HOLY GODS THIS BOOK SUCKED ME IN RIGHT FROM THE START!!!!

An amazing fantasy novel about gods, monsters, and the humans who find their world.
The writing was super easy to read and was a quick read while having great world building.
The books ends on not totally a cliffhanger and leaves this world opened to be explored more. I CAN'T WAIT to read the rest of this series

Here's what I LOVED
*THE WORLD BUILDING!!!!
for a shorter fantasy book (under 300 pages) I was blown away with this world building.
*THE IMAGERY
I could picture the worlds and surroundings so well and I loved every second
*Mystery hottie named Cassian?!
I don't want to say anything that could spoil but I love me a tough mystery boy named Cassian 🥰
*Gods, monsters, and others
I loved that this delves into all types of creatures
*Mystery
the whole story really surrounds the mystery of The Bazaar with other mysteries along the way

Here's what I didn't LOVE
*the FMC Hazel was wayyy too naive and trusting of everyone
don't worry though, someone tells her straight to her face what her issues are 😂
*while it was an easy and quick read I would consider this a slow pace (in my opinion)
it took a while to get into the action that you would typically expect in a fantasy adventure

A YA fantasy romance, for the fans of the genre.
The writing is smooth and teens looking more for romance will enjoy this one. Admittedly I hadn't understood it would take such a big part of the plot or I wouldn't have picked it up.
The hero was way too naive for me, the initial push too vague, the magic too on the surface. I just don't think I was the audience, while there is a lot of strong YA books coming out now that are good for a wide range of people because they are emotionally impactful, this one is very much targeted to the younger with a simpler plotline and adventure for the sake of adventure but not necessarily moving the plot along. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I'm looking for.

Interesting concept and world building, fascinating characters and plot. This story felt magical and original.
The Bazaar itself was interesting, and I liked how it came to life. The magic of the setting was my favorite part. This does end on a cliffhanger.  thank you to net galley!

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but I just couldn’t immerse myself in the story. I truly think this book has a great concept, it just didn’t pan out the way I thought it would. So don’t be afraid to give it a read, but proceed with caution.

These Wicked Stars follows Hazel Blackthorn, a girl who can never live down her illegitimate birthright. However, she has a plan. Marry a rich boy (who she loves) and escape her aunt for good. Foolproof plan, right? It is until everything goes wrong, launching Hazel into an otherworldly place called the Bazaar where she must keep her greatest desires close to her heart or else she might come home soulless.

I went into this book expecting parallels to Caraval but I came out a bit confused. The Bazaar intrigued me at first, but as Hazel wandered around it (for around 200 pages), I started losing interest. It seemed a bit cliche in its “wonders” as the streets moved every two seconds and there’s a sketchy ruler who somehow knows all. I feel as if the story just wasn’t fleshed out and I found myself thinking, “What is happening?” at every page flip. I wanted a bit more mystical writing to fit the magical atmosphere, but this book came up short and left me wanting more.

The pacing in this book was almost as confusing as the Bazaar. I was fighting with myself to not shelf this one before finishing it just due to how slow the start was. It was around 300 pages before anything particularly exciting happened, but I think this was due to the author trying to flesh out the Bazaar and the characters. The pacing just didn’t do it for me and I barely finished this book.

The protagonist, Hazel, was also a bit lackluster. She had too many moments where I wanted to slap some sense into her, specifically when she kept locking eyes with the love interest and drowning in his brown eyes. This happens too many times for me to count, especially during moments that were very high stakes. But I guess you do you Hazel.

The romance was okay if you like romance that feels very borderline instalove. I don’t particularly enjoy relationships that give you whiplash and was very disappointed when Hazel immediately fell head over heels for the first option she stumbled into while drunk in the Bazaar. But that’s a matter of preference I suppose. Also, Hazel technically has a fiance, Linus, technically throughout this book but you might forget. But that’s okay because Hazel seems to too. I feel like Linus was a bit one dimensional and really gets the short end of the stick for the 10 pages he appears. I’m sorry Linus. Maybe you can also go to the Bazaar and find a partner? Seemed to have worked for Hazel.

I probably won’t be coming back for a sequel, but it was fun to see a different take on the transported to magical place genre. If you’re a super fan of Caraval, give this book a try to see if it might be your speed. But for me, I just felt like I was left stranded in the Bazaar wanting more.

These Wicked Stars by Catelyn Wilson - 4.5 stars

First off, the cover of this book is beyond beautiful and truly caught my attention and the blurb definitely drew me in. The story line is more than meets the eye.

Hazel is an outsider in her little town because of her mother's affair. Hazel is left stranded when her fiancé up and leaves her for a cousin, throwing her completely off her footing. After her love life is throw to the curb she is asked to go to the Bazaar in search for an object with a reward in return.

I love all the characters within this story line, they each play a huge role and add bit by bit to the journey that unfolds for us.
Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for the ARC.

