DNF

The story lacked a good introduction and setup; I even had to double-check to make sure I was reading book one. I attempted to continue reading, but I couldn't connect with the writing. Overall, not for me.

***Thank you to NetGalley, C.C. Penaranda, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

3 1/2 out of 5 stars


I want to say thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for allowing me to listen in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good book but I think that maybe the writing style was just not for me. I did really enjoy the concept of this novel. I mean who doesn't love a vampire story? I guess the pacing was a bit off for me. We don't get many answers until at least the first 250 pages or so. While I did enjoy the Astraea I wish she was a bit of a more proactive heroine.

I did enjoy the fact that this was not another ACOTAR rip off. I have noticed that a lot of romantasy novels just seem to borrow so much from SJM.I plan to continue on with this series. The fantastic voice acting by Corvin King and Jacci Prior really were excellent.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly I had to put this one down and idk if I’ll pick it up anytime soon.

I did not feel any chemistry between the MC and I was bored for most of what I read. I felt like although there was a plot the FMC forgot about everything once she met the MMC. Also I’m not a fan of insta love so that took the enjoyment away from the romance.

First I want to say thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this book for my honest review.
I really wanted to love this book and really thought I was going to but I was pretty disappointed. This book has a lot of potential. The world is interesting and the characters have room to grow and evolve. I almost DNFd a few times but then kept letting my FOMO get to me and continued on but I wish I would have stopped and just realized it wasn’t for me. I often found myself bored during this book. The only character I really enjoyed and connected with was killed pretty early on. I feel like maybe there was just too much going on in this one book and it just felt confusing to me. I will be reading the second book because I already have it preordered so I’m hopeful that maybe the author will have worked out some of the kinks from book 1.

I found this book to be a frustrating read. The dialogue felt very forced. And there are many instances where the plot doesn’t match up with what was previously in the story. This was a DNF for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Stars are Dying. This book had a lot of twists and turns, and though the tropes were nothing new and some of the reveals were painfully obvious, I still enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to others who enjoy romantasy. Looking forward to further installments because I am dying to know who else she is bonded to and if Nyte is going to end up a hero or a villain.

I DNF’d this about 10% of the way through. However, I’m giving it two stars because I did enjoy the narrators and that it was a dual narration

That being said, this just didn’t draw me in. I really wanted to like it, but it just felt so generic. The FMC wasn’t very interesting and I didn’t feel compelled to find out what happened to her

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

Corvin King (holy moly fire) and Jacci Prior were splendid.

I loved this book. Nyte is morally black and I want things. With him.

“I’ve known many centuries of torture,” he said so quiet it touched me gently. “And yet the greatest agony is you."

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the audiobook ARC. This book has been on my TBR for a while and I was so excited to get the ARC to listen to it. The audiobook for this was so well done. The duel narration was spot on and made the story so immersive.

Astraea doesn’t remember her past, she has been living with the man she believed saved her for the past five years but is realizing that she is living in a prison and needs to escape. With the help of the mysterious Nyte she manages to escape her prison but she finds herself mixed with the deadly trials and political intrigue of the kings court.

This book had political intrigue, vampires, deadly trials, amnesia, star-crossed lovers, and twists I wasn’t expecting.

I loved the chemistry between the two main characters, Nyte was such a great MMC and had the best protective vibes. I really liked his character. Astraea has an amazing evolution over the course of the book and goes from continuously doubting herself and feeling unworthy to recognizing her power and importance.

My biggest problem was the lack of focus Astraea had. Over the course of the book many questions arise and instead of Astraea working to solve the questions she just lets them go or searches for the answers half-heartedly. Also, after everything she has been through she seemed way too trusting. It was a struggle to identify Astaea’s motivation for her actions. Without a deeper motivation to keep the story moving it lagged. I understand that we are watching her character develop and watching her move from a traumatized victim to a powerful woman but it felt disjointed.

