Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for this lovely romantasy audiobook! This review may contain slight spoilers towards the story.

Overall 3.5 star rating.

The narrators for the audiobook do a very good job. I never had any trouble distinguishing the characters from each other and the emotion placed in the narration really pulled me into the story. A story which is, overall, a romantasy through and through. I enjoyed the world we have in The Starlight Heir and it starts out what felt like might become a very redundant plot of trials to win a prince's hand in marriage. However, I enjoyed how it veers off and we have more world building, traveling, and how the romance heats up in the middle and not having to wait for the entire book. Overall a solid romantic fantasy that really hits the ground running and is fast paced enough to keep me hooked in for the entire book. It was a story that I needed and left drops of intrigue for the sequel. I look forward to seeing what comes next! There were some weaker spots in the story, a POV that I really need more from and felt it was left in for mystery but was a bit more confusing, though expecting it to be clarified more in the sequel. If you're looking for that romantasy story that has adventure, royal troubles, magic and small dose of delicious spiciness, than this is certainly one for you!

The Starlight Heir audio book was a fun listen. Anais Inara Chase and Ramiz Monsef did a wonderful job bringing this world to life. I will say that because of the lore it might have been a better story to read so I could easily turn back and reference names and lore.

While I liked the overall story and world, I felt that the timing was a bit confusing. At times the plot would escalate quickly and others it felt slow moving. The last 20% redeemed a lot of my opinions about the book and brought it from a 3 to a 4 star rating. That said, I will be reading book 2 as I'm curious to see where it leads the characters.

This book definitely got added to my recommended romantasy list! Suraya is the daughter of a tavern keeper and an apprentice blacksmith. The prince of her kingdom is looking for a bride and sends out invitations to a handful of girls across the land and one falls in her lap. Unable to refuse an invite from the royal family she attends only to find out there is a much darker plot lying under this guise of a search for a bride. With the help of Roshan she fight for her survival and her kingdom.
This book had me hooked! I loved the world building for this book since I don’t see many fantasy stories in dessert land settings. The creatures and cultures were unique but still had elements that were familiar so you didn’t feel like you were having to learn everything from scratch. The characters and interactions felt a tad YA at times but over all the story was fascinating and kept a good pace. The interactions between Roshan and Suraya made me smile at their quips and verbal battles which added to the spicy moments too. There was one or two aspects that I didn’t fully grasp and feel like loose ends but I have a strong feeling that they were build up to a second book so I can’t complain before waiting to see. All in all a great entertaining read that I would highly recommend for Romantasy readers looking for something that feels fresh and different from other stories in the genre.

This audiobook was perfection. The voices matched the characters and the narration was wonderful! I will definitely recommend to Romantasy friends.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Starlight Heir. I had high hopes for this book, and overall the story was intriguing, but there were some things that did not work for me personally. I do not enjoy modern references in fantasy books most of the time. I feel like it really takes me out of that fictional world. I also prefer more of a slow burn romance. It did not really feel earned to me, it was too quick. I thought the magic system was really interesting and overall this book was enjoyable. 3.5 stars

The Starlight Heir is the tortured prince shadow daddy romantasy of my DREAMSSSSS
IT WAS a deeply romantic and addictive masterpiece that starts off with a contest for a bride that quickly turns deadly
there’s mistaken identities, hidden magic and prophecies, and so many secrets that will keep you guessing and unable to put the book down
It truly had one of the most unique magic systems rooted in Persian and Indian mythology with stunning world building
Also talk about sizzling tension, delicious banter, and steaming moments that had me fanning myself. all while bursting with adventure and magic !!!
The ending had my jaw completely on the floor I am desperately longing for more, trust me you’re gonna need to read this one

