I’ve read some of Amalie Howard’s historical romance and loved it so I was excited when I found out she was releasing a fantasy romance. The Starlight Heir did not disappoint! It’s action-packed, has a wonderful slow-burn romance, a GORGEOUS cover and a magic system that I loved.

Suraya was an incredible main character. She’s a bladesmith with powerful magic that she’s unaware of in the beginning and I enjoyed following along as she discovered her magic. She’s fierce and won’t hesitate to fight for those she loves.
I ADORED her love interest Roshan, the crown prince’s illegitimate half-brother. He’s incredibly protective but has many secrets. They had amazing banter, instant chemistry and I really liked the way their relationship developed.

The world-building was amazing. It’s rich but I found it easy to follow and I loved the mix of Persian and Indian mythology.
And that epilogue?!? I can’t wait to see where the story will go!

If you like fantasy full of secrets, prophecies and romance, I highly recommend picking this up!

Thank you to Harper/Avon Voyager, NetGalley, and Ms. Howard for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This was a solid 3.5 star for me. What drew me to this book was (besides the gorgeous cover) the promise of middle-eastern inspired (think: Persian, Indian, Pakistani) mythology and world building with a celestial/astrological bent. TBH I also enjoyed the adaptation of a Selection-style plot line. I really did enjoy the world building here. Up until about 80% I thought Ms. Howard did a great job of creating an engaging, vivid setting and magic system. The pacing was really swift but that isn't necessarily a bad thing; I was hooked and the fast-moving story kept me reading.

On the neutral side, I had expected this to be an adult romantasy (and due to the spice level I guess it technically is) but the characterization and interactions really felt more like a YA fantasy for me. Also, a lot of the slang and obscenities felt anachronistic to the story ("thick thighs save lives"?!).

I see a lot of readers felt really hooked by the end, but to be honest I felt it was sort of rushed and abrupt. I also really had higher hopes for Suraya, who was set up to be such a badass and mostly just needed help left, right and center. There were a couple of twists that blindsided Suraya that I saw coming from the beginning, and I am a pretty clueless reader as a general rule. If she had taken a break from drooling over Roshan for more than two seconds straight she might have picked up on some of the GIANT clues. Also, I would have liked to see more of Suraya's talents as a blade smith/blacksmith (apparently female blacksmithing is big in fantasy rn?) worked into the story. The beginning made it seem so significant that Suraya could make weapons, and could work the Jādū, but nothing really came from that.

Overall I would have to say that despite some drawbacks I did enjoy this. I particularly liked the unique setting and magic setup, although I would have preferred a larger focus on that aspect and a little less on the romance. It was still a fun, fast-moving read that kept me hooked and entertained which says a lot. I would be more than willing to read book #2 and see what's next for Suraya.

A gripping romantasy that had me from the cover to the last page. A great read for fans of the genre!

the starlight heir reads like it was exclusively written for tiktok/fans of acotar & fourth wing/people who ask "is there spice?" when being recommended a book.

the writing is mostly fine, but the dialogue is a jumpscare. this is a fantasy, yet i have to read the words "book boyfriends," "prince-splain," "thick thighs save lives," "worried about the wrong pointy things," "goodies" in relation to breasts/vagina (i promise you they had different words for boobs in the 1700s or whenever this is set), "where there’s hope, there’s always a way," "twisted prick," and "egg donor." like really?

the fmc, suraya, is painfully phallic-oriented/heterosexual and sexually submissive in a way that should be present in dark romance and only in dark romance. i like my fantasy girls a bit more classy and dominant. #bringbackjudithduarte. and if she had sex with roshan in every chapter, that would somehow be less whorish than whatever she actually had going on. there's multiple scenes where either one of them are actively dying and she's orgasmic. literally wet and climaxing, not just thinking "oh, he's hot covered in blood" or whatever. like whoa, if we're really into tiktok trends, how about we start being demure? i have zero qualms about slutshaming suraya because that's what she does to every other female character. her entire thing in the first third of the book is how she's soo special and smart and not like the other girls who are all pick-mes. like super special suraya could neverrr fall for the prince like the other vapid girls! which is funny because a) they're there to be queen, i promise, not because they like loser ass javed. and even if they did, that specific humiliation kink is nothing compared to what occurs in suraya's nightly pornific dreams. and b) suraya's own relationship with roshan is based on an equal amount of nothingburger. something about stones and glass houses.

