The narrator of this audiobook did a FANTASTIC job bringing this world to life - I will listen to anything read by her! The characters were perfect, and I preferred listening to reading!

The book itself was really interesting, and I enjoyed it! However, it's really a difficult one for me to rate and review, as I felt very different about the story at different points.

I absolutely loved the beginning and the world-building based off of mythology. It reminded me of Egyptian and Indian mythology mixed, and the magic system was really unique. I loved the side characters and the premise, and it had me hooked for the first 20%.

It kind of got a bit Dune Part 2 toward the middle, not in a bad way... but the pacing just changed in a way I wasn't expecting.

We had some twists and reveals at the end, and it set things up for book 2 quite nicely. I think I would have loved more explanation on what was going on with certain perspectives that did become important toward the very end, though!

I think fans of Powerless would love this book based on the love story and magic system!

One thing I have noticed with romantasy is that many of them keep the world building to a minimum. The Starlight Heir does not. The map needs to be consulted, I could have used a more extensive directory because the one provided was very simplified.. It is especially hard with listening to grasp this world. However, this is still an excellent listen..

The romance is hot with extreme levels of adventure. It was hard to figure out exactly where it was going, although the leader of the Dahaka was pretty obvious throughout the story.

All in all, a pretty enjoyable romantasy with excellent narration.

Thank you to Net Galley, Harper Audio Adult, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the DRC. All opinions are my own!

All I all I liked the narrator but I think the modern slang and the insta-list threw me off the story and I wasn’t able to enjoy it properly.

Can we talk about how STUNNING this cover is? Thank you netgalley, the publishers and the author for my gifted copies of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really loved the premise of this book. I felt like in some ways I knew what to expect and others I did not! I really appreciated Suraya’s strength but would have loved to see her try to control her power more in this book. I hope we see what she can do in the next one!

There is definitely a little instalove..or instalust? I like Suraya and Roshan together but I wish we would have gone a little more in depth on their relationship.

🎧 I will say I loved the narration on this one. Anais Inara Chase did an amazing job narrating most of this book and the little tidbits by Ramiz Monsef were great.

I’m interested to see where this story goes next and the secrets yet to be uncovered! This one is out January 7th and if you like romantasy could be right up your alley!

This was a pretty generic romantasy and doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre. I read the audio and didn’t love the female narrator. Spice was well done but forgettable plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I absolutely loved this book! I had already recommended it to three people before I even finished it!

I need the next book like now!! This book had everything you could want in it…forbidden love, enemies to lovers and secret identity!!

Suraya is a bladesmith who has been chosen to go to the palace as a contestant for the prince’s hand in marriage. We start seeing something funny going on because instantly her dad and aunt don’t want her to go, but she goes anyways. Once there she realizes things aren’t as they seem and she needs to get as far away from there as possible. With the help of the prince’s half brother they start on the run.

The world building in this was phenomenal. This was so fast-paced. I finished it so quick I couldn’t put it down.

4/5 stars and I would highly recommend this to everyone.

This was such a fast-paced and very entertaining romantic!! I loved the chosen one trope we got in this, and the slow burn was so intense and incredible. There is a bit of modern language in this fantasy book that kind of threw me off at some points, but honestly, it fit pretty well in this book that by the end of it, I really didn't mind it at all. There is one explicit scene in this book, but the romance is so good, and the tense is just perfect. I highly recommend everyone listen to this!

This was a good book. I honestly liked the fantasy side of it more than the romance. The characters, to me, lacked chemistry. I am super curious to see if the author does a second book. I would love to read it.

❣️This was top tier for me!
Chosen One trope, unique magic system, political intrigue, betrayal, this book has it all.

I loved the FMC! And her character development was fantastic. The spice scenes were great.

Fast paced and gripping from the first chapter. You won’t be able to put this down!!!!

❗️Disclaimed: This review isn’t to tell the author that their work is bad or not. This review is simply based on my own personal opinion of the book. I do suggest you give it a chance before you form an opinions about it and decide whether you like it or not.❗️

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the ALC and ARC of this book.


