Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this advanced copy. You can pick up The Starlight Heir on January 7, 2025.

When I tell you I was LEGITIMATELY excited to pick this up and dive into a new, fresh, Persian-inspired romantasy story only to DNF 20 pages in... I have never had a faster 180. This world and premise genuinely intrigued me and has so much potential! Bladesmith (blacksmith) with special powers gets invited to the palace to compete for the prince's hand, and falls for the other prince... it sounds so good! But tell me why the writing style and use of modern slang IMMEDIATELY took me out of the story.

I should have known from the use of "hot as balls" that this book would not be my cup of tea. But to read "melon-sized breasts" two pages later was the last straw. Perhaps I'll pick it up again when I'm in a more generous mood, but I honestly CANNOT believe I actually read those words in a 2025 fantasy book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon Books for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew this fantasy book would probably be intense or serious because it has a very detailed map, a glossary at the end (this will be your friend!!! Refer to it often!), and an introduction to the different Houses of this kingdom. I also loved that the story reiterated things multiple times, to aid in understanding.

The book was at a 3-3.5⭐️ for the majority of my read for a few reasons. It was fast-paced, but sometimes I wanted the story to get “there” faster. On the contrary, the romance and spice were maybe too fast. I would have liked a slower burn, personally. I thought Sura, the FMC, didn’t HAVE to be a blacksmith. She could have absolutely been just a badass barkeep and innkeeper. Some dynamics between characters feel off throughout the book.

However, from the ending, I do think the second story will be wildly better! That the things Howard elaborates on in detail or mentions in this book that seem a little pointless or redundant will probably come to play important parts as the series progresses. Almost like she’s getting all her ducks in a row.

I would definitely place her descriptive writing style alongside Thea Guanzon (Hurricane Wars) and Hafsah Faizal (Tempest of Tea). I did also get hints of SJM along the way. What I’m curious about is if other readers felt hints of stories like Cinderella, Jasmine (Aladdin), Sleeping Beauty, and even… Matrix Reloaded, lol. Because I did.

Amalie Howard states in her acknowledgments that she enjoyed being able to share her Indian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean roots in this story. I’m not all too familiar with mythology in these cultures, but her creatures and verbiage were unique to me!

An intriguing start to a new romantasy series! I have so many questions and I *need* the next book now. While I devoured the first half, it slowed down for me a bit in the second half, which made the climax a little less exciting? Maybe should have slowed down my read, maybe my feelings all make sense because of where it is building to?

The Starlight Heir is a great romantasy read by Amalie Howard. I’ve previously read Howard’s Historical Romance reads and was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to read her debut romantasy early. It had everything I want in a romantasy — solid world building, great banter between characters, surprising twists, and betrayals. There’s plenty to grab your attention and hold it from the first page to the last. I especially loved the first half of the book. The relationship between the FMC and MMC was a little too instalove for my tastes, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the story. Also, everyone deserves a best friend like Laleh. She had me laughing from the very onset. I combo read this between the ebook and audiobook. I really appreciated the choice in using two different narrators for the audiobook as it helped me immediately recognize the shift in the story when Ramiz Monsef stepped in. I also felt like Anais Inara Chase did so well in voicing the vast majority of the audiobook. She brought plenty of depth and emotion to the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed reading via both formats, and I don’t think you’d go wrong with either one. I’m also really excited to see where Howard takes the story next.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard offers an intriguing premise but stumbles in execution due to its rushed pacing and lack of depth. What begins as a promising Hunger Games-style story quickly pivots as the characters escape the city, abandoning the initial setup and leaving little room for world-building or meaningful character development. The protagonist’s unearned trust in others feels unrealistic, and the inclusion of her bizarre wet dreams detracts from the narrative. While the book is packed with action and ideas, the overwhelming pace makes it hard to keep up. With more time and space, perhaps spread over 2-3 books, the story could have reached its full potential.