3.5 stars - Enjoyable YA read

This book was interesting. Full of action and wonder. I loved the Bazaar - definitely got Caraval vibes from the intricacies of the magic and mystery involved. However, I did get a bit lost after the first half with everything that happened (there's a lot). There's several twists and turns that keep you guessing as to how the events will unfold. The ending was good and I'm excited to read what happens next!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.
This book was so much fun! It's a pretty quick read, the story just pulls you in.
I'm a sucker for unique fantasy books so this was definitely my type. :)
The story was interesting and original. I really liked the concept and the feeling of the bazaar.
Sometimes the main character was too naive for me but overall I enjoyed her interactions with the others.
I hope to see more of this magical world in the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

The thing about this book is that it's just... Tepid. The protag is every ya protag I've ever read, the plot is every "oh no I have been sent on a fetch quest by a mysterious man" type plot, etc. It's incredibly generic, and I didn't feel a pressing motive in the story once I hit about 20% in. Even the stuff that should have made me gone buckwild (all the stuff with gods!!!) simply failed to land.

I did love the worldbuilding, and the whole idea of a secret dimension with a hidden bazaar filled with people wanting to buy your soul in a sort of dreamscape afterlife deal, where the city is a haunted house with a mind of its own did slap. Other than that though, I was generally really ehhhhhh.

Thank you NetGalley for a eARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this novel. It felt magical while still keeping the story and characters relatable This was an extremely quick read once I got into it. The twist got me, but had me guessing all the way through the book as to what makes Hazel so special. While I enjoyed the novel, it is not something I would pick up to read again.

Sadly I couldn´t finish it on time before it expired, but from what I managed to read, it looks like something that I would really like. Hazel gave off the impression of being a very strong character and the magic system does sound appealing. I´m sad that I didn´t manage to connect very well with the rest of the caracters, as i read little of them, but I sure am curious. Definitely buying this one and finishing it! The curiosity is killing me!

This book was really fun! I liked it so much! I loved the storyline and liked most if the characters. Sometimes the story just took a bit too long for me and the main character was sometimes kind of annoying. But overall I really liked the story!

The premise of this book was interesting, and the bazaar presented a somewhat unique setting. I enjoyed the folklore surrounding the bazaar, and the description and feel of the bazaar itself. However, there was nothing about this book that truly set it apart from all the other YA romance. This novel had all of the stereotypical YA romance elements: different/misunderstood heroine, love triangle, and the strange new world where she meets the mysterious man. While I felt like I've read this same basic story many times before, I did enjoy a few moments and background characters which kept me reading, particularly the kind tavern keeper. I'd only recommend this book to someone who enjoys this particular YA formula, but if they're looking for something truly different and thought-provoking, this isn't the book for them.

Any book with a magical bazaar should be amazing, right? Brimming with monsters and designed to lure in humans with fantasies of their deepest desires ... the magic keeps coming because it only opens every 30 years with the perfect alignment of 7 planets.

Sadly, the writing falls flat. The romance didn't really make sense. The plot felt rushed. I wanted lyrical prose and an evenly paced story.

Cute story with an interesting world, but the rhythm of the book felt off to me. Hazel and Cassian’s relationship felt forced and unrelatable. I wanted to love the story more, but I really just couldn’t get fully immersed in this world.

Unfortunately, I DNF'd this one because of the pacing. The story has potential but the writing fell flat for me.

A couple comments I have after reading this that impacted my reading experience.

1) I think this book is mismarketed as New Adult and instead should be exclusively YA Fantasy.
2) The female protagonist, Hazel, comes across as really naive and does not have the critical thinking skills I prefer from a fantasy heroine.
3) if you like a slow burn, this would not be a romance I recommend. The love story evolved from animosity to love incredible quickly, almost veering on the side of insta-love.

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

These Wicked Stars was an incredible concept that ultimately left me wanting a bit more.

Readers follow Hazel Blackthorn, a bastard and outcast, as she fights to wed her secret fiance at any cost. As her circumstances deteriorate Hazel is approached by a mysterious stranger and made an offer that could solve all her problems. The only catch....Hazel must enter a mysterious and otherworldly Bazaar and complete a task thats both shrouded in mystery and time sensitive.

There are so many reasons why this should of worked for me. The concept is amazing, the possibilities for atmosphere and beautiful prose while one explores a mythical Bazaar are ripe for the picking! I loved the classic quest premises too. Unfortunately this story felt rushed and oddly paced for me. I couldn't shake the thought of how badly I wanted this story woven by another writer. I wanted lush atmosphere and lyrical writing paired with this story and that isn't what we got.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I really enjoyed These Wicked Stars! It was fast paced and the world building was interesting! The Bazaar was very intriguing and filled with dark magic. Hazel was a pretty good main character. I loved Cassian and Saskia! I was able to figure out a couple things earlier in the book but it was still enjoyable! I look forward to reading the next book!

Unfortunately, I couldn't really connect to the characters and the story. The premise sounded to interesting and I was really excited, but the story took turns that I unfortunately did not like. The writing really saved this novel for me, as it was beautiful!