Suraya is a proud bladesmith with the ability to yield jaadu in her blades. When she is summoned by the Royal Palace to compete for the Crown Prince’s hand, her life changes overnight.
Suraya, excited for adventure and positive that her return to her father’s home is eminent, finds herself falling for the Crown Prince’s brother, leading to a cosmic array of events that even stun the Gods. Suraya finds herself chasing tales and visions as friends and mysteries surround her.

The Good: It’s fast paced, predictable, with a splash of banter and lots of romance.
Who it’s for: A tale of love, betrayal, and soul mates, The Starlight Heir is a high fantasy, new adult romantasy for fans of Danielle L Jensen’s A Fate Inked in Blood and Tanaz Bhathena’s Hunted by the Sky.

P.s: Please read the trigger warnings!
I got the audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Suraya finds herself being summoned to the queen's court to be one of the possible bride to the prince, something she has no interest in. However, a trip to the castle, some good food, and an adventure sounds like something she could enjoy. Soon she finds herself in the prince's sights and he wants more than just her hand.

The whole first half of this book was light and fun. I really enjoyed following Suraya through her adventure at court and meeting the prince's illegitimate brother. Their romance was quick and cute. I'd have loved if the trials were longer, if the romance was more drawn out, and if the twist of her lineage wasn't as abrupt. It felt like the top of the rollercoaster and suddenly we were free falling.

All in all, this was a fun read. I might have to go back and listen to the male narrator again, I feel like I missed some things that may make more sense now that I've finished. 3.75 stars.

Received this audiobook ARC from NetGalley and HarperAudio for an honest Review

Small town bladesmith, Suraya is off to a ball in the capital city of Kaldari. When she gets there she finds a battle royale set up to win the prince's hand in marriage. However, the prince doesn't interest her. Instead his illegitimate half-brother, Roshan has caught her eye. Soon Suraya and Roshan are on the run.

I did enjoy this book. Suraya and Roshan are interesting and well-developed characters. The story kept me captivated. One thing that I didn't like though, was the pacing. The begining is super fast-paced. Then the middle is very very slow, and the end is fast-paced again and almost felt like things were wrapped up too quickly. Despite that, I did enjoy this book, and I would recommend it, especially for romantasy fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Anais Inara Chase and Ramiz Monsef were great narrators, and they made the book more interesting.

The Starlight Heir was my first novel by Amalie Howard, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story, which draws inspiration from Indian and Persian mythology and astrology. What made this book even more captivating was the futuristic touch the author infused into the narrative, evident in the characters’ dialogue, clothing, and the clever placement of hidden gems throughout the book. It was a refreshing and imaginative take that kept me engaged from start to finish.

If you’re obsessed with stabby FMCs, heart-pounding, fast-paced storylines, jaw-dropping plot twists, and just the right amount of spice, this book will blow you away!

Initially, I thought this book was a standalone, but the epilogue has me wondering if it might be the start of a series or perhaps part of a standalone series. The ending left the door wide open for more!

The narration by Anais Inara Chase (Roshan) and Ramiz Monsef (God of Night) was phenomenal. Anais brought Rohan to life with such vivid emotion, perfectly capturing her strength, determination, and complexity. Ramiz added an air of mystery and intrigue to the enigmatic God of Night, leaving just enough subtlety to keep you hooked. The care, time, and effort they put into the recording elevated the entire experience, making the story even more captivating and immersive.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was just alright for me. After reading what was in the book I was really excited about it but this book just missed the mark. I do wonder if I read it va listening to it, if it would have made a difference. The narrator voice was a little annoying, the man’s voice was cringy to listen too. The story line was pretty predictable and the FMC was oblivious more than she should have been. The love story also was not the slow burn that I look for. Overall it was an okay read, not one I would recommend to others.

When an invitation to be a candidate in the prince's marriage competition arrives at Suraya's doorstep, she thinks that there must have been some mistake. She is then pulled into a political plot and the games of gods. Suraya will learn why she possesses strange powers when forging weapons while learning about the royal family's own secrets.

First novels in a fantasy series can be hard. There is often too much complex worldbuilding dumped on you, or you are simply not given enough time with the characters and the world to feel any connection or investment in them. The Starlight Heir does not have any of these problems. The worldbuilding was unique and fun. I also thought the pacing of this book was perfect. I was very invested in the main characters and felt the overall story progressing quickly without an “insta-love” feel to the love story. The narrator was easy to understand at regular speed and sped up. Her voice definitely suited the character. I also love that they got a male narrator to do the small interludes. I will definitely be watching for the next installment and will listen to the audiobooks again!