This was a though book for me to rate. The start of the book I would say is a 1 maybe 2 stars. I would say because the book reads like a YA even though it isn’t, so the spice scenes surprised me and gave me whiplash even though I knew it had spice. I also found myself quite bored at the start and didn’t care for any of the characters or the story, making me almost dnf at 30%, I found myself zoning out and forgetting stuff because I wasn’t interested in the story but I powered through and don’t regret it. Towards the middle of the book it becomes a 3 star because I can ignore the fact it reads like YA and we are also slowly leaving it behind in my opinion.The story gets interesting there and I found myself actually liking the characters more. I also zone out less and actually start to like the story. Then comes the end of the book which is the best part in my opinion and why I will probably continue this series. I loved seeing more of the magic and the action scenes where really well described. I liked the romance even though I’m rooting for another romance (if you know you know 👀). I do think the romance was very insta lust and a bit rushed for my liking but it didn’t ruin the story for me. In the end I do think I like this story and I will probably continue this series because the ending left me intrigued. I also think we can only go up from here and that this series could become a 4 star maybe 5 star series. If you are like me and find the start difficult to get into I would suggest you power through because it goes up from there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions in this review are my own.

RATING AND OVERALL THOUGHTS:

2 stars barely. DNF’d at 41%/147 pages. This was a book that based on the synopsis was full of promise but the execution was without substance that fell flat with modern colloquialisms in a very whitewashed feeling Persian fantasy setting and characters that read like they were 15. I did try to push through as long as I could with the book but I literally couldn’t care anymore about the story or the characters to continue.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

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“It’s called breath play..” “I know what it’s called, you ass. Don’t prince-splain me.”

WHAT I LOVED:

- The narrators are fantastic and the reading experience was definitely heightened because of them, although mainly it was just the female narrator. The male narrator hardly had any chapters and not sure what the purpose was to have a dual style narration for that. The single narrator would’ve been fine for the 2-3 pages needed for those or at that point, make it better and do a duet narration. The female narrator did do a great job making every voice sound different regardless of gender.
- The cover is absolutely beautiful!
- The worldbuilding and lore was interesting though I wish we had gotten more from it. I was interested in the House faction system as well.
- The book had me at the first 15% of the novel despite its quirks.

WHAT I DISLIKED:

- This has been beaten like a dead horse already in the reviews but I am going to say it, the modern language and the constant swearing. Completely out of place and it took me out so many times. It was like if you got dropped in a fantasy world like GoT and the first thing someone says to you is, “Yo dawg, what’s up?” It was slightly jarring the first time but you could overlook it but then it continued and it became cringy.
- It felt like a “here is what to write in a romantasy” checklist type of book and so, it wasn’t well written. There was no *substance* with anything. It was barebones and was just chugging along from one checkpoint to the next.
- The dialogue between the 15% and the 35% I was wanna say took a steep nose dive. I think part of that is my first point about the modern language but even outside of that, it needed a few more passes.
- The characters. Firstly the FMC couldn’t decide on a personality from one section to the next and then she and the MMC literally read like they were 15, not the 25 and late 20’s they were per the text. Everyone else was so one note dimensional they could’ve been written out and nothing would’ve changed.
- The synopsis at all gave me nothing about a sudden trials for the bride for the prince, in fact I was expecting more of a cat and mouse political intrigue so I was left disappointed but open minded until the trials actually started, which then gave me nothing, and then was over just as quickly.

WHAT I AM NOT SURE ABOUT/WANTED MORE OF:

- I wanted more of the culture and mythology that this is based in. It really felt like the publisher said “na that sounds too brown, make it more white sounding”. Like other than a *very* few descriptions of some Persian elements, the rest felt like any other generic European fantasy. I also wasn’t sure what any of the characters look like, I recall one instance of “ashy skin” being mentioned but either I was checking out of the story earlier than I realized, or it wasn’t there. I know this is a BIPOC story by a BIPOC author but it felt nothing like it. I know sometimes BIPOC authors either are forced to straddle the line between making it as “palatable” as possible to as many readers as possible (read: white) or staying as true to their own heritage/culture/etc as they can knowing that some readers won’t “connect” as much. In this case it felt like the former. Take all of this with a grain of salt however since I am whiter than generic store bought bread, its just what I noticed.
- What was the point of the God of Death chapters? They seemed pointless? It didn’t really give me anything. Also the sex dreams felt oddly placed, like it was just there to make the book seem more spicy.