* 2.5 stars *

Well, admittedly this book has a very pretty cover. But that's unfortunately the best thing about it for me. I really liked the Indian & Persian inspirations in this romantasy because it brought something fresh to the genre.

However, the FMC's inner dialogue drove me mad. And all of the curses felt so out of place and too modern for the setting. It just took me right out of the story and made me roll my eyes. And the MMC was so bland when he was supposed to be charming. Overall, I was definitely disappointed. However, I'm sure plenty of romantasy fans will enjoy it!

A huge thanks to Netgalley for the eARC, I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard

3.25/5⭐️
2/3🌶️ (spice)
2/3 🦋 (swoon)

•My Thoughts•
I’ve got mixed feelings about this one, folks. I picked this one up because the cover is gorgeous and while I haven’t read any Amalie Howard books before, she’s a well established historical romance author. I did really enjoy the middle eastern/Indian mythology. I liked the MCs and the story premise. I had some trouble with the writing style and a little bit of the pacing. Amalie used a lot of modern phrases that took me out of the story, especially because it was set in a time of horses and sword fighting AND she mixed it with historical phrases too. I felt like the world building was a little confusing and there were possibly some plot holes. There was a confusing love triangle vibe that is going to be a bigger part of book 2 (I assume). I often have a hard time with more than one love interest so that absolutely affected me. I think this has some good bones with the trials, the mythology and great evil characters you love to hate AND while I had some trouble with the writing style, that might not bother many!

Thank you to Amalie Howard, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Starlight Heir releases January 7, 2025.

I’m a fan of Amalie Howard’s historical romances so I was very excited to get this new fantasy book, and I am glad to say I enjoyed it a lot. Once I got into it I didn’t want to stop reading. I found it interesting that the main plot in this book seems to be resolved, and it almost felt like it could be a standalone novel. However, there are just enough little questions left that I’m excited to see how this twists and turns to continue in into a series.
Suraya was a good FMC overall. She was a little naive and immature, but she was also strong and determined. I think she has a lot of potential to grow as the story continues. Roshan was a good love interest for her. He was attentive and able to take control of any situations that came up. I had the feeling from the start that he isn’t end game and I feel I’m correct after finishing the book, but I could be wrong and it wouldn’t be a bad thing. I’m most interested to see more of Darrius in the following books. I think he could present a really good enemies to lovers plot if it goes the way I think.

Rating: 3,5 stars

I’ve been a huge fan of Amalie’s historical romances and when I saw she was trying her hand at fantasy romance I could not be more overjoyed. I love her fastpaced writing and her MMC’s and if those are the things you like too, hold onto your beltbuckles, it’s gonna be a RIDE.

This was a very fastpaced book and when you think you know what is going on, at 25% the whole story gets knocked upside down and you have no idea what you have just gotten yourself into. While it took me a while to get back into the story after that moment, it felt like the plot was settling down and I am seeing a ton of potential with this whole world that Amalie crafted.
This is based upon Persian mythology and I myself am not at all versed in that world, but it really intrigued me. The concept of the gods and the stars was something that I can’t wait to learn more about.
The only thing that annoyed me in this whole story was Suraya’s reaction to a reveal about Roshan, but thankfully she got her head out of her ass pretty quickly, which I was afraid wasn’t going to happen.
I really hope this story gets a followup, because I am not done at all with the breadcrumbs left behind. Especially regarding Roshan, I really hope we will be getting more of him (totally not based on the fact that Roshan reminds me of my favorite Amalie Howard hero, Rafe Saint swoons).


Was this a perfect fantasy romance? No.
Did I have any clue at what was going on? No.
Was I entertained? Yes, very much so.
Am I going to read any follow ups? Hell yeah!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing an ARC.

