Beneath These Cursed Stars
by Lexi Ryan
4 ⭐️

forbidden romance
princess switch situation
secret identity
dual POV

I was really intrigued by this book but I did not expect it to be so SO good! This is coming from someone who paused These Twisted Bond literally last year (I’ll get back to it someday even tho it’s been spoiled, I just really hate love triangles) I don’t consider it a dnf bc I do plan to finish eventually. Anyways I really really enjoyed this!! I could not put this down if I tried! The last chunk of the book is full of suspense and plot twists!

I was a big fan of the romance between Misha and Felicity and while I really liked Jas and Kendrick, I think their romance could have been better. I feel like Felicity overshadowed Jas a little bc she was a much stronger character and I kept wanting to get back to her POV.

Even though I read book 1 and 15% of book 2 of the original series, I was really lost in terms of worldbuilding. This is one of my only issues with this book bc it felt like the author was continuing a series rather starting a spin off. I had no idea magic existed in the human realm of Elora or how they even have magic bc that’s never explained.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this gifted arc!
*review will be posted on IG on 7/11/24*

AMAZING. This book captivated me from the first chapter and I found it hard to put down. I found the a characters and the story unique. I already want the next book!

A big thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Lexi Ryan for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! It was so nice to dive back into the world of “These Hollow Vows.” This story follows Aribella’s sister, Jasalyn, as she deals with the aftermath of being tortured by the evil fae king Mordeus and rumors of his possible return from death.

What to expect:
- dual POVs (two different FMCs)
-forbidden romance
-forced proximity
-hidden identity
- a kiss of death
-cliffhanger

As much as I LOVED the “These Hollow Vows” duology, I’ll admit this one was hard to get into at first. I’d say this is a 4 star for me. The ending has my attention and I want to read the sequel!

Loved the progression of Jas and Brie's relationship and seeing the aftermath of These Hollow Vows. Found myself eagerly rooting for both Jas and Felicity (which is not common when there are multiple POV protagonists in fantasy books for me, there's usually one POV i want to skip forward to read and this time I wanted both). Great world-building and hinting at how Mordeus returns, and the perfect cliffhanger to leave us anxious to know how Misha and Felicity rekindle their spark!

Set three years later after Jasalyn was tortured by the now dead fae king Mordeus, Jasalyn fights her inner demons by making a deal with a witch to gain a ring that gives her the kiss of death. But when Jasalyn is ordered to leave the kingdom by the Queen for protection, she trades places with an Echo and goes on her own adventure to help restore peace in her previous human realm.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Spice: 🌶️ 1/5

Tropes:
Hidden Identities
Forbidden Love
Epic Adventure

Triggers:
Flashbacks of torture
Mürder
Reference to death of parent

My Thoughts:
I fell in love with Lexi Ryan after coming across “These Hollow Bonds” last year and when I saw she was writing another fantasy series, I immediately preordered it without even reading the synopsis! Imagine my surprise to find that this series is set in the same world! I love the angst and forbidden love of these characters, as well as the world building. My only regret in reading this is that now I have to wait for the next book.

This was sooo unique and I genuinely haven’t read any books similar to this one! Dual POV with two (slow burn) romances happening at the same time and I really loved it!

I really really enjoyed this but man the ending 🤯 I need to know what is going to happen!!

If you like
Ya romantasy
Hidden identity
Dual pov (felicity + jasalyn)
Slow burn
Who did this to you
.. you will love this!

(Very little spice. .5-1 🌶️)

Book: Beneath These Cursed Stars
Author: Lexi Ryan
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I thank the publisher, HarperTeen, for sending me an ARC. Lexi Ryan is an author who I have heard of, but never read. I did enjoy this title a lot. I understand that this is in the same world as her other books, but I didn’t have any trouble following what was going on. This is one of those books that while it isn’t a new favourite, I did enjoy reading it a lot.

In this one, we follow Jasalyn and Felicity who could not be more different from each other. Jasalyn is a princess with a secret. She has a ring that turns her kisses into deadly weapons. Anyone she kisses dies. She is now using this to track down and kill her enemies. Felicity is a shapeshifter, who needs a miracle. She is to kill her magical father. However, rumours of Mordeus’s return have been spreading around. Jasalyn decides that it is time to end the shadow king once and for all. Felicity agrees to be glamoured like the princess to gain access to the royal fey court, while Jasalyn goes on the road. Romance is not on either girl’s mind, but it finds them. They don’t need it, but, yet, it opens the world up to them. Yet, they find that secrets can destroy everything.