The Starlight Heir was a thrilling, action-packed ride from start to finish! It whisked me away on a magical adventure that was nothing short of mesmerizing. The story was so immersive, I felt as though I was right there, living each moment alongside the characters. The dual narration—one male, one female—was brilliantly executed, with both voices perfectly capturing the essence of their characters. Each narrator brought their unique perspective to the story, making the characters feel incredibly real and relatable. The twist and turns were gripping. This book was truly an unforgettable journey!

Suraya Saab is the daughter of a tavern owner and works a blacksmith dabbling in illegal runes in a quiet town. However, her life changes suddenly when she receives an invitation to the Royal palace where the crown prince will choose his bride from the invitees. While Suraya is not particularly taken with the idea, she longs to see the capital city and embarks on a journey that will take her further than she ever realized,

The Starlight Heir is a romantasy that takes place in a desert kingdom - I enjoyed that we were not in a european mythology system as that really dominates the genre. There were also fun touches like the characters saying "Sands!" as a point of emphasis. We get a literal shadow daddy, an illegitimate prince with mystery, rebels, an evil queen and more.

That being said, I had trouble with this one - I don’t know if it was the pacing or the world building or maybe a combination of both, but the stakes and twists and turns just did not hit for me. I do not mind having tropes and was able to predict many of the twists, but it felt as if some folks just popped out of nowhere to save the day. The characters emotional reactions to things just didn't sink in for me. I enjoyed how the book started, but I felt like after the rebel attack we were being whisked off around to a bunch of people and places without having a better understanding of the world.

I did listen to this as an audiobook and felt the main narrator underacted a bit - it was tough to get at the emotions of the characters, which may have been part of why I felt a disconnect there. Additionally, I had trouble with the narrator's tone changes and had a harder time realizing when different characters were speaking.

Overall, it just didn't quite work for me - but with amazing praise from so many other folks, I'm sure it will find its audience. Thank you to NetGalley and to HarperAudio for the advanced copy.

Thank you for the chance to listen and review this book. I think fans of Powerless and Once Upon A Broken Heart will like this. It's very fast paced and easy to read. The audio version is great.
However, while being fast paced I felt like it could have been longer and better paced. Maybe some additional world building or more character development of the MMC. I appreciate that it's a stand alone but it felt like a blur of events that typically would be a duology. Still a fun read and easy read.

Thank you for the ARC! I enjoyed this! However, I do wish the author would have left out the modern one-liners. It truly kept me from being fully immersed in the story. The pacing was great, and I loved how it kept my interest the entire time. The audiobook narrator was great!

Overall was very impressed with the story and I’m excited to continue the series! Perfect for Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout fans. The story was compelling with very lovable characters and fun banter. It was a similar plot to other books I’ve read but still kept me interested and ended up surprising me. I wish we got a bit more from the beginning trials and didn’t move around as much but overall it was a great read.

Definitely the next book obsession to rival Fourth Wing. Such an outstanding, exceptional and unique read! I was entranced from start to finish! Could not put it down! Fantastic world and character building. Epic magic system. This book has everything romantasy lovers crave. Swoon worthy prince, fmc with hidden magic, villains you love to hate, magical creatures, found family, spice. I will be looking forward to more from this series!!! The narrators did an exceptional job bringing the story and characters to life.

This was okay. I did see all the twists coming. If you’ve read a decent amount of fantasy and/or romantasy there is nothing really new happening here. It felt very similar to a lot of other stories. That’s not to say it wasn’t its own but I felt like I’d read this “story” before. It also isn’t labeled as a series but it absolutely is. While we get some conclusion there is a lot left open and the epilogue confirms the continuation.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard reminded me of A Fate Inked in Blood—if you loved that book, this one will be right up your alley. I loved the romance and witty banter between the two main characters though I wish it was more of a slow burn.
The world-building is straightforward, which makes this a quick and accessible read. However, fans of high-fantasy might find this simplicity a bit of a drawback. The story moves at a fast pace, but it slows down around the 40% mark. I would have loved to see the FMC spend more time at the castle, engaging in the games and trials, as there was only one major trial before the plot shifted to a new location.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job. Her delivery brought the FMC and MMC to life, with excellent pacing and inflection.
Overall, this is a fantastic pick for fans of romantic fantasy looking for a lighter read.
Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.
#Netgalley #thestarlightheir

“Darkness can never thrive where light burns.”
Ahhh I listened to this in one sitting, it was so engaging and the world was so intriguing. I did stumble with some of the world building but I still think it was well crafted.