadn't been paying attention to the story. I still want to read this book, but I will have to try again at a later date.

At the center of this odyssey type fantasy is Nyx, a young girl who was found as a baby, blind and deserted. Nyx soon finds out there is much more to her past, and after having a vision of an apocalypse, goes on the run with a small group of people who acknowledge her gifts and the looming doom of Mon Fall (when the moon will crash into the planet AND the axis will flip causing more than major climate change!) There are a few other POVs that run parallel to Nyx’s story as they all embark on a journey that will eventually lead them to each other as they tackle Moon Fall.
The Kingdom and world building is comparable to the middle or dark ages (think swords, fantastical creatures.)

A five star read for me. This book basically had me at “hello.” I’m not usually a first-sentence kind of book judger, but this starts off not holding any punches. Honestly, just read the first sentence “She gives birth in mud and mire” and the first paragraph and you’ll understand what I mean.
I love fantasy books that are gritty. There is no gentle holding of the hand in “The Starless Crown.” The reader is immediately thrown into a dark and brutal world of vicious creatures and villainous characters.
Now, this is a hefty one at 560 pages, but it didn’t feel like a big book. I found myself invested in each chapter and even had my heart broken at one point. The characters all have distinct personalities and I enjoyed the fantasy elements.
I’m looking forward to the sequel!

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book just wasn't for me. It's not that it wasn't a good book, but I think that listening to it was not the best idea for me. First of all, there are a lot of characters to keep straight and none of them had common names, so keeping track of them on audio was almost impossible for me. I do have to say that the world that James Rollins is building is great. I loved the fact that the Earth had stopped spinning. That was a clever take on the dystopian genre. But it was too long on audio. And was tedious to listen to. The narration was good, I just don't think I enjoy fantasy in audiobook form. I may revisit this in print in the future. I think that it would help to keep things straight.

I'm going to give this one three stars. If it wasn't so well written, I wouldn't have finished it, but the writing kept me engaged. However, the story seemed to drag on in parts and at halfway through there were still characters being introduced. I know that it's the beginning of a series and there's a lot of world building, but this was a failure on audio.

Absolutely love this book. I couldn't put it down. The writing was great and I loved the multiple point of views

The Starless Crown was not for me. Honestly, I gave it my all and suspended so many of my hang-ups just to finish but, nope, not for me.

The audiobook was something like 22 hours long, and several hours into it we were still introducing new characters and storylines and I had absolutely no idea of where we were going or what was really happening.

I was invited to review this audiobook. From the beginning to even 50% mark, the book just wasn't resonating with me, then torture happened (some things are to be expected but mind control torture is a big dislike for me) and I wasn't a huge fan. If I had procured this book on my own, I would have DNF'ed it but I felt a responsibility to finish. ::shrug::

I will say the narrator, Nicola Barber, did an excellent job. The characters and intonations felt very unique and were paced well with the story.

~The Starless Crown includes some topics that may be difficult for some to read. These topics include descriptive torture and violence of adults and children, mentions of male and female genital mutilation, enslavement, attempted rape, death, maggots, turning your family members into Pinhead from Hellraiser and mind-controlling them to hurt you, etc...~

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Disclaimer: I received this e-audiobook arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Starless Crown

Author: James Rollins

Book Series: Moon Fall Book 1

Rating: 2/5

Recommended For...: can’t recommend, DNF

Publication Date: January 4, 2022

Genre: Dystopian

Age Relevance: can’t recommend, DNF

Publisher: Tor Books

Pages: 560

Synopsis: A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death.

Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn into a team of outcasts:

A broken soldier, who once again takes up the weapons he’s forbidden to wield and carves a trail back home.

A drunken prince, who steps out from his beloved brother's shadow and claims a purpose of his own.

An imprisoned thief, who escapes the crushing dark and discovers a gleaming artifact - one that will ignite a power struggle across the globe.

On the run, hunted by enemies old and new, they must learn to trust each other in order to survive in a world evolved in strange, beautiful, and deadly ways, and uncover ancient secrets that hold the key to their salvation.

But with each passing moment, doom draws closer.

WHO WILL CLAIM THE STARLESS CROWN?

