I have to say I had a bit of a hard time with the last 50% of this book. As per the authors note she took inspiration from her Indian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean roots, also her fascination with astrology and mythology. And that is definitely an integral part of the story and is one of the things I liked the most as you can see it in the world building. We have Suraya who has been summoned to the palace as one of the contestants to be chosen by the prince as his bride. There she is put through a number of tests in order to prove herself worthy. Then we discover the real reasons behind that, the royal family is on search of the power held by her (unknowingly) in order to bring back the god of death.

After she is discovered everything feels very fast pace and like a lot happens but nothing at the same time. What put me off was that after the palace gets attacked Suraya blindly follows Roshan, the king's illegitimate second son who she becomes very infatuated with very fast, to the rebels hideout. He seems to know exactly what to do and how to get the rebel group to help them and she barely questioned anything. Second thing is (bit of SPOILER here) that throughout the story we have short chapters hinting that there is another love interest that we don't really get to meet in this book and that made me not care for the "romance" between Suraya and Roshan as I was thinking the whole time they were not going to be end game. With that said I think this has some good fantasy elements and potential but the execution was a bit frustrating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

Suraya is just a bladesmith, but when she is summoned to the capital city to compete for the Crown Prince’s hand, she is suddenly thrust into a world of danger and magic that she could never have dreamed of. Not to mention that she’s continually drawn to the prince’s half-brother throughout the process.

The Starlight Heir has a lot of potential and I am curious to see what Howard does with this as a series. It’s pretty fast-paced and had a lot of fun elements that I really enjoyed such as trials, banter, and interesting magical elements. There isn’t a lot of “filler” like you see in a lot of fantasy, so the plot kept moving well. The world and magic system is where I struggled, because I don’t think it was fleshed out enough for me to get a good grasp on it. We didn’t get a ton of character development either, but maybe that’ll be evident in more future books. It was nice that this ended in a satisfying way, but leaves the door open for a series to continue. It definitely felt like the end was “too easy” so it makes sense that the threat isn’t fully gone.

Overall I would recommend this if you have enjoyed Howard’s other work and/or enjoy fantasy romance.

A royal courting competition may not be what it seems in “The Starlight Heir.” Suraya does not believe it when she receives the Imperial invitation to the palace. She’s spent her whole life in the lowliest town, working as a bladesmith and helping at her family’s inn. With ancient magical forces at play, a second Prince, thrilling action and romantic intrigue - this story adds up to be an enticing tale. I was immediately pulled into the storyline. The writing style is engaging, immersive, and spicy at times. Romantasy lovers need to pick this one up! I am interested to see how this story continues in the sequel.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was such an interesting romantasy full of Persian mythology! I was sucked in right away by the writing style/voice and the world building. As with any completely new world, the dynamics were a little confusing at first, but quickly made sense as the story continued. I really loved the tension between the FMC and the MMC. Their love was sweet.

The ending was a freaking whirlwind. The set up for the next book was SNEAKY!! The random pov doesn’t make any sense until the epilogue.

My only “complaint” about this book is the pacing. Some parts were rushed. The transitions between chapters (or even breaks in chapters) were a little shaky, especially between the fort and the Dustlands. I would have enjoyed more depth between Suraya and Laleh in the beginning. I feel like overall, the book could stand to be longer so that things weren’t rushed. BUT- this story was still really unique, fun, and kept me entertained the entire time.

Solid 4/5. I will be reading the final version when it comes out. Amazing debut romantasy!

Thank you Avon for the eARC!! I really enjoyed it.

I was really torn on this book. There were elements I really liked. The romance was powerful and also respectful. I liked that the ending didn’t cliffhanger the romance. However the fantasy elements and plot felt like elements combined from a bunch of other books I’ve read. There were a lot of elements that just plain didn’t make sense to me also.

This book was such a fun adventure! It jumps into things pretty quickly and has plenty of twists and turns. I love this FMC! She’s a woman who knows what she wants (and how she wants it)! When’s the next one coming out?! I want to read it too!

