I was very much looking forward to this book, but quickly realized it wasn't for me.

What I liked: I liked the side characters more than the two main. The side characters had more depth and range of emotion than the two main characters.

What I didn't like: I don't think I've ever read a more predictable book. I called the ending almost to a T within 30 pages. I don't know if that's what the author intended by including the preface that early laid out the entire plot?

The tension was good, but our MMC fell so quickly that his whole character was just praising our FMC. Truly, both of them were boring.

Nyte seemed to contradict himself every other chapter. Will die for her, will burn the world down for her, but then the next chapter, "we can't be together because it'll end worlds." Choose a side and stay there please.

I love the MMC narrator's voice, but his range had me confused about which male character was speaking nearly half the time. All of them sounded so similar.

I do think there are tons of romantasy fans that will eat this up, Raven Kennedy fans especially.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This new tale builds a world where the lines constantly shift between light and darkness, safety and danger. Astraea is a young woman with only fragmented memories of the last five years of her life. She lives in seclusion under the control of a man who claims to keep her safe from the vampires that hunt the land. Astraea decides to flee, but her escape leads her straight into the path of the enigmatic Nyte. Nyte exudes danger and mystery, drawing Astraea in. The boundaries of trust and betrayal blur as she struggles to decipher Nyte's true intentions. Astraea agrees to a risky bargain with Nyte, leading her to compete in a deadly trial.

The book's setting is lush and intricate, with the trials adding tension and excitement to keep the reader engaged. As you wonder what Nyte is hiding, the characters create enough romantic tension to keep you interested. I did not see the twists coming, which made the book more enjoyable. The middle of the book seemed repetitive and slow. I wish the pacing of the book was more consistent. Some side characters could have been elaborated more, but overall, it was quite the adventure.
It's a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and mystery stories.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audio edition of the book. It was fantastic. The narrator of Nyte voiced his character perfectly and was emotionally charged. The audiobook was a masterpiece.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Audio.

I'm so sorry, it's always really hard when I don't like a book but this was just not for me.

I love Chloe's other series with my whole heart so if you're looking for a good read please go read an heir comes to rise!

This was cheesy and unrealistic (not in the way that fantasy books are supposed to be) and I couldn't get into it.

HOLY SMOKES. That’s all. Be prepared for a wild ride that has you thinking you know what’s up but then throws a curveball.

Nyte is a broody, sweet-talking, silver tongue beast. There’s so much to unpack with his story but there’s many complex layers that make him very realistic. The dynamic between the two is like a ping pong match. There are plenty of nice oneliners that Nyte drops too.

Astraea is a bit of a naive one for most the story but she grows on you. Her character development is also one that is complex to watch unravel. I do enjoy her connections she has to all the other characters and how those relations play out.

The setting and the characters are all so very well thought out and planned. There’s a couple of spicy moments too which was nice. I enjoyed the lore and world building as it has depth and history to it.

The pacing felt a bit slow in the beginning but that’s because we had to get a feel of Astraea, and makes sense as the story flows. Once it starts, it really rolls the ball in pacing but still nice!

I have not read Chloe’s other works, so if you haven’t, don’t worry! You can absolutely read this without having to know anything else.

I can’t put much because it will spoil it… but be prepared to stay up until the wee hours because you’re hooked on it.

I received the ALC of this book, which I appreciate the work that went into doing this audiobook. The Narrators absolutely brought this story alive more than just when I read it too. VA's are an incredible lot that can make it seem more real and immersive.

I overall enjoyed this, but will say the pacing was a bit off and I found myself confused more than a few times when it came to the plot/world building. The beginning started out strong, but the middle dragged and then I was kinda confused at the end, but I think there's a lot of potential and I'm hoping Book 2 is multiple POV because the bonus chapters in the audio have me wanting more from Rose and Zath.

I love Nyte and need way more answers about Astraea .... fingers crossed book 2 brings them!

Rating: 3.5 stars

A book that has great potential as it morphs into a series, but that lost me at times while reading. Still an entertaining, exciting read and I’ll definitely look for book 2 when it comes out.

I was very excited about the premise of this one as I really enjoy romantasy and especially loved the idea of revisiting a world similar to the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Unfortunately though, this just didn't work for me - I felt like I was getting a firehose of tropes right off the bat. We have a hundred years games for peace where humans fight to impress the vampires that have taken over, a main character who only remembers 5 years of her life, and is trapped in a brothel. The main characters, Estrella and Nyght, were a bit too insta-love and on top of that, we Nyght saying "Who did this to you?" within the first 5% of the book.

I will say, the duet narration was a real treat - both narrators did a great job and I appreciated having each one come in and out as different characters spoke. In the end though, it just wasn't enough to keep me engaged and stay the course.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

Thank you for this audio ARC!
I really enjoyed the narrators and thought they did a great job with the characters and story.

