When I first began this book, I was bored and confused. There's a lot that happens that's never explained, some of which must be from the previous books in the universe, which I haven't read. The characters and plot felt unoriginal from the beginning, like a repeat of so many other books. I figured I wouldn't end up finishing it.

Then, around 15-20% in, I slowly became invested in the story. I was hooked for a while, up until the overused formulas started really shining through and the predictable plot points were checked off one after another. It became irritating to read when secrets were revealed, betrayals exposed, close relationships broken. This is part of why I avoid romance as much as possible, because this exact same boiler plate storyline is used in every single romance book.

3 stars because I was enthralled with the story for a time in the middle, but felt all negative emotions about it in the beginning and end.

This book is like a bad blind date: full of potential, but a total letdown. Ryan had all the tropes to make it work, but wow, did it flop.

First, if you haven’t read the duology before this, good luck! You’ll feel like you’ve been dropped into a foreign country without a map. And for those of us who did read it, where’s the info on the human realm and their magic? Anyone?

The story crawls slower than a snail, and the endless repetition? I got the point the first fifty times, thanks. By 40%, I was skimming; by 60%, I was skipping; by 80%, I was sprinting to the end like I was escaping a dungeon.

The "big revelations" at the end? More like “common sense” than plot twists. Add predictable to the list of crimes here.

Jas is the most boring protagonist ever, always whining. Felicity was slightly better but still split between these two did no favors. Felicity’s story had potential but was underdeveloped thanks to Jas’s rock-like personality dragging everything down.

World-building? Nonexistent. Felt like I jumped into book three of a series I hadn’t started. The plot, if you can call it that, moved slower than a sloth on vacation.

Overall, a big meh. If you loved “These Hollow Vows,” maybe give it a try. Otherwise, don’t bother. Thanks to NetGalley, Lexi Ryan, and Harper Collins for the eARC. Too bad the book was such a dud.

I wasn't aware when I applied for this ARC that I would need to read 2 other books as it wasn't marketed as the 3rd book in a series, which, in my opinion, it should be. I was able to get to the 2 books before this one, but because I was unprepared for reading those 2 books, it put me behind for this one. I've been able to start it and if I hadn't read the two books previous, I would be completely lost. I think this needed to have been marketed better. So far, the books really good, and I'm hopeful to finish this soon, just bummed about not being aware beforehand.

This book follows the story of how people. Madalyn and Felicity.

After Jasalyn was freed from the harsh king she finds herself now living with her Queen sister Abriella while trying to cope and deal with the trauma she now faces while being captured. Everyday is still a struggle for Jasalyn. But because of this everyday fear she now lived in she traded almost everything to seek her revenge with her new gift- a ring that provided her with the kiss of death. A ring she wears at night and transforms her into the Enchanting lady.

On this quest for revenge she finds someone who was very important to her during the time she was captured. Kendrick. He then convinces Jasalyn to help with his quest as they want the same things ! They want the harsh king dead and the old Elora restored, but to do this they need the help of Felecity.

Felecity has been in the run for some time now because of her father but also because of the oracles prediction. But when Kendrick asks for her help she finds that she can’t say no. Her job is to fall in love with the Wild Fae King Misha in order to find this Hall of doors that will help Kendrick with his plan. But to accomplish this she must pretend and take the form of Princess Jasalyn.

Will felicity complete this mission with her heart in tact? And will Jasalyn help Kendrick in killing these people while staying true to herself and not let the Enchanting lady take over ? Find out in this book!

My review ~
This book exceeded my expectations and I was truly shocked! I went into this totally blind as I had not read the duology before reading this! I do think that in so parts reading these hollow vows could have helped. Especially when it came to the world building and understanding the different courts and their magic system as I found at time I was confused on how it all worked.

But overall I really liked the concept and the plot of the book! It was a little slow at first but I expected that as this was the first book in the series. I really liked felicity and her storyline. I really liked how tho hook followed those two characters and their adventures. The only thing that was a little odd was I found we followed more of felicity than Jasalyn and this is Jasalyns book. I know that what felicitys doing pertains to Jasalyn but it was a little weird. Overall not hating it though as I grew to love the connection that felicity had with Misha. Misha….i have no words for that man. I am obsessed with him and the way he was written. I saw some mixed reviews about the way the relationships in this book are written, but honestly I really enjoyed them ! I thought that there was depth and a real connection ! I liked both Kendrick and Misha !!!

Also the betrayal and deceit was something that I totally did not see coming and honestly for me made this book so much better !!! Really enjoyed reading this book and CAN NOT WAITTTTT for the second installment because that cliffhanger was just too good

Huge thank you to Harper Teen, Hodderscape ( this is your year for Fantasy keep it up) and Netgalley for my ARC of this amazing book I binged in one sitting. 4.75 stars rounded up to 5!

