A beautiful modern take on a very classic tale.

This emotional read was gripping and I absolutely loved the characters. This is a first read for me by this author but not the last.

The world that St. Clair has created us magnificent and I love how it all fits and works. I know I’m being vague and that’s because I don’t want to spoil anything. I feel that everything has to be experienced.

A definite must read and a book that I’m hoping isn’t the last in this world!

I really enjoyed this and could have totally finished it faster if I had the time! This book is slightly paranormal with the Greek mythology

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐬𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞—𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐝.

____________________

Anora Silby can see the dead…worse yet is when she encounters one and a thread from her palm appears to engulf them and turn them into coins. One step away from being committed, Anora is relocated by her mother from New York to Oklahoma in search of a fresh start and a normal life. But she soon finds out that her future at Nacoma Knight Academy will be anything but normal. Surrounded by humans with powers and shifters alike, Anora discovers she is not the only person who can see the dead but she is the only person with a thread, and after catching the eye of the Academy’s star quarterback Shy who finds himself drawn to Anora for reasons unknown, it is only a matter of time before she realizes what it all means and the ramifications it will have on her future.

This book was honestly the most pleasant surprise!! YA to its core it gave me the nostalgic vibes of being something I’ve read and loved before with a story that was wholly it’s own.

While firmly YA in spice, PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. This is a dark YA fantasy that draws inspiration from the legend of Eurydice and Orpheus to make up its dark world of magic, power, occult, witchcraft, murder, death, and deception. Suicide is a heavy plot point at the beginning of the story and carries throughout the book’s theme, recurring in different manners and occurrences for the duration of the book. Please remember if you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide you are NOT alone. Even if you feel alone someone who cares and is willing to talk to you is only a phone call away at hotline 988.

Anora is honestly a GREAT main character. She’s resilient, and even though she continually has the odds stacked against her and is left out in the cold repeatedly without the answers that she so desperately seeks she is brave and pushes forward, questions and all.

Shy is what I imagine the teenage Desmond Flynn would have been, change my mind!! That is by far the highest honor I can think to bestow on him and I love, Love, LOVED his chemistry with Anora. I just want to see so much more of them and their building, forbidden love!!

True to its YA roots nothing in this book came as a surprise and most everything was either explained/revealed in an alternate POV or was just obvious to you as you were reading, but that did not detract from the story AT ALL and it was every bit as seamless and entertaining as any adult book on the market right now.

If you love dark romances, don’t let the YA tag scare you away because this series is going places!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Sourcebooks / Bloom Books, and the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a fantastic book! The story was so interesting and unique. I loved that Anora could see the dead and that she wasn't the only one. The Order and the Valryn's are also such a neat idea and I loved their role in the book.

The storyline itself was very interesting and definitely a mystery. I really enjoyed getting to try and figure things out myself throughout the book while the characters were trying to as well. Although I never predicted anything right, it was still enjoyable for me. Definitely a good mystery as it didn't obviously give anything away.

I did really like the characters in this book. However, there were a couple times where I got annoyed with how a character acted or responded to something. Overall though, they were always engaging.

Like I said before, this is a fantastic book and I really enjoyed reading it. I definitely recommend reading this book!

Thank you Bloom Books for the ARC!

I was surprised by how much I liked this book considering ghosts scare the crap out of me! But this book has ‘a touch of’ a Greek mythology retelling (Orpheus and Eurydice), a really intriguing plot, and fascinating creatures/characters. It’s definitely YA compared to her other books and didn’t have a ton of slow burn, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Highly recommend to everyone!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much the publisher sourcebooks bloom books for an ARC of this book!!!! I can not tell you how much I liked it. The main character was so relatable. The love interest was very hot. And I LOVED. the magic system it was unlike anything I had ever read before. I will 1000% be reading the next one, and you should too.