The story started off interesting- we have humans and fae and vampires (and different types) and a sort of trials on the horizon.
I liked the writing style/language and it felt easy enough to follow along.
Unfortunately, I kind of hate our main character... the only character I truly liked was killed off within the first third of the book.
The plot was quite slow to me as well. The entire first third is world building- but also I am unsure of the plot. It was a bit unclear who the enemy was and/or why the vampires are so bad because we were so focused on Victor.
I found myself checking the percentage finished quite frequently wondering where it would pick up. The only thing that kept me going was wanting to know her secrets (finding her memories)- even Nyte's mysterious intrigue wasn't keeping me there.
I just think the beginning needed to be faster or less fluff

I really enjoyed this book, but at the same time was left confused about a lot of things. I loved the romance, the world building, and the MMC whole heartedly. However I think the FMC didn't really grow at all in this book and a lot of things were left unanswered. I expect questions in the beginning, but I eventually want SOME answers. I think this is a really solid beginning and I'll be reading the next book, I'm also excited for the beautiful edition that is coming out.

As for the audio portion, LOVED. I'm a huge Jacci Prior fan to begin with, but they both did so good on the audio. I definitely got lost in the story because of them.

The Stars Are Dying by Chloe C. Peñaranda is a romantasy that absolutely captivated me with its incredible world-building, deep character development, and overall stunning writing. From the moment I entered this dark and intriguing world, I was hooked. This plot was unique!! You didn't need to know much about the myth it was based on to enjoy this book.

Nyte quickly became a favorite of mine—his character is so well-crafted, and I can't wait to see more of him as the series continues. There's something undeniably sexy about his presence (and voice), and I'm eager to explore his story further. Astraea, on the other hand, tugged at my heartstrings. Her situation was so dire that I often found myself wishing I could reach into the book and rescue her. Peñaranda did an amazing job of making her plight feel real and urgent. The other characters were a delight to be with, I hated them, loved them, cried for them, and more!

The different levels of vampires introduced in the story were a fascinating touch that added depth to the world. The three types had me trying to find out secrets in the side characters wondering if any of them were vampires. I was particularly impressed by how the trials within the book reflected the seven sins—this clever integration made for an engaging and thought-provoking read. And the plot twists? They caught me completely off guard! Just when I thought I had a handle on where the story was headed, Peñaranda would pull the rug out from under me in the best possible way (especially with the big one regarding Nyte at the end, my oh my!)

The audio voice actors did a fantastic job! I haven't encountered a book where the male and female actors perform each line in this manner—it was a unique and very well-done approach that added an extra layer of enjoyment to the experience.

Overall, The Stars Are Dying is a must-read for fans of romantasy. It's full of surprises, emotion, and rich world-building. I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel and can't wait to see where Peñaranda takes these characters next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for allowing me to dive into the adventure early!

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The world-building, character-development, and overall writing was better than I expected of a romantasy, and while the overall lore felt lacking in places when it came to the mythology, it didn't detract too much from the experience. Compared to other high fantasy levels of books in the same caliber, I went in with pretty low expectations and was thoroughly impressed by the story. I'm quite excited for the sequel and hope that there will be more world-building overall.

This is also the first audiobook I've experienced in which there was 2 narrators doing each the male and female voices in the book. While the book was nearly entirely in the main character's pov, the male narrator did all the male dialogue, whereas with other books with dual povs, I've had female narrators do the male voices in her chapters. This overall lead to a more immersive experience, and I hope that this is the norm moving forward. I would note that I did listen at 2x speed as I find 1x to be far too slow for my taste, but I still enjoyed both narrators performances regardless.

This is a good read for fans of From Blood and Ash, Lightlark, and ACOTAR. I think it has good potential but it is a bit confusing for a time and feels like it’s missing parts in it. The audio has really good narrators that give more life to the story. I can’t wait for the next book!

Immersion was easy with the audiobook narrators, I didn't expect the duel narrator. We'll done. They narrators added extra layers to the experience

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Author Chloe C. Peñaranda for the ALC of The Stars Are Dying.

Narrated by Corvin King; Jacci Prior. The narrators did any amazing job bringing the characters to life. Although beginning was slow I absolutely love the story. 100% recommend.

ok very quickly i know this book is unfortunately not for me lol… this book is going to be a lot of words to run around in a circle and tropes just for the sake of tropes and i do not do well with that.

This book was a trip of a book. I truly enjoyed the book and the journey the characters went on. I enjoyed the world building and character relationships. It was a good book and an interesting journey.

I did really want to like this book! After reading the description and high reviews I was pumped to get early access!

The book wasn’t cohesive enough for me, I get wanting to have a series or multiverse be successful and trying to make the reader ask question after question, but the writing just missed. I trudged through the beginning and don’t like DNFing books so I kept at it and finally the pace picked up where I could finish the book. I tried listening to the audio for this book but every time the male narrator came on I wanted to turn off the book. I did really like the female narrator!! I ended up just reading it through an eARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early access in exchange for my unbiased opinion.