3.5 stars

There were times of this book I thought about DNFing it, and then there were times I was really intrigued. The ending really sold the book for me, and I will continue the series, but overall, this book didn't really do anything for me.

Vlog where I read this book to see if I should stamp my special editions! - https://youtu.be/3KmjvHpVYTc

Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu is a captivating fantasy romance that blends celestial mythology with a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers dynamic. Elara, a cursed princess, and Enzo, the charming prince forced to train her, share undeniable chemistry and engaging banter. Their relationship is refreshingly built on open communication, avoiding common romance tropes. The world-building is rich, featuring shadow magic and star-based gods, though some plot developments may feel predictable. Despite its few flaws, the compelling characters and emotional depth make this debut novel a promising start to the series.​

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I couldn’t put this book down. I found everything about it enchanting: from the characters, to the magic system and myths- this delivered on every level for me. The twists have me wishing the rest of the series would come out tomorrow. Do yourself a favour and read this book!

This was a solid read, and I’m having trouble putting my thoughts into words, so I’ll keep it simple.

**The Good:**
- The concept of stars as gods walking the earth was fascinating, and there’s room to explore more of this in future installments of the series.
- The slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance was enjoyable, and I liked the sassy dynamic that stayed strong even after their relationship developed.

**The Bad:**
- This book was *long*, and a lot of the focus was on building the romantic relationship between the main characters. I would have loved to see more world-building during this time.
- The story lost me in the second half until about 90%, and then again at 98%. What should have been a straightforward plan got way too convoluted, making it feel like failure was inevitable, and none of the characters seemed to remember the bigger picture.
There are a few contrived moments that push the romance to the point of near-cringe, but it’s a guilty pleasure read if you're craving some enemies-to-lovers action.

Heavenly Bodies is perfect for fans of Sailor Moon. When stumbling into the world headfirst I did not expect to love this world as much as I did. Elara and Enzo had perfect chemistry and passion throughout the entirety of the novel. The pacing of this novel is also brilliantly done, leaving readers grasping at every straw Imani throws our way.

I will eagerly be anticipating the sequel.

This was such a fun fantasy read for me. It blends in greek/roman gods and astrology to create such a fun story. I had fun with the romance and it was an easy read for me. The magic/world was a unique one for sure and I do think other fantasy romance readers will have a fun time reading this! I am excited to see where the next book goes!

Heavenly Bodies was such an interesting read! When I first started it, I was discussing woth coworkers how I thought it might be okay for YA readers - lots of chemistry, beautiful world building, but not so complex that you felt lost. And then *bam* we went from sultry but safe to oh this is very much an adult novel. All that said, I really enjoyed this one and actually recommended it as my Valentines pick at the local Indie bookstore I work at.

This was an absolute banger. A true sleeper hit for me. Enemies to lovers that hit, Spice that was hot. Plot that was plotting. I really went in blind, it was my next NetGalley read, but it turned out being one of my favorites of the bunch.

Both the pacing and the plot definitely suffered from "the publishing industry wants these books to be 100,000 words so i'm gonna have to chop A TON to make this fit," but I will look past this if the second book is also a banger.

I'm a bit torn on this one. I really, really loved the magic system. It felt unique and fresh. Plus the problem at hand added an interesting dynamic to the plot. But it also felt everything was really easily solved? The romance was fun but I didn't feel they "hated" each other for too long.

I think it's a really fun and easy to digest romantasy and i'm curious to see where this series goes!

3.5/5

I liked the concept of this but it just didn’t work for me. The writing was often cheesy and some of the plot points just felt cringey to me. Some elements felt unnecessary or out of place like they were adding for the sake of checking off tropes. I also didn’t like how only a few words were spelled differently like ‘magick’ or ‘dragun’ - it felt like they were just thrown in for flavour and weren’t needed. Some of the other language and tone used felt too modern and took me out of the story. The world-building could have been stronger - it felt like modern characters dropped into a poorly realized fantasy world.

There were so many plot twists at the end it just felt crammed in. Some of them could have come earlier in the book as the middle kind of dragged with not a lot happening. It was like everything needed to be wrapped up quickly and just got shoved in. The big twist at the end also just felt kind of dumb but maybe its just because the trope feels so over done to me.

