Suraya is a Blade Smith capable of imbuing Jadu(magic) into weapons. She receives an invitation (or summons) to come to the Capital and compete for the chance win the hand of the Crown Prince.

The challenges are dangerous, and both the Crown Prince are brutal and cruel. She wants nothing to do with winning the hand of the Prince.

But an attack on the Capital by rebels forces Suraya to have to rely on the help of the Bastard Prince and a new found power she didn’t know she had.

Now she doesn’t know what is real or what might be her destiny. She just knows she cannot allow the Crown Prince to have access to her powers.
✨
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️
I enjoyed this story a lot. It has a little feel of Red Queen with a rebellion, a crazy King, and a forced marriage. It also had a little feel of Shadow and Bone with someone trying to control her powers.

It has elements of celestial birth charts and palm reading, gods in slumber, Magic using special crystals, and an unhinged Queen.
✨
I’m giving it 4 stars because there is 1 random POV that shows up a few times throughout the story that just doesn’t make sense and it is not resolved by the end of the story - you have no clue who this POV is.

Also, the lore and prophecy is very confusing.

Otherwise it was an easy read and I enjoyed it.
I had a hard time putting it down so it kept my interest throughout the story and I look forward to the next book.

“When this is over and you’re safe, I promise to drop to my knees for as long as you like.”

Um excuse me I had so much fun reading this book. I had the audio and the kindle version so I loved switching between the two. Suraya and Roshan were just perfect.

While the mythology aspect was really cool, the atmosphere was broken by the introduction of modern language. The use of language was so jarring that I had a hard time immersing myself in this book, thus making for a not great reading experience.

My goal for 2025 is to read more romantasy, and I figured this would be a great one to start with. I was wrong though, and this was a pretty quick DNF for me.

From the prologue, I could already tell the writing was not going to work for me. It didn't pull me in at all and I found it very confusing. Now, I'm willing to work a little harder to understand a book when the story warrants it. But I quickly read cliché after cliché, right from the start of this book, without anything that felt new or refreshing or original. After a few chapters, I just didn't feel like this book was going to bring me any enjoyment, so I decided to DNF.

I absolutely devoured The Starlight Heir, this story had me engaged from the very first chapter. Great story, bladesmith Suraya goes to meet Crown Prince who is looking for a bride and finds her self in more of a game to survive than a meet and greet. All hell breaks loose from there and I loved all of it! Spice is good but not overwhelming. Also, the ending??? Amalie who is this Shadow Daddy we are seeing in the last possible moment!?! I cannot wait for more!

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard is a captivating romantasy!
I was enthralled with the beginning of this novel, and the ending was really well done.
I loved the world-building and the intriguing magic. This story is fast-paced and filled with secrets that unravel.

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Starlight Heir was a complete departure from Amalie’s previous historical romances, but I loved it! This immersive romantasy felt a little like ACOTAR mixed with Prince of Persia, with a dash of The Selection series and the Hunger Games.

Suraya, a talented bladesmith, is summoned to the palace along with dozens of other young women as a potential bride for the Crown Prince Javed. But it’s his handsome illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who catches Suraya’s eye. But nothing in Kaldari is as it seems. Secrets abound, magic is simmering just under the surface, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. (Side note: I kept picturing Roshan as a more muscled, hairier version of the animated Aladdin. Odd, maybe, but I rolled with it.)

I couldn’t stop reading. The settings, the characters, the steam? The arid desert, the ornate palace, the hidden caves. The portal magic and runes of power and gods and guardians. All absolute perfection. I can’t wait for the second book—and hopefully we’ll learn more about Suraya’s mysterious shadow daddy, a dark god who has been visiting her in her dreams. *insert eyebrow waggle here*

This is a captivating read for fans of epic fantasy romance, adventure, and self-discovery, who will be swept away by a tale of forbidden love, ancient magic, and the struggle for power in a world where the lines between truth and deception are blurred.

I enjoyed a lot of this book. The romance was really good, there were some good twists, and I liked how much we got to know about the characters. I thought the magic system was a little nebulous, and there were a few times that the modern phrases the characters used kind of took me out it. It just didn't feel like those belonged in a high fantasy book.

It was an interesting take but confusing execution. This book to me is trying to hard to check all the boxes for a "romantasy". The modern slang is very odd putting to the story line and the chooses used are very questionable. The intimate scenes are could be better and her trying to make the main character be "relatable" is to on the nose for most romantasy readers it just makes it bad. I missed something in the story for the side story with the gods or it's suppose to be there for the mystery. The romance is a little to insta love for my taste. The plot was pretty decent and I kind of want to read book 2 to figure out the god plot side.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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!