This was a fast paced book that surprisingly pulled me in from the beginning, but it was lacking in some areas. It’s my first book by this author so I was not quite sure what to expect and although it wasn’t a five star read for me, it was entertaining. The writing style was easy to read and my attention didn’t necessarily wander, but I do wish certain things had been more thought out and focused on. The story follows our main character, Suraya, when she is chosen to be the bride to the crown prince. However, she finds herself falling for the prince’s brother. This book was a decent starter for the series and I enjoyed the romantasy aspect and the slow burn is definitely present. This book did tend of come off very YA which was kind of a disappointment, especially when it came to the dialogue and the spice level. The dialogue sometimes read very modern world which threw me off because of the setting. The world building isn’t complex so it’s easy for readers to understand, and would be great for someone who is perhaps newer to the fantasy genre. Some of the plot twists were fairly easy to guess but others grabbed my attention. Overall, I think this could be a great book for someone who is just starting to explore the fantasy genre and also great for younger readers. It did fail to meet my expectations of a true adult fantasy novel though but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager/Avon for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinions and review.

ARC Review: The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
Pub Date: January 7, 2025

I have loved Amalie's historical romances for the most part so was so excited for her foray into romantasy! I didn't know much going into this other than it was based on Persian and Indian mythology and that the FMC was a bladesmith.

I was pretty immediately sucked in! There were pretty high stakes and even though I didn't know exactly where we were going, I was intrigued by the characters and the world. I really liked the magic system even if I didn't fully understand it! I did like the relationship between Roshan and Suraya and thought they had pretty good banter - I'm interested to see where their relationship goes in the next book. And of course, because it's Amalie, the spice definitely delivered even though I would have liked to see another scene or two to really see the progression of their relationship.

I do think this book falls into some of the common pitfalls of popular romantasy - there are betrayals, secret identities, and other typical tropes from the genre. It was pretty predictable in a lot of ways, particularly toward the end. And the world building felt pretty incomplete to me personally. I don't mind being dropped into the world and having to figure some things out but I do think just a little more world building would have been helpful.

This does end on a bit of a cliffhanger - I haven't really decided if I'll read the second book. I'm somewhat intrigued but I also know by the time the next book publishes, I'll have forgotten what happened in this book.

Thank you to Avon for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don't mind fast pace, but it felt more rushed than fast pace in the beginning, and then the world building was boring or just really lacked imagery. I really need more descriptive imagery in my fantasy reads, so this one's not really for me. And I have complaints about the female main character that I won't go into details on because they're spoilery. I'm bummed this one isn't for me.

This was such an intriguing story!

I loved the Persian & Indian aspects to it as I haven't read many of those.

I also really liked the writing, even if some of it was really modern and weird in the story. Laleh had some of the funniest things to say.

There were some VERY interesting chapters with the God of Night that leaves me really wanting to know more for the next book!

Suraya and Roshan had a lot of forced proximity and tension plus the best banter!

Read if you love:
-Persian & Indian Mythology
-Witty banter
-Soul fated mates
-Quests

Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book. My thoughts are entirely my own.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this arc.

This is my first romantasy novel, as well as for the author. I've read some of her historical romance and really enjoyed them so had to give this a read.

The cover art is stunning.

I enjoyed this story and am glad to see that it will be a series to continue developing the characters. They could use some more development. I liked the plot behind this story and how it played out. I did find the language that was used in the story to take me out of the world at times. They used very modern language and at times I was expecting them to be doing tik toks and not in this old fantasy world.

Overall it was a fun read and I look forward to following these characters in the next one.

Suraya Saab is working at her weapons forge when she receives a golden invitation to the Crown Prince’s ball, where he will be looking for a bride. But it’s not the Crown Prince that catches her eye, but rather his bastard half-brother, Roshan. While at the palace she discovers there’s lots her parents never told her about who she is, and when she finds out that the ball is really a contest meant to flush her out, she escapes into the desert with Roshan. They travel across the sands and meet up with a rebel group where Suraya must learn more about her powers, how to control them, and how to keep them safe from those who would control her.

