I was really excited to pick up this audiobook because I’d heard of it being a fun and sexy romantasy but when I actually got around to it the story just felt… pointless?

The female lead gets invited to enter a competition to become the royal prince’s bride, there’s some dark magic involved and a complicated prophecy, resulting in her getting all tied up with the bastard born prince and the shadow figure that lives in her dreams. Just from those small tropey plot lines I was sold.
Only, this story did not deliver. In the beginning of the book, there was so much information thrown at you in the first two chapters, it is quite literally the definition of telling, not showing. When she gets the invite to go to the royal caste in the central city, its an honor because only a select few were given the offer, however the whole point of attending the competition was to prove yourself as worthy to marry the prince, she has 0 intention of marrying him. Why would she enter this competition to marry the prince if she doesn’t actually want to marry him??? Just so she can get a free trip into the central city?
It felt like everything was downhill from there, the competition turning deadly, the weird overly sexual comments her friend was making, the strange erotic dreams shed have with this ‘shadow daddy’.

Again, I enjoy the concept but the story did not deliver.

"A bladesmith blessed by the stars. A prince with a dangerous secret. A god bound in shadows." This novel had me hooked right from the start. The FMC, Suraya, is invited to be a guest in King Zarek's court. What she doesn't know is that she will have to compete with other women in order to have the opportunity to become the wife to the crown prince. However, things do not go as planned, and the king's bastard son, Roshan. go on the run. Little does Suraya know, but she is more powerful than she could have imagined, and she is also a part of a prophesy.
This story was action packed, fast paced, and had a handful of secondary characters that warmed your heart. Of course, there is a lot going on in this book, and it leaves off knowing that there is more to come, and I am sure we do not know exactly what some of the twists and turns will be. I look forward to reading the next book!

Sadly this book fell a little flat for me. I wasn't a fan of the plot, I thought it was a bit rushed and confusing. I never really felt like I connected with the characters. The spicy scenes is really what made me dislike the book, they weren't well written in my opinion.

I really wish I could have liked this one more than I did but I'm sure it will find its audience!

Michaela Romero <michaelaromero747@gmail.com>
5:07 PM (0 minutes ago)
to me

I was initially intrigued by this book’s unique setting and vivid imagery, but as the story progressed, it started to feel like a rehash of every other love triangle, “shadow daddy,” and evil royal half sibling trope dominating the genre. It wasn’t necessarily better or worse than those stories, but what began as something fresh quickly lost its spark.

The writing itself was overall solid, though at times, the modern phrasing (and excessive cursing) felt out of place within the world. The story, while packed with interesting elements—a magical blacksmith, an evil stepmother, a bride competition, a tyrannical regime and its revolutionaries, and a “shadow night daddy” (which I still don’t quite understand)—never fully came together. Each individual concept could have been compelling, but they felt disconnected, making the plot feel scattered rather than immersive. I also wished the magic system had been better explained.

The main characters didn’t do much to elevate the story. The FMC was inconsistent, unable to settle into a distinct personality, and at times, outright annoying. The romance felt shallow, and I didn’t send much chemistry between them. The MMC himself was bland and forgettable, lacking the depth needed to make him stand out.

The twist at the end was predictable, which wasn’t the issue—it was the FMC’s over-the-top reaction that pulled me out of the story. The ending also dragged, making the final stretch feel more tedious than impactful.

That said, the cover is stunning, and the audiobook narrators were fantastic. While this book didn’t quite work for me, I’m still interested in checking out the author’s other works, especially Queen Bee, which I’ve heard great things about.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

A fun, fast-paced Romantacy! I enjoyed the story and the characters Amalie created as well as the relationship between Suraya and Roshan. I thought the arc of Suraya's character throughout the novel was well done. The worldbuilding and magic system were very intriguing.

However, I do wish there had been more tension between Suraya and Roshan before they got together, and I felt that there wasn't enough reason, at least from Suraya's POV (even though the reason is revealed later), for her and Roshan to not be together, which made the relationship fall a bit short.

The novel was mostly focused on the romance rather than fantasy, and I felt myself wishing we got a bit more plot-wise.

The narration was wonderfully done.

3.5 Stars

I did not love this book. It was fine, but I found myself bored or confused a lot of the time through out the book. I had to go back and rewind the audio at multiple points in order to figure out what was happening. I also feel like a lot happened at the beginning and a lot happened at the end- but like nothing happened in the middle of this book. I’m not sure that I will continue this series when the next book comes out, it will greatly depend on how the reviews are looking when I make my decision. If you really liked The Selection by Kierra Cass then you’d probably at least like the first part of this story- just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it isn’t for you!