now onto roshan. roshan is nothing. he is no one. his only personality traits is that he's "maddening." why are all men "maddening" or "infuriating" these days? there have got to be more words in the thesaurus. oh, and he's in an insta-love relationship with suraya, and he thinks she's super special and #notlikeothergirls. honestly it's so funny how the modern romantasy male lead is just a hot accessory with a dick and no personality. poetic justice for the non-roles women have been forced into in most literature written by men. less funny when suraya being horny over him is 60% of the book, but still, love that.

when i saw the description for this one as a bit celestial with astrological and persian mythological influences, i RAN to request the ARC. and while the sidereal astrology elementI absolutely love any sort of fantasy that has celestial or astrological elements, so I was chomping at the bit to get started with this one, especially as it loops in cool Persian mythology as well. And while the sidereal astrology aspects are so much fun to read about (Vertexes! Fate! With a palmistry cherry on top!), and the plot itself is fast-paced enough to keep things rolling, I found myself a bit underwhelmed by the characters.

On the surface, this is your standard romantasy — a bachelor competition with deadly trials, meddling gods and interesting prophecies, a ‘chosen one’ trope, hot princes, and a cool magic system that we didn’t get to explore enough of but that will surely come in the subsequent books. The essential ingredients to any good romantasy soup – and I eat it up every time.

The downsides here for me were the modern slang and dialogue slipped into moments that took away from the emotional impact, as well as the criminally underdeveloped characters. There’s just not enough meat to them or their backstories or their dialogue to emotionally invest in, and that alone had me repeatedly setting this down to pick up a different book.

What I loved about the story though is the looming love triangle — one of my kryptonite tropes is ‘love triangle that causes maximum pain because you genuinely don’t know which way its leaning’ and I’m writhing with excitement over the possibilities. The prophecies, the connection with the gods, and the magic are all promising as well, but weren’t fleshed out enough in this one due to the brevity and how much is packed into the story.

If you like fast paced romantasies that are short, spicy, and don’t mind modern language — you’ll likely have a lot of fun with this one! There’s a lot of potential to the story so I’ll definitely pick up the next one to see where it (and the love triangle) are heading.
s are so much fun, and the plot itself is interesting, this one underwhelmed me a bit.

on the surface, this is your standard romantasy — bachelor competition with deadly trials, meddling gods and interesting prophecies, a ‘chosen one’ trope, hot princes, and a cool magic system that we didn’t get to explore enough of but that will surely come in the subsequent books.

the downsides here for me were the cringey modern slang and dialogue as well as the criminally underdeveloped characters — and not just in a ‘we’re just getting to know them’ kind of way — in a ‘these feel like your Standard Book Characters, not dimensional people whose stories i want to emotionally invest in’ kind of way. there’s not enough meat to them for this to be a particularly memorable read, and that, paired with the clunky writing, had me repeatedly setting it down to pick up a different book.

what i loved about the story though is the looming love triangle — one of my kryptonite tropes is ‘love triangle that causes maximum pain because you genuinely don’t know which way its leaning’ and i’m writhing with excitement over the possibilities because that particular trope is so well done over the course of the story that i’m genuinely nervous for how things will shake out. the prophecies, the connection with the gods, and the magic are all promising as well, but weren’t fleshed out enough in this one due to the brevity and how much is packed into the story.

if you like fast paced romantasies that are short, spicy, and don’t mind modern language — you’ll likely have a lot of fun with this one! there’s a lot of potential to the story so i’ll definitely pick up the next one to see where it (and the love triangle) are heading.