The first book in awhile that actually brought back YEARNING!!!!! We are so back, authors take note. This is how you do a slow burn that the genre desperately needs

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

4.5 stars

was this the best book i’ve ever read? no, surely not, HOWEVER i absolutely ate this up within hours and now unsure what to do with myself.

i found the world-building using greco-roman deities and astrology very intriguing, but would have enjoyed a little more depth/clarity.

as for the romance: it was semi-instalust but not entirely? i enjoyed the banter between our mcs but i definitely rolled my eyes at some dialouge. the few spicy scenes in the book were def spicy, but i’m glad this was more fantasy than romance though, because i find that books that try to appeal to the spicier part of booktok fall flat everywhere else.

overall, i’m very excited to continue this series! not to mention my fairyloot edition of this book is gorgeous!!

i really truly did not think i was going to give this five stars going in and wow i was wrong. i will not say this is perfect, but you can definitely tell that Imani Erriu has academic training in writing. the characters actually felt different from every other fantasy romance book. i love the switch up of Elara having the shadow powers and Enzo having the light powers. seems like we always get the brooding shadow boys but we got a broody shadow girlie pop this time and i loved it. enzo is truly one of the best mmcs in a fantasy romance that i can think of right now. the magic was fleshed out but did not bog down what the plot was trying to do. the twists you come to expect from this genre were there but turned on their heads a little. i am DYING for the next one.

Such a fun new fantasy series! This book was full of twists, turns, surprises, longing, spice, and more. The characters were interesting and all had some good and bad qualities. To be completely honest, I was confused at the beginning of what was going on and had to restart a few times, but once I got into it, I did enjoy it a lot. Excited to continue on with the series

This book could’ve been so good, but the pacing kept throwing me off. The world and myths/legends were really cool and I loved the lore and how it all came together at the end. I think the romance would’ve hit harder if it was more of a slow burn and the world building would’ve benefitted from more time as well. Instead of information being dropped as soon as it was needed, I prefer a little bit of foreshadowing so that I can guess what is going on before it’s explicitly stated.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Heavenly Bodies is a beautifully written, deeply atmospheric book that feels like stepping into a dream, or maybe a nightmare. The prose is poetic and evocative, creating vivid, haunting imagery that stayed with me for days after I finished reading.

Erriu weaves themes of love, loss, and humanity into a darkly magical story that feels both timeless and unique. It isn't a light read, but it is one that demands to be savored. If you enjoy literary fantasy with a gothic edge, add this to your TBR right away.

Thank you to NetGalley and PRH Canada for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I’m a sucker for a fated mates fantasy book. This was DELICIOUS in the best way. I loved Enzo and Elara together. I loved their slow burn romance, the way he speaks to her, the plot, the twists, ALL OF IT. Such a unique world building experience. And that ending was AMAZING. Definitely a series I’ll be reading again and again.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

HEAVENLY BODIES by Imani Erriu is a romtansy story that takes place in a celestial world that is found to be ruled by The Stars. We follow Elara, the Princess of Darkness, who is kidnapped by her neighbouring kingdom, Helios, know as the Kingdom of Light. The one in power of this kingdom give Elara the task to be trained and work alongside with the Kingdom’s Prince, Enzo, to hone her powers and find a way to kill Ariete, The King of Stars ( a god ). The same god she is fated to love and yet cause the end of The Star,

But as she trains with Enzo, despite the hate they initial had for each other, she finds herself slowly falling for him, and going against the prophecy trying to tie her to Ariete.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and the ending made me intrigued to see what will happen as the series continues. I liked how the zodiac and the stars were incorporated specifically with the magic system.

I also enjoyed the foreshadowing with the plot. However, i did find aspects of the plot predictable and the pace felt I bit off to me. I do which we got to see more of Elara and Enzo relationship develop more before the “I love you”

Overall I did enjoy the read, thank you netgalley for this copy

DNF

Unfortunately, I had to put this one down before finishing as it wasn't landing for me. It has a unique magic system and greater worldbuilding that I think a lot of readers will gravitate to despite it not hitting me the way I'd expected. The main character for sure is the standout from this. I loved her inner voice and would have kept going if not for my issues with the pacing and the disconnect in how we were integrated into this world. Thank you again to the publisher for providing me the opportunity to read this and I will certainly be continuing to read more from this genre!