Bladesmith Suraya's life is turned upside down when she receives an invitation to the palace as a potential bride selection for the crown prince of Kaldari.

Aspects I enjoyed about this book:
- Persian and Indian inspired mythology
- witty banter
-25 yo FMC
- slow burn romance
- fast paced
- roguish prince

While this was fast paced and moved along quickly, I did feel as if the beginning of the story was almost completely unnecessary to the story once it was revealed that it hadn't actually been a search for a bride, but actually deadly trials designed to sift out the starkeeper.

I also kept feeling taken out of the world/story with the modern phrases like "thick thighs save lives" and "prince-splaining"

Overall I did enjoy the story and romance, but wished there had been deeper plot and character development.

Thank you Avon and HarperAudio for providing an ARC Audiobook!

I went into this one blind and I’m so happy when it works out. I really enjoyed this romantasy. It was full of plot twists and I love when characters aren’t all they seem. I also love a story line about self-discovery. This one checks the boxes and I can’t wait for the next one.

This was a fun read! I loved the unique settings and set of diverse characters. The images of costumes and colors were so easy to picture. I love that the fmc considering herself a bit of a wallflower but also has this immmense power. I also thought that the crown prince was the mmc and boy am I glad I was wrong. The second brother, is so much more complex and entertaining. This book has trials and political intrigue. It has grand escapes and intense magic. I loved Suraya and Roseanne together, from the moment they laid eyes on each other. Sometimes the modern language and phrases took me out of the story a little though and I still have lots of questions around the mysterious god that interjects throughout the book. I really want to see where the story goes!

I also enjoyed the audiobook, but wish there was more distinction between the male and female voices. Sometimes I got confused about who was talking.

The Starlight Heir is a unique romantasy with adventure and plot twists that had me want to bingeing the whole audiobook in one day! The FMC, Suraya, is a refreshing combination of fierceness and just enough relatable insecurity that makes her an endearing heroine. From her humble beginnings, she is invited to the palace to compete with dozens of other women for the attention and affection of the prince of the kingdom. She soon realizes that the prince is not the prize the women think he is. And soon Suraya finds out that she herself is not who she thinks she is, which sets her onto a path of danger and self-discovery with the prince’s handsome half-brother.

I hadn’t previously heard much about this story so I went in blind. I’m so glad I listened to it! This is a must-read if you love romantasy!

I enjoyed the plot and storyline of The Starlight Heir. I feel like Suraya was too helpless and ignored every sign about what was happening, even while making note of the oddities. I also feel like this book should be marketed as YA because the behavior of out FMC was mor like a 17 year old not a 25 year old. Overall I will likely continue with this series since I'm intrigued to see Suraya's growth and want to know what happens next.

4 ⭐️
1 🌶️
0 💧

This is epic fantasy!!! The book felt like high fantasy, it has a wonderful story with interesting world building that is so engrossing and with the added bonus of a beautiful romance accompanying the journey. Very different and interesting magic, with fascinating gods and creatures. The story was easy to follow but had a strong plot and lots of captivating twists and surprises.

This was my first Amalie Howard novel and I was on the hooked from the first page. Such beautiful story telling. I can’t wait for the next book.

First off, I want to say thank you to HarperCollins Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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Girl gets invitation to compete for prince’s hand in trials that are not the norm. She finds his brother more interesting. Things just escalate from there when she finds out she’s more than what she seems.

This book was pretty fun. Both main characters were solid and the typical main character vibe you’d get from a romantasy book. I really liked the magic aspect of it. The trials for the Princes’s hand were interesting…

..I just wish we saw more of the trials. The book was giving me The Selection but violent. We didn’t get to see much of that. We also got little hints at the magic but then nothing else? I wanted to know the connection with the beast the Prince kept but nothing else was said really.

Also, most reviewers said this book was a standalone, but I don’t feel like it was. There was so much openendness to it!

I did listen to this audiobook and I am glad I don’t rate off the narrator. Anais Inara Chase was just okay. I had a hard time distinguishing her voices between female characters AND male characters. Usually when I listen to audiobooks voice acted by females I can’t even tell when they get into the male parts. It just flows nicely and I don’t think “that’s a woman doing a male voice”. This narrator did not do that for me. I may try out her other audiobooks to see how those go before I write her narration off. Ramiz Monsef was okay for the few chapters he did.


I would recommend this book to a romantasy reader who wasn’t too invested in plot but there for the vibes.