I think that this is a great book for someone who is maybe unsure about trying out romantic fantasy books! It has a lot of great fantasy tropes (young female savior, corrupt government, light/shadow dynamic) but the language is more modern and less formal than you’ll find in most fantasy books, and so you may find it more accessible. I enjoyed the plot lines and the mysterious dream shadow daddy (thank you for him, Amalie!) and am really looking forward to what’s happens next. I hope we get to see Suraya more at her forge and some of Roshan’s POV.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been impressed by this author's historical romances, so I was really looking forward to seeing what she could do in the romantasy space. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. It felt like she was trying to take the banter of a contemporary romance and shove it into a romantasy costume, which had the effect of diminishing both aspects. I nearly DNFed at "Don't princesplain to me."
The plot could have been interesting, but the book ended with some characters still entirely unclear because they were just being set up for the next book. There were also way too many things happening for nonsensical reasons to aid the plot-our MC spends most of the book trying and failing to master her new powers, then suddenly is able to do something she's never tried before... just... because! And it leads to her finding out all kinds of secret things that can help her move foward in her journey! How lucky! I was really frustrated at the lazy writing.
I won't be continuing this series, but I will continue to read her HR work!

*mild spoilers at the end*

A slow starter, this fantasy feels YA with adult content (The spice we love from Amalie!) and has a lot of similar themes to the genre. It's fairly creative in worldbuilding but it's a bit of an info dump. Things start happening quickly about a third of the way in, establishing a romantic interest early on and plenty of danger all around. Interesting magical system and excellent villains, but I just didn't buy into everything fully. I'll still be reading the next book though, and seeing what happens as the rightful king is crowned and the "god of darkness") or night or whatever keeps talking possessively to himself) is made known to us....

Went into this know little to nothing about the story, but so happy I did! A journey of love self discovery, grief, and even family this was a wonderful story! Our main character starts off shyand timid and takes a leap into the unknown when she is summoned to the palace for a bridal competition. Things escalate extremely quickly and turn into a fight for her life! She quickly learns all that glitters is not gold! Simply convinced she will just be along for the ride before the Prince makes his decision on a bride and then she will be going directly back home. No harm no foul. She learns how wrong she is when upon arriving the Prince takes interest in her during the second challenge. The reaction of what she faces during the challenge is highly unusual and therefore starts her race to stay alive. With a few allies help she manages to escape the Crown Prince’s clutches for the time being. However the Prince will not be made a fool of and he quickly goes after everything our fmc holds dear. The friendship she forms with the other Prince is innocent until its not😉. Eventually they both land back at the palace and marriage preparations have started for our FMC and the Crown Prince. Very fast pace and along the way we get another POV, is it friend or is it foe?🧐😖 A true gym in the writing and mythology and the origins of this tale are very unique!

Alright, I had to process this one. I really enjoyed this book!! I loved the inclusion of Middle Eastern and Indian mythology, divination, and the power of love. Suraya is a complex character who, I think, is either a little naive or just loves to drink dumb b*tch juice. There were parts where I literally had to put my kindle down and walk away rubbing my face because… girl, ALL the signs are there!! BUT, it’s for the plot! And it makes sense as she’s a 25yo woman who’s never left home or had a romantic relationship. It’s just me needing to take a chill pill.

I love the side characters in this story. Roshan is so charismatic and charming, he made me giggle and blush a little lol I’d love to know more about Aran, might just be me but my gaydar was going off. Laleh… oh girl, I love best friends and girlhood and that platonic soulmate you get lucky enough to find in your life!! Laleh deserves the world.

One thing that did throw me a bit was the more modern language and references. It just didn’t flow in my mind very well. This is definitely a more new adult book, kind of a coming into yourself story. I know some readers who are going to eat this up (much like I did!) thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read it early!!

I just finished this book and had to submit my review. I have enjoyed this book immensely it has a great plot line that keeps you reading to find out what is going to happen next. The main character is very relatable and easy to love. The nemesis is easy to hate and the romantic interest of the heroine is easy to cheer on! Great book!