I just finished listening to "The Stars Are Dying," and wow, what a ride! Chloe C. Peñaranda has created such a beautiful and haunting story that really pulls you in. The characters are super relatable, and the themes of loss and hope hit hard in the best way. The narrator does an amazing job, bringing so much emotion to every scene. I found myself totally wrapped up in it and didn’t want it to end! If you’re in the mood for something thought-provoking yet easy to get lost in, this audiobook is a fantastic pick!

If you liked The Serpent and the Wings of Night, you'll like The Stars Are Dying. Both books feature a set of high-stakes trials and deadly vampires on the hunt for the FMC. Other books that gave me the same vibes as this one include Throne of Glass and Powerless.
However, I felt that the FMC and MMC offered nothing special or unique. The MMC was a night-themed, winged fae, and the FMC was bland and didn't have much of a distinguishable personality. There is some potential for character development in the sequel though, so I hope that isn't squandered.
The writing style was easy to read, and the narration style was enjoyable. Overall, the plot was interesting and it's enough for me to want to pick up the sequel

thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

unfortunately, dnf’d @65% — i really wanted to like this one, but as others said in their reviews, this book could have gone through a few more rounds of editing. what really frustrated me was the lack of consistency, the lack of character development or background (especially how astrae ended up with hektor, and who she is) and just overall confusion regarding plot.

as for the audio: i really enjoy the fact a lot of fantasy/romance/romantasy audios beginning to have a male and female narrator! it just adds a little something extra, and both narrators were fantastic.

i’m sure this book will find its audience, given its a romantasy with fae, vampires, and celestial beings, but it’s not for me

4/5 Stars

“The Stars are Dying” is a tale of star-crossed lovers destined to be apart but will fight to stay together against all odds.

If you love:
*A FMC who is strong willed and definite, but also who isn’t automatically amazing at everything, and has inner turmoil throughout the book and struggles to find herself
*Who did this to you? – Burn the world down for her vibes
*Amnesia
*Plot driven, with tense romantic moments intertwined throughout to give me both seamlessly
*Character/Plot driven

This book follows Astrea, a lonely, vulnerable girl who one day meets Nyte, a mysterious beautiful man who is best described as her “imaginary friend”, since no one else can see him and can come and go as her pleases. One night of betrayal and deceit finally broke Astrea to flee and never return with Nyte by her side to aid her in her journey, trials, self-healing, and even to her destiny.

This book’s writing style would be best described as reading it as the character realizes it, there are a few hints thrown in, but you don’t see the significance of it until way later in the book. You see that every action is a piece of a bigger puzzle, even from the first page. You ache when Astrea aches and get angry when she does. Though some of her actions drive me crazy, I would consider it being realistic instead of someone who just shrugs it off and act like it doesn’t affect them like other FMC’s.

The writing style might be why some might complain that this story is slow moving, but I feel like it fits the vibes and flow of the story. Though it is not an action packed and have you on the edge of your seat type of book, it is still beautifully written with story movement in every chapter and does not drag. There is still plenty of action bursts and whoever says there isn’t didn’t read the same book. It is just written as if it was low stakes, but the cost is still very high, Astrea just doesn’t know it is at the time.

The beginning might be a tad slow (or I just wanted it to be over cause it upset me greatly), but it’s necessary to set the scene and provide character growth and motivation. This part is tragic and made my blood boil. The “trails” in this book I admit are boring and uneventful, but you get to hear Astrea and Nyte hash it out in her mind through them and I would consider that entertaining.

Is this for me? Quick Answers:

Could this have been more fast-paced? Yes, but I didn’t miss it

Was the trails necessary? I guess, but I feel like it could have been integrated in a different way

Did I love Nyte? Yes, him infuriating Astrea through her mind was the best parts of the book

Did I love Astrea? Yes, but I just wanted to yell at her through the book sometimes

Did this book keep me guessing? Absolutely. At the end I feel as if I still don’t know enough

Did I feel like all the characters were necessary? Yes, even if I hated them. They were believable, and each were given enough attention to make them memorable.

Is there a lot of world building? Almost none and doesn’t require a lot of thought. There are a few cities were described in detail, along with the inside of some buildings. It’s stated early that vampires, fae, and humans all live in this world. Each in a different pecking order. There are castles, cities, kings, ruling lords, and lots of forest. So, I imagine something around the renaissance era, with fully constructed cities, but scarce enough to require a long trip to visit.

How often was I confused? Often, especially towards the end. I don’t feel like things were explained good enough, or maybe that was on purpose? I would feel by the end that she would know every detail even if she was still remembering things. During the 3rd act of the book the chapters skip around a little bit and takes a minute to realize that we time jumped.

Audiobook or Physical Copy? Audiobook! It’s single POV, but Astrea and Nyte have their own voice actors, and both do such an amazing job!

