4.5 Stars, steamy not spicy (fade to black)

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The plot and writing are engaging and kept me hooked. The book was beautifully written with vivid imagery when it needed it, but the author didn't get so hung up on writing elaborate imagery that is took away from the flow or plot. That's a fine line to walk, and Sarah Marie Page managed to balance the beautiful writing, plot and flow perfectly! I enjoyed that characters, the plot was engaging and made sense, and the magic system is really interesting and there was depth to the world with history to the land and interactions with other countries. The ending left me wanting more (bit of a cliff-hanger), I can't wait for a sequel! My only complaint that kept this from 5 stars is that the romance between the two main characters felt a bit flat and forced at times. I'm also someone who prefers on-page spice.

The narrator(s) did an excellent job with unique and character-fitting voices. She kept a great pace with engaging narration that sucked me into the story. 5 star job!

An enchanting romantasy in a Nordic-inspired setting! The FMC, a royal physician, completely won me over with her knowledge of natural remedies. It definitely gave me some inspiration of things to add to my garden.

The romance was a perfect mix of light spice and steamy fade-to-black moments, featuring a classic enemies-to-lovers dynamic that kept me hooked. The playful revenge antics added a fun, lighthearted touch that balanced the story’s more serious moments beautifully. Fans of Dramione will especially enjoy the tension and banter.


🌿 FMC is a royal physician using natural remedies

🔥 Light spice, steamy fade-to-black scenes

✨ Enemies-to-lovers romantasy

🌌 Nordic-inspired setting

😂 Fun, lighthearted moments amidst deeper topics

Illusions of Stars is the first book to The Enmity of Hearts and the perfect book to start a duet with. The ending blew it out of the water! I'm so ready for the second book!
This book has incredible world-building and amazing story-telling. I was immediately immersed into Isabel's 6 understood in depth the conflicts she felt, as well as the supporting characters. I love how this book incorporated magic, romance, and both internal and external battles. There were so many moments that had me screaming "Yesss!!" but also so many that tugged at my heart. This book isn't overwhelming or too heavy, however, it does give you a lot to think about. Many of the statements made are quite mature and relatable, and the character development in almost all characters (be in positive or negative) were all amazing and well-crafted. The way the ending incorporated wonderfully into what the seer saw was genius! This book leaves us with a cliffhanger, however, it isn't one that will leave you disappointed. You will be left rooting for Isabel (and Erik, and heck, even his sister and the rest of their crew) and ready to pick up book 2!
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Sarah Marie Page for this 5-star read!

ALC Review 🎧
Illusion of Stars by @sarahpagestories ✨
Book 1 in the Enmity of Hearts duet

Illusion of Stars follows 18 year old Isabel, a royal physician who spends her days trying to keep the queen from dying and the mad king from streaking naked down the halls. But when her best friend is found murdered, with evidence pointing to the kingdom of Volgaard, her world is turned upside down. Desperate for answers, she is sent on a mission to infiltrate the enemy and woo Erik, the general's illusion-wielding son. Amazing tension and banter ensue 😍🐍 It had me kicking my feet and giggling!

The narration is SUPERB. Jacci Prior does an incredible job of evoking the emotions of the characters and story. Isabel is awkward, insecure and SO relatable and it comes through so well in the narration. Also yelling off the cliffs scenes? So, so well done. Rusty Mewha is wonderful as Erik and I'm looking forward to hearing more of him in book 2!

Allow me to start out with the positive. The narration is superb. Kudos to Jacci Prior and Rusty Mewha. The audiobook definitely improves upon the original.

On that note ... I am sorry to be negative, but this one was hard to chew for me. The characters are so juvenile. That makes their roles and the plot very hard to believe. The lead is the royal physician? She's too much of a child for it to be believed. This was just simply written too young. The enemies-to-lovers plotline isn't novel and had no special feeling to it here. I can say this was well-written technically, and likely will engage a lot of younger readers ... maybe this is for quite young readers who wish to imagine themselves in adult roles and go on a fantasy adventure rather than for adults who know better.

Narrated by Jacci Prior and Rusty Mewha.

I really love this book, so I had high hopes for the audio! Jacci did NOT disappoint! Her voice was perfect for Isy. Isy is soft and sweet, emotional, and awkward - all of which I could hear in the way Jacci narrated her. I laughed (the cliff screaming 🤣 iykyk), I teared up, and I felt the hope through her voice. Also, her switching to a man's voice wasn't awkward, so that was a relief!

