Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. I would also like to add that I do not support this author’s actions and reviewed this book separately from her actions. By review bombing, I would be no better than her which is not something I want to perpetuate.

Now, let’s get into the book! The only thing I knew going into this book was that it was a retelling of Ariadne and Dionysus but make it space opera. Despite being a little wary, I surprisingly liked reading a fresh take on Greek mythology from a completely different setting. The book being in space fit well, and Corrain’s world-building alongside my prior knowledge of myths created a dynamic setting that complimented the story well. As much as I loved the premise, I struggled to get through the first 100 pages or so. That was what honestly took me so long to finish the book (not it being 500 pages). Once I got hooked, I binge-read it in two days. There was too much exposition and unnecessary descriptions at the beginning which made it feel clunky. The action also felt stilted and not cohesive. Especially during the last fighting scene, I struggled to keep everything in order while still being present in the scene. I found myself going backwards to understand what was happening which broke up the flow.

Enough about the boring stuff though, let’s talk about Ariadne. She is a boss bitch in every sense of the word. Although there were times were it felt like she was fitting in every heroine stereotype where they get sick when thinking about someone getting sick and such. Seeing her grow throughout the entirety of the novel was satisfying, and her getting comfortable with displaying her love felt healing. Dionysus is a perfect match that allows Ariadne’s character to grow while also allowing Dionysus to grow himself. This reciprocating dynamic made their relationship believable and made me want to root for it. Not only were the romantic relations cute but the friendships that she made along the way balanced out the smut scenes. Speaking of smut, the buildup and unique scenes did not make the sex seem monotonous (not that Dionysus is...) while they still filled up a good portion of the book to make a steamy romance.
Crown of Starlight is a good book for those looking for a lush romance with themes of self-discovery and empowerment.

4/5

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but I really can’t bring myself to read it after the author review-bombing books by debut POC authors.

Regardless, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

First: while I don't keep up with book/author drama much, obviously this one has blown up in a big way. I want to make it clear that I don't condone Corrain's actions and feel that the consequences have been swift and severe. I'm rating/reviewing this book based on the merits of the book alone. (It's a bit of a moot point anyway as it's unlikely to ever be published, but I read it, so I'll review it.)

I'm not typically one for space operas and I was skeptical about the combination of futuristic space sci-fi and Greek mythology fantasy, but Corrain made it work somehow. Magic coexisted alongside high-end technology and, most importantly, made sense, which seems hard to do so hats off to the author for that. The setting was well-developed and the world-building immersive. I also felt like I got to experience a good slice of the world's various locations and got to know each well.

Despite my trepidations about Ariadne, I ended up quite enjoying her character; yes, she was reticent and overly prudish at times, and I had to remind myself on occasion that she was very much a product of her environment and that her character development made sense. I appreciated that she could be feminine and soft, yet also well-versed in diplomacy and interested in technology; a layered character with varied interests, containing multitudes. Dionysus was a bit more one-note, but still more compelling than your average fantasy leading man. The supporting cast varied between comedic relief (the Maenads) and villains (Ariadne's family/the Pantheon) and I would have liked to see Ariadne form closer platonic relationships. The romance was... fine. I'm not a huge fan of the "fake marriage" trope (or any popular romantic tropes really) but it was done as well as it can be here, with a natural-feeling progression of trust, companionship, and eventual love.

Corrain is, despite her unfortunate choices, a skilled and talented writer. I enjoyed this book, and was disappointed to hear of her actions. I hope that those she maligned find the success they deserve.

I apologize in advance for the late review. I thought it had posted, but something didn't go through right and it never posted.

This mesmerizing story kept me invested throughout the whole story. I never wanted to put it down. I really loved the concept, and the way that Cait Corrain wrote it was done so well. It was everything I had hoped for and more.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

The cover is eye-catching, the story was riveting. The characterization made me fall into the story to see just how it all played out.

I was not disappointed. The journey this book took me on had me hooked until the very end.

The epilogue was actually so much more satisfying than even I thought it would be. The characters actually TALKED about their problems and genuinely seem like they will have a healthy relationship.

Overall? A really really good read.

I was so excited to read this book but unfortunately I had to DNF while on about 3% in due to the author’s actions online.

I read about half of this book before I saw all of the controversy surrounding the author and how they'd been manipulating reviews for their book/books of other offers. This book is no longer being published because of the authors actions - while I enjoyed the part of this book that I did read, I won't be finishing it as I don't support the authors actions and their work.

I read about 75% of this book before it came out that the author had been manipulating reviews for their book and the books of other authors. The book is no longer being published. While I enjoyed this book, I will not be finishing it and writing a final review, as I cannot support this author's work.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this opportunity!

This cover is so beautiful. But the story was disappointing. I hate this type of cliche typical writing where the fmc is so pure and innocent, a damsel in distress and has to be with a fboy. We constantly read about how big her tits and hips are.. i hate it. Where are the broader explanations? Where is the story? Where are the emotions or chemistry?
And i do not support this author’s actions at all. Completely disappointing and terrible.

Props to the cover artist for this beauty though, i just wish what is inside of it was as good as this.

Full disclosure: in the interest of not engaging in my own review bombing, I decided to read and rate Crown of Starlight based on its merits. I do not agree with the author's ugly behavior, and I will be reading and supporting every single one of the debuts unfairly targeted by her. I wholeheartedly support the agent and publisher's decision to drop Corrain's work.