First. I didn't read the previous duology Brie's story. I am late to the Lexi Ryan game and I most certainly am going to remedy that. I think I would have been immediately immersed in the book had I been reunited with this cast of characters not plunging headfirst into it.

I am a big fan of fierce female characters and Princess Jasalyn and Felicity have been added to my faves of. 2024. I love that Jasalyn is her own person, Fae Royalty who cares less for the crown more interested in justice. The Princess swap is an amazing trope; and Felicity going in her place an Echo Shifter who has Misha our Wild Fae King completely smitten in a week? I swooned.
His character is a cross between Cardan of the Cruel Prince and Jacks from Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart. He is a morally grey Fae loved by his people, but don't you dare lie to him.
There was just enough love for a YA and for me to comfortably recommend this to a high schooler. Lots of longing, angst ..I need to see what happens in book 2.

The cliffhanger.. did I toss my phone across the room? Just maybe but it was sooo good.

“If you think these are ugly, you should see what he left in my head.”
-Jasalyn is just a perfect mental health rep character. She is dealing with trauma on her time, she is working through her scars and learning to trust others around her. I love the relationships she is building., but most importantly the healing she is working through for herself.

What to Expect:
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Forbidden Love
➼ Secrets & Betrayal
➼ Revenge
➼ Slow Burn
➼ Healing From Trauma
➼ Fate
➼ Fae Royalty
➼ Fae Shifter
➼ Spin Off
➼ Two Separate Parallel Storylines ( Princess Swap)
➼ Dual POV
I need book 2 yesterday!

First I would like to thank you to Lexi Ryan, NetGalley and HarperCollins publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me a while to get into and at some points, I would have to go back and re-reread what I was reading because my mind went wondering a few times while reading it. While I really enjoyed These Hollow Vows and These Twisted Bonds, for me, Beneath these Curse Stars kind of felt like a different world. In the first two books we had loads of beautiful world building and descriptive settings while in this book, it fell a little flat in that department. Im not sure if this will be marketed as a new series but, I would say that you for sure need to read the first two books that came before this in order to understand where this book picks up. I had to refresh my memory about some of the characters and their involvement in the first two books to understand where this new story was going.

I love a DUAL POV and especially when it’s two FMCs who feel very different from each other but I think there was some flaws in their characters that made the story a little hard to get into. Jasalyn for me seemed just such a contracdition and at times it was confusing. She wanted this revenge on all Fae so badly and seemed to be driven only by this but then would appear meek and scared most of the time whenever anything else was going on. Her relationship with Kendrick was also not my favorite and it felt very rushed I think mainly because we were just given a little blip of what happened to them in the dungeons and were are supposed to go off that alone. They hadn’t seen each other since being locked up and the second they did they were lusting after each other which was kind of weird.

I loved that Misha was in this book as well, he’s so cheeky and fun. I was pretty sad when Misha learned of Felicity’s betrayal because he seems like he knew something was off but didn’t want to believe it. As for Felicity, I felt bad that was was kind of made to do this whole princess switch because she is written as such a decent person but I guess she really had no choice because of what needs to be done. I would have loved a little more from her POV but maybe that’s something we will see if there is a follow up to this book.

I kind of guessed the ending of the book so it wasn’t a huge shock to me but overall I thought the book was an okay read. I’d love to see more world building in the next books and a happy ending for Felicity and more strength from Jasalyn in the next book.

DNF @ 9%. I tried several times to give this one a read, and unfortunately, I could not get passed the third chapter. I think it's because "Beneath the Cursed Stars" is a spinoff of another duology, which needed to be read prior to starting this story, and the story couldn't hold my attention.

So, keep this in mind before diving in. I hope you find it more enjoyable than I did.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this story in advance.

***Disclaimer***I do not give authors less than three stars because I do not want them to be penalized by retailers, especially when other readers will enjoy their work more than I did.

I will start this buy saying I loved These Hollow Vows duology and was so excited to jump back into that world. With that being said, this book did not disappoint and I truly loved reading it. I think to fully enjoy this series though you should really read These Hollow Vows first or you will be lost and annoyed. Also, this book is a duel POV book and I found one storyline much more compelling than the other, but I am still very excited for the next book in the series! Overall these are fun reads!

Fast-paced read! Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan is the first book in a new YA fantasy series set in the same world as These Hollow Vows. It’s been three years since Brie saved her sister from the dungeons of the false king, but Princess Jasalyn is still trapped there mentally. Her fear and need for vengeance drove her to a witch in the human realm of Elora where she bargained her magic and fae-life for a magical ring. With the ring, Jas sneaks away every night to assassinate those who kept her prisoner in Mordeus’s dungeons. With rumors that he has returned, Jas teams up with her former cellmate in the hopes she can find and take him down.