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

When Stars Come Out was actually pretty fun to read. At first, things were moving a bit slowly but that's because our main girl was getting used to the new town, school, and people. Now Anora, the main girl, was pretty interesting and good see ghosts. Which doesn't seem like the easiest thing to live with, and she definitely proves that over and over again. Unfortunately, ghosts are the only thing she should be worried about.

Nope, there's a mysterious boy that seems to make her smile. As well as other sketchy stuff too. Whether it's people who are acting suspicious, or the ghosts, she's not exactly sure who she should or shouldn't trust. If only the strangeness would end there.

Other than Anora, we meet Shy. It's an interesting name for a mysterious guy. He doesn't know what's going on with Anora, but he does feel a certain tug towards her. Some would call that fate and others wouldn't. So, it shouldn't be a surprise when people tell him to stay away from her. Funny thing about fate, he can't because it hurts to ignore her.

Besides these two dancing the will they or won't they kiss tango, we have lots of paranormal things to figure out. Who exactly wants Anora and why? The not knowing sort of drove me insane because I couldn't think of who was going to betray her. At least that's how I felt until certain things were pointing to certain people.

In the end, I'm sad about some things and very intrigued by others. I'm hoping that we get more answers in the next book because there's so much to learn about her powers and the freaking order. I'm also secretly hoping that her and Shy get together because they are basically soulmates. I will riot if it doesn't happen.

I didn't know what I was expecting when I started this book, but this wasn't it. I'm not talking in a bad way, a thoroughly enjoyed it, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I never knew which characters I could trust, not even Shy and Anora escaped from my weariness. Nevertheless, I feel like it was a super solid read, with a great plot and the right amount of mystery. Another great work by this author, can't wait to read even more from her. My thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When Anora is uprooted from New York to Oklahoma to escape a dangerous secret, she hopes to find a fresh start at Nacoma Knights Academy. Instead, she finds ghosts of suicide victims, online bullying through an anonymous app, and more secrets that threaten to overwhelm her and the new friends she tries desperately to fit in with. Past lives, trapped souls and forbidden love flavor this YA novel from best selling author Scarlett St. Clair, and while it lacks the language and content of her adult novels, it will still keep you flipping through chapters to find out more about the mythos of this dark world!
#NetGalley #WhenTheStarsComeOut

When Stars Come Out is the perfect paranormal Young Adult retelling--so good that I preordered my physical copy not even a third of the way in. The story premise is a cunning and original retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, the worldbuilding is dynamic and draws the reader in, and the characters are creatively constructed to come alive off the page and not just info dump at the reader. This was an excellent read and one I will definitely recommend to others.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily as all opinions are my own.*

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to read this YA book by the bestselling adult romance author! When Stars Come Out by Scarlett St. Clair is a contemporary YA fantasy that will remind you of why you started reading YA fantasy. The story revolves around Anora, who has magical powers. She can turn dead spirits into gold coins, and she can also summon hounds, two of the most original powers I've ever read. She has to navigate a social life in high school while dealing with dangerous supernatural creatures in the town.

Here is an intriguing excerpt from Chapter 1, Anora and the Dead Girl:

"I lean forward in my seat and stare at my reflection in the car mirror, assessing my work. I took my time putting makeup on this morning, choosing a brown shadow and black liner that make my eyes look more yellow than green. My dark hair cascades over my shoulders. By the end of the day, it will be mostly straight, too heavy to sustain the curls it took an hour to fix. I practice a smile, checking to see if any lipstick transferred to my teeth but also testing to see if I can manage to make it look real. This is my chance at a new beginning, and as long as I’m careful, the past won’t bleed into the future.
I glance at Mom. Even now, she keeps her gaze forward, hands tight on the steering wheel, navigating the rented Ford Focus around another bend in this hopeless road. I can’t help feeling guilty. I’m the reason she has to start over too."