thank you to harper voyager for the opportunity to read an early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall, 3.5 stars out of 5. I was very excited to pick this one up based on the description - an ordinary girl gets selected to compete to be the bride of a prince, an illegitimate half-brother love interest and secrets galore sounded like all you could want out of a romantasy. There were a few things that caused this one to rate lower for me. The first issue I had was based on my preference for a super slow burn relationship. I feel like Suraya and Roshan had more of an insta-lust/insta-love relationship and I wasn’t overall convinced of their chemistry. Sprinkled throughout the book are very short POVs from the God of Night (who I hope would present as a better love interest) and I found myself wishing for more of his POV versus Suraya’s. My second issue was the fact that I figured out what was going to be the conflict between our FMC and MMC very early on in the book which then irritated me when I knew one of the characters was going to respond stupidly when they found out. I rated this slightly higher than I normally would have because I am interested in seeing where the plot goes in the sequel. All that being said, I feel like a lot of readers will enjoy this one and would recommend giving it a try.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy!

This was my first book by Amalie Howard, and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun, fast-paced story that pulled inspiration from Persian and Indian mythology, as well as astrology. Suraya Saab is a bladesmith summoned to the King's presence to take part in a competition, the winner becoming the King's bride. Things go awry, and Suraya discovers so much about herself and her true nature while on the run with a very charming companion.

It is a very interesting world that Howard has created, and I loved the dynamic between Suraya and Roshan. Their banter was so fun, though I will say that the one thing that took me out of the story a bit was the author's use of more modern terms and phrases. It just didn't seem to flow with the rest of the language and feel of that world.

Overall, I had a good time, and I am very intrigued by the developments in this story. I can't wait to read the next book!

I was excited for The Starlight Heir. It has great potential to be a wonderful romantasy but the execution was not there. It was very fast paced that it missed its mark in flushing out the world building. There were so many pieces thrown in with no explanation and went no where.

I need more!!! This book has fantasy romance a MFC who kicks butt and is protective to those she loves. I was blown away by the story and the romance between characters 🤫 I was on the edge of my seat or pacing the whole time I devoured this. Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper voyager for this arc. This is my honest review

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard is a captivating blend of fantasy and steamy romance inspired by South Asian mythology. It’s the first book in what promises to be an exciting series.

The story kicks off when Suraya, the daughter of an innkeeper, is invited to the Palace, where the prince is set to choose his bride. She’s not interested in marriage, and she just wants to visit to experience the grandeur of the Palace. But in a world filled with ancient gods, magic, secrets, and power, destiny has other plans.

This book leans more on character-driven storytelling than heavy world-building, but I actually enjoyed how the author dives right into the plot. The world isn’t hard to follow, and the descriptions are so vivid that it felt easy to picture the setting. While the romance definitely brings the heat (a little more than I usually go for), the plot and characters kept me hooked.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to see where Suraya’s journey takes her next.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the digital copy!

I love this cover so much and the story was really fun! Instant favorite and I am getting the audio to live it again

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was really fast-paced, but not to the detriment of the story or worldbuilding. I was really compelled by Suraya and her story, too. I thought that she was such an interesting character who was strong and fierce but loyal--a great character. Roshan was also a great character, I found both of them to be really interesting and I enjoyed watching their interactions. The world, the magic and the characters, made this story really compelling and fast-paced. I flew through this and I had a great time reading it.

3.5 stars

The world of Amalie Howard‘s The Starlight Heir is whimsical but treacherous—combining the romance of a fairytale with the political intrigues of an epic fantasy. Within that mix, we start out as Cinderella at a deadly ball, we fight as Gladiators in the ring, and we Revolt in a quest for goodness. Each of those adventures incited by the gods of the stars and a love written by fate.

One of the book’s strengths is its exploration of themes like duty versus desire and self-discovery versus predetermined destiny. Howard sets these against a larger cosmic conflict that makes me wish I had a compendium exploring the history of her gods. However, the central romance with Suraya and Roshan plays out more like a crush, with doubtful trust issues contrasted by grand gestures of sacrifice. I just wanted more depth from their love in between.

Still, while the story occasionally relies on its familiar tropes, it also shines in its imagination and thematic framing. The Starlight Heir is a novel that embraces culture, complexity, and the cruelty of greed—delivering a multifaceted tale where women and girls dare to reshape the world based on the shapes of their hearts.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, Harper Voyager, and Amalie Howard for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this title!

