Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC!

The dark fairytale vibes are such a sweet spot in my interests and I find it difficult to find an author that does it ✨ just right✨-- but this book blew past those expectations.

This was such a unique, refreshing romantasy and I'm so grateful to be introduced to Evelyn Flood's work!

My oh my, what an opening to this fantasy series. I was gripped from pretty much the first chapter and then the book did not let go. It moves at a brisk pace and a lot happens within a relatively short page count, but it never feels overwhelming. There were moments during the ship chapters that I did struggle a little to keep track of who was who, as the book suddenly devoted time to its main cast, but aside from that minor hiccup, it was a very entertaining pace.

The romance is so good in this, its so natural. It's clear he falls first, falls hard and pretty much falls head over heels the first time he sees her, but this isn't lust to love. It's a gradual growing between the two of them on the ship, and just because he knows what he feels, he isn't going to push it on her. He respects her, protects her, crawls for her. But he never demands anything of her, beyond a wish for her to be safe.

Past trauma is gently explored, not just his and hers, but everyone on the ship, on the land. Callan and his people are the bad guys of history, they have committed crimes but the truth is so much more layered than that and I love the way it is explored and the reactions different characters have to this crime in their past. The 'Shift' has changed their world and the reactions cover the whole gauntlet.

Selene is a compelling MFC, she's edgy, mysterious, cold hearted but so much more than that. She is so much more than the face she tries to show to the world and the way in which everyone - Leo most of all - manages to get behind that shell? It's perfection.

There are dark moments in this, mature themes and some graphic descriptions of body horror, of desecration. For the most part these moments are very tastefully done, and the anguish, the horror of the characters perfectly capture what the reader feels. It's just sometimes a little bit jarring, the tonal shifts into these moments, the wraith, the cellars, the gates...

The imagery of the Never Sea is so invocative, what a setting, what a world.

And that ending. I don't know how I'm going survive however long before the next book, because I have so many questions and for the book to just end where it does?? No, I need more, I need to know what happens next. And there are plenty of lingering questions left over from this book that I have to learn. Just amazing.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for allowing me access to this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

On her 16th birthday, Selene Amaris was supposed to have a celebration ceremony. She was supposed to be blessed by her Goddess Hala and recieve her Calling, learn how to fly for the first time and to have power bestowed upon her. Instead what happens is what would be a nightmare for anyone.
Instead of a celebration, she's met with a blood bath, as the nearby neighbors who suffered a plight, invade and slaughter all in their path.
Everyone she knows is gone and she's the last of her kind. Now it's time to go back to the home that she fled 10yrs prior but things are not what they seem to be.
With the help of Callan and his friends, her enemies that were there the day her kind were all slaughtered she discovers what has become of her home. What she finds is horrifying.

Review: I loved this so much. It was unique, I loved how the sea became the sky and the sky became bottomless, literally falling forever. Sounds insanely scary. The romance was slow to build but so very satisfying to me. There was so much emotion in this, it had me smile, laugh and even cry. Callan was just so sweet to her especially during her PTSD episodes which was just so sad to read about. That cliffhanger though! Ugh. That is such a big one.
My biggest qualm I had though was... who put her on the ship to begin with? Who chained her to the wall? It's annoying that it wasn't even investigated nor solved. Lol I know it's minor but it stuck with me throughout the entire book.
The King is one of those ones who needs to be assassinated immediately, just saying.
I will be buying this when it comes out and I am DEFINITELY reading the sequel.

I really enjoyed this. It started off slow but I was quickly hooked. The world building was executed really well and the cliffhanger has me impatiently waiting for the next instalment!

The pacing was a little slow at the beginning as the world and background are introduced, but this soon ramps up as the action begins. Selene is saved from the invasion of Asteria, her homeland, by her sisters. However, she ends up enslaved in Terrosa, we follow her 10 years later as she escapes her capters and finds her way onto a ship headed for home. Callan, the kindhearted ships captain, carries goods across the Never Sea to provide for those trapped in Asteria. Unsure of each other to start with, they find themselves drawn to each other, and a romance begins to kindle. Arriving in Asteria, Selene has to make a decision, revenge, or forgiveness. The fate of Asteria lies in the destiny she chooses.
I really enjoyed this novel. The world building and magic system was interesting with the Gods gifts and curses, and the romance was the slowest of burns. The side characters were well thought out and added a nice found family vibe.
However, the cliffhanger ending is exactly why i prefer standalones to series, I prefer a wrapped up ending, so do not read unless you plan to finish the series!
With thanks to the author and netgalley for access to this eARC.

This book was so good! With so many fantasy books out there, it’s hard to find original stories but Stars Above the Never Sea managed to surprise me. At no point in this book did I have any idea what was going to happen but that is a great thing. As always, please read your trigger warnings and if you’re a cryer there will probably be some tears.

