Illusion of Stars is everything we're looking for in a YA romantasy book.

This story is character driven, has a solid plot, lyrical writing, fade to black romance, and has great banter.

If you have ever felt too small, unseen, or not good enough, this book may speak to you. Isy and Erik are so relatable and easy to like. You root for them from day one. I particularly like how Isy gets back at Erik's men- full belly laughs. There is a cliff hanger, so be ready for that one.

All in all, this is my first "read" from Sarah and I will be immediately searching for anything and everything else she has written.

2.5 Stars, Rounded up to 3.

Illusion of Stars is the first book in a new romantasy two book series geared toward the new-adult/upper YA audience. It was my first book by Sarah Marie Page, and I listened to the audiobook.

The main character, Isabel, is a healer and a royal physician in her kingdom. Her friend, Hans, is wrongfully murdered and she seeks vengeance against an opposing kingdom by trying to woo Erik, the son of one of their powerful generals. While spying on Erik for her kingdom, Isabel uncovers a unique system of illusion magic and shape shifting snakes called hell hounds, among other ways magic is used. Secrets plans are discovered, and Isabel begins to fall in love with Erik, making her mission more complicated.

The overall message is that Isabel begins as a fearful girl, Erik says “I see you. You matter,” her confidence in herself grows, and she starts to believe she is somebody.

I liked the idea of this book, but I found the writing style and plot difficult to enjoy. I didn’t connect with the characters either. I enjoyed the parts about Isabel and her healing herbs and talent as a physician. I didn’t like Erik; he had a cocky attitude and acted like a playboy. I did enjoy the twist at the end of the story.

This book was first person POV of Isabel, the main female character. The wording, expressions, and internal musings were often immature and seemed more like lower YA or just poor writing. Examples include talking about farting, flicking people off, and a crazy king that exposed himself. It felt over the top like a farce.

For a fantasy novel, I found the world building lacking, yet the use of world-specific vocabulary was frequent. I often got lost in the story, but not in a good way. A more focused plot, and less of Isabel’s similes and verbose descriptions would have been better. Overall, this book wasn’t for me.

Content: Moderate use of strong language. Kissing and mildly descriptive making out with implied intimacy, but it’s completely fade to black. Multiple LGBT side characters mentioned, but not part of the primary plot.

Notes on Audiobook Narration: There is only one female narrator for 99% of the book, with a male voice used the last 4 minutes of the book. Just in case you see two names listed on the audiobook, I wanted to mention this fact so you know it’s not a typical dual POV narrated book. The female narrator’s voice is well done and varied for each of the characters. Due to my trouble following the plot and vocabulary, I think this book would be better as a physical copy over the audiobook.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the complementary copy of this audiobook. My review is my honest opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

This book was pretty chaotic and juvenile. I had a difficult time following the plot and understanding the reasoning for most of the actions taken. The main character was difficult to like after the events at the beginning of the book.

I did really like the narrators and thought they did a really great job with the portrayal of the characters.

Such a unique and enjoyable fade to black fantasy read! The narrator sucked me into the story and I barely came up for air. You get a little bit of everything in this book, enemies to lovers, one horse, betrayal, magic, adventure, mystery, found family. I look forward to what happens next!

3.5 rounded up. I received an audio ARC for this book. The narrator did a great job, very easy to understand at an increased speed.

This is classified as 'new adult' but felt very young adult. There's some innuendo and some making out and the rest is mostly just implied. But the banter and writing style felt like it was meant for a younger audience. The main characters are like 18-20.

I did enjoy the book. The main character is a lovable hot mess. The book ends on a cliffhanger so I'll be looking out for book two.

The story was wonderful. The magic was interesting. I enjoyed the character development. The narrators were perfect for the story and I cannot imagine it being told by anyone else

From the first chapter, I was hooked. The ending of that chapter makes you go, "Wait, what?!" and when you eventually get to a comment about a "stormy-handsome Vold," you know it's on. It has your enemies to lovers, your court intrigue, and "who can you trust?" moments. I enjoyed the magic system, including types of magic and magical items and the FMC's sense of humor. For being a closed door romance, the tension still *tensions.* Honorable mention goes to when one of the main characters practices being a better liar. Iykyk.

With one of our main characters left in peril at the end, I'm curious to see what happens in part 2 of the duology

I was so excited to see that an audiobook was available for this title! There are two narrators listed, but this is not a dual/duet narration. The male narrator does one chapter from the MMC's POV at the end. If you've read the book, you will understand why this makes sense. It also makes me very excited for what could be coming for narration in book two! The narration is clear, and I was able to speed it up without issue.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ALC of this audiobook for an honest review.

I would like the thank the publisher for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Um. I'm sorry. WHAT?! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO END LIKE THAT?! WHERE IS BOOK TWO?!?!?!?!

