So I am genuinely unsure if this book is bad, or if it is just not for me. I did force myself to read through it, partly because I wanted to give it a chance and partly to complete my year reading goals.

The cover art is gorgeous. I love the idea of a Persian/Indian inspired fantasy and do believe we need more non-western, non-medieval fantasy stories. Just so many things in this book did not work for me.

The writing style is way too modern for the type of story it is supposed to be. We have references to Disney princesses and too many current, modern colloquialisms that don't make sense in the context of the world building as we are presented it. The writing for the sex scenes is so awkward, its almost funny - watch out for a man's "tool of sensual destruction". I'm sorry, what?

The romance and sex scenes have all the chemistry of wet noodles and are incredibly cringe. Our main character Suraya is a virgin to start, but also has weird sex dreams about a magic stranger and is also constantly thirsty for the love interest - like they are in the middle of running for their lives and she'll be thinking about how hot he is. The romance feels very insta-lust and even the twist is not that twisty but something we've seen a thousand times and is not even that well set up within the story. The writing of the sex scenes (and the main characters constant cursing) give the impression of a teenage trying to sound adult and sexy, without really knowing what they are saying. I understand that Howard is a successful historical romance writer (though I have not read anything by her before), so it almost feels like maybe she was trying too hard to make these scenes different in the fantasy world?

The story arc feels rushed and so many pieces feel left completely unfinished (while I get this is the first in a series, we stil need to tie up at least a few loose ends in the first story!). We get these awkward dream sex sequences, but they never come into play AT ALL (like not even a mention, or a quick info dump on why she is dreaming about a stranger) - it makes these scenes feel like a weird fan service to just add more spice. Parts of the story feel unnecessary (the main characters supposed rivalry with some of the other women, the whole bride competition, escape, capture, rinse repeat). I would have liked more time with Laylah and more actual character interactions that weren't just "oh he's hot".

Anyway, if romantasy is your passion, this might be worth checking out. In the meantime, I will continue my search for romantasy that I like (or maybe give up, we'll see).

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for an eARC of this story.

This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't really what I wanted it to be. I guess I just kind of expected more? I so badly wanted to like it.

I thought that the characters were cute and the story was told well, if not at a bit of a slower pace than I would have liked. I found myself getting bored often while reading, stopping to doom scroll or watch tv instead. The characters weren't enough to keep my interest and I had to force myself to keep reading.

I loved the deadly trials and search for a bride that we got, but it was just lackluster. I thought it was going to be more of a challenge, more trials that our FMC would have to go through, instead there was only one trial with deadly consequences, a random riddle and a ball before it was over. It just felt like I was promised one thing and delivered another. This part of the story was so rushed, but once it ended the story did seem to balance out in pacing.

The author couldn't seem to decide if she wanted this book to be YA or NA. The characters are in their 20s and there are some explicit scenes between them, but the dialogue and actions of our characters was firmly in the YA category and even some of the internal monologues read like angsty teen yearning.

The world building, left something to be desired. The rushed pacing at the beginning of the book robbed us of development, not only within our characters, family dynamics and the world, but also with the magic system. It felt like we got the cliff notes version of development, and while I loved the mythology and Indian /Persian style of the world, It felt like it just deserved more.

Overall, the story was decent. I liked it but didn't love it.

Not bad, but not my favorite book, honestly. I wanted to like it more than I did. The characters were fun, and the story was well told - the myth/fantasy elements were woven in well. The two things I didn't care for - the way the story felt a little YA with spice, and the weird modern anachronisms in fantasy. Some of it didn't bother me, but reading "goals" in a fantasy novel was a little jarring.

Having read Amalie Howard's romances before, I immediately clicked to review this book. This book is a Romance Fantasy book which I have never read before. It is the story of a young woman, Suraya, who is destined to have extraordinary powers. When people realize what she can do she is immediately hunted for her power. Roshan helps keep her alive through many situations. When they develop feelings, they must decide if it is possible for them to live a normal life together. I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down! I received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon for my honest review.

Suraya Saab, an ordinary bladesmith in an ordinary desert town, thinks it must be a joke when she receives a royal summons, inviting her to participate in a pageant to win the hand of the crown prince. But when she arrives at the palace, she finds the stakes are much higher than just the prince's hand in marriage, and she's more than just an ordinary girl. When rebels attack, Suraya finds herself on the run with the prince's illegitimate half-brother, and she struggles to keep both her newfound magic and her attraction to him in check.