Overall, When Stars Come Out is a contemporary YA fantasy that will appeal to fans of City of Bones or Twilight. One highlight of this book is how it reminded me of books that I loved when I first started reading YA fantasy, like Twilight. It's not often that I read books coming out nowadays that can match up to the classics of the genre. Another highlight of this book is how exciting it was to find out who murdered Lily. I also enjoyed the slow-burn, blossoming romance. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in July!

I actually feel like this book is a 3.8/5 star review but I raised it to a 4 for the rating. When I first saw this book everything intrigued me about it. I have loved all of the books I read from Scarlett St. Clair so I was very excited to read this book. When reading the summary, must admit I did not know the original story of Orpheus & Eurydice so after doing a little research I found that this book does a great job reimagining the original story with its own fun new aspects.
Essentially, the story is about a girl, Anora Silby, who enrolls in a new school trying to get away from her past. But she has some amazing hidden powers, she can see the dead and turn spirits into coins. When starting the school she meets Shy, who she feels a connection too. Like Anora, Shy also has his own secrets that play a big role in the book being part of The Order. I rated this book a 3.8 for two main reasons. The first being that the
first half of the books seemed a little slow, I felt almost bored trying to get through the first 25% of the book but after the story picked up more I actually enjoyed reading it. The other reason being that I wish we could learn a little more background history about Anora and Shy's past connections and the reason everything was created
pertaining spirits, Charon, and The Order. Hopefully the second book will be able to answer some of the questions and concerns I had from the first book.
Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for approving me to read this
book for an honest review.

The book's style was fantastic; it was extremely different from what I had anticipated, but in a nice manner. It was simple to read and grasp the writing, which made it simple to understand the universe that was described in the book. I adored Anora and Shy, and the multiple points of view made for a more comprehensive view that enabled for me to develop feelings for both characters. The only reason I gave it a rating of four stars rather than five was because the first few chapters were a little stagnant, which made it a little harder for me to get into the book. However, as I continued reading, the novel advanced brilliantly, and I thoroughly loved it.

💫 A R C R E V I E W 💫

We join Anora as she starts at her new high school and we are introduced to her very special yet freaky gift. She can see dead people….yup exactly like Sixth Sense, but cooler! The dead she encounters are all in the final state of how they died. So you meet some very interesting dead. Anora meets Shy and they have an instant connection, it’s adorable. No matter how hard they fight it, Anora the most. I’m not going to lie, When Stars Come Out gave me Twilight’esc feelings. There are no vampires or werewolves but the whole new girl moves to small town finds supernatural person. Crushes on them while other bigger things are happening in the background that eventually bring them both into the middle of the drama. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with that and this book was so good. Honestly I was so excited when I was picked to read this ARC. I love Scarlett St. Clair’s books. Obviously if you’re a fan of hers too, just know this is a YA book ain’t no steam like in Touch of Darkness or King of Battle and Blood. It’s still very sweet and she makes up for no steam with tension, sweet glorious tension! I would definitely recommend this book. The story was great, it had me guessing the whole time till the end!

When Stars Come Out releases TODAY! July 25th, 2022

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶/5

tl;dr:

Overall: ★★★★☆

Characters: ★★★☆☆

Setting: ★★★☆☆

Story: ★★★★☆

Quick Thoughts: A quick thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Bloom Books for an advanced reader copy of this book! This was such a unique take on the Eurycide and Orpheus myth and a wonderful first YA book for author Scarlett St. Clair!

My words flood the air between us far past midnight, when stars come out and monsters come to life.

// Content Warning: violence, suicide, death //

- Synopsis

Anora Silby can see the dead and turn spirits into gold coins, two things she would prefer to keep secret as she tries to lead a normal life at her new school. After all, she didn't change her identity for nothing.

Hiding her weirdness is just one of many challenges. By the end of her first day, she's claimed the soul of a dead girl on campus and lost the coin. Turns out, the coin gives others the ability to steal souls, and when a classmate ends up dead, there's no mistaking the murder weapon.