The world is very interesting. We have humans, fey, goblins, elves, and pretty much every other type of fantasy being here. They all have to live together in this world. It may seem like a lot, but it’s not. I enjoyed seeing all of the races brought together, as well as seeing how they each have their own culture. Now, this is young adult, so it’s not as detailed as some of the adult fantasies that I have been reading. I found that it worked. We get what we need to know about the world when the time is right. It’s not overwhelming and it’s not underwhelming. It’s right for the story.

Jas and Felicity’s dual point of view also helps expand the world. These two don’t have much page time together. Both are on their journeys and doing different things. Again, this may not sound like it works, but it does. It allows us to see more of the world and get more of the plot without slowing anything down. We get to see the impacts of Mordeus on both the court side of things and out in the world. We see how many moving parts there are to the world, but we aren’t losing any of the pacing. That is the key to this book. We get a lot but it’s not too much.

I liked having two points of view. I thought it was a nice structural element because it kept the story going. I am going, to be honest here for a minute. There were times that I thought Jas and Felicity’s point of view was too similar. I knew who was in what plotline, but there were times when it felt like their voices were blending. Now, this couple be because of things to come. I would have liked to see them have more of their voice. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy points of view. Both of them have been through so much. Instead of letting them bring them down, they use what has happened in the past and draw strength from it. Instead of tearing them down, it lifts them.

The romances were solid. I like that it was a slow burn and not insta love. I see that so many times in young adult. I like that we saw these romances bloom and blossom into what they became. Again, it felt right.

Overall, I did enjoy this book a lot. It does have a cliffhanger ending.

This book comes out on July 30, 2024.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/gKs_S1VUz8o

I enjoyed this book very much! These Hollow Vows duology was fantastic but it's been quite some time since I read those. While I do agree with some reviewers, that there was not a ton of back story and I completely forgot all details from the former books, I was still able to glean enough from what was discussed to figure out what was going on. And I loved it! The twists and turns, the love interests and lies - kept me turning the pages as quickly as possible. The dark magic manifestations was a nice touch, and I did not see the ending coming. I hope there will be another one following this because I love this world that Ryan has created!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book!

It was so great being back in this world and getting to see the characters from the These Hollow Vows duology. I was so happy to see Misha again especially! This story feels so unique and was so interesting seeing both story lines, even though I found myself preferring one slightly over the other. Can’t wait for the next one after how this book ended.

This was good but I feel like I need a refresher on the other books to better understand what is going on.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the chance to read this eARC

I was so excited to get this arc as I absolutely loved these Hollow Vows duology.

I have to say the first 50% I was really bored. There wasn't anything really going on that kept my attention. The next 30% it was okay. I still struggled to finish it. Once I hit 80% everything just took off. The book pulled together and made more sense.

I am so glad because I did not want to dnf this one as much as I loved the other series. I wouldn't rate this one as high.

3.75 stars for me

It was just okay.

Thank you Netgalley and Harperteen for the download arc of this title. I absolutely adore Lexi Ryan. And I loved her first duology of These Hollow Vows and These Twisted Bonds. This book was well written as well, I just wish there was more to hold me captive. The story was good, the characters were lovable, I guess I just wanted more action and intrigue. I'm assuming (hoping really!!) That the next book will have more romance/intrigue with Jas and Kendrick, but I was really hoping it would've developed more within this book. Although it did end with a cliffhanger... So who's to say we won't get our happily ever after in the sequel?

First of all These Hollow Vows was on of the books I credit for creating my love of fantasy! The series as a whole is an excellent intro into fantasy as a genre! But I really feel like this spin off has grown from what Lexi Ryan learned with the original! It still feels like beginner fantasy and probably more for someone younger than me. I can definitely see this series being popular with teens. But at the end of this one it truly feels new and exciting! I want to read the sequel whenever it comes out! Which is great because coming back to what stated my love of fantasy feels really nice even though my tastes have changed since then.

