Thank you to Netgalley the Publisher, of BHC Press, and the author Amy Kuivalainen for providing and allowing me to review this book. Which, I'm giving my honest and sincere review.

"Of Starlight and Midnight" by Amy Kuivalainen swept me away on an exhilarating journey filled with adventure, romance, and magic. From the moment I dove into the pages, I was entranced by the seamless blend of Norse mythology and thrilling storytelling.

The story picks up two years after the events in Russia, where light-elf brothers Aramis and Søren, alongside their ally Anya, fought to restore peace to the Álfr mountain city of Svetilo. Yet, despite the city's safety, the remnants of their past adventures still linger in the form of scattered books and relics on the supernatural black market.
When Aramis stumbles upon a lead regarding a mysterious book of magic, he and Søren embark on a new quest that leads them into the heart of danger. Meanwhile, librarian Asta finds herself drawn into their world of secrets and intrigue, grappling with her own grief and the mysteries surrounding her inheritance.

As Asta reluctantly teams up with the enigmatic Dr. Søren Madsen, their journey takes a treacherous turn when they are attacked by dark elves. With danger lurking at every turn, alliances are tested, secrets unravel, and the true power of friendship and love is put to the test.

"Of Starlight and Midnight" is a mesmerizing tale that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Amy Kuivalainen's rich storytelling and vivid world-building transported me to a realm where myth and magic collide, and the fate of worlds hangs in the balance. With its compelling characters and pulse-pounding action, this book is a must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure.

Romance, fantasy and Norse mythology.
I liked it and appreciated world building and storytelling.
A more complete review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Unfortunately I was unable to read this fantasy story that I was very excited to read prior to it's Archive date. I had logged into my calendar when the archive date was and was saddened to see that it was unable to download. I do see that it is available on Kindle and I will likely be reading it there, Thank you for giving me this opportunity to read this story.

A big thanks to NetGalley and BHC Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Why is it spicy?

Of Starlight and Midnight by Amy Kuivalainen is a fantasy novel that plays on the idea of fate. It’s been two years since light-elf brothers Aramis and Søren fought beside Anya in Russia. The Álfr mountain city of Svetilo is safe once more, but their books and relics are still scattered on the supernatural black market. When Aramis gets a lead on a book of magic, he and Søren decide to investigate and find more than they bargained for. Librarian Asta is still grieving over the death of her mother. All she wants to do is hide at the University of Oslo, unravel the mysteries of the strange book she inherited, and hang out with Tyra—the cool Norwegian cousin she never knew she had. The last thing she wants is to help arrogant Dr. Søren Madsen work on his book, no matter how good-looking he is, but she doesn’t want to get fired so she reluctantly agrees. Søren knows Asta is hiding something and when they are attacked by dark elves, he and Aramis will stop at nothing to learn the truth about the two mysterious women. But Tyra has a past of her own, and she’ll do anything to protect Asta’s secrets, even if it means siding with the dangerous light-elf brothers in a deadly war of dark and light.

I loved the whole vibes of this book, but I just don't think it was for me....

Of Starlight and Midnight follows light-elf brothers Aramis and Soren as they search for lost magical relics, and have a chance meeting with Asta, a young woman with unidentified magical qualities.

This is a standalone novel set in the same world as Kuivalainen’s Firebird Faerie Tales series, which I have not read. The story is harder to become immersed in due to expansive histories and references to past characters from the series that I am unfamiliar with.
This is a very fast-paced book which is great if you like action and moving plot. Unfortunately, due to this, there is not much character development in the story. If you like an insta-love story with a bit of spice, then this will be right up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for an eARC of this book

Thank you to NetGalley, BHC press and Amy Kuivalainen for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an honest, written review.

The story follows light-elf brothers Aramis and Soren as they hunt for lost magical relics, and have a chance meeting with Asta, a young woman with unidentified magical qualities. When dark elves appear and try to capture Asta, Aramis and Soren protect her and decide to help her uncover her mysterious past and how her past is tied into the historical conflict between the light and dark elves.