This book is spicy so just beware of that when you go in.

Rating: 3/5
Format: Audiobook/E-book

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio Adut, and Amalie Howard for providing me with the opportunity to listen to this ALC. This was a quick, entertaining read, and I absolutely loved Anais Inara Chase’s narration—it was fantastic!

The book feels more like a YA romantasy with some added spice, which is likely why it was marketed toward an adult audience (Which I completely agree with that decision). If the spice had been toned down and it was marketed as YA, I would have rated it higher. However, I personally found it a bit too clichéd and trope-heavy.

That said, if you go into this expecting a lighter fantasy with a YA vibe, you’ll likely enjoy it much more!

Thank you @netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!
As far as the story goes, it truly wasn’t for me. It felt like a mish mash of romantasy cliches. The FMC as a low class girl with some secret world shattering power, a prince MMC, shadow daddy vibe, a second act betrayal, and of course she’s a virgin. I personally won’t be looking forward to the next book. But with that being said, I did actually enjoy the narration of the audiobook itself! I felt like the narrator had a really solid flow and was able to give each character a unique voice that didn’t sound out of place. She was able to make intense scenes feel pretty real and high stakes, and the romantic scenes sweet and tender. I felt like the narrator made the story more palatable, whereas if I read this, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. I’m grateful to have gotten this early audiobook, but I probably wouldn’t recommend :/

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This was actually very captivating. It was my first read from this author and it was so easy to read and I felt like I flew through it. I loved the characters and the story. The story was so interesting and definitely had a good plot. The characters had great development throughout.

I felt I was slightly confused regarding the magic and in the epilogue, just felt like certain aspects weren't explained thoroughly but it was still a great read!

First and foremost I received an audiobook arc from NetGalley. 😊

Now, this is a story filled with all kinds of action, magic and love. I enjoyed most of the book until the end. So much happened that it felt rushed. More details could have been added to make it more of an Impactful ending.

As for the audio….The fmc narrator did a great job. However, the male voice sounded a bit off when it comes to audio quality.

I thought this was a pretty good book It was definitely out of my comfort zone in different than other things that I have listened to but I definitely would recommend it especially if you're a huge fantasy fan I think you would enjoy this book It had some really good details throughout the book and the story was very upbeat it kept you roped in and kept you interested in what was happening next from the very beginning until the very end

This book had two narrators, which was an interesting choice, but unfortunately, it didn’t save the story for me. The male narrator I truly hated and dreaded him speaking.

The premise—girl with a something inside her, a hidden power her mother locked away—definitely caught my attention. But as the story unfolded, I couldn’t help feeling like it was a rushed, less compelling version of similar books I’ve read before. Honestly it felt like a cheap version of Amélie Wen Zhao’s Song of Silver, Flame Like Night.

The story felt like it borrowed heavily from popular fantasy tropes without adding much originality. The “shadow daddy” vibes and the brooding bad boy with secrets were straight out of Fourth Wing. Even the concept of portals reminded me of Victoria Aveyard’s Realm Breaker. It felt like the book tried to pull from too many sources without bringing something unique to the table.

One aspect I found frustrating was the romance—or lack thereof. The protagonist’s dynamic with the prince was hard to follow. Why was there a wall between them? What was the boundary keeping them apart? In other books, this might be explained with “he’s the villain” or “he’s dangerous,” but here, it just felt vague and underdeveloped.

The shadow man subplot also felt abandoned. Dreams about him were a big focus early on, but by the 75% mark, they just disappeared without resolution. What was the purpose of the dark god? These elements felt like loose threads in a story that struggled to keep its focus.

That said, the author is skilled at writing steamy scenes. But honestly, those scenes felt unnecessary here. If the explicit content were removed, this could have been a strong YA novel. As it stands, the romance felt forced and didn’t add much to the story.

Despite its flaws, I’ll give credit where it’s due—the last few chapters tied things up neatly, though not enough to make me eager for book two. Ultimately, this book felt like a romance parody of a typical teen fantasy adventure.

Wow! What an exciting journey of magic and starlight! Suraya, our FMC is brave, independent, caring, and just a good person. She gets summoned to the king’s palace along with many women from around her kingdom, and that starts the beginning of great change and revelation for her.

I got very “Aladdin” vibes just because of the setting. It seems to be a hot, desert country. The plot was exciting and unique, not just another romantasy. R te his is something new. Not fae and dragons, although I like those things, but it’s nice to have some creativity shine. This is an adult book, so there is language and bedroom scenes. But if you like fantasy and folklore themes, I highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!