This is Howard's first adult romantasy, and although it wasn't perfect, I did really enjoy the world building and the overall story. The initial bride pageant/contest felt a bit rushed, but the pacing after that felt more natural.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the relationship between Suraya and Roshan. I was initially worried it was going to be rushed and feel very insta-love based on their initial interactions but the first half of the book turned into a lot of lusty pining for one another.

My biggest issue with this book was that it felt like it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a YA or adult romantasy. The MCs are described as being mid-20s and there are a few explicit scenes (plus plenty of descriptive yearning), but at the same time, the characters' actions and dialogue sometimes read more YA.

Overall, I enjoyed this start to the series, and I'm excited to see more magical creatures and the development of Suraya and Roshan's relationship in the next book.

Read if you like:
Deadly trials
Prophecy
Chosen one
Reluctant hero
Hidden magic
Middle Eastern lore

Meh. I had such high hopes for this book and maybe that was the problem. The Persian and Indian mythology was really cool. I’m always searching for diverse worlds and folklore to read, which was what I was most excited for in this book. When I started this, I realized the pacing was… odd. It was going way too fast, but nothing had really happened yet so I wasn’t sure why it felt so rushed. As it moved on, the pacing got better, but my connections for the characters never clicked. This needed at least 50-100 pages more of world building and character development before she ever got to the trials. I felt like the fantasy aspects in this world were very glossed over, and I would’ve liked more focus on them in a broader sense. Every time I started to get in the groove with the dialogue and scene, it would abruptly end. I just wish this had more of everything. More pages, more time spent on scenes and world and characters and dialogue, more fantasy, and WAY SLOWER burn romance. Is this maybe a publisher thing where they were forced to keep the word count low? Because there just wasn’t enough time for everything it tried to do. No surprises from anyone that I don’t know what to rate this, but I think 3 makes sense for now.

I love the lore of the star keeper and the rune magic, this book moves pretty fast and the ending left me more intrigue for the next book. I just wish we got more scenes of the brides to be in the trials. Overall it was pretty enjoyable book

I had high hopes for The Starlight Heir, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. While the cover is stunning and immediately drew me in, the story itself had several elements that fell flat for me.

First, the tone of the main characters felt inconsistent with their supposed age. They’re in their twenties, but their dialogue and behavior came across as much younger—like teens navigating their first adventures. This made it harder for me to connect with them as adults, and the chemistry between the two main characters didn’t feel believable.

The plot gave me major Aladdin vibes, especially with the FMC’s teal-blue outfit that screamed “Jasmine” to a T which I liked because I could envision it perfectly. There was never really a question about how events would play out, especially her inevitable run from the prince.

The pacing was another issue. The story dragged on so much that I actually put it down for a month before coming back to finish it. Modern slang in a fantasy setting didn’t help either—it pulled me out of the world-building and made the dialogue feel forced.

That said, the magic system was intriguing, even if I found it confusing at times. I could see the potential there, but it didn’t feel fully fleshed out or integrated into the story.

Overall, I think this book would’ve worked better as a YA novel, especially with its lighter tone and younger-feeling characters. The adult aspects didn’t feel necessary and might have hurt the marketing. While The Starlight Heir has some good ideas and a gorgeous cover, it just wasn’t the story I was hoping for.

If you are looking for a romantasy with political intrigue, hidden power, celestial magic, trials, and a heaping dose of yearning, “The Starlight Heir,” by Amalie Howard is for you. Our FMC Suraya is a rather talented blade smith with a secret hidden in her veins: ancient and seemingly-forgotten star magic. When invited to the palace to compete as a potential bride for the prince of her realm, she faces deadly obstacles, as well as the confrontation of what has existed beneath her skin her whole life. As Sura battles to control her power and her fate, she can’t help but feel drawn to the prince’s half-brother, Roshan, who helps her discover herself and the inner power that had previously remained dormant. I enjoyed how Howard weaved this story together and I found it to be an inspiring tale of self-reflection, self-discovery, and the sacrifices we must occasionally make for our greatest loves. My only sticking point about the story were the chapters narrated by the God of Night; these chapters didn’t feel very pertinent to the overarching story and I struggled to connect them to any sort of plot meaning. Some of the magic and side characters felt a little flat, and I would have enjoyed more detail in these areas. Overall I enjoyed this easy-reading romantasy and would be interested to see how the story progresses.
As always, thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for access to this eARC for review; as always my opinion and thoughts are my own.

Well crafted, fast-paced, wildly entertaining romantasy.

Something you should know about me before we continue… I F-ing LOVE the chosen one trope, it’s top tier imo - and when done right it is SUCH a good time.

Amalie Howard did it right!