The Starlight Heir is a captivating romantasy that weaves together elements of magic, adventure, and forbidden love. The story follows Suraya Saab, a skilled bladesmith endowed with the rare ability to infuse her creations with jadu, the last vestige of magic in her realm. When she receives an unexpected invitation to the royal court, Suraya seizes the opportunity to explore the capital city her late mother cherished. However, she soon discovers that the invitation is part of a covert search for the "Starkeeper," a figure prophesied to possess extraordinary star magic. As political tensions rise and rebellion brews, Suraya finds herself entangled with Roshan, the enigmatic half-brother of the crown prince. Together, they must navigate their growing attraction while confronting hidden truths and ancient powers that could reshape their world.

Amalie Howard masterfully crafts a richly imagined world inspired by Indian, Persian, and Caribbean cultures, blending astrological elements and intricate social structures to create a setting that feels both fresh and immersive. The narrative is fast-paced, filled with unexpected twists, and the chemistry between Suraya and Roshan is palpable, adding depth to their individual character arcs. Readers will find themselves swept up in a tale that balances action, romance, and the exploration of identity and destiny. The book evokes a sense of wonder and excitement, leaving readers eager for the next installment in this promising series.

This novel is recommended for fans of romantic fantasy who appreciate strong, multifaceted protagonists and richly detailed world-building.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard is a fascinating romantasy novel that combines adventure with subtle world-building. The story follows Suraya, a bladesmith who becomes entangled with the royals in several different ways and has to fight to save those she loves.

When Suraya receives a royal invitation, she throws it aside as a joke. She is a simple bladesmith, who also happens to be able to infuse her work with magic called jadu but she knows she has no qualifications to become the bride of the prince. Learning the invitation is real, Suraya is filled with adventure to see the capital her late mother often spoke of. So, she sets off on her summons to court, where she also meets a charismatic royal gardener, or so she thinks he is.

The “gardener” turns out to be the prince’s bastard half-brother, Roshan, and the summons is actually a competition for survival as the prince and Queen are looking for the prophetic Starkeeper. Tumultuous events ensue leading to Suraya and Roshan on the run together as they realize that Suraya may be the prophesized Starkeeper. On the run, they try to ignore what Suraya is and their mutual attraction but Suraya knows she needs to get a handle on her powers and Roshan is hiding secrets of his own. They’re captured and Suraya has to decide her truth about love, forgiveness, and revenge.

I really enjoyed this story. I found the plot captivating and I loved the magical elements. I loved that Suraya was a strong, independent lead and enjoyed her dynamic with Roshan. Towards the end I found her a bit whiny but it didn’t take away from the joy of the story. I would recommend this book to adult romantasy lovers, as there is mild spice and the characters are late 20s.

The audiobook of The Starlight Heir was so good. The narrators did such an amazing job and really immersed me into the story. For the book in general I liked it. I enjoyed the beginning more than the end. I thought the main FMC’s best friend was hilarious and brought such great humor to this book. The overall concept was so cool. But I was feeling a little bored throughout.

TSH follows a Bladesmith FMC who is invited to Court for a bride trial. Things quickly go downhill and the hunt for the Starkeeper begins.

Tropes:
⚔️Trial
😏Enemies to Lovers
🪄Hidden Magic
🌶️Forced Proximity

Entertaining and a good read, however for me it didnt quite hit the mark as a unique read. It felt cookie cutter romantasy. If that's you're thing you'll love this book, again it wasnt bad.
The casual phrasing was a bit immersion breaking - "book boyfriends" "thick things save lives" etc. It's such a fantasy setting that the dialogue went too modern at times.
Low spicy rating - perfect for the gals that like to skip that part or only have 1 scene.

🎧Audiobook Narrator: Anais Inara was wonderful - her accent and annunciation was great. thoroughly enjoyed the audio version!

Thank you HarperAudio & Netgalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Fast past read. Loved the magic system. My only wish is we had a little more of the shadow man, I’m very excited to read the next installment and watch this play out. We love a fated romance 🥰 the audiobook narrator was great ⭐️

2.5 stars
Thank you to HarperAudio and Netgalley for an arc of the audiobook!
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. While I enjoyed the narrator, the modernisms/ modern slang(“book boyfriend”, “thick thighs save lives”, “goals”, “resting bitch face”) felt weird with the medieval fantasy setting. “Don’t prince-splain me” was a particular bad one 🥴 I almost lost a contact with how hard that made me roll my eyes. I also found the dialogue clunky, especially since there was so much exposition inserted in an unnatural manner.
As a character girl- I was also let down in that manner. The best friend's only characteristic is liking sex and the main character is meant to be 25 but acts 15/16. This definitely reads more YA than adult, it’s basically just YA with sex and cursing. The plot, the characters, the pacing, the writing… everything else is YA. And on top of all that it's insta-love. Sadly, I did not enjoy this one at all.