Now onto the book itself:

I liked the futuristic Greek myth thing going on. It was compelling and really cool! The worldbuilding could have definitely been better--it was incredibly clunky in the beginning, and I am not sure why we didn't meet Dionysus until 22% into the book. Ariadne frustrated me in these early parts, but once part 2 started, I really liked her. She was strong and held her own, and the banter between her and Dionysus was top-notch. And speaking of, I really liked Dionysus. He's sexy, he's compelling, he's genderqueer and bisexual and amazing. He is a consent king, and I loved all of the spice. Very rarely does f/m spice in romantasy get me, but you know what? This was great.

And I think that's why I am extra disappointed in Corrain. Girl, you had a good thing going.

I got an ARC of this book (thanks NetGalley & Del Rey) before the whole sock-puppet-accounts-to-racistly-review-bomb-fellow-debuts debacle.

I decided to read the book anyway, after the debacle, out of morbid curiosity.

Damn you, Cait Corrain, for being a racist idiot, bc this was truly a 5 star book (but I don’t feel like I can put a rating on it anymore).

It had fun sci-fi (very much star wars vibes) world-building, action-adventure, Adult Romance (very very horny by the end! And multiple chapters of sex throughout the book!) greek gods in space, angst, great narration, characters to root for, satisfying ending, room for a sequel, etc. I even barely could read chapters 41-43 I was reading through tears dripping down my face.

All for what? A book that will rightfully never see daylight because the author was a racist idiot to other debut authors.

Ugh.

I breezed through this book in almost no time. Ot sure what the Goodreads drama is about but I definitely enjoyed this story and character. I like Greek retellings and stories. I think this tale was an excellent choice for the book. This is one of the few Greek deities that has been written as faithful and loving a spouse. Happy endings are the best!

This could have been so good. I was so excited about the premise of the story. I DNF'd because of the events surrounding the release of this book. I'm not interested in supporting the author at this time.

I was particularly personally excited for this story based on the premise - a fantasy/sci-fi Greek mythology retelling? Yes, please! Sadly this was 20% fantasy, 60% hard to believe smut supposed live story, 15% space battle sci-fi, 5% fantasy.

Now, this is only based on my unmet expectations to read an epic high stake tale, from seeing the cover and reading the blurb. I still think this story was interesting enough to read and definitely will be a good match for fans of spicy retellings.

I think a dual POV with Dionysus perspective might have helped with the believability of the live story as he seemed like a more interesting character but the best parts of the books were unfortunately setups framing the spicy in the middle.

Going to submit a review for this, even though it is extremely Not Being Released Ever now. If the author hadn't gone out of her way to use sock puppets to sabotage people also on her release slate from her publisher (yiiiiiiiikes) and then lie about it, this probably would've been recommended for the spring. It's a fairly solid queer flavored retelling of Ariadne and Dionysis, but with sci-fi space opera trappings, and while there are a few cringe moments for the naming of various things (Theoi, H4dr4 virus) it's an overall fairly solid story that negotiates the original story well and brings its own flair to it. However, because she decided to self sabotage and be a racist while she was at it, this only gets two stars.

Unfortunately an exciting new fantasy world that helps explore very true to life traumas has been marred by the recent actions of it's author.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for this advance reader copy.

I'm sharing feedback here because I did not get to submit prior to the incident with the author in late 2023. It is not clear to me if this book is still being released at this time. The situation with the author is unfortunate, because this was a really intriguing and exciting new fantasy book. I was excited to read it, and it did not disappoint. The characters were great, the plot was exciting, and the romance was well done. Unfortunately, given the author's actions, I cannot support this book and will not be sharing my review on any social sites. I appreciate the eARC provided by NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey.

I was really looking forward to this one, but given the circumstances regarding disguised review bombing of fellow BIPOC authors and peers… I don’t feel right reading & reviewing Cait’s book.

I think there were really strong concepts and writing at play, so I’m not sure why there was a need to discriminate fellow peers’ works. I’m so grateful I was selected and reached out to regarding this book, but I will not be publicly reviewing or promoting it unfortunately.

This is really disappointing.

I was at about 20% and vibing with it as this is my first Greek Mythology retelling, AND Sci-fi at that. I went to the Goodreads page to see if it had debuted yet, since I had this Netgally/ARC version, only to find the drama the author has created.

Big Yikes.

I truthfully thought the book was good. It was not outstanding, but in terms of general Sci-Fi writing style, descriptions, world building, etc. it felt right on the money. The characters felt bland, but nothing too terrible for "romantasy" as this is what I've come to expect from the genre. My genuine feedback is, you had a solid debut novel here. Very eye catching cover art. Good title, good description, etc. but obviously with the recent events, it's all gone to waste.

If it's good, it's good. You shouldn't have to put comrades down just to make yourself stand out -- you were already standing out. You had all the pieces to the puzzle for success, expect patience. There is an infinite amount of room in the heart of readers, especially in a niche genre such as Romantasy/Mythology-Sci-fi. It's just sad it all happened this way.

At this point, I prefer to not finish reading it before I get more invested/spend more time on it. I will check out Cait's work in the future if I see a genuine apology/any personal growth where it is needed. I'm glad I decided to look into this today, because if I had committed the time to finish the book I would have been devastated to learn this news.

I wish you luck, Cait, & hope to see a great change in the future.

We removed this from our review list due to the authors actions and removal from publishing and controversy