Navigating the loss of her Poppa, the mistrust of her mother, and Roundtable, an anonymous student gossip app threatening to expose her, are hard enough. Now she must find the person who stole her coin before more lives are lost, but that means making herself a target for the Order, an organization that governs the dead on Earth - and they want Anora and her powers for themselves.

- Characters

This story follows our main character, Anora Silby, as she tries to have a fresh start in Oklahoma. She is shy and very reserved, fearing her past coming to light in her new town. There she meets a host of characters, most of all the star quarterback, Shy Savior. These characters were pretty believable, though Shy's name always threw me for a loop as it felt a bit awkward and very stereotypical of a main character's name in a YA book.

Anora is a really relatable heroine, struggling with who she is and what her place is in the world. My only issue with her is that, as the story progresses, we see her going from an insecure girl to suddenly a pretty decent badass who stands up for herself. I'm all for character arcs and character development, but I feel we missed a chunk of her really coming into her own power here. Especially by the end of the book where she is holding her own against others who are far more powerful than her.

Shy has a bit more meat to his character, a lot more to prove and reasons for what he does. He has his convictions and sticks to them, no matter the consequences. His attachment to Anora is really sweet and I love the connection between the two of them. Again, my biggest issue isn't his character arc but his name.

I did love the secondary characters of Natalie and Jacobi, both amazingly fleshed out and very real high schoolers with problems and attitudes and their own unique hobbies and skills. Then there's Thane and Lennon, the two outcast types who befriend Anora. I fell in love with Thane pretty early on, but I also love the dark-haired, sarcastic types.

- Setting

The story takes place in an undisclosed part of Oklahoma, which I know is where author Scarlett St. Clair is from. There wasn't much in the way of scenery building, mostly focusing on the school. I didn't get a clear picture in my head of where they were, except for a few locations that I won't talk about due to spoilers. But for the most part, what was happening to them seemed to take place in a weird in-between place in my head, half-imagined but half fuzz. I wish she had spent a little more time on the scenery.

However, I did love the entire premise of what was happening and the connection it had with the story. There are a few times we're taken to a graveyard or adjacent to it that really adds to the suspense and creep factor of what's going on. Then there's a train yard that plays a significant role, also super creepy. It seems that she really poured most of her imagery into places that needed to pull emotion from you and kinda skimmed over the other parts, figuring that everyone knew what a high school was like, or a small town. Easy to imagine.

- Story

This is probably the first ever Eudydice and Orpheus retelling I've ever read. I don't know a whole lot about the myth other than bits of songs from the broadway show Hadestown, so I went into this pretty blind. After a brief bit of research online, I don't know how much St. Clair actually pulled from the myth, but there is going to be a second book, so I'm very interested to see where it's going to go.

I will say, a lot of the twists were a bit predictable, but I feel like she tried to deceive us with the ending a bit, which I didn't see coming. I was thinking it was an either-or situation. Nope! Blindsided by that stab of deception.

I feel like because the Hades and Persephone myth is a little more detailed and has numerous retellings, those books of hers feel a bit more solidified whereas the Eurydice and Orpheus myth is... not as well known? So I felt like I was reading more of an homage to the myth rather than a retelling, which might honestly be the case! Either way, it was a really fun ride, there were lots of twists in it that, again, I won't talk about due to spoilers, but despite the areas where it falls flat, it was a really great read and helped me get out of a reading slump.

- Conclusion

Positive- Love the story and the believability of the characters

Negative- Lack of real world-building and some characters fell a little flat.

Overall- ★★★★☆

Quick recap

This was honestly a really fun ride and a great break into the YA genre for St. Clair. I enjoyed her other works and love that she's sticking with the Greek myth retellings for her books. I'm excited to see where book #2 will take us (and still waiting on A Touch of Chaos) and what sorts of shenanigans will happen.

"If I could give you anything in this life...it would be the happiness you feel when you look at the stars."

