The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
Fantasy with romance. Romantasy.
Suraya Saab receives an invitation to court in the capital city. The prince is looking for a bride. Suraya doesn’t care about the prince or becoming his bride. She just wants the adventure in the city and then she’ll come home and continue to work in the forge with her bladesmith skills.
Suraya hasn’t had any magic in the past but all that changes at court where she is provoked, forced to fight, and watch innocent people die. All in the name of the prince finding a bride. Her magic sparks when confronted by a creature that has already eaten several of the other females contenders in the ring. Now the Prince, King and Queen have their eye on her. And they won’t stand for her innocent flirting with the gardener anymore. Not that he is really the grounds keeper. Very soon, fight to the death will mean just that. For the entire kingdom.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook to read this. The narration is performed by Anais Inara Chase (the majority) and Ramiz Monsef. Both do a wonderful job of making their presence known with a compelling performance. I like a print version for visualization but an audiobook to make the characters come alive. And this does not disappoint. The terror, and rage, and lust and determination come through clearly as the fantasy progresses from a daughter and commoner going to a party to that of a god of the stars. An impressive text and narration. I’m sure I will listen to this again.
I did increase the speed to a normal conversation level of 1.5.

Breathtaking adult fantasy that simply comes alive.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher HarperAudio Adult.

This is a wonderful, fantastical story with beautiful writing and amazing magic. I loved the characters and the mystery surrounding the magic and shadows that Suraya had hidden from her. This was a beautiful story of intrigue, hidden power, sexy ire and so much more. I was hesitant going in with such intense world building and the pacing that was set but I am now sold! I cannot wait to see what happens with Roshan and Suraya next and I can't wait to see what may lurk in the shadows...

I was expecting more from this. The cover is so beautiful and I would frame it! Unfortunately the plot felt flat to me

Read this if you love: World Building, Dangerous Trials, Secrets, Forced Proximity, Magic, and Royalty. I enjoyed the FMC a bunch and absolutely loved the banter she had going on with the main MMC (there's a lot of MCs lol). There was tons of action and the storyline was well paced. One thing to note is that even though this book is a standalone(?), I think it leaves things open for the story to continue.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for the advance audiobook (ALC)! I thought the narrator did a great job and that the audiobook was engaging. - Side note, super excited to see what the Fairyloot version looks like!

The Starlight Heir is the first installment in a debut adult romantasy series. I absolutely loved the FMC, Suraya! She is feisty, brave, witty, stabby, and unapologetic. Summoned to the palace by the royal family, Sura’s whole world is turned upside down when she’s thrown into a deadly competition to become the Prince’s bride. With clearly sinister motivates, the evil Queen and the Prince are on the hunt for someone specific, someone with the power of the stars.

Suraya realizes that somehow she is their target and part of an ancient folklore prophecy. The Starlight Heir is action-packed with slow burn spicy romance, magic portals, an ancient shadow daddy dream lover, a bastard prince, hidden identities, the chosen one, secrets, and betrayal.

I totally recommend this for romantasy lovers! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

This book lives RENT FREE in my head without a doubt. I need to invent a time machine for book 2 already because I am foaming at the mouth, clawing at the bars of my enclosure for it. I NEED more

The Starlight Heir

I loved all of Amalie Howard's historical romances and I'm a huge fantasy girlie so obviously put those together and I'M IN!

Summoned to the capital city to be considered as a contestant to be the bride of the future king, Suraya expects excitement and laughs from a few fancy days at court. She doesn't expect the incredibly handsome brother of the future king, nor does she expect to discover she has powers. When the rebels attack the court, her fate is set on an adventure written in the stars, seeking refuge with the rebels and trusting Roshan, the prince's illegitimate half-brother. Adventure, magic, monsters, betrayal, sacrifice and fulfilling your destiny ensue.

The start gave me The Selection vibes with a mix of Trials of the Sun Queen and the Powerless series because there's another prince brother (smirk). Followed by a Reckless kind of adventure. This was a lot of fun, especially if you're a fan of romantasy. Towards the end, I thought it was going to be a standalone fantasy, but the epilogue will have us coming back for more in Book 2 to learn more about the mysterious dark god. And will the shadow lover with inky tendrils be back?! That's what the people need to know!!

Check this out if you're looking for:
- Adult romantasy
- Instalove/lust
- Queen trials turned into a rebellion fight
- A mysterious shadow lover that brings satisfyingly spicy dreams
- Fulfilling your destiny / chosen one

The audio narration was delightful. I absolutely adored the narration, and the occasional interlude POVs by the 'dark God' were delightfully mysterious and will keep me coming back for book 2. I highly recommend the audio if you're picking this one up!

Thank you to Dreamscape for this ALC! The Starlight Heir is on shelves January 7, 2024. My opinions are my own.

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this audiobook and I want to thank Harperaudio and Netgalley for this opportunity! I didn't realize at first that this book was yet to be released because I had seen so many people posting about it on social media and book sites. After listening to it, I can definitely see why there is so much excitement!