The cover and description pulled me in and I had my fingers crossed to be approved. I love books that are inspired by cultures other than Greek (so tired of Hades x Persephone retellings...), and this one was really interesting in regards to the world this author build. The characters were interesting as well. I feel like the writing could have been better, but otherwise this book was quite enjoyable!

I had a wonderful time reading "The Starlight Heir"! Thank you so much to the team at HarperCollins for offering to send me an e-ARC!

High stakes, tension, Indian and Persian mythology, Vedic astrology, and - of course - a love to challenge the fates. STARLIGHT follows Suraya Saab, a bladesmith and the daughter of an innkeeper/tavern owner. After being invited by the King and Queen to join a series of festivities to find the Crown Prince his wife, things start going wayward. She starts getting visions, a crone speaking in riddles that Sura can't seem to understand. Shortly after she gets to the castle, though, these riddles begin to make sense.

Suraya is the Starlight Heir - AKA the Starkeeper - and the Crown Prince and his mother will stop at nothing to use her for their evil plans. When chaos arises in the castle, Sura will have to rely on the bastard prince - Roshan - to make it out alive.

I had so much fun doing research as I read this book. It was fascinating to learn about Indian and Persian mythology as I kept reading, and each mythical animal or reference mentioned in the book was detailed enough for me to have a vibrant image in my mind.

I also loved Sura's personality, and the bond that she shared with Roshan was such a nice element that added a nice depth to the story. I also think that the first book was well developed from start to finish to have the reader anticipate the next novel in the duology. From the beginning, you have elements of intrigue that you *hope* will be answered by the end of the book, but when they aren't answered, that just gets you running to see when Book 2 releases.

There were a few moments where I felt like the writing felt a bit more YA than adult (I think perhaps the use of exclamation points in certain places could have been replaced with other means to emphasizes the point), but otherwise this was a delectable read and I canNOT wait for book two to come out. I'm very intrigued to see how Darius will come into play here.

There were some elements of this book that I loved, mainly the romance. I loved the characters and the growth between them; the banter was delicious and the build of their relationship was a joy to follow. I'm very invested in their relationship. However, a couple of other items fell a bit short for me. I loved the Persian & Indian mythology but found some of the world building confusing. There were also a couple of stylistic elements that really felt out of place. (Asking a character if she reads "berserker romances" was clearly an allude to connect with romance readers but didn't make any sense for the characters or even the setting). The romance was amazing but some of the fantasy elements fell short and there were some clear attempts to drive familiarity with the reader that were awkward.

I will be honest and saying I had high hopes for this one, but it just really didn't do it for me. The characters felt too contemporary for the fantasy world that she tried to build and they just didn't vibe with the story for me. I'm hopeful for the next in series for a tighter, quicker paced plot along with some refinement of the characters and plot.

Rating: 3.75 ✨ rounded to 4

Thank you, Avon, for this eARC of The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard!

The Starlight Heir follows Suraya, as she is invited to join a contest to be the prince’s potential bride. However, from the start she forms a connection with his younger, illegitimate brother. There is banter, magic, fates, political intrigue, fighting, secrets, and of course- romance.

I always reach for books that are based in different types of mythology, astrology, or any combination involving destiny or fate. This book happened to have all of those! What makes this story unique is the depiction of power and magic. I greatly enjoyed learning more about the world and its magic system through Suraya’s eyes. The only detraction from the story overall, was the balance between the political aspects and sexual innuendo. It wasn’t a huge issue, but definitely felt unbalanced or out of place in some instances.

I’m interested to see what happens in book two, with how the author left things at the end. There is a lot of potential for new storylines and character development. Be sure to read this one when it comes out in January 2025!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced eARC.