Isabel, one of the royal physicians, spends her days tending to the dying queen and the mad king (who may or may not attempt to streak down the halls). But when her best friend is found murdered, with evidence pointing towards the neighboring kingdom of Volgaard, she ends up being sent on a mission: infiltrate the enemy, woo Erik -- the general's illusion-wielding son -- and steal the dangerous weapon they've been keeping hidden. As she spends time with her enemy, Erik and her begin to grow closer together until, eventually, she'll have to make a choice -- continue on her path to vengeance, or find out the truth of what happened that day.

I absolutely cannot believe how much I loved this. There's a lot of talk by Isabel about good enough/deserving of things and I think this book tackles that point so well. The characters were so relatable with their realistic issues and fears, and I think what people are going to love about this is the very nature of the book deals with the idea that we are deserving of love, of being seen for who we are, and that to me was beautiful. I loved the romance between Erik and Isabel, especially since this was a legit enemies/hate to love situations where they legit hated each other. Like, there was absolutely no insta-love going on here. Fantastic writing, beautiful world building. Now please excuse me while I go cry over the fact that I don't have the sequel in my hands already.

Beautifully descriptive writing and a heroine you can't help but root for. Would recommend for fans of Rebecca Ross or anyone looking for a new character driven fantasy romance addiction.

You are beautiful capable enough.

The writing is so beautiful! It's the story of a girl who just doesn't feel like she's good enough. Always feels like she has to be better in order to matter.

Isy is full of grief over the death of her friend and does what she can to make his death matter. I loved seeing her come out of her shell. The banter, the way she hands it to the men messing with her, it was all so fun! And the snakes! Omg the snakes! IYKYK!

I'll be impatiently awaiting book 2 👀

I'm giving this one a 2 star. Please note, that part of this is a direct reflection on my personal preferences in fantasy reads. Prior to requesting the ALC for this book, I checked to see who was listed as narrator. As there were two named, I made the assumption that this story would be told in dual POV. Unfortunately for me, that was not the case. A male character had the very brief last chapter and the rest of the book was told from the female protagonist's POV. Had I known this, I would not have requested.
Now, onto the actual story...I thought this was fine. There was a bit of redundancy throughout the middle of the book which caused me issues regarding the pacing. The main character, Isabel, went through the same thought processes regarding her murdered friend over and over again. Remembering, followed by sadness, then guilt and finally her bolstering herself to continue on with her chosen mission. And, she was kind of a jerk. I didn't find her likeable which made it hard to connect to her character. Also, like, I couldnt even tell you what happened for a good portion of the middle of the book because it was all wandering around on horses and her internal thoughts. The action does pick up in the last quarter of the story.
There was a bit of mystery/intrigue that held my attention. The romance was cute.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook arc. The narrator did an amazing job very clear and can understand even at 3x. I was sucked into this story from page one, and could not stop listening

I loved this book so much. I cant wait to see what happens next. The audiobook was well performed and I would definitely recommend to audiobook lovers of Fantasy with a sprinkling of romance.

I received a gifted copy. This review is honest and voluntary.

So glad this is on audio! This was a completely fantastic story that pulled me in with humor and sarcasm from the beginning! Amazing character development and relationship building, fantastic banter and wit, and expert story crafting went into this book. It was heartbreaking, hopeful, and so purely magical. You will not regret going on this adventure.

Isabel is a feisty and strong character who, like many of us, feels her own self doubt around her like a cloak. She wants so badly to be enough for everyone around her, and any small failure feels like falling off the edge of a cliff. Her journey with self doubt and self harm is one that we don't see often in fantasy, and I liked the way her story was told with that as a part of who she is at the very fabric of her core.

Erik is a soldier through and through. He's magic. He's powerful, and he's....an idiot. He drags Isabel along as their guide under the agreement that it will help keep peace between their people, but what started as pure annoyance becomes something so much more. Erik also fights with being enough for his father, for his kingdom, and for being seen as Erik and not just a solder or a powerful Sender.

They find that as they get to know one another, they're not all that different. Have they finally found someone to see them for them and not the power or skill they possess? But then, of course, we have secrets, betrayal, and murder sprinkled throughout the book. There were a few moments where my jaw dropped and I was so shocked at the twist! I never saw it coming, but then it brought the rest of the pieces back together to form the picture of reality.

I absolutely cannot wait for book 2!

Wow! This book is beautifully written. I was captivated from the start. The storyline is engaging, and I loved witnessing the relationship develop between Isabel and Erik. This is a wonderful slow burn fantasy romance. I typically read spicier books than this, but found Illusion of Stars well worth the read for the storyline and characters. The magic system was interesting and well explained. The imagery in this book is magic in itself. I really felt like I was in the story. I can’t wait to read more from Sarah Marie Page! I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narration was fantastic! I highly recommend the audiobook. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.