Review: I had to DNF this read at 20%. The book wasn’t grabbing my attention and it had a lot of things that started to kind of trigger me. The book had a ton of exposition, but the plot didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. And while I do like the characters overall, nothing is just making me want to read this one.

Verdict: It’s not for me, but maybe for you!

My aunt was the one who introduced me to James Rollins, one of her favorite books was his and she made everyone read it. She passed away a few years ago, so it was a nice treat to see this one in my list. I loved it, and I'm sure others will too.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Really loved this. I cannot wait for the next one to come out. It had a really steam punk meets game of thrones vibe which I thought was new and exciting. Love love love Nyx.
Bought a physical copy of the book and can’t wait for more.

3.5 Stars for this one.... I really really hoped I would enjoy this one more but as usual Fantasy and Audio just seem to fail me. ugh... I will get this one in ebook version and take the time to read it. The audio is a daunting 22+ hrs. which is double my usual read.
So , the truth of it all is this. The audio was hard for me to follow, names get confusing because they aren't the normal Jim and Daisy type names. And the narrator had an accent , as lovely as it was .. I was lost in translation...
I love the premise of this story. An orphaned student , a soldier , a thief , a prince must all come together to do what? let's say it together ... "SAVE THE WORLD". Of course, my apologies but that's the summary. I got lost in the swamp and jungle or desert or wherever we were along the way.
My apologies James Rollins, this is my first but not my last book you have written. I will give this one a true re-read one day.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook copy of this book. I did my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough. I liked the story, but just got a little lost in all of the word soup along the way.
Fans of EPIC Fantasies this is your cup of tea! come and get it!

This book is a unique story, and I cannot wait for the next one in the series. It doesn't shy away from tragedy, and leaves enough hints to keep you interested in the series. You're engaged with the characters right from the start.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, where is the sequel? I seriously need it after devouring The Starless Crown. First off, the audio was really freaking good. At the moment, I'm not sure who the narrator is but that's mostly because I need more coffee in order for my brain to work. All I'm going to say is that they did an amazing job for this really long book. Seriously, the audio was over 20 hours long and I was never bored. Which, yes, is a huge accomplishment.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the world that this was set in. The whole dark age with magic and mysteries completely sucked me in. At some point, it seemed like everything was basically dangerous and could potentially kill you. Creatures, plants, happiness. You name it, you would probably die from it.

We also get to meet a vast cast of characters. I didn't even try to keep track of everyone because of how long this book was. Just think of the A Song of Fire and Ice series and how many people you had to follow. All I'm going to say is that each and every character made this book that much better. I think this is why I was never truly bored because we moved from character to character so easily.

I guess I can also mention that there's a ton of action and adventure throughout this as well. I mean, with a book this large I would have been disappointed if we got chapters where nothing was really happening. We get a fair share of everything - sacrifices, probing, and destruction. Then there's the inkling of doom that follows you throughout the entire thing.

In the end, this was a very fun book to dive into. I'm super excited for the sequel to come out and I hope that we get the same narrator.

A brilliant blind girl who studies at a cloistered academy. A thief locked away in an escape-proof prison. A drunken, dissolute prince who’s a distant second in line to the throne.

These are the players who must somehow come together to save the world in the first book of a fantasy epic.

Rollins — better known as a writer of best-selling thrillers, including the “Sigma Force” series — here has created an Earth that somehow stopped turning. In the small life-supporting sliver separating the planet’s dark and light sides, a kingdom in the North contends for supremacy with one in the South.

Yet beyond their jousting, some sense a greater danger: the impending fall of the Moon onto the Earth. Moonfall, if not prevented, will destroy everything.

The story touches on many familiar fantasy plot points — magic, an ancient language, an ability to commune with wild creatures, a climactic battle between the forces of good and evil — yet manages to be satisfying. It’s aided by a capable reading from Barber, who invests Rollins’ characters with a variety of British accents that help make each a distinguishable, real person.

This was the first audiobook I requested from NetGalley. I loved it! I was very intrigued by the summary and I was not disappointed, I did speed up the audio to 1.5 because I felt it was a little slow for me. But I liked the narration very much. The narrator changes voices for the characters really nicely. I mostly listen to audiobooks while I drive and this story definitely had me hooked. So much so that I would sit in the parked car just to finish a chapter. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series.