Astraea for the last five years has lived in captivity with her rescuer who found her without a memory in the forest. As she starts exploring the possibility of escape, a mysterious man called Nyte enters her life. He speaks to her in her mind as he leads her through escape and the bigger world that she has been kept from. Astraea must decide if Nyte is real and how he plays into her journey to the Libertatem and her destiny.

First, this was a well acted audiobook. The two narrators did a great job of capturing the many voices throughout the novel so that it was very easy to follow along with dialog and the story. I had no problem listening at 1.5x speed.

Second, this was also a decent novel. At times the romantic tension seemed forced, or just put in for the sake of having more steamy scenes, and therefore distracted from the overall vibe of the novel. Other moments were spot on and kept the pages turning. The author also did a good job of unraveling the story as the reader discovered details right along with Astraea as her memories returned/solidified. The novel definitely ended with a set up for the next in the series. 3 stars.

Review based on an Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you!

This was a fun book! I enjoyed the new aspects this book brought to the genera. Mainly that it wasn't enemy to lovers (though I will always love that troupe) and the puzzles. Some of the twists are a little obvious but I also read way too much fantasy. Took off a star because the audio book had Jacci Prior doing most of the book and all the female presenting characters and Corvin King doing the male presenting. Corvin has a great voice but he didn't really change his voice between characters. I got lost a few times but did always figure out who was talking after a second. Overall a fun time and I'm excited to find out the meaning of that dang cliff hanger!

So as an initial matter, I think this audiobook is well done. I liked the female narrator; she has good enunciation but also manages to put emotion into her voice when appropriate. I also enjoyed the duet style with the male narrator reading dialogue in the female narrator chapters. It added some interest, and the very deep voice of the male narrator really stood out. There were points where the narration suggested that a voice didn’t sound right and the male narrator did read those lines differently, which was a nice touch. The sound was good quality.

Unfortunately, the underlying book was a frustrating read for me. I was disturbed at how little agency the female main character was given throughout, the similarities between Nyte and Hektor in how they manipulated and controlled her, and found the worldbuilding jumbled and overly complicated. The prose was very wordy and convoluted. I could see fans of When the Moon Hatched or the Zodiac Academy enjoying this style of book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of this book.

In a world ravaged by vampires, Astraea finds safety being kept a prisoner by the man who claims to love her. With no memories from a time before him, she eventually flees, hoping to find out more about her past. Her last leas her to the Libertatum, a series of deadly trials, which aren't what they seem.

I have a feeling this is one of those books that people are either going to love or hate. It definitely pulls inspiration from some popular romantasy books, but the storyline and characters are unique enough that it didn't bother me.

Were there parts of this book I didn't love? Sure. Mostly I wished I didn't get whiplash from Astraea and Nyte's back and forth love-hate relationship. But I loved the vibe of this book and the overall characters and story. I also wish there had been a little more time spent on the trials.

Now onto the most important part (since I listened to the audiobook version of this). The narration of this book is absolute FIRE. The book is narrated as a duet by Nicci Prior and Corvin King, and I honestly think their narration was a huge part of what made this book so enjoyable for me. Both narrators make it easy to identify when they're speaking as different characters and Corvin's voice as Nyte is absolutely swoon-worthy.

Read if you like:
Romantasy
Who did this to you
Shadow daddies
Forbidden romance
Vampires
Deadly trials
Hidden identity

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy. You can pick up The Stars Are Dying on October 8, 2024.

This is a first for me, I'll admit. But I'm afraid I had to DNF this book primarily because of the narrator. The prologue was performed by a male narrator with strange inhalations or breaths every second. Every sentence sounded like a breathless VIctorian debutante, and it just completely took me out of the story. I also think the writing in this book just isn't for me, but the narrator's choices really drove it home.

I loved this! I really enjoyed the dual narration. It made the story feel even more engaging.

For the book itself, I thought i was fantastic. I really like Penaranda's writing style. Her characters are fleshed out and she kept the stakes high. I personally love a trials story arc and I had no idea that this book was going to have that kind of plot line. I thought it was really cool! I also liked that the MMC is all dark and mysterious... I mean who doesn't like those kinds of men in fantasy books...

Overall, I had a great time listening to this book and I look forward to the second one!

There’s a lot going on here so I’m going to keep it short.

In a world of vampires, fae, celestials and humans. The vampires are basically on a blood thirsty, soul stealing rampage and Astrea (sounds like Estrella which means Star in Spanish) who’s “different” from those around her, takes the place of her best friend in a series of deathly trials held by a tyrant king. The prize being a cycle of peace and safety from the vampires for her kingdom.