Rusty coming in as Erik at the very end was a nice surprise!👏🥵 He has this rugged type of voice that seems to fit Erik. I hope we get to hear more from him in the next because we only got the one chapter in this one!

HUGE thanks to Sarah, Netgalley, & Dreamscape Media for this ALC!

Isabel was tasked to go with her enemies to be a spy. But she’s also wanting to take revenge on the people who took her friend.
This is a slow burn romance with some fantasy and magical elements. Some of the things that I enjoyed were the magical elements. They were interesting and the mysterious box was also a fun addition to the plot. I really enjoyed the banter between Erik and Isabel. There were some pranks pulled on Isabel and I really liked how she handled it.
While I ended up enjoying the story it did take me a while to get into it. I think it was the writing style and the slower pace, but after a while I found myself enjoying it. The narrator, Jacci Prior does a wonderful job portraying Isabel, Erik, and many of the other characters. I must admit that I did laugh at the king's odd behavior. It was hilarious and Jacci did a great job with the variety of tones and inflections used to portray many of the characters in this book. There is a great message in the story and I hope you give it a chance.

I sadly dnf the book. It wasn't so much it was a horrible book I just couldn't get into it. Just not for me but think other will love it

First off, thank you so much NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the free audio in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is very much a case of “it’s me, not you.” I’m just not into romantasy at all at the moment. The tropes have gotten to be too much for me and oftentimes I feel like the plot lines are often predictable and a little unoriginal. I really wanted to like this story. I did truly like Isabel’s character and the medicinal aspects to her character and the storytelling. I just struggled to believe the connection between she and Erik was strong enough. The slow burn was okay, but again, not a whole lot of true relationship development other than the two mc’s asking each other a bunch of questions—constantly.

I also don’t tend to enjoy listening to romantasy because I need to see how to spell things in my mind, so that also throws me for a loop. But the narrator was decent. I felt a little deceived by the fact that it’s mentioned that there are two narrators, when the male narrator didn’t appear until the very, very end for about 3 minutes. I’m assuming this is setting up dual POV for book 2, but unfortunately I don’t know that I’ll be listening or reading the next installment.

✨𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
🎧: Illusion of Stars (Enmity of Hearts Book 1)
💻: Releasing January 21
🎙️: Jacci Prior; Rusty Mewha

“𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭.”

An apprentice physician is charged with an ailing monarch. A m*rder that hits close to home sends Isabel on a mission to infiltrate enemy lines to intercept intel on a weapon that could change everything.

Tropes:
🤦🏻‍♀️ Not a good spy FMC
🙋🏻‍♂️ Tattooed MMC
⚠️ Enemies to lovers
🫂 Forced proximity
🐴 One horse
🔥 Slow burn
🫑 Fade-to-black

“𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴”

I loved the unique magic system and was living for the playful banter between the characters in this story. Jacci delivers a phenomenal performance bringing these characters and this story to life! The banter had me cackling and the tension had me swooning.

Isy and Erik are absolutely precious. Isy has the biggest heart and on her mission, she finds herself over her head in a dangerous game of espionage. Erik keeps pieces of himself closely guarded but slowly begins to open up to her. Will Isy’s attraction to the general’s son compromise her mission? After all, isn’t she supposed to be the one seducing?

Illusion of Stars is an angsty and enchanting fantasy romance with a marvelous balance of heartache, levity, and surprising twists. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

So grateful to the author, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the ALC opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the alc.

The audiobook didn’t initially make much of an impression on me, so I found myself switching between it and the ebook. But as the story progressed, I absolutely LOVED it! Suffice to say, this book won me over. The story was captivating, the world-building easy to follow, and the banter between the leads was chef’s kiss. That brutal cliffhanger ending, though! I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel. Anyone who loves fantasy absolutely needs to give this one a shot—it’s simply amazing!

The narration is perfect! I absolutely love the narration. I just was found my mind wandering when it came to the story. That is a me issue, and not reflective of the book. I did enjoy the listen and I am so grateful for being allowed to listen to it.

“Maybe you’re a cornflower too”

What a great book! Thank you NetGalley for this ALC. It was unique, endearing, and mysterious. I loved the characters and was rooting for their cause. Intrigue, betrayal, corruption, and a very interesting magic system. Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, fade to black. I’m so excited to dive in with book 2.