The narrators really make or break the audiobook experience and in my opinion the narrators Anais Inara Chase and Ramiz Monsef were good.
I only finished this book because of the narration. Content wise, I was not expecting this book to have mature content scenes early on. In my opinion they were too frequent and not compelling. There were several uses of modern slang? that I found jarring, “Prince-splain’’ for example. I also found her best friend annoying; I think the intent was just a sex positive female character, but her dialogue came off as crass to me. I found the second half of the book better than the first but the ending felt rushed. The book picks up towards the end, but you still have the heroine spouting things like “toxic-masculinity’’ and “sleeping beauty”. I feel like this book would have been better as YA, it was marketed to me as adult. I never got invested, it was like surface level entertainment.

This book would appeal to people who want a book that reads like YA but has a romance focus with mythology.

Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the ALC of The Starlight Heir.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

The narrative voice, plot, characters and honestly everything about this screamed YA to me. Almost like this was originally written to be a YA novel and the author was forced to pad it out with sex so it sold as an adult Romantasy. It falls short as either genre; with little to no world building, overdone plot lines, “hip” dialogue (“resting Prince face”), and deeply uncomfortable, poorly written sex scenes.

Engaging but Underwhelming – 3 Stars

This book has a great premise, with an intriguing magic system, political intrigue, and a touch of mystery with the old gods. The romance adds tension, and it delivers a YA-with-spice dynamic.

However, the pacing felt uneven, and the world-building, while promising, wasn’t fully fleshed out. The romance sometimes overshadowed the plot, and overall, it felt a little too YA for my romantasy tastes. An enjoyable read, but not a standout in the genre.

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

This was a great audiobook! The narrator was fantastic and easy to follow. I loved the story, the romance, and the twists. The pacing was also really well done. As an audiobook, I wished I had an addendum to see how the names were spelled. I don't think either of the main characters was particularly strong or morally grey so I'm not sure they'll stick in my memory but I did enjoy their story.

DNF @ 51%. This was tough in general to get through, I kept giving it a lot of chances to not annoy me and while their were parts that were intriguing, it couldn't take it up past our FMC being idiotfied in order to move the plot and romance forward. The world building was also confusing at best.

I did like the teasers of another romance (or the same? or different?). It did push me to want to know more.

I finally gave up when our FMC whos entire identity seems to be built around her job, asks the MMC who has no experience with her job, how to do her job and HE DOES. This book literally romantizes mansplaining. Thats a no from me and probably many other grown women who know how to do their own jobs thank you.

The narrator did fine on the audiobook and probably got me further than I would have in a physical copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

ARC 🎧 Book Review 🤍

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an interesting 🎧 It had many good qualities, but I just couldn’t connect w/ the FMC at all. There were a few cringy, a bit too modern lines in the script as well, but I will say some of it was actually comedic. I did love how her best friend was written though & a lot of the side characters were actually more lovable (IMO) than the FMC. Story wise, I felt it was intriguing, but the pacing was off for me & I just feel like there’s so much that went unanswered.
So, I guess I’m kinda looking forward to Book 2?

📚 Review: The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars)
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Level 3 spice)
Tropes:
🗡️ Hidden powers/chosen one
👑 Illegitimate royal romance
💕 Enemies to lovers
🏰 Court politics & trials
🤝 Found family
⚔️ Skilled female blacksmith
🖤 GOD TIER SHADOW DADDY
Quick Take:
If you loved Fourth Wing and are looking for your next romantasy obsession, THIS IS IT! Amalie Howard crafts a spellbinding tale of star magic, swoony romance, and edge-of-your-seat action. The chemistry between Suraya (our badass bladesmith) and Roshan (the illegitimate prince) is FIRE, and the Persian/Indian mythology-inspired world building is chef's kiss.
Why You Need This Book:

Suraya is everything you want in an FMC - skilled, fierce, and not here for anyone's nonsense
The romance is a perfect slow burn that'll have you SCREAMING into your pillow
Star magic system is unique and gorgeously written
Political intrigue that keeps you guessing
That ending will leave you DESPERATE for more
Did I mention the God tier shadow daddy? Because WHEW 🥵

Trust me, clear your schedule because once you start, you won't want to put it down. This is absolutely worth the hype and then some!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Loved it so much I bought the Fairyloot special edition for my shelf! 💫

The Starlight Heir was a fun fantasy book with really accessible world building that was easy to understand. I loved the magic and the cast of characters. Suraya and Roshan had a fantastic slow burn with great banter. I'm definitely intrigued by Roshan and all of his secrets. I'm really excited and looking forward to what happens next in this series.

I listened to the audio and thought both narrators were fantastic. Anais Inara Chase was absolutely amazing and brought so much emotion into the story. The male narrator only had a few short chapters, but both narrators spoke clearly and were easy to understand even when sped up.

Thank you to HarperAudio for the advance copy!