3.75 stars because I think there’s still a lot of potential for book two.
It’s fantasy so naturally there’s a lot of world building and it takes time to build up but there’s just so much going on once it ramps up and at times I got a little lost specifically with the lore. Astrea doesn’t have memories of her life other than the past like 4-5 years, so her intentions change a few times as she grows and becomes more powerful. Also it feels like her memories and learning who she is takes a back seat when it comes to priorities so this felt disconnected to her storyline. There’s forbidden romance between Astraea and shadow daddy Nyte (who refers to her as Starlight so ya know, that’s a fated pairing) and the tension/spice was what drove my interest tbh. Although there’s a couple plot twists that definitely gave me whiplash, I feel like mystery was a majority of the plot drive because the more I read the more questions I had and I feel like I still have little to no answers at the end. Hopefully book 2 brings everything together for a solid finale.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

2.5 stars

I’m going to be honest. I struggled with this book, and even restarted it three times after making it to about 10-15% of the way through to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. It was really difficult to keep track of what was going on at times. It felt like there were a lot of plot lines that would just stop mid-plot and move on to something else. Astrea was an interesting FMC. I didn’t dislike her, but found a lot of her actions to be unrealistic. She never asked questions about anything that she should have which was strange to me. Nyte was mysterious and mostly spoke in riddles. The chemistry between Nyte and Astrea was palpable and the best part of the book for me. I think some additional character development for Astrea would have been really helpful along with a bit more editing to clarify the plot.

I listened to the audio and enjoyed that it was a dual narration. Both narrators did a good job, but it was more difficult to discern between characters voiced by the male narrator.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Another case of being duped by the hype. Although there are times where I'm totally riding the hype train, it is not the case with this one. As far as the narration goes, they were perfection. But the book itself did not work for me at all.

This book is so hyped and with beautiful sprayed edges for the first printing or something like that but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this book. It just couldn’t keep me interested.
I was listening. To the audiobook and I did enjoy the narrators .

2.5 stars - sadly this didn’t really work for me. There was never really a good explanation for what was going on. I spent most of my time trying to figure out what was happening. Also the relationships in this story were all very surface level and we are told instead of shown how close some of the characters were. I will likely not continue the series.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrators are fantastic. The storyline is engrossing and the world building enjoyable. I found myself quickly drawn in to the story.

SOLID 4🌟
🌶️🌶️🌶️

If you loved From Blood and Ash and The Serpent and the Wings of Night then you will most likely love this book! I, personally, did not care for The Serpent and the Wings of Night, but I absolutely DEVOURED The Stars are Dying and ENJOYED seeing similarities in this book. I feel like it's getting harder to find a Romantasy that is entirely original, borrowed ideas are bound to exist in many forms of art and literature. That is how the subject progresses! Perhaps I haven't read enough Romantasy to be bothered by this or maybe I just have a low threshold for caring. Either way, I loved this read and can't wait to pick up book 2!

The tension and banter written between Astraea and Nyte was gods-perfect! I went back and forth myself on whether or not Nyte could be trusted and loved the pull back from Astraea each time. I also loved that there were multiple male characters in the story, not necessarily romantically linked to the FMC, but then tension they added to Astraea and Nyte's relationship was perfect. I just LIVED for the spicy scenes between Astraea and Nyte and will be thinking of male narrator Corvin King's voice...A LOT. I haven't read too many star-crossed lovers books so this one really intrigued me! I also love that this is more of a celestial fantasy read. It brings together different elements of fae, vampires, humans, and celestial beings. There are meaningful side characters that add to the story and character development. Astraea undergoes a lot of growth from the beginning to the end and Nyte was the perfect embodiment of MORALLY DARK GREY. Did I mention that every time Corvin King spoke my panties wanted to slip off?? I highly recommend listening along to the audiobook 🫠

The reason this isn't a full blown 5/5 for me is because the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning. I felt like it took a while to get to the trials and once there, I was a little confused as to what the trials actually were. They didn't feel too descriptive or important for being a big part of the plot.

All in all this was a riveting read and man, the last 200 pages will absolutely GET YOU.

**Reader Disclaimer**
I was provided a free copy of the audiobook through Net Galley in exchange for an open and honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. Thank you, Net Galley and Macmillian Audio for the honor of reading this book!

“The Stars are Dying,” by Chloe C. Peñaranda

I loved this book so much. This book reminded me of the Vincula series by Jamie Applegate Hunter, which I loved. One of the things I adored was the characters and the tension between them, the FMC really came into herself and developed perfectly from beginning to end. I absolutely loved the narration because I listened to the audiobook version, all the voices fit perfectly, and I felt like I really was there. I also liked the death trial that was the story plot, I’m not great with riddles but it was nice to hear her solve them. I cannot wait to read more of the series! 5 out of 5 stars, perfect.

-Shadow Daddy
-Vampires
-Fae
-Trials

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

My overall thought is… huh.

Many parts had me intrigued, even more had me confused though. The pacing is really really off on this one. I’m undecided if I’ll keep going with the series. The first 45% felt aimless, the next 25% picked up but was confusing, and the last 30% was chaos, interesting, but chaos. I definitely didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either. Left me feeling unsteady, like “what just happened?” Audiobook is good, performance was great and love that there’s bonus material included in the audio

I really struggled to get into this book, but at around 20% it really picked up. The FMC can be really frustrating at times, but I loved the MMC and had a lot of fun with the overall plot. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m excited to read book 2!