Overall, I think the world building of this book has set up the sequel to be a really intriguing read. Although there were some issues in pacing and character development I think the story was compelling enough to overcome those and I look forward to the next book.

The audio for this book ate! I’ve never listened to one where it’s read out with different actors like a movie. I do think this book would have been a tad easier to follow if I was physically reading it but it was super intriguing and I’m excited for book 2!

I wanted to like this book so much. I really tried! To be honest I was just bored, and it did not keep my focus. It also seemed really confusing, and I was having trouble following what was going on. I struggled to get invested in the characters. I did enjoy the love/hate relationship aspect and drama between Hector and Astraea. I can appreciate that some might enjoy this book, but unfortunately it just didn't flow right for me.

I tried listening to this audiobook and I can’t do it because of the name narrator. He reads every single line in a breathy husky spicy bedroom scene type of voice, for every male character in the book! And I cannot get past that. It makes listening unbearable.

I was actually interested in the story line and where this book was heading but I cannot get past the male narrator. So I am not sure it is fair for me to give a star rating on this so I’m just giving a flat average 3 because again the story seemed interesting but I could not continue with it on audio. Maybe I will pick up a print copy of this book in the future but for now the audio version is out.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for sending this audio ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Wow. This was a very long audiobook but I made it. And honestly……I am not sure how to feel.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!!!!!

I didn’t feel like this book was as copy and paste to a certain fantasy novel as people said it was. Yes, there were definitely some elements but nowadays, when isn’t there? I can name a few fantasy books that have elements from others.

It took me a long time to get through this until about 65%. That 65% could have been cut in half. Some of it made no sense. There was unnecessary information and it dragged on but I didn’t feel like it was all important. The FMC literally asked ZERO QUESTIONS. Did she ever eat or sleep? I know we figured out why a bit later in the book but she never questioned why she could stay awake for days? At the end she also kept saying she felt different and had small memories. But when? Literally no where did she give any inkling that she had memories of her past. There were like 15 different plot lines that would all just cut off and we would be at something different. This book lacked direction. Everyone spoke in riddles all the time and never gave straight answers. I get we need to leave some stuff unanswered because this is a trilogy but like can no one tell her literally anything.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

F*CKING Astraea. The weird plot line where Rose told her that she and Cassia were only coming to kill Nyte’s Death. OKAY HIS NAME IS NYTE AND THE KINGS ASSASSIN IS NAMED NYTES DEATH COME ON. I just couldn’t.


Nyte is so hot though lol. A new daddy perhaps. 75% IN WE HAVE A SHADOW DADDY.

The end was annoying me too. Astraea’s flip flop of emotions of wanting to stay by Nyte’s side and go to his world with him than not letting him touch her because he scares her or she doesn’t trust him all of a sudden. It was frustrating. The way I would be on my knees for Nyte all the time……

I loved Rose and Zath’s bonus chapter. I hope we see more (spice) from them.

And Nyte’s POV was delightful. He has to down bad for Astraea but his emotions were flip flopping too in one bonus chapter.

Overall I am giving this book a 3.5. Nyte and Rose and honestly Zath saved this book. And maybe the orb of Cassia’s soul. I will definitely be reading the second because somehow I am hooked.

Quotes I liked:

Love was a drug laced with its own cure.

Maybe it was foolish to find desire in danger, but only when both were presented, did I realize just how long I’d lived without touching either. Now both had come to form in front of me. They tempted me like the remedy to an ailment I never knew I had.

Never before had I known what it was like to crave dancing in the rain until I was touched by a night’s storm.

But sometimes I wished his love would bind my chest instead of my wrists.

When falls night, the world will drown in starlight.

Think of me and I will answer. Long for me and I am right here with you.

But he should’ve known a leash had two ends and it was only a matter of time before you strangled him with it.

What does it mean to not have a shadow?
They have to go somewhere.