What’s to love…
- slow burn romance
- magic + magical creatures (I cannot wait to see more Wyverns in book 2!)
- chosen one FMC
- Prince MMC
- Easy to handle world-building that doesn’t overwhelm or info-dump
- secrets, deceit, and prophesy
- The spice that is in this book is A++++++++++
- action packed!
- 25+ MCs

What some might not love…
- I knew going into this book that Amalie Howard wasn’t afraid to use modern language and concepts in historical settings, it’s one of the reasons I enjoy her historical fiction books, but some might be turned off by the use of a few anachronistic phrases and terms. - Its a fantasy novel though, so who’s to say in this world these phrases didn’t exist. I didn’t mind it, but can appreciate how some might not like it.

1🌶️ - There is only a single explicit scene (Ch 17), easily skipped if you prefer. However don’t let the lack of spice deter you! The tension is A+++

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Starlight Heir is a romantic and thrilling adventure.

Suraya is a local bladesmith who enjoys working and living in her small town. When a letter from the Imperial palace shows up at her door, she is awed and confused. Suraya has been invited to compete for the hand of the crown prince, who is seeking a wife. But Kaldari is not what she expected, and Prince Javeed is not at all how she imagined him. Meanwhile, she seems to have caught the eye of the younger, illegitimate Prince Roshan. But when rebels attack the palace, and a long hidden magic is released, Suraya and Roshan must flee or risk their lives. With the magic of the stars in her veins, Suraya must keep her magic a secret, or the crown prince will find her. But Roshan has his own secrets. Will they manage to trust each other, or will they risk losing everything?

I really enjoyed this book!! This was a fun and engaging romantasy by Howard, who is a powerhouse in historical romance. I couldn't put it down! I enjoyed the Persian mythological influences, and the unique magic and political system. The forbidden romance between Suraya and Roshan was well done, with lots of tension and banter. I also loved seeing Sura embrace her power. There is also a mysterious god who pops up and we still need to learn more about him, so I am hoping we get more information in the second book in this series. This book has a lot going on, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to the next one!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. I love this authors writing, so when I learned that she was writing her first fantasy, I jumped at the chance of reading it. However, I don’t know if this book is for her historical romance readers who have come to love her writing style. Clearly, this was a first fantasy novel, but I felt like it needed a little more work. I honestly felt like I was getting whiplash while reading it. There would be a calm scene, then all of the sudden a life-or-death scene, then a calm scene, then life-or-death, and calm again. It just didn’t make sense with the flow of the book. I didn’t love the main characters. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two of them, and really thought they needed more. I also felt like the world could have been a little more developed or at least told to the reader what was going on. It was confusing to go into it and it just needed some backstory. Overall, I am disappointed by this one, especially since I love this author.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard is an enchanting fantasy that pulls you in from the very first page. With a strong, relatable protagonist and a fast-paced, magical plot, the book is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Howard’s writing brings the world to life, and the mix of adventure, romance, and self-discovery makes for an engaging read. A fantastic pick for anyone who loves a captivating fantasy!

The Starlight Heir is Amalie Howard's debut adult romantasy novel after writing other genres and I think this will be a great for some readers, but wasn't my favorite.

Amalie writes "As a longtime lover of fantasy, being able to craft and publish a story that delves into my Indian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean roots as well as indulging my fascination with astrology, mythology and chiromancy was a dream come true." If that sounds up your alley, pick up this book!

Let's start with the things I enjoyed. The set up of the book was intriguing. The FMC is a bladesmith, which is really cool, and she gets invited to a competition for the Prince's hand in marriage. She isn't interested in marrying him, but she really wants to travel and see the palace, so she goes.

I really enjoyed the male main character as well. He was flirty and protective and had his secrets. Their relationship gave me butterflies quite a few times, but it was secondary to the plot.

Even though I liked the book at first, there were some things that bothered me about the magic system. I wasn't jiving with it the more I learned. And we definitely have more to learn in the upcoming books of the series. Some of the side characters and magic didn't seem as flushed out as I would like.

I don't know if I would recommend this book, especially not more than other romantasy books out there that I enjoyed more.

This book started off with a self-taught bladesmith, Suraya, and finding an invitation to attend a competition in a search for the prince’s future wife. At first she thinks it’s fake, but then questions things when her best friend shows up with news.

Of course, Suraya makes her way to Kaldari to join the others in the competition. Little does she know that there’s more going on than just finding a wife for Prince Javed. As violence and bloodshed become the constant norm while there, Suraya starts to see things happening that aren’t making sense and thus the story really starts to unfold.

Suraya and Roshan end up having to work together to try and save their kingdom, but at what cost?