The cast of characters was perfect in their imperfections and I fell in love with them all. Especially Callan and Selene, our MMC and FMC. There is a slow build between the two but man is it worth the wait. They are all just trying to survive in an impossible world where the sea is the sky and the sky is a sea of stars called the Never. The author wrote it all so beautifully. The pacing is spot on, and the world building just happens seamlessly. In my opinion, the only negative here is the fact that we have to wait for the second book. The ending…what was that ENDING?!

3⭐️ 1🌶️

Stars Above the Never Sea was an interesting start to the series! I really enjoyed the concept of the world and found the plot to be captivating.
Some of the pacing was uneven though, especially at the beginning and about two-thirds of the way through. A lot of the story was spent traveling, and there were some parts that felt a little unnecessary to the story as a whole.
The cliffhanger at the end was fun and the end was different than where I thought the story was going so that was unique and nice to read. Overall I enjoyed it!

TROPES
The chosen one
Found Family
He falls first & he falls hard
Choosing your own fate
Feminine rage
Reluctant allies to friends to lovers

THE WORLD
I think the world is by far the best part of this story! The magic system was really easy to learn and wasn’t overly complex. I loved the concept of the Never, and the sky actually falling. The imagery was so good for that part!

THE CHARACTERS
Character development was good for the first book. The MCs had good backstories and strong motivations for their actions. I wanted more from the side characters though, as some of them blended together and became hard to differentiate from one another.

THE ROMANCE
There wasn’t much depth to the romance - it felt more like the proximity of Callan and Selene is what gave them feelings for one another rather than actual chemistry or deep conversations getting to know one another. Some part of the romance was lacking to me and made it feel like they were better suited as friends. Honestly, I was definitely considering other characters as prospective partners for Selene because of this, most notably Esme because they had more chemistry and deeper conversations than she had with Callan.

*please note that quotes are from an Advanced Readers Copy. Please refer to the final publication for official quotes*
QUOTES:

"Own your fear. Hold onto it. But do not let it own you. Take hold of it, and embrace it. Remember that darkness is only the absence of light, and you are made of light itself."

"You were right."
Glazed eyes meet mine as I suck in a shuddering breath. But I don't look away. Instead, I lean forward, making sure he can see my face.
Making sure it's the last thing he sees.
And my voice, when it comes, is ice and rage and death. "I am exactly what you made me."

"People always fear what they can't be bothered to understand."

"I tried." I whisper the confession as the pain recedes, just for a moment. "And I failed. They won."
Callan takes a breath. We stare at each other. I close my eyes as his other hand lifts, rests in my hair. He runs his fingers through it, gruff words filtering through the lingering pain. "Then you will try again. Perhaps you'll fail again. But you do not stop trying, or they win. As long as you keep fighting, the battle is undecided. This battle is not won yet. But it is not lost, either."

"I can still have empathy for your loss, while grieving my own. Grief touches us all, one way or another. It would be foolish to believe that mine somehow means more than yours, no matter how it occurred."

QUOTES: THE ROMANCE

“Give me more of this. Whatever this may be, I want more.
Let him chase the darkness away.
Because whenever I am near him, all I seem to feel is light.”

"You know what I want."
Friends.
That is what he said. That was the game.
Except this no longer feels like a game to me. And I wonder if perhaps Callan has been playing a different game this entire time, simply waiting quietly for me to
catch up.”

"I fell in love when I saw you ready yourself to fight on the day of the Shift. With no weapons, no armor, flowers in your hair. You made me so unsteady that I followed you, and when I thought I had failed, I spent ten years mourning the loss of who you might have been." Beneath my cheek, tears trail down his skin, his neck.
"And then I found you again." His hand cups the back of my head, comforting even as his words break and tremble. "As if fate had placed you back in my path for a reason. I have never given much concern for fate, Selene, but you make me believe in something bigger than us.
Because I found you again, and every dream I thought I had shattered beneath the reality of you."

"I told you I intend to give you everything."
Her lips press to my chest…
I fight for breath. "And I would be... gods. Grateful."
I'd crawl for a single fucking smile.”

Guys have you ever wanted to read a story about hook and tink? This is it for you then!

Not gonna lie it did take me a second to get into the story based on the prologue, but once it got going I couldn’t put it down! This is a slow burn story so just a working if that’s not for you.

He’s a green flag captain that meets her black cat energy. She needs to face her past but in order to do that and figure out why she was left behind, she needs help. This found family is skeptical of her at first, but they treat her as one of their own.

Be safe cliffhanger ending!

Incredible world building. Engaging characters.
I love when an author makes you care about the side characters just as much as the main characters. The author has accomplished this and then some with this amazing book,

I loved the first quarter of this book, but for some reason the pacing of the climax threw me off, I didn’t know how the book was going to end and I feel like it truly went from 0 to 100 in the last 10%. I still loved the setting, all the characters, and I felt like the story was relatively unique besides the usual romantasy tropes but I’m always a sucker for those!

3.5/5!

4.5 stars - Thank you to NetGalley and Evelyn Flood for an advanced reader copy of this book.