I’m going to take it all away then kill every hand responsible for harming you.

The brightest star needs the darkest night. And I understand now. People fear the dark because they think it’s where monsters thrive. They’re wrong. The dark belongs to the stars who can’t shine without it. It’s where passion burns brightest. It’s peace and its company. The darkness is you.

He’s not a hero, Astraea. Not even close. But he has never pretended to be.

I would like to start by thanking Netgalley for an audiobook arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, there were so many things about The Stars are Dying that I enjoyed. The writing was beautiful and I was intrigued from the start. Although I flipped between the audiobook and the ebook for this one, I thought the audiobook was so well done that I found myself preferring that medium just because I liked the voices. Without spoiling anything, I did enjoy the backstory and the lore of the main characters, the magic system here, and the element of not knowing who could be trusted throughout. Additionally, the tension between the two main characters was phenomenal.

That being said, I did find most of the twists to be somewhat predictable and there were a few times that pacing was off, especially towards the end where it felt like the book had a natural conclusion and then just kept going. During those chapters the back and forth of the FMC was tedious, although I understood why it was happening, it just took me out of the story. For these reasons, I couldn't give it a full five stars even though I did enjoy it.

That being said, I will definitely read book 2 and look forward to seeing where this story goes.

I definitely enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next one in this series! I loved the From Blood and Ash series, and this felt reminiscent of that. The two main characters, Astraea and Night, start off as Night helping Astraea survive various events. As they grow closer, an attraction takes place. Meanwhile Astraea has to endure an abusive relationship, the death of someone she cares about, and now trials. Night is there for her throughout in her mind, and it almost feels as if he is there physically. As more unfolds, Astraea learns of who she is and what that could mean. I know this is a bit vague, but I don't want to spoil the book. I need to know what happens next!

Overall, I enjoyed this. I agree with some other reviews saying the book was all over the place which made it difficult to follow and I found myself having to start chapters over so with it already being a 20-hour audiobook, this took me forEVER to get through.

I enjoyed Nyte more than any other character. I didn't necessarily find myself rooting for the MC by any means. The spicy scenes were good though.

I'll definitely be open to reading more by CCP and totally appreciate the ARC!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC to read and review.

“You are the brightest star, And the brightest star needs the darkest night.”

Goodness Gracious. That was a lot. I just came off of a light romantasy and this is not that 😆😅 this book is full of all the complexities of the genre and it was beautifully done. I actually had to slow down the audio to comprehend what was happening (which almost never happens).

Expect 👉🏼 romantasy, lost memories, villain gets the girl, new adult, light be dark, trials, star-crossed lovers

Astraea has been kept a secret for years. Very few know of her existence and her captor keeps her well-hidden. She meets a stranger who helps her escape and continually comes to her rescue on her new journey.

After a tragedy, astraea must enter the trials to give her people a fighting chance. Nyte continues to aid her in moments of need but he’s keeping secrets.

Wow! This book truly blew me away. I cannot wait for this next book and to see where this story goes.

A note about the audio: Corvin King’s voice is absolutely sinful. His rasp is top tier. However, he doesn’t change his voice for different characters so it’s not always clear who is speaking in this duet narration. I slowed down from my typical speeds and it helps a bit but it still required a lot of focus to figure out whose dialogue you’re hearing.

I will say going into this book my expectations were high. I heard such great things and I think thats why I am on the fence with my review. The pacing in the beginning felt slow and overall felt like the general plot dragged. However, I did really enjoy approx. the last 150 pages. I still hope to continue the series and the pace kicks up going into book 2. Looking forward to whats to come.

Wow.

First off the narrators are utter perfection. Great choices. Corvin as always adds such depth to the characters he reads. The female narrator was great as well but I found the male easier to listen too. I cannot wait to buy this so I can have an immersive experience.

I listed to this over a vacation and WOW I couldn't put it down. I love the dual narration and the story itself is absolutely breathtaking.