I started this book off with extremely low expectations. This was my first by Lexi Ryan, and for a book that is not a sequel, there was little to no world building. The entire premise of the world is dependent on knowing it from the previous series, and in my confusion I thought there was no way I would enjoy this book after that first chapter or two.

BUT.

My jaw is literally on the floor. Perhaps I am just slow or sleep deprived, but the twists in this book had me gasping every single one of the last 30 pages. Never before in my life have I been so confused and genuinely furious (in a good way) to see the word "acknowledgments."

On the rest of the book, I found the romances absolutely adorable. Misha might be one of my top book boyfriends now, and that is saying something. The relationships (romantic and platonic) did move fast, but I think I just poured through the book so quickly that I didn't give it a chance to sink in. The plot was not super action heavy, but for a girl who loves some fluff and some trauma, I was satisfied and flew through this book. It's currently 2:00 AM, and for me, this is staying up way too late. I should have gone to bed half a book ago, but here we are!!

On a separate note, this was my first e-ARC! In all honesty, this was a horrible book to read as a first e-ARC, because now not only do I have to wait from release date to release date, I have to wait EVEN LONGER? Guys, I am telling you, I was emotionally invested in this book, and the cliffhanger is NOT for the weak.

Jasalyn hates the fae, and after what Mordeus did to her in his dungeons while her sister Brie finished her trials, who could honestly blame her?

Felicity wants nothing more than to save Elora but she can’t follow her destiny without killing her best friend and brother Hale.

Felicity and Jasalyn switch places so they each can follow at least one path leading to their futures but both those futures are at peril of crumbling due to two different males.

Honestly, this book was a rollercoaster of emotions. I should have known after what my heart got put through in the last two books but I honestly didn’t think I was going to like Jas’ story. At first she felt so completely different from the Jas in Abriella’s books that I was a little put off. But then you learn WHY she is so different and it is truly heartbreaking.

We also get to see Misha again in Felicity’s story and let’s just say, I never even had second thoughts about him in the earlier books and now I can’t stop thinking about him. My heart aches for both of them.

I am almost sad I received this book as an ARC because knowing it’s not even released yet and that means I have to wait a long time for the next book is breaking my heart right now.

4.5 ⭐️

I went into this with high hopes after loving These Hollow Vows so much and for me personally it did not disappoint. Some twists and turns, romance, betrayal, magic, dual POV from two damaged FMCs and I couldn’t put it down. Both POVs end on a big cliffhanger and I’m sitting on the end of my seat waiting to find out what happens next.

My only complaint is this is yet another book added to my high ranking list this year with no book 2 in sight.

Thank you netgalley and HarperCollins for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. I was so excited to have Jasalyn POV. She is such an exciting character. Loved her development in this story! I couldn't put the book down! The slow burn romance is awesome. I will say the cliffhanger has me anxious for the next one!

While I enjoyed "These Hollow Vows" from this author, this one missed the mark for me. It has been a couple of years since I read the original duology, and I felt this book assumes that the reader will have memory of that story. Because of this, I felt a little lost at times. I also didn't really like our main character Jas, she just didn't carry the story as well as Brie's books. Overall, I think teens in the target audience will enjoy this one, but I'll be recommending they reread the first two before diving into this one.

This book exceeded my expectations following These Twisted Bonds and reminded me more of These Hollow Vows in the sense that the pacing and foreshadowing were both stronger. This was an enjoyable light read. I generally liked the characters though I was absolutely looking at the chapter headings each time and hoping to see Felicity rather than Jasalyn. Both were likable, but Felicity felt more relatable in terms of emotions and reactions to situations. I also enjoyed getting to know more about Misha in this book. Overall, it was a decent read and I do want to know what happens in the next installment, but would not reread this one. If you enjoy fae romantasy, this is a solid read but well within expectations for the subgenre.

This is the first book in a spin-off series from the These Hollow Vows duology and occurs about three years later. Although this could be read without the first series, I think the backstory from the original series is helpful in jumping into this world.

This dual point of view story follows two characters on their interconnected paths. We learn through flashbacks what happened to Jasalyn during her time imprisoned in the original series. We slowly learn Felicity’s backstory. Their relationships with Hale and Misha, respectively, go through all the phases. There are oracles, prophecies and magic.

The betrayal and the angst! I am looking forward to the sequel and following these characters.

I was given a copy by the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!) and all opinions are my own.