Romantasy girlies, it's time to feast. This book has everything - a blacksmith blessed (cursed?) by the stars, a second son with secrets buried behind gold-flecked eyes, a shadow god who appears only in dreams, the machinations of kingdoms (and queendoms) at war, a bride competition, star-blood magic, side characters that pack a punch, fringe societies that have more power than you think, all set in a background inspired by Persian and Indian mythology.

This book grabbed my hand and had me running to catch up the entire time - the fast-paced, high-stakes coming-of-age vibes here were immaculate, and it was hard to put this book down! This book also left on a MASSIVE cliffhanger for things that were lurking in the background while our MCs were fighting for their lives, and if you think this is just another enemies-to-lovers fantasy adventure, you're going to want to lock in, because this series is GOING places.

Congrats to Amalie Howard for a stunning romantasy debut, and I will be impatiently pacing the bars of my enclosure for book 2!!!

The Starlight Heir was a fantasy that had me intrigued from the first page, especially with the unique world building and magic.

Suraya gets an invitation to attend the palace to fight to be the wife of the noble price. Shocked, she agrees to go and learn more about the city that captured her late mother's heart. But, when she arrives at the palace she encounters trials and things that are beyond her wildest dreams, especially when it is revealed that she may be the Starkeeper that everyone is on the hunt for. On the run with the king's half brother, she is on the watch daily and nightly for those who want her powers while also trying to learn what her powers actually are.

I enjoyed reading The Starlight Heir and felt it was a fresh voice in the fantasy world dominated by dragons at the moment. The world building was easy to understand and I could easily picture the different settings vividly in my head. I adored the quick chapters voiced by a male character at points during the book however; it also confused me as I was unsure who was actually talking and what was happening. I did feel that the author wrapped up book one in a satisfying way that kept me curious to discover what will occur in book two, truly as I have questions about the who's in book one and hope those to be answered.

This one was really entertaining, I flew through the story and was just along for the ride to see what would happen next with the characters and world. I liked that this was a more diverse fantasy, and the main character was truly lovely.
I enjoyed this probably more so than other fantasy romances l've read recently, but at the same time I was left wanting more.
Which I'm sure more will come and be explained as the series goes on. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Suraya, our FMC is a blade smith who gets an unexpected invitation to participate in a marriage tournament to win the crown prince’s hand. Imagine the Bachelor but for royals. We quickly meet Roshan, the illegitimate younger half-brother to the crown prince who is both flirtatious and mysterious 👀

Hijinks and slow burns ensue.


I loved the diversity and BIPOC representation of this story along with the Persian landscape. I also appreciated the mythology, banter, and the atmosphere immensely.

Overall, I did enjoy The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard but there a few aspects that brought down my rating.

- Anachronisms galore! Modern language (thick thighs save lives, stoned/high as a kite, for the win) etc. is peppered throughout this story which may not be bothersome to some but really takes me out of the atmosphere of a story.
- The FMC was 25 and at points she was naive like a teen and other times she was fully developed. I love a character arc but this was more whiplash and seemed regressive at times.
- The God of Night chapters were interesting but not fleshed out enough to make it feel like a real plot device. It came across as thrown in and perfunctory. I am happy to see there is more to the series because there is clearly more to explore here. I understand not all questions will be answered in the first book of a series but this felt a little half baked, especially considered this “shadow daddy” aspect is a large part of the marketing.

You should give this a chance if you enjoy:
- mythology/divinity
- slow burns 🔥
- hidden powers ⚡️
- banter
- political unrest
compelling magic system ✨

2 🌶️ a few open door scenes

Thank you to Harper Voyager/ Avon and NetGalley for the early reader copy. Available widely January 7, 2025!

✨ARC Review ✨

"The Starlight Heir" by Amalie Howard! It's such a delightful mix of slow burn, forbidden romance with a classic enemies-to-lovers twist. Plus, it weaves in ancient prophecies, elements of Persian and Indian mythology, lost magic, and a country caught up in rebellion. Honestly, it gave me of the vibes from the movie, "Stardust" and the trials of "The Hunger Games," while also bringing back memories of other stories I've loved. The story had be turning page by page to see how it ended. There may or may not have been DM yelling with @whatisteahreading who I knew had just finished the book.