This is a standalone novel set in the same world as Kuivalainen’s Firebird Faerie Tales series, which I have not read. The story was harder to become immersed into due to expansive histories and frequent references to past characters from the series that I was unfamiliar with. This story will likely be more enjoyable for fans of the Firebird Faerie Tales series as they understand the lore.

The Norse mythology details held my interest but the pacing of this novel was erratic. The beginning was rushed to move the story along which gave Soren and Asta’s relationship an Instalove feel. The middle was paced well and was the best part of the story in my opinion, until the last 40 pages or so which felt like a race to wrap up lose ends before the finish.

Things I enjoyed: the magic! Kuivalainen’s descriptive way of giving each person’s powers unique characteristics was wonderful. I enjoyed the way she explored how magic feels in your body when you use it, and how it feels to interact with another person’s magic. It really helped to visualize the use of magic throughout the story. I also enjoyed the found family vibes, I think it is a testament to Asta’s loyalty that she continued to stand by her friends who had supported her while she discovered the truth about who she really is.

pretty fun, if not spectacular. a cool casual read but not an amazingly spectacular read. perhaps better if you read the main books beforehand. thanks for the arc

Set two years after the events of the Firebird trilogy, Soren and Aramis finally get their (not quite finished) happy ending. THIS is the book I've been waiting for since I first started the series. I say "not quite finished" HEA because although the story ends with a HEA, there's a tease for a future story and I am 100% for it!

I don't normally enjoy insta-love/insta-attraction. Soren+Asta and Aramis+Tyra both fall into that category, but I think that the author did an excellent job with it. This story focuses on the two couples almost equally, which is a shift from a lot of romance books I read. The banter/dialogue, the background, and the personality of all four characters are different enough that each point in the story is interesting to follow along with. I didn't feel myself wanting to go back to the other couple's POV because both were good.

I wouldn't recommend reading this book without reading the firebird fairietales first- without the background, I don't see this story hitting the same way. However, it IS a standalone and can be read as such.

Thank you Netgalley and BHC Press for an advanced e-copy of this book. Publication date was March 19th- this book is a wonderful addition to the series and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

I’ve come to realize that I’m just aggressively obsessed with everything @authoramy writes but that’s because she never seems to miss and Of Starlight and Midnight is another great read AND it’s available tomorrow!

Of Starlight and Midnight is a spin-off from her Firebird Faerie Tales series, and this story follows the brothers Aramis and Søren as they track down a book of magic that had been taken from the city of Svetilo but during this, they uncover more than they bargained for when they meet Asta, the unassuming librarian, who is searching for answers about her own mysterious book, and her new cousin Tyra

This book follows the twisted path of fate, especially when the Norns intervene in that fate, and it is chock full of witty banter and Norse mythology-driven adventures.

This is a multi point of view story, and we get to watch as Asta and Tyra’s paths unfold. Finally, before getting to the goodies, I have to add my favorite quote from this book which comes from Tyra.

“If I wanted to kill you, I’d do it to your face. I’m a lady like that.”

Goodies

✨ Elves and Norse mythology

✨ Magic

✨ Found family

✨ Multi POV

✨ Superior banter

✨ Secret identities

✨ Protective males

✨ Who did this to you?

4 🌟
2 🌶️

OHMIGOSH! I love the Firebird Faerie Tales! I had so much fun with the Exorcist and the Demon Hunter, and now Starlight and Midnight are Aramis and Soren from the Firebird series. I did not read the Firebird series, but I know I need to go back because it appears that essential side characters are getting their HEA. And trust me, that is catnip for me. I loved that this was a slow burn but fraught with tension between Asta, Soren, Tyra, and Aramis. I loved the mystery of Asta's heritage, which they were all trying to decipher. I immensely enjoyed Tyra's powers, her attitude, and her t-shirts! I devoured this book, and I want more! Asta and Tyra are dark elves, while Aramis and Soren are light elves. I feel there could be more written about them. But then again, I believed more could be written in the Exorcist and Demon Hunter world, but maybe that is the mark of an excellent standalone. Leave them with a happy ending but still hankering for more.