The Starlight Heir is a fast-paced, instalust romantasy where a bladesmith receives an invitation to compete for the Crown Prince’s hand in marriage and instead finds herself vibing with his illegitimate brother instead.
The premise was interesting - lost magic, gods, astrology and star charts, but I was let down by the execution. This was a fantasy society that does not exist anywhere near a modern time period but was full of modern slang that would immediately halt my immersion and bring me back to reality. (See: thick thighs save lives, resting bitch face, and prince splaining). That type of language felt super out of place in the setting and atmosphere of the book.
I also struggled with Suraya as a character. She seemed to make some of the worst choices and I don’t think those choices supposed to be about her development as a character. She also was constantly saying “sands” and glancing up through her lashes and that definitely started to grate on me.
I liked Roshan as a MMC and forbidden love interest but his chemistry with Suraya was lukewarm at best. There was such an opportunity for tension and longing and instead Suraya is in instalust/love with him because she’s a 25 year old virgin (also why this needed to be made a specific plot point in itself is unclear to me-it felt like it was stuck in there to be one more trope).
Overall this book had a lot of potential and a lackluster follow through. I’m not sure I’ll be picking up any future books in this series despite how gorgeous the covers are.
The audio of this book had 2 narrators who I think did a good job of capturing the essence of the characters they were narrating. The female narrator did the bulk of the narration and was able to create voices and personas in her reading and kept me engaged enough to finish the book.

I did like this book. Overall is was well done. The pacing was slow and fast at times. I don't think it knew what it wanted from itself. It was worth the read, the characters were well thought out and, yes overall is was well done! Thank you netgalley for the audio ARC

📖 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅
🎧 𝑵𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 & 𝑹𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒛 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒇

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴.”

This book had me completely enthralled from the very beginning! As a fantasy book sometimes the world building can be a bit overwhelming, but I felt like Amalie tackled it perfectly! The world she created was great.

The second time reading this story I did a hybrid read while listening to the audiobook and WOW! The narration by 𝑨𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 & 𝑹𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒛 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒇, was PHENOMENAL. I got so much more out of my reading experience while listening to the audio. The magic in the story truly resonated so much more and it was like a treat for my mind! The voices for Roshan & the God of Night, were perfect!

As with all fantasy books, I know I would pick up on a lot of new things each time I go back and reread it. I fully plan on sitting down with this story again!

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.”

Suraya, our FMC and main POV for the story, was a great lead. She cares deeply about those she loves and became a fierce protector. She struggles with her new powers during the story but the climax was perfect.

“𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺? 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.”

Prince Roshan was a dreamboat! I freaking loved him, he’s a flawed character with plenty of secrets, but at his core he is a protector. The banter between him and Suraya was a highlight of this story! I love them together. This is an open door, spicy slow burn that will leave you wanting more!

“𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

There is a surprise POV sprinkled in during the book and it left me wanting more from this character.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘧***𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘥.” 🤭

As the first book in the series, this one did leave off on a bit of a cliffhanger. I am so excited for the direction Amalie is taking this story! If you love romantasy stories with a powerful FMC and a story that keeps you guessing, go add 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅, to your TBR today! I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook for this story! Experience the adventure first hand!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✨ 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺
🗺️ 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨
🔥 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘔𝘊
👑 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘹 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳
🤭 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳
👀 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴
❤️‍🔥 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯

This romantasy read left me with a lot of questions which makes me hope there will be another book. I was really intrigued by the magic system and the story of the Starkeeper. I would love more about that. And the god bound in shadows?!?! Needed more of that too! The ending felt rushed, but overall I enjoyed this read. The narrator did an excellent job. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen in exchange for a review.

One of my favourite things about this story was the almost irreverent approachability of the narrarator. It was made possible by language that feels a vibrant as the story- there is modern language, woven in with the very fantastical and often lofty language that is common in romantasy.

The tension in this was also top notch and I loved the chosen one who is actually fierce and not a delicate wee flower.

Enjoyable, if a bit dense. The worldbuilding was really worth the bits that felt overwhelming, the romance was excellent, and even though there's not a ton of spice, I absolutely LOVE the mood that's set with intense, actionable world building and imagery that makes both lust for sex and violence feel tangible in the story.

This was an interesting romantasy with a very fun plot line. We follow Suraya, our female protagonist as she goes from a naive and sweet girl and watch her turn into a real badass with the aid of Roshan, the prince's half brother as the two of them turn fugitive after an incident at the palace which almost kills Suraya but instead shows how amazing she and her newfound power are going to be. With an unique magic system, a brooding but fierce love interest and a power greedy prince hunting them as Suraya and Rochan hide themselves amongst rebels, the action starts quite quickly and builds from there, making this book an easy and quick read.