I really enjoyed this book. It is told in dual POV which is a deviation from the original duology. Here we get Jasalyn’s POV and Felicity’s. Felicity is a new character who I really like. She is an Echo, which means she can take the form of anyone as long as she has some of their hair. It isn’t like a normal shapeshifter though. With this power, she sees their memories and can even smell like them. With Felicity’s power, Jas is able to join a renegade group who is looking for Mordeus. Felicity takes her place when Brie sends Jas to the Wild Fae kingdom with King Misha.

While fast moving, the plot really has two stories that run side by side. Jas is with Kendrick, a human she was imprisoned with who is also trying to take down the regime who rules Elora, the human realm. Their story unfolds slowly. Jas is way too trusting of Kendrick and his crew, blinded by her need to find and kill Mordeus once and for all. Felicity’s story is heartbreaking. She is fated to kill her brother and hasn’t been in her true form in over three years. Now she is taking on Princess Jasalyn’s form, being asked to make Misha fall in love with her, and find the mythical Hall of Doors.

I liked both storylines and how the author brings them together. However, it can be jarring to go from one POV to another especially if we are left with a cliffhanger. As much as I like Jas, I loved Felicity’s storyline. I found it fascinating and was thoroughly engrossed in the story. Ryan continues to build upon the world of the fae, and I’m excited for what is coming.

Overall, I really enjoyed Beneath These Cursed Stars. There are so many twists and turns that you do not see coming, and Ryan makes you feel all the feels from the warmth of first loves to the heartbreak of betrayal. If you are a fan of fantasy, I highly recommend.

I don’t know how I missed that Beneath These Cursed Stars was a sequel series to These Hollow Vows, but here we are. There was a lot of lore and casual references to events of the first book that felt like they were lacking in context—and it’s context I had, I just didn’t realize it was actually connected and would have reread (or at least read a synopsis of) the duology before diving into this.

Jasalyn’s story is separated enough from These Hollow Vows that you could technically read it as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

While this is presented as being more Jasalyn’s story, Felicity was the character I was rooting for. I felt she had the more interesting plot (who doesn’t love a case of fake identity and hot fae king?)

The novel ends on a cliffhanger, which is incredibly rude because waiting is the worst.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for the opportunity to read an ARC, all thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars

Beneath These Cursed Stars follows Princess Jasalyn on her journey to kill Mordeus who held her captive and tortured her. Meanwhile, Felicity takes on Jasalyn's appearance to become close to the wild fae King Misha to learn the location of a portal. Both FMCs experience unexpected romance which adds soon angst and tension.

Overall, I was not able to get into this story as much as I hoped. It was a different storyline but I did not become invested in the characters as much as I did in Ryan's previous books. It was still a good read and I will probably read the next in the series.

Thank you to Harper Collins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Lexi Ryan did not disappoint with this book set in the world of These Hollow Vows! I usually find myself bored with one POV when a book switches but that wasn’t the case in this story, Lexi did a fantastic job establishing interest in both narrator’s stories right off the bat.
My heart broke for Jaslayn who felt like she had to be so strong that she let herself wither away rather than let her sister see the truth of what was done to her. Felicity’s strength in being able to truly become someone else and keep the true person’s feelings in mind while acting in their stead never ceased to amaze me. Lexi really outdid herself with the character development. Oh.. And don’t forget how much that growth added to the surprise of all the plot twists, it made the story that much more addictive.

One thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was that the reader would be introduced to magic unheard of or bits of lore out of nowhere and they were never fully explained. Which was hard for me because I felt like at times I struggled with wondering “why is this being mentioned if we’re never even going to know why it’s important,” and it jarred me out of the story. That being said, even when we did get “explanations” I found myself hoping for just a little bit more information so it felt like I as the reader was more in the know on what was happening in the store.

But in terms of romance and intrigue this book had me HOOKED. I couldn’t tell who I wanted to fall in love with more, Misha or Kendrick. These men are so totally swoon worthy and I need them to find their happily ever after. The sheer amount of sass and banter in this book was delicious, and as a huge fan of romantasy it did make up for the lack of information at certain parts. Overall, I can’t wait to find out what’s next for Jasalyn and Felicity!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperTeen for allowing me to write an honest review of the ARC for Beneath These Cursed Stars!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

My review was posted to Goodreads and Instagram on 7/25/24.
My Amazon review will be submitted on 07/30/24 when it is available for review and will be posted on my profile within 48 hours.

This book was everything I could’ve ever hoped for. I waited to read this book since I heard it was coming out and I am so blessed to have gotten an arc of it. Thank you for writing a masterpiece for your fans to read

As someone who loves character driven books--I LOVED Beneath These Cursed Stars. The chemistry between all of the characters (platonic and romantic was so good and fascinating and as someone who loved Lexi Ryan's other duology this is a spin off from, it was wonderful to see characters (new and old) have time on page.
The reason I did not make this four stars or higher is because there was still a lot I was confused about. Maybe it will be delved deeper into the other books in the series as it continues or maybe it was too long since I had read These Twisted Bonds/Ties, but I found the characters lacking information and the world building a bit confusing. I look forward to see what Ryan does with the series and how it develops!