Illusion of Stars by Sarah M. Page was an incredibly fun and enjoyable read! I love a book with a likable protagonist with something to prove and Isabel is one of the first characters who's made me felt seen as a person. Not only is she someone who struggles to overcome her own personal mental hurdles, she wants to prove she is worthy of being seen by other people in her life. Her father left when she was young, her best friend loved her and she never really felt fully worthy of the love he offered so she held him at arms length until it was too late.

When the Volds come to her island nation, her world turns upside down as the career she has been working towards seems ripped away, her best friend is murdered, and her king is pulling his pants down in front of the visiting envoy. I loved the worldbuilding created in this story and think it has a strong foundation for building out the world in subsequent books since we definitely need more.

This book had me chuckling and on the verge of squealing. There were moments of frustration and moments of emotion. In all the best ways, this was an emotional roller coaster and I think Ms. Page was brilliant in her craftmanship of this story and I think she's also set herself up for some really good future storylines.

I have too many good things to say about this book, so please just go and read it. I think there is a lot to enjoy within it's pages. though it is set in a sort of Scandinavian setting, it has a more modern vibe to it's dialogue which is easy to understand and it flows well. I Read it so quickly and I think many others will as well!

I had the opportunity to listen to the ARC and I almost DNF within the first 30 minutes. I really struggled with the narrator at first. I persevered and am glad I did. I got used to the narration and loved how the story took off. I felt the first little bit of the book dragged on, but once Isy is tasked to "guide" the enemy, I couldn't quit listening. This felt like an unique take on the romantasy genre with relatable characters and hilarious banter. Overall, I really liked it and would recommend it! Now to anxiously await the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to the ARC.

This story was interesting and kept me engaged. I wanted to know more about all the things happening and what the characters were going to do next. The ending was a bit abrupt and just ends. I mean there is an ending but felt a bit jarring. I will be on the lookout for book 2.

Thank you to Netgalley for the gifted copy.

I already have read the actual book, and enjoyed it. It is the reason I signed up for the audio version. I had to listen to it as well. When I was reading this on my own, I had this idea of what I thought the voice was going to be for Isabel's character. I'm not sure if this was the voice I thought of in my head, but it works. It's almost like listening to a princess run through this character. There is some kind of romance that brews in this storyline, but it's definitely not until the end. I think my first review stated that it was slow burn, but after hearing it, I feel like it's more of just enemies to lovers. There were tons of banter between Isy and Erik in this story, but I don't think that there really was anything between them until towards the end. This story is really more about Isy and who she is as a person. Meeting Erik was a side story. Where she ends up with Erik is more of a side story. I think the adventure in its entirety is figuring out where she places herself and who she is in this as a character. I think the person who narrated her character played her well, and you can see the growth being played out.

Page’s debut novel offers a unique storyline with some truly raw and beautiful moments. Isy’s story is intriguing, and the emotional depth built into her character really stands out. The relationships feel genuine, and there are plenty of heartfelt scenes that left an impression.

I listened to the audiobook for this one, and the narration was a definite highlight! Jacci’s performance was spot-on—she has a way of bringing the characters and scenes to life. Paired with the lyrical writing style, her narration made the story an absolute joy to listen to and really enhanced the experience for me.

That said, the story’s pacing was a little uneven. While some parts pulled me in, others dragged and felt slower than I would have liked. The worldbuilding and lyrical prose are undeniably beautiful, but at times they became so detailed that they overshadowed the plot. I also found myself wishing for a bit more growth from Isy—her cautious, timid nature stayed consistent throughout most of the story, and I hoped to see her take a more active role as things unfolded.

Even so, the audiobook gave the story an extra boost for me! This is the kind of book that’s more about the journey and emotions than big action or twists. If you enjoy descriptive, character-driven stories with a touch of magic, this one might be right up your alley.

For me, it’s a solid 3.5 stars, with the audiobook narration earning a 4. Definitely worth checking out if you’re in the mood for sweet moments, slow-burn storytelling, and introspective characters.

The narrators did such a good job either this book, it loved the range they had and how they brought the characters to life

Infiltrate the enemy, find out who murdered her best friend, get the General to reveal all the secrets and DO NOT FALL FOR HIM.

Isabel was struggling to be what she needed herself to be and after the murder of her best friend she’s desperate for answers to questions she may not really want the answers too.

This book is a SLOW BURN romantasy that will have you chomping at the bits for the next book.

I 100% will never think of a snake the same again!