Did I expect the flood of emotions that came with reading this? No, but I am so glad for it! What a devastating hidden gem of a read! I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this I will absolutely need the paperback in my hand! Callan is solidifying himself as one of my new favourite mmcs, and Selene my baby Selene is so strong and it’s incredibly easy to root for her. Apart from the romance elements which I loved, this has found family, adventure across a sea of stars, yearning, healing, survival, and feminine rage! I am on the edge of my seat for the next instalment!

Okay, wow. This book had me instantly hooked. The lore, the magic system, the characters, the plot, everything about this was so unique. I found myself staying up until 3am just so I could read one more chapter until the book was over. And now I need more. Immediately.

I truly loved the characters and found family dynamics between them SO much. They all had such unique personalities, and I just wanted to learn more about where they came from and what led them to where they are now.

The story was so incredibly gripping, the language was beautiful and captivating, and I cannot wait for the next one.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC!

What do you mean…. WHAT. DO. YOU. MEAN?!!! Evelyn Flood…. WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!!! You leave me on a cliffhanger like that?!! Also… Merrick?! Uncalled for ma’am…. Un-freaking-called for😭😭

So… safe to say I loved it.. such a unique story!! I will definitely be continuing this series… but apparently I have to wait till DECEMBER for book 2… not cool Evelyn. Not. Cool

I couldn’t read this. The whole book was aligned to the right and looks like it’s highlighted. Maybe it was intentional, maybe this happens with ARCs sometimes, but I have yet to get one. And I hate it. Unreadable for me.

There are no words to describe how much I loved Stars Above the Never Sea. From the prologue I was completely hooked. The world building, the grief from the loss of an entire people. And the characters…oh my goodness development of the characters and the trauma that that Selene has been through.

The pacing of the story was spot on for me and I loved every single moment that I spent in the world that Evelyn Flood created. I was lucky enough to meet the author at RARE and she explained the prologue might not have made it in the book and I just have to say the decision to include it was definitely the right one.

And the ending! I cannot wait for book 2.

I loved this! I think the story line was really interesting and I was sucked in quick! The cliff hanger though… I am upset that I need to wait until December for the second book! I love a book that has great side characters so I am excited to see how their stories play out in the second book.

An incredibly moving story that was extremely hard to put down. I cannot wait for what comes next with Flood.

Stars Above the Never Sea, the first book in The Last Faeyte series, caught my attention right away for being more than just another fantasy. While it brings many classic elements of the genre, the story also invites reflection on fate, choices, and the hard task of moving forward when everything you know falls apart. While it brings many classic elements of the genre, the story also invites reflection on fate, choices, and the hard task of moving forward when everything you know falls apart.

Early on, we meet Selene (a young Faeyte on the verge of her Ascension rite) whose life is turned upside down by a brutal invasion. From that moment, the narrative gains strength, taking us on a journey that challenges the idea of belonging and reminds us of how powerful (and sometimes necessary) it is to rebuild ourselves in the face of chaos. The worldbuilding, with its gods Hala and Caelum, the Faeytes linked to healing, and the Caelumnai, masters of the elements, creates a rich and well-woven background.

The characters were another highlight for me. Selene starts off as a girl full of certainties, but as the story unfolds, and as her scars accumulate, she grows into a far more complex and believable protagonist. Callan, the Caelumnai, is one of those characters who carries his own secrets and gradually becomes essential to the plot. The dynamic between them builds slowly, with tension, honesty, and a hint of vulnerability that really surprised me. It’s not a forced romance, and that makes their connection feel even more genuine.

Of course, like many debut novels, this one has its excesses. Some repeated phrases started to wear on me after a while. And the emotional intensity stays high almost all the time, which might make the reading feel a bit too heavy, especially if you’re someone who enjoys quieter moments between big events.

Final thoughts:

In the end, Stars Above the Never Sea turned out to be a very rewarding read. A story that balances adventure, fantasy, and a sharp look at the characters’ inner struggles. It has heart, it has pain, but it also leaves room for hope. And it’s that balance that makes me genuinely recommend it.

I’ll admit, I was a little unsure about the world building at the start, but goodness, am I glad I stuck with it! This story was everything! Absolutely adored all the characters, and that ending! *chef’s kiss* Cannot wait for the next book!

the ending?! THE ENDING?! how am i supposed to move on with my life after that?!

this book is full of devastation and trauma, combatted with warmth and humour and love and a found family that makes me want to weep.

the world building is rich and deep, the writing pulled me into this world with ease and the imagery was so vivid and unique - i've never read about a sea of stars and a sky filled with waves, at least - every time i picked up this book it was so easy to slip back into the story.

the romance was romancing. the tension was tensioning. the devastation was.. well, devastating. tears were shed, my heart was broken, but i also laughed, kicked my feet in delight and i'm still holding on to the hope that the sequel will have a happy ending.

genuinely don't know how i'm meant to wait until the end of the year to find out what happens to selene, callan and the gang.

huge, huge thank you to netgalley and evelyn flood for the ARC. it's greatly appreciated ♡