I was excited to try a new romantasy with BIPOC main characters and a BIPOC author. This book has great promise, especially the first 60% of it, however, the rest of the book fell flat for me. There seemed to be a lot going on and the plot felt lost in the last half of the book. I will say that the banter between Roshan and Suraya was great and overall, they were interesting characters. I don’t really understand the inclusion of the chapters involving Darius and even his connection to Suraya, but I’m guessing this may be answered in the next book if the series…

Overall, an okay read.

I unfortunately feel like this book was not the right match for me, so I'll refrain from rating it and reviewing it on public platforms.

So I finished reading Starlight’s Heir by Amalie Howard and I have some thoughts.

I felt like the main character couldn’t decide on a personality. I get that people change, but they don’t usually do a 180 in one chapter and then switch back to something else in the next. Right? Or is that just me?

Also, the whole plot was a mess. If Suraya had made some smarter choices, well, the book wouldn’t have happened. So I guess that’s just the lot we readers are forced to deal with sometimes.

The book starts with a lengthy explanation of the different houses, but they have almost no relevance to the story. I wasn’t really sure why they were included in the first place. Speaking of setting, it seems to be in a desert kingdom reminiscent of classic Persian tales.

Near the end of the book, the main character was constantly dropping the f-bomb, both in her internal monologue and her speech. That kind of brought me out of the story. Maybe 1st person points of view are not for me anymore. The ending also hinted that this could be a series, so yay.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for giving me the opportunity to review an early copy of the novel.

Had me hooked at the first chapter.

I love the attitude of Suraya and the adventure of the story. It's fast paced and an easy read. The MMC is way too sweet, swoon worthy, really. I adore him. I'm looking forward to the next book and where the story goes although it does end on a happy place.

I'd recommend to anyone looking for a fast paced adventure that's written well and an easy story to digest. I loved the storytelling and the world building gave away enough to understand the world without bogging the reader down. A pleasant read that had my attention the whole way through!

despite being rather new as a category, romantasy is well-trodden and highly unoriginal as a genre. books often blur together with little to distinguish them— the same tropes, characters with the same appearance, the same kind of fantasy worlds. amalie howard manages to stand out beautifully; with a rich, intricate world and a unique love interest, she’s reignited my excitement for this genre. also, the trials in this book were fun! we need more trials that are fun to read in romantasy!

This one just wasnt the right book for me. I had trouble settling into the world and the story. Thanks for letting me try!

This story exceeded my expectations! The development of the characters was really great and I loved how Suraya went through not only finding love but herself as well. The magic and world building in this novel is really good and very engaging. I can't wait to see how the rest of the series plays out. I think now that the base is developed it will only continue to get better.

If you are looking for an engaging mythology/magical and strong world building story then look no further!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e arc

ARC review: I am giving my honest and unbiased opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins.

This romantasy novel has great bones. The magic is intriguing and although confusing at times flows well. The four houses are a nice touch but don’t seem to influence much in this novel. The characters I feel are well developed. I love Roshan. His banter and personality make him easy to love. Suraya is a great flawed main character. She is a little dense and overreacts at the worst time. I’m hoping in the sequel she’ll become a little less hot headed. The evil villains are well developed and are well evil. I was hoping for more of the ultimate evil, but I see there may be more in the future. Last but not least the third character that seems a mix of Rhys and Xaden. I see a future love triangle and I’m scared haha. I can’t wait to see how it all works out.
Summary:
A girl gets selected out of the few to bid for the prince’s hand. Suraya heads to the prince’s palace to find she and the others are participating in a cruel selection. Athough the prince is terrible, his brother is anything but. The prince’s attention pulls to Suraya and she finds herself engaged to the Prince because of her odd magical abilities. Suraya and Roshan (the princes brother) must escape the prince’s evil schemes and an ancient prophecy.
A great read with a beautiful cover. I can’t wait to read the sequel.

I absolutely loved this. Suraya is a strong FMC and I loved her. I immediately disliked the crown prince. Prince Javed was fun. Overall this was fast paced, gripping and suspenseful. Would recommend to all adult fantasy lovers.