The book had a nice pace; descriptions were shown, not explained to you, with a lot of burdensome dialogue. I felt that the final battle and ending were rushed, hence my first thought that this would be a duology, but instead, I felt we were rushed to a conclusion. My biggest criticism is the book was moving along at a good pace, and all at once, we hit 90%, and things went into overdrive. Couldn't savor the ending the way I would have liked.

Regardless, Amy Kuivalainen can write more of the faerie tales or do some continuations of the ones she's written--I'm here for them!

Thank you @NetGalley and @BHCPress for the Advanced Reader Copy. These opinions are my own.

I loved this book so much! The flirty fun and banter between Tyra and Aramis made this book absolutey one of my instant all time favorites.

Of Starlight and Midnight is in the same world as Kuivalainen's Tales of the Firebird series, and takes place a few years later. Unlike The Exorcist and the Demon Hunter, I don't think you necessarily have to read the original series to read Starlight, although it helps. Starlight follows light-elf brothers Aramis and Søren (a favorite of mine in the Firebird series), now reconnected and searching for artifacts stolen from their magical site of Svetilo. They've tracked one to Oslo and librarian Asta seems to hold the key to finding it. Asta is greiving for her mother and would rather spend time figuring out her own life and her mother's secrets than helping arrogant Søren- but a magical attack by dark elves throws everyone's plans into chaos.

Asta is kind of the stock character in some ways: she has magic and sercrets surrounding her, but she doesn't know it. I liked her because she stood up to Søren and his arrogant attitude from the beginning and completely knocked him off his game. He didn't know what he was doing when it came to Asta and it was fun watching this complete badass from the Firebird series be a confused wreck, and a total sweet guy with Asta as he helps her sort out her life once he's accidentally blown it up.

But it was Tyra who really stole the show for me. Asta's long-lost 'cousin', she is a dark elf. And just like Aramis and Søren are protectors of their people, Tyra is a next level protector. She's more likely to be saving Aramis than need saving, is as lethal with her sarcasm as her blades, and obsessed with modern Marvel and Lord of the Rings movies. Possibly for all the things they got wrong about the mythologies, but she still loves them. Like Søren and Aramis, Tyra has a dark past and plenty of broken pieces to her. But she rarely allows her past to control her present mood and to say she's perfect for lightening up the brothers is an understatement. She literally runs rings around Aramis, yet he's just what she needs in her own moments of doubt.

I wish the book had been longer, and the ending was a bit rushed. But to me the story was really about the four main characters and their growth, their journey to discovering how their broken peices could fit together and how they didn't have to be perfect themselves to be perfect for someone else. Learning to trust someone and lean on them when they needed to, and giving Søren and Aramis the happiness they deserved, made a great story for me. I have to say I enjoyed it more than The Exorcist and the Demon Hunter. This was a fun, light-hearted, fantasy with entertaining characters. Tyra alone made this one that kept me smiling all the way.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and BHC Press in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley,BHC and Amy Kuivalainen for providing me with a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great Novella. The pacing was perfect, the characters believeable and well developed. The slow burn had just the right amount of tension. The only thing that felt a bit lacking was the world building but as this is a Novella in an existing world, I think reading the main trilogy would solve that. This is the only reason I am not giving it 4 stars. It absolutely stands on its own as a great read but I have a feeling that I would have been even more invested in Soren and Aramis if I knew them from the rest of the series.

It reminds me of the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs, you can read and enjoy it but if you have read Mercy Thompson, you can read it and adore it.

I'll definitely be adding The Firebird Faerie Tales to my TBR.

This book is a lot of fun and a very quick read, making it perfect for fans of light romantasy without the need for a lot of world-building. I think that the vibes and the humour are the best things about it - it made me laugh and I enjoyed every page, despite there being some flaws. I'd happily read a sequel to this story as I enjoyed the characters and it was a nice way to unwind after a more in-depth read.

The pacing of the story is very very quick, which is good as you get right into the action. However, sometimes the action happens so quickly that you're left trying to work out what the hell just happened. It also meant that the big finale was a bit ruined as it was squeezed into a chapter and no real explanation for things was given.