The Starlight Heir is filled with adventure, romance, and mystery right up until the very end. I was a little thrown with a fantasy setting that uses more modern terms and stand, but it wasn’t enough to really throw me from the overall story. Some of the MC’s decisions and inner monologue seemed more YA than adult, but overall I don’t see this as a YA book, and more solidly NA.

I definitely want to see where things go in terms of book 2! It’s going to be hard to wait and to see what happens with some of my favorite characters.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. All thoughts are my own.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5/⭐️
3/🌶

SCREAMING because I have to wait for the next book in the series.😩 This book was EVERYTHING.

I'm a huge sucker for good world building and a unique magic system and Howard gives it all. If you're looking for your next fantasy read full of secrets, hidden magic, old gods, court intrigue, and an evil queen, this is for you!

Suraya is a force. She refused to go down without fighting and seeing her growth throughout the book was incredible. I was suspish of Roshan from the beginning, and I'm still a little suspicious, but I'll give him points for loyalty. I also sense a Shadow Daddy in our future. 👀 I don't want to say too much and ruin the twists and secrets.

The whole time I was reading I was mourning the fact that this book had an end, I wanted to stay immersed in Endara forever. Pack me up and ship me off, this is one world I want to stay in. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series.

A good start to a romatasy series, different than many others that I have read with a complicated world that took me a while to understand. Unique characters that had me questioning my life choices. Our FMC a strong capable woman who is sweet, a bit naive and at times irritates me to no end. You could say that she is written precisely because of what her character/role entails and maybe I’m just jaded. That I couldn’t understand why she was confused or fought certain things. Like for what? This is the best option for you, you don’t have many other choices. Or what did you think was going to happen. Her sense of the world and her way of viewing things, definitely showed her inexperience with the world and others. I enjoyed the magic system, it was entertaining and new. The characters felt a bit predictable in a lot of areas but they were also a bit cozy and cute. I felt a bit misled in the beginning it was pretty funny and goofy with the characters. Things quickly changed to more adventure, tension and mystery. I will definitely keep a look out for the rest of the series I’m curious for what’s to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager publishing I received a ARC for an honest review !

**Thank you NetGalley and HarperVoyager/Avon for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Posted to: NetGalley and The StoryGraph
Posted on: 21 December 2024

2.8 (rounded up to 3) out of 5 stars.

This has been one of my lowest rated and earliest dropped books of the year and I’m kind of really disappointed! I came here with a mild understanding of the book, no previous experience with Amalie Howard’s writing via previous books, and no expectations.
Boy, will I learn to do my research better next time…

I’m a hater by nature. I can hash out the meanest review if I wanted to. I won’t though, because I don’t wanna be mean considering I,
1.) didn’t get far into the read at all (10%) to give it a fair and fighting chance at redemption
2.) should have done my research better to see if this was a pick for me or not.
3.) know that I could’ve been way meaner for another read *cough,serpentanddove,cough* and I wasn’t, so I’ll keep that kindness here again too.
So, I’ll start my review with that much. I’m going to be as fair as I can be in my words because I know I didn’t finish, but I have zero desire to continue it.
“Why not?” you may ask if you know me because sometimes I like to spite read books I don’t enjoy or at least push on to the 20% mark before DNF’ing.
“Because,” I say, “there wasn’t enough to keep me hooked.”

Let’s begin.

I am in the lgbt+ community. I myself identify as pansexual/panromantic. I don’t feel like I have the voice to speak out on bisexual struggles against stereotypes that are prominently made in media. I can, however, bring awareness to it and suggest people turn to more vocal pages and people instead (there’s multiple threads on Twitter/X that I used when making my mind up on whether or not I would talk about this in my review or not so that’s a place to start)
We are introduce to Laleh in the first chapter. She is Suraya’s best friend and not explicitly stated as bisexual, but there is a mention of her having previously dated a woman and now she’s lusting over the prince. It can be assumed that she’s bisexual because of this (or I assumed so at least since bisexuality tends to be featured in books more than pansexuality from what I’ve personally seen anyways). “But that’s not too bad!” you might think and yeah, it’s not. It’s good! Love to see the rep! Until that rep is painted to be very sexually minded. Every other sentence, it seems, is some innuendo about sex, or she’s always making sexual hand/mouth motions. She quite literally tells Suraya to ‘clear the cobwebs’ she’s sure to have since she hasn’t had sex in a while. And okay, the argument could be made that Laleh isn’t meant to be seen as more promiscuous than Suraya, but as more sex positive. I personally think that’s a very thin line to toe though, especially considering the romantic inclinations of Laleh. It can be seen either or, and I just personally saw it as fitting too closely into bisexual (or any non-straight for the matter if you wanna get broader) stereotypes that are harmful for the bisexual community.
I encourage open conversations if others think otherwise and totally am open to learn other points of view! This is simply mine and it left a bad taste in my mouth enough to not like the book. There’s even a part in a different chapter where somebody has transitioned somehow, but the person they are speaking to is ‘uncaring about her preferences or appearance’ after the former character has stated they now go by a different name. This moment could also be shrugged off and I might be looking way too deeply into things, but it, again, did not sit well with me.