Review:
“When the stars come out” by Scarlett St. Clair

GR rating: 4.05 ⭐️’s
My rating: 3.5 ⭐️’s

Synopsis:
Anora is a young girl who, after discovering her pop had past, begins to see spirits. She moves to a new school to start fresh but catches the eye of the popular crowd. Who can she trust with her secret?

My thoughts:
This story was engaging from the first chapter as I was constantly working out who was trustworthy and who wasn’t throughout the entire story.
The characters and their motives were a massive positives as was the world building. The intricacies of this world were weaved throughout the story as to not ‘info dump’ which made the book easy to read. I thought the idea of the main character being able to capture souls and turn them into coins was unique.

If you like any of the following you should check out this book.
Fated lovers? Check
Ghosts? Check
Orpheus and Eurydice retelling? Check
Duel POV? Check

Released: July 26 2022 (re-release)

TW: mention of suicide throughout book.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.


Review to be posted on Instagram under the handle “bekas.shelf” tomorrow (26/7)

You know its a good book when you preorder it before you even get halfway through the arc. I LOVED this. Such a unique premise with characters that intrigue from start to finish. The parallels to our real world were excellent and I really liked the modern setting. The dual POV really elevated the story and kept me engaged. Its a little bit fantasy, a little bit mystery, and a little bit of a subtle love story and a whole lot of trying to find your place in the world. I honestly would love for this to be a series, I'm very invested in the world and the characters.

Anora Silby is getting a fresh start. She had to leave her home in New York after a mysterious accident left people whispering and gossiping about her. The thing is, she can see the dead, which makes being a teenager all the harder. Now, at her new school she is going to keep her head down, not cause any trouble, and definitely not engage with any of the dead she can see. Shes partnered up with Shy, the schools popular boy, to be shown around the school and she can't help but feel that she knows him. Sweet on the outside, Shy is hiding a massive secret, one that includes a large majority of the town she just moved to. Keeping herself out of trouble may be harder than she expected...

Thank you Sourcebooks Bloom & Netgalley for the early access. I cannot wait for my physical copy to get in!

I have really enjoyed all of Scarlett St. Clair’s books. This was the last book to mark off to have read all her books. This one, while touching on Greek mythology like the Hades Persephone books, was a lot different from her others. A much younger MC. When I started the book I wasn’t really sure if there was going to be more “fantasy” than just seeing the dead. I was very pleasantly surprised by the addition of Valryn, Hellhounds, etc. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, but King of Battle and Blood continues to reign supreme for me!

LOVED IT! Loved every bit of it.

I don't remember the last time I was completely enraptured by a book. I mean, I was ENTHRALLED. I hardly looked at my reading time remaining (which happens more than I'd like to admit, even on the best day). It was easy at first to start trying to solve the mystery of the missing coin, or who was "xoxo gossip girl" , but I quickly ended that and just enjoyed the ride. I am now the newest fan of Scarlett St Clair.

The only things I did not like was how the MC's personality seemed to do a complete 180 in the last 20 pages of the book. (Slight spoiler ahead->) It was just awfully presumptuous of the MC to try to control the Order when she's fudged up left and right the whole book and has no formal training, but go off I suppose. It was jarring to say the least.
I also found the ending to be slightly predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless!

Either way, I will definitely be reading more of Scarlett St Clair! 5⭐

3.75 stars!!!

So apparently, this book got republished???

And I like the newer cover sooo much better???

To start off, the first few chapters were honestly kinda boring. Not gonna lie. But then again, I always have a bit of a hard time starting SSC's new books.

I liked A Touch of Darkness but this one was honestly better than that even though the buildup was a bit slow.

It could've been shorter but I still enjoyed it. But dude, the names were soooo weird they threw me off. Shy Savior. Ugh Great guy, do NOT like the name.

But still, anyway, the book was good. Could be better though???