While I liked the characters and enjoyed the banter, I found that some of the dialogue was a bit stilted and wasn't how real people talk. The author has a habit of not abbreviating common phrases (say do not instead of don't, for example) and it took me out of it a bit, which is a shame when the rest of the dialogue is fast-moving.

There isn't a whole lot of world-building, which is fine as it's all about the action, but I still got to grips with the world. However, I was left wanting to know more, so I think adding a bit more and making the book slightly longer wouldn't have been a bad thing. At points, I was left feeling like I needed to read an initial book to get into the story and fully understand the characters' motivations.

The romance was good if a bit insta-lovey, but I expected that for a short book. Good spice was promised throughout but it was a bit lacking.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and would read a sequel. If you're a fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon, this book is definitely one for you.

I loved this book. I've read all the other books in the Firebird Faerie Tales series and this one is my favorite. Amy Kuivalanen's ability to weave a story is remarkable. She has an ability to write characters that are relatable, damaged, and funny. Reading Of Starlight & Midnight takes us to Søren & Aramais from the earlier Tales. It's been a few years since Anya and they've found a path forward after all the destruction caused by Yanka. Søren & Aramais are on the hunt for items looted from Svetilo. Of course this leads to two ladies who bring new secrets to be uncovered. Asta & Tyra aren't looking to get tangled up with two Ljósálfar. Things change when Asta is attacked and Søren rescues her.

One thing I enjoy most about Amy's stories is the way she writes female characters. Her FMCs are nuanced & older than the typical 20 something ingenue that is typical in fantasy series. They don't shy away from the dark/damaged parts of themselves or the worlds they live in. Asta & Tyra both have their own traumas but they don't let that be their defining feature. Amy's characters often find strength in embracing the dark & traumatized parts of themselves & others. Experiencing how the four characters navigate this is what makes the resolution so satisfying. If you like second chances, redemption arcs, found family, magic, elves, and flirting as combat then I highly recommend Of Starlight & Midnight.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc copy of this book for an honest review.

It was an interesting read. I liked that the author used a lot of description to keep me interested. I did personally not enjoy the excessive use of dialogue. But that's a personal preference and shouldn't hinder other readers from engaging with Asta and Soren through their epic endeavours.

Firstly, thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this ARC.
Of Starlight and Midnight is a spin-off story from Amy Kuivalainen’s “The Firebird Faerie Tales”.
Of Starlight and Midnight follows Asta posing as a Librarian working at the University of Oslo. She is in hiding after her mother's sudden passing alongside her overprotective cousin Tyra. The only thing Asta has left of her mother is a book. A book that eventually causes her paths to cross with the arrogant Dr. Søren Madsen, who is there to work on his book, or so he says anyway. Suddenly attacked by Dark Elves, Asta’s world is flipped on its head and it turns out there is a lot more about the world, herself and the very handsome, very arrogant Dr. Søren that she needs to wrap her head around and learn as quickly as possible.

I went in hesitantly with this book, I’d just come off a previous one that I had really struggled with, but I have to say that this one completely flipped everything pulling me out of the beginnings of a reading slump and just consumed me. The story follows four main characters, Asta, Søren, Aramis and Tyra in what at the time really felt like the beginnings of an epic fantasy tale taking heavily from Norse mythology. I later came to learn that this story is a spinoff book from Kuivalainen’s The Firebird Faerie Tales and 5th book in all of that, so I’m definitely going to have to go back at some point and read the others.
The chemistry between all the characters was enjoyable, it was cheeky and flirtatious and it never got tiresome. I do wish the tale had been a smidge longer as I feel that, particularly in the latter half, a lot of information and events were packed into the last few chapters leaving me with questions about context and prior events that I’m going to have to figure out or wait for the next instalment if there is one.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, I just wish there was more of it.

<i> Another fantastic addition to the Firebird Faerie Tales series. </i>

I don't know about anyone else, but I finished Rise of the Firebird and immediately was like, " BUT WHAT ABOUT SOREN AND ARAMIS??? WHAT ABOUT THE HOT ELVES??". And as usual, Amy gives us simple mortals what we desire and even more than we could have hoped.