To shift gears a little, let’s talk about our main character Suraya. She’s pretty much like any romantasy character in that she’s given this opportunity and cannot believe somebody picked her because “well look at me!” (She’s basic, she’s your average looking woman who doesn’t see her beauty compared to others). She’s a pretty interesting enough voice to follow up until (maybe jokingly, maybe not) says that the prince’s type has to be ‘some stunning specimen with melon-sized breasts and a brain the size of a walnut.’
I dunno… didn’t rub me the right way at all.

To not entirely be a hater, I’ll bring up something I did like. The writing style has to be one of my favorites, scene-building wise. The prose was quite nice and enjoyable in style! I could tell that this would have been a lovely world to dive into via the writing alone. There was just a disconnect with the way the characters speak and the setting. That’s totally on me though. When things aren’t set in some modern-day town or city, I automatically assume it’s some historically dated era. You can imagine how jarring it was to go into this book thinking this only to read, “book boyfriends are simply better”, or “thick thighs save lives”. Ya know? Again, that’s totally on me (or that’s on me for always assuming that more dated settings need to use dated language. It’s a fantasy world so change it up however you want babes, just personally it wasn’t the take I was following so I was taken aback at first)

Anyways, all of this to say (my tl;dr summary): the prose was nice. The writing flowed well and I actually liked it for setting bits. The disconnect came from how characters were being portrayed, and assumed things that I made for the book instead of just letting it flow as it is. ‘The Starlight Heir’ isn’t a read for me. It might be for you and kudos for that much, but I have to pass on this one. Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for approving me for this ARC. I just hate to say it wasn’t for me at all. I’ll do a better job at researching what I can about books before requesting them, but nonetheless I am grateful for the opportunity no matter how short-lived it was.

this is a 3.75 for me. This was in a lot of ways a solid book, and it had a lot of elements I like but I just could not connect to the book. While I can't pinpoint exactly what I think the book needed I think it has a little to do with the writing and pacing. At the start there was a good breakdown and description of everything but then as the book went on, we got the bare bones of descriptions of the environments and the rooms. For example, one scene we would find out that they are in a red sandy desert and that's it. There just wasn't a lot for me to feel immersed and picture it in my head. It just all felt very straight forward like here is a red desert and now we are moving on. Which in turn made the pacing feel a smidge fast paced. Not so rushed that I felt like things on fast forward but just that it felt like there were missed opportunities to really delve into things and make the reader really invested in the characters and what was going on. I also found it weird at times that this is a romantasy and not like some modern day one but one that is less developed but at times there would be modern day phrases being used like toxic masculinity or terms I would see on booktok that just felt out of place with what I was reading.
But I think the idea for this book was a really good one, I liked the characters and the plot line and while I think this is overall a solid book that I am sure lots of other readers will enjoy I personally was left wanting more.

This book is about Suraya Saab who is a blacksmith whose family runs an inn. So, you can imagine her surprise when an invitation from court appears requesting her presence at court as a potential bride for the prince. While she has no aspirations to marry the prince and see's little chance, he will pick her as she has no qualifications to be a princess or future queen, she sees this as an opportunity to leave her home and go on an adventure to the capital. So off to the capital she goes and within moments of being there let's just say she doesn't make the best impression to members of the court or the royal family. But surprisingly they don't ship her back to her home and she is allowed to compete in what she finds out is a bridal trial that can have deadly consequences. While she tries not to stand out, she manages to capture the eye of the prince, and she comes to find out that the main objective wasn't to find a bride for the prince but rather the Starkeeper a myth of a girl who has the magic of the stars in her blood... and they think she is that girl and they have special plans in store for her. But before they can carry out these plans a rebel force who is displeased with the royal houses attacks the castle and she is able to escape with the help of none other than the prince's handsome illegitimate half-brother Roshan. And now they are both on the run from the Queen and her son the prince who will stop at nothing to get their hands on her the Starkeeper and the magic that she has no control over. All to summon a forgotten dark god who has his own plans for Suraya's magic and her world.

This book was quite good. The pacing was a bit slow in the middle, but that ending.... I knew there would be more to the dragon and the other pov we see.... So excited to see what's next!