What really stood out for me was how the author expertly made me feel all sorts of emotions for the characters. The female main character did test my patience at times—let’s just say I felt like pulling my hair out! But I also rooted for her and wanted everything to come together for her. The banter between her and Roshan had me giggling, even when it got a bit cringeworthy; I still enjoyed every moment. And can I just say how much I loved Laleh, the main character’s best friend? Her witty one-liners and cheeky innuendos had me laughing out loud. She reminded me of some of my real-life and online friends!

A huge shoutout to Amalie for crafting such a detestable crown prince and his equally vile mother. I absolutely hated them! Honestly, I found myself wishing they’d get run over by a carriage just to be rid of them. At one point, I even asked Teah if they could just die already, and I’d be perfectly fine without a sequel, haha! I think they’re definitely in the running for my most hated characters of 2025.

There were times, though, when the pacing felt a bit rushed. We’d dive into a new scene, and before I could really soak it all in, we were off to the next one, which made it hard for me to fully immerse myself in the world. Some moments felt a little shallow, like ideas that were just halfway developed. I also noticed some inconsistencies in the tone and language; modern phrases and slang didn't quite match the overall vibe of the story, which sometimes threw me off.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and can't wait to jump into the next installment in the series!

Big thanks to @Netgalley, @Avonbooks & @HarperVoyagerUS for the gifted book!

I am a fan of Amalie Howard's historical romances so was excited to read her first foray into adult romantasy. While I did enjoy "The Starlight Heir," I do think there is a lot of room for improvement as Howard explores this new to her genre. While the spicy scenes are definitely adult, much of the rest of the book reads more YA even though the FMC is 25 (though I do love Howard for having an older FMC, rare in the romantasy world). The pacing of the story is a bit erratic. Howard spends the initial part of the book establishing the universe, followed by a Hunger Games-esque bride selection. But the game ends abruptly and main characters Suraya and Roshan are on the run. From there, the story becomes quick moments of calm followed by moments of mortal danger. With Suraya's lust-filled thoughts never ending, regardless of the situation. The ending then feels a bit rushed.

As I said before, I do think this is an entertaining book. There is some good banter, and a few moments of suspense (though with outcomes that are just a bit too predictable). I admit to being a little confused about how the God of Death plays into the overall story arc, though it does seem like Howard is setting up a potential love triangle situation, which is definitely not one of my favorite tropes. I would have loved to have seen more of Sura's blacksmithing, and for her to not seem so weak in the face of her magic. She has so much BAMF potential but it goes largely unexplored. I don't know if I will continue this series, though I probably will just to see if I am right about something that happened during the ritual gone wrong. I also think Howard has the capability of growing within this genre, and I am certainly open to giving her another chance.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
Fantasy with romance. Romantasy.
Suraya Saab receives an invitation to court in the capital city. The prince is looking for a bride. Suraya doesn’t care about the prince or becoming his bride. She just wants the adventure in the city and then she’ll come home and continue to work in the forge with her bladesmith skills.
Suraya hasn’t had any magic in the past but all that changes at court where she is provoked, forced to fight, and watch innocent people die. All in the name of the prince finding a bride. Her magic sparks when confronted by a creature that has already eaten several of the other females contenders in the ring. Now the Prince, King and Queen have their eye on her. And they won’t stand for her innocent flirting with the gardener anymore. Not that he is really the grounds keeper. Very soon, fight to the death will mean just that. For the entire kingdom.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook to read this. The narration is performed by Anais Inara Chase (the majority) and Ramiz Monsef. Both do a wonderful job of making their presence known with a compelling performance. I like a print version for visualization but an audiobook to make the characters come alive. And this does not disappoint. The terror, and rage, and lust and determination come through clearly as the fantasy progresses from a daughter and commoner going to a party to that of a god of the stars. An impressive text and narration. I’m sure I will listen to this again.
I did increase the speed to a normal conversation level of 1.5.

Breathtaking adult fantasy that simply comes alive.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher HarperAudio Adult.