I really enjoyed this book having read These Hollow Vows previously. However, I feel like if you have not read that series 1st then this book might lack & may not make any sense at times.
I really loved the dual POV of both FMC's and their subplot romance! I don't feel like this book was overly complex but I did find the pacing to be off.
I enjoyed the beginning, the middle lost me, but the ending wrapped up nicely!
Compared to These Hollow Vows & These Twisted Bonds? Those books were so much better then this one but if your a big fan of those books I think you'll definitely find this book enjoyable!

After finishing this book I've been left with a mix of emotions.. I think the book is very entertaining! I really enjoyed Felicity and Misha's story arc. I feel like I connected with them and their relationship felt more natural. Admittedly, more so than Jasalyn and Kendrick's. I also didn't see the plot twist coming at the end, so it was nice that the book kept me on my feet. However, I didn't really enjoy all the miscommunication and subsequent pacing of the story. I like a good miscommunication story, yet it wasn't resolved until around the 90% mark of the book. So I was very perplexed because the trajectory of the book wasn't where I was expecting it to go. I thought the goal would be more action orientated, but it was more so about providing information and laying a foundation for the next book. Which as an overarching story is fine. Yet I think on an individual story level, it's not able to stand up on its own. Where it ended and what was achieved felt awkward, and more questions were created than answered. I would have preferred this duology to be one large book instead. This is because book 1 felt like it ended at the middle of a book. Rather than 1 of 2 books with smaller plot goals that subsequently lead to the achievement of the larger plot goal in the second book. All that being said it was still an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading about Felicity and Misha's story in the next book.

I am so glad that I got this book on a whim to read because I absolutely devoured it! I have been stepping more and more into fantasy and this did not disappoint!
I loved the dual POV between Jasalyn and Felicity. It was like two different stories going on at the same time but still linked together and I think that's really made this story great! This also has slow burn romances with both of the main characters and I could not get enough of this story!
With the way this ended I cannot wait to read more about this world and what will happen next!

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
ARC Review

***I skipped spice in chapters 22, 26, and 27***

Tropes:
- "Who did this to you?"
- One horse
- One bed
- Friends to lovers

I really enjoyed this book! It took me a second to get into it because I went straight in from These Twisted Bonds. My actual note said, "Where is the damsel in distress?? Dang!" Friends, this is not the Jasalyn you met in the other two books. She has been through a lot of stuff that we never got to see because Brie never got to see it. Spending time with Jasalyn truly was a wonderful experience. Her journey of growth and inner struggle is enticing and worth reading.

Felicity is someone I want to protect at all costs. Her empathy won me over immediately. Her magic is also incredibly intriguing.

Misha could do anything and I would probably still love him. I loved him before this book and I love him even more now.

The plot twist at the end was not what I expected, but the groundwork was there so that it made sense. It was devastating, but it worked well for the story and I bought into it.

I will be reading book two!

I really wanted to like this one. i thought the premise was so fun and interesting but unfortunately Beneath These Cursed Stars fell flat for me. We follow two separate POVs, Jas and Felicity, while each of them embark on their own mission to save Elora and settle personal scores. I get that this is the first book in a new fantasy series but... nothing happened? We get to know the characters and get the world building but it all felt so.. boring. I struggled to connect with any of the characters which led to being really uninterested in their backstory or their mission. I think the split POVs was a big problem for the book because every time you would start to connect to a character and the group they were with, it would flip to the other POV so I was never able to get invested. My other big problem was the lack of action. Nothing particularly interesting happens throughout the entire book. In one group, you have Jas and co traveling and her being into Kendrick. On the other hand you have Felicity pretending to be Jas and falling in love with Misha. Either way, nothing feels significant outside of a romance plot that doesn't even fully feel plausible.

All in all, not the book for me. I don't think I'll continue with the series because I just don't care to know what happens to any of them.

This YA fantasy has dual plot lines that follows a princess and the shapeshifter who takes her place. Their paths cross in a quest to stop the resurrections on the previous king, Mordeus.

Princess Jasalyn was previously a captive in Mordeus's dungeons and wants to see him dead once and for all. She pairs up with Kendrick and his crew in hopes of ending things for good. In turn, Felicity takes her place and gets close to the Wild Fae King.

Both plot lines include:
FMCs with great character arcs
swoony MMCs
betrayals
and cliffhanger endings

I really enjoyed this. I was expecting to prefer one storyline over the other but found I was equally invested in both. When I finished I found myself googling to see if there was a release date for book 2!