It starts out with Suraya, small town blacksmith, who is invited to the palace in the capital city of the realm. That very quickly turns into a competition to win the crown prince's hand in marriage and eventually a flight across the realm to save herself from attacks on all sides. Don't worry! She's accompanied by the prince's attractive half-brother who wants to protect her and her new-found magic.

This audiobook was incredibly easy to listen to. There are two narrators - one male and one female, I thought they both did a great job. The pace was just right, I could really feel the emotions through the narration, and the characters each had their own distinct voice.

The author did a lot of work on world building, the writing was well done, and the story itself was interesting. The magic system was somewhat unique to me since most of the magic in the realm is contained within a special metal called jadu (isn't it lucky that our FMC just *happens* to be a blacksmith?). There are a lot of political workings, propaganda, secrets brought to light, magical guidance, and action sequences. This book left me with A LOT of questions that I cannot write here without spoiling the entire thing, but it did not really take away from my enjoyment of the story and I am keeping my fingers crossed that future books will answer those for me.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel particularly invested in the relationship between the FMC and MMC, but I think that it is less because it wasn't well done and more likely because I started this book without reading the synopsis. I expected the love story to go one way and I was a little puzzled when it ended up going the way it did. (For those readers who like to know, there are several explicit scenes where the characters are intimate. I would maybe rate this book 3/5 on a spice scale.)

Overall, I thought it was well written, easy to listen to, engaging, interesting, and a solid romantasy; especially if your tastes lean towards higher fantasy settings. I would definitely recommend. Four stars!

e-ARC & audio-ARC from NetGalley.

3.5

This was a fast-paced, entertaining read that I enjoyed. It had elements of The Selection and Rebel of the Sands with a big heaping of Powerless vibes. There are also hints of a future shadow daddy. The romantasy girlies will eat this up!

Our protagonist, Suraya, is an inn keeper's daughter who also enjoys the occasional illegal forging of weapons. She receives an invitation to the royal palace to compete for the prince's hand in marriage. This competition includes beautiful gowns, balls, and an arena death match between contestants. From the start, she does not like the prince she is there to court, but prefers the other prince, the more rugged one, with whom she can verbally spar. But, when a rebel attack ruins a banquet, Suraya finds herself on the run - from the prince who means to use her and the kingdom that has outlawed her magic. Magic she didn't know she even had.

I found the beginning of the story compelling, the middle rather slow, and the end gripping. While the novel itself was rather predictable and hit all the same beats as most other fantasy romance novels, including the training, the secret romantic rendezvous, and the underdeveloped character relationships, I think it was a solid start to a series with an ending that promises what could be an utterly unputdownable sequel.

When Suraya, a young bladesmith, is invited to vie for the crown prince’s hand, she takes the invitation as a chance to see the castle her mother once loved. The contest for the crown prince’s hand, though, is not what it seems; unrest in the kingdom is starting to crescendo; and magical forces are awakening in Suraya.

As she begins to fall for the crown prince’s half-brother and everything becomes more complicated and tangled, Suraya is left wondering who truly is in charge of her fate.

Read it for
- The verbal sparring
- The physical sparring
- Some 🔥🔥🔥 dreams
- And some 🔥🔥🔥 scenes

Be prepared for politics, political intrigue, and some gruesome descriptions. (I’m looking at you, Scavs.)

I’m curious to see where this story goes and how the gods will interfere in the next chapter.

I loved the narration by Anais Inara Chase. Her narration kept me engrossed in the story, and I would gladly listen to her narrate fantasy any day. Ramiz Monsef’s narration was more jarring to me but also felt fitting to his character’s POV.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from HarperAudio. All review opinions are my own.

If The Bachelor and The Hunger Games had a baby this is the book you need to read. I don’t read a lot of fantasy books because they intimidate, but this romantasy was an adventure I would like to keep reading.Prophecies, magic and adventure I had a great time reading this book. Definitely had me hanging by a thread at intense moments. The steamy scenes were very hot Amelia Howard does not disappoint.

The cover grabbed my attention. I'm so glad I listened to it. Loads of secrets to uncover. The storyline is believable (even though magic is involved). I thought it was a why choose trope type somewhere in the middle. It wasn't. lol. The ending gives you happily ever after vibes with a window of opportunity for a second book. I really hope there's a second. I want the fated mates bond to fall in place!

The Starlight Heir had a promising premise with its Persian and Indian-inspired setting, unique mythology, and dangerous trials, but it fell short for me. While the world-building and magic system showed potential, they were too underdeveloped to fully immerse me.

Suraya's inconsistent choices and the modern slang disrupted the fantasy vibe, making it hard to connect with her journey. The romance with Roshan felt rushed, with instant attraction overshadowing the slow-burn dynamic. Pacing was another issue, starting too fast and leaving little room for deeper character development or richer world-building.