Recommended for those who like Indian inspired mythology and cosmic magic. The audiobook narrators are also quite good at bringing this world to life.

The book is still listed as a standalone but I wouldn't be surprised with seeing a sequel or companion book in the future. It feels like the author has many more stories they could tell from this world.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperAudio Adult for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“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.

The narrator was so good and easy to listen too. Flew through it.

A big thanks to Harper Audio and Netgalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

This book is a compilation of so many of my favourite fantasy tropes - I love me a deadly competition, secret identity, slow burn romance, corrupt governments, etc! It's no surprise then that I enjoyed this one 😂. I was absolutely hooked for the entirety of the first half, after that it slows a little but by then I was being distracted by Roshan 🤭😂 and it sped back up towards the end with some twists! The world building was very fun, being inspired by Indian and Persian mythology, and I enjoyed the magic and the idea of the Starkeeper. Some of the language used in this book is quite modern, as in I hear some of these words and terms in my day to day, and that sometimes pulled me out of the story a bit. But overall, I enjoyed this a lot and if you're looking for a book to get lost in, this one worked for me!

The narrators were also excellent - I felt like they brought the characters to life and matched them quite well, which made this an engaging listen!

CW: Torture, death, sexual content.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperAudio for the alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This is my first amalia Howard book now I want to read her entire backlist and any future book. This was phenomenal and I read this right after quicksilver. I didn't expect the spice but loved that part. Top to bottom outstanding book.

Suggest picking it up.
4.5/5☆

* On StoryGraph rated 2.75 ⭐️ *
The Starlight Heir is a very standard romantasy book, lots of action, special powers and mythical lore to justify characters power and spicy scenes between MMC and FMC. I found the pacing of the plot to be a bit uneven at times and found the setting very vaguely described and it's really only the names of the characters that give a "Persian" vibe (but this could be because I listened to the audiobook version and did not have a map). I usually enjoy a bit of spice in books but found the spice scenes a bit off- putting.


Thank you Netgally and HarperAudio for the ARC - all opinions are my own

I've enjoyed Amalie Howard's historical romances and was excited to read a fantasy by her!

Suraya is a bladesmith who gets invited to compete for the King Zarek's hand in marriage. When she arrives, instead she's drawn in by the king's half brother Roshan.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced adventure and found myself immediately rooting for Suraya. I never knew what would happen next, in a very fun way. The magic system and world building was super well done. The audiobook was well done and I really enjoyed the narrator.

Tropes:
* Chosen One
* Trials
* Slow Burn
* Secret Identities

4 stars

I absolutely devoured The Starlight Heir, this story had me engaged from the very first chapter. Anais and Ramiz did a fantastic job narrating this book, It took me just over a day to get through the 12 hour audio. 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!

Thank you to NetGalley & Haper Collins for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Starlight Heir is equal parts fantasy and romance, a balanced blend that satisfied my favorite cravings. We follow Suraya Saab, a bladesmith who is invited to the capital amongst other young women to potentially be the prince's bride. However, Suraya doesn't want to be princess, she just wants to see more of the world and especially the capital city her late mother talked so lovingly about.
Despite not looking for love, the illegitimate half-brother of the prince catches her eye. But Roshan has secrets of his own that begin to come to light when the pair discover the prince's true mission is to reveal the Starkeeper- a girl rumored to hold the magic of the Stars. And there's even more political schemes at play as rebel attacks and deceits continue to pop up.

As for the audio narration: the narrators did a wonderful job.

I loved the fantasy aspects of this story and the tension of the plot built so well. The pacing was a little disjointed at times, but not enough that it pulled me from the story. I do prefer more of a slow burn, and although the sexual tension built and exploded wonderfully, the romance itself felt very insta-lovey. I think this potentially had to do with the disjointed pacing.
Seeing Saraya grapple with learning her magic (which is a wonderful trope I love) was so good! And seeing her shift into bada$$ mode from time to time was also very satisfying.

I am definitely interested in reading more by this author &, if this gets a sequel, I will be picking it up!

Thank you Avon Books and Harper Audio for my gifted advance review and advance listening copies.

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*

I adored the audiobook—Anais Inara delivers a FANTASTIC performance, bringing all the different characters to life. Her narration was completely immersive.