This book was full of hot elves, magic, evil villains, and two badass heroines. Tyra and Asta were such seamless additions to this world and I cannot get over how perfect they fit with our two broody boys. Tyra was the chaotic force that I so desperately wanted for our poor Aramis. Seeing those two dance/fight around each other until the tension was too great? *chef's kiss* And then we have Asta, who was a pleasant surprise, I loved her duality of softness and determination. She and Soren fit so well together, and I loved her ability to sneak past his long-built walls and enchant this dark hero. They both have experienced such intense grief in their lives and I felt their connection came across as effortless.

I loved our plot twist ending, but cannot help but feel like Amy is teasing me and leaving me in anticipation for a novella of Tyra and Aramis going to find her father... IFYKYK

All in all, I adored every second of this book and I cannot wait to see what Amy has in store next.

* A big thank you NetGalley and BHC Press for the ARC! *

I’ll start by saying I didn’t realize this was a spin off and have not read the author’s previous work. That said, I don’t feel that it was necessary to understand most of this book.

While I liked the plot and the characters, I felt overall this needed a bit more work toward the end. The resolution felt too easy and I wanted a little more tension. I also enjoyed the lore, but could’ve used a little more world building. The characters had great banter and I appreciated the humor throughout, although I did not enjoy the insta-love aspect. I think building tension in every aspect was lacking in this book. I would say this was medium paced for me, but I never found myself losing interest. The writing style was easy enough to follow and made for a quick read.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but I probably wouldn’t read it again.

Thank you to NetGalley, BHC, and the author for an eARC of this book.

Fun story with humorous characters and a unique storyline. I enjoyed Amy Kuivalainen's Of Starlight and Midnight.

The plot was a fast-paced, multi-POV story, but it was set in a previous world created by Kuivalainen. I think she does a good job of balancing this spin-off story. Amy makes each of the characters unique and their voices are strong. I think that helps to keep the story moving. I loved their dialogue and off-beat humor. It was a nice change from what I had been reading previously.

I hope to get more from these characters in the future.

I want to start this off by saying that I read this with very few/little expectations. I read The Exorcist and the Demon Hunter and did not like it. I ended up DNF-ing it around 25%, due to the characters not being relatable or likable in my opinion. I also couldn't get into the writing.

I was pleased that that wasn't the case for this book. I don't know much, if anything, about Norse mythology so I went into the book blind but wasn't too out of the loop. At least it wasn't anything a quick Google search couldn't help with.

Likes:
Easy to read outside of the names of places and people - The narrator's voice didn't make me hate reading the book, which is something that I found was a big issue with TEatDH
Likable characters - I found myself really enjoying the characters in this book, which is a welcome change to the last book I attempted to read by AK. They each had traits that were decently relatable, and the banter between them was pretty entertaining. Conflict resolution felt a bit elementary though.


Dislikes:
No pronunciation guide - I feel like all fantasy books should have these but most don't, so I'm used to it. But it would still be nice because I suck at pronouncing locations and names correctly, and I'd imagine there are others that would appreciate it as well.
Fantasy Insta-love - not a fan of love at first site tropes/tropes adjacent to them. Leaves a lot to be desired.
The book ended kind of abruptly - I feel like it could have been a few chapters longer? I feel like I didn't get the resolution that I wanted while I was reading. I would have been fine with a short epilogue, honestly. The ending just left me with a lot of questions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I was able to read it and understand what was happening without having read the book in the Firebird Faerie Tales series. And I think I might read that series now that I read this, I just hope the voice is the same as OSaM.

I will say that I think the climax and ending fell a bit flat, but I didn't expect much in that regard after seeing that the book was under 300 pages. I think a couple of the earlier chapters could have been sacrificed to give them more time to develop connections and add tension towards the end. Especially after they realize that something was going to happen sooner rather than later, I would have liked to see more of what happened/what could have happened during that time. Maybe more training for Asta, I think that would have been cool.

Solid 4/5 read and I'm very appreciative of NetGalley, BHC, and Amy Kuivalainen for giving me the opportunity to read Of Starlight and Midnight ahead of publishing.