That said, the audio narration is well done, enhancing the experience despite the story’s flaws. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, and all opinions are my own.

Despite its shortcomings, the cultural backdrop and some thrilling moments during the trials kept it interesting enough to finish. With more polish, this could have been truly memorable.

The banter was top notch. Not only between the FMC and the MMC, but with other characters as well. The relationship between the FMC and her best friend was so special. I loved seeing female friendship represented in such a real way. Their teasing conversations, and interactions brought so much life to the story, and really sucked me in. That was probably one of my favorite parts.

“𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡, 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧.”

The verbal sparring between the FMC and MMC was spectacular. The FMC is quick, and witty, with a foul mouth. She’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind. My favorite kind of character. 😏 And the MMC can be just as filthy. Perfection. 🙌🏼 The tension builds nicely. Although there is instant attraction, and that can put a reader off, in this case, it’s done in a way that isn’t a turn off. The relationship develops over time as they are thrown into a forced proximity situation, and it feels natural.

Amalie truly has a way with words. Her descriptions of food had me ready to take a bite out of my kindle. 🤤😅 The prose was beautiful. She turns regular sentences into something breathtaking. I thoroughly enjoyed reading her words.

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙙.”

The ending. 😳 I have so many questions. I’m broken. I’m healed. I’m scared. I’m confused. I’m intrigued. It’s really not fair Amalie... I’ll be waiting with bated breath for book 2.

Audiobook/Book Review 📖✨

thank you so much partner @avonbooks and harper audio adult for the gifted ARC and audiobook!

The Starlight Heir
by Amalie Howard

About the book 👇🏽

When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.

But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who captures her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the Starkeeper—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.

✨ My thoughts:

Are you kidding me?! I am obsessed with this!! I could not get enough and I did not want to put it down. I switched between physical
book and audiobook and both were incredible! The audiobook narrators did a phenomenal job with this story. I was not expecting this story to be so twisty and addictive. The secrets, the adventure, the romance… all things that are sure to keep you in a choke hold. It’s fast paced, action packed, and the world building is easy to follow. It’s all sort of things I love in a romantasy! I am crossing my fingers for a finished copy of this one but if not, I still plan on buying myself a copy because it’s very much needed and a must on my shelves. Don’t mind me… I’ll be impatiently waiting for book two!! For my romantasy readers that love the chosen one trope, twisty stories, and bingeable books, this is a must read in 2025! The Starlight Heir is out TOMORROW 1/7/25!

Happy reading! 📖✨

3.5 ⭐️, rounded up to 4 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC of the audiobook!

I personally feel like this book is a better read than listen for myself. I’d been craving some good romantasy lately and definitely found my fix! I fell in love with the setting and characters ✨

Great audio. The main characters had an instant connecting and didn’t understand why. Slowly everything started releasing itself. Enjoyed this book. If you are looking for a romantasy this one would be a good pick

I've been a HUGE fan of Howard's historical romance books but this latest romantasy blew me away!! Great on audio, this had Hunger games vibes and sees Suraya Saab, a young bladesmith virgin being chosen to compete for the Royal heir's hand in marriage. Even though Suraya has no interest in being a wife, she does yearn to see beyond her little town. What she never expected was to fall for the Prince's bastard brother or discover she's had hidden potential inside her all along and might just be the key to saving the kingdom. Full of magic, romance, adventure, secrets and more, this was great on audio narrated by Anais Inara Chase and Ramiz Monsef. It's also the perfect book to pick up for fans of the Fourth Wing series or The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! The cover alone will have me snapping up a copy as soon as it hits stores to keep on my forever fav fantasy shelf!

This book was a lot of fun. I am loving all the new fantasy reads. Suraya and Rochan captured me from the moment they met. Suraya thought he was just a boy from town and when she realized he was a prince, she couldn't believe it. She was at this palace, fighting for the attention of the prince, but inadvertantly fell for the wrong one on sight.
What Suraya didn't know was that something deeper and darker was lingering beneath. The prince and his mother were in search for the Starkeeper, and they suspect that Suraya is that girl. With danger near, Rochan and Suraya go on the run. Suraya has no control over the power brewing in her and she needs help trying to learn to control it. They find solace with Rochan's cousin and he is there to help her wield her powers, but they aren't safe for long. The prince knows where they are and will stop at nothing to find her and make her his.
This book was twisty and turny and I liked the romance between Suraya and Rochan. There were many things that I have seen in fantasy before but there were little spins to make them her own. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Harper Audio, Netgalley and Amalie Howard for an ALC.

Thank you to Avon Books/Harper Collins for sending me an early copy of The Starlight Heir. What an amazing book to start off my year with. This book had everything I love in fantasy romance books. It was action packed throughout the entire story and kept me captivated from the first page! I loved our female main character, Suraya Saab. She is strong, resilient, and witty. Oh, did I mention she also loves romance books? I cannot wait to see what the second book in the series has in store for us!