Cage of Starlight surprised me in the best way. Based on the marketing, I was expecting an intense, swoony enemies-to-lovers romantasy. What I got instead was something quieter, more emotionally complex, and far more impactful than I’d anticipated.

At its heart, this is a story about survival, trust, and finding hope in impossible circumstances. The romance between Tory and Sena is a very slow burn—gentle, aching, and deeply human. It’s not flashy or dramatic, but it fits the tone of the story perfectly. The asexual and neurodivergent representation is handled with care and made me feel seen in ways that are rare in this genre.

What really stayed with me, though, is how raw and intimate the emotional writing is. Arbeaux doesn’t just describe pain—she makes you feel it. I loved Tory’s fury, his refusal to give in, and Sena’s careful vulnerability as he slowly starts to believe in something outside of duty and fear. Their dynamic isn’t just romantic, it’s healing. Speaking of healing: the magic system involving self-sacrifice to heal others? Absolutely my favorite kind. There's something deeply moving about characters who give of themselves—literally—to help others. That detail alone would’ve won me over.

The worldbuilding is rich, if a bit dense at the beginning. There's a lot to absorb, from energy-based magic to political systems and military structures, and some parts remained a little murky. Still, the world feels textured and lived-in, and I appreciated that the rebellion isn’t painted as perfect either. The moral ambiguity adds weight and realism.

This book won’t be for everyone. If you're looking for nonstop action or fiery banter, this might feel too introspective. But if you want a story that lingers—one that balances sorrow and softness, resistance and resilience—Cage of Starlight is more than worth your time.

Cage of Starlight by Jules Arbeaux caught my attention with its rich characters and mix of fantasy and sci-fi. The writing flows easily and pulls you in emotionally. While the beginning felt a bit slow, I didn’t mind since it gave me a chance to really get to know the characters and the world they’re in. After that, the story picked up pace and threw in some twists I definitely didn’t expect.

What really stood out was the relationship between Tory and Sena. They start off as enemies who barely trust each other, but over time they become uneasy allies. I thought this part was handled really well. That said, when their relationship shifted from reluctant partnership to romance, it felt more like a strong friendship to me. Since this was my first book by Arbeaux, I’m not sure if her romance style is usually like this, but I would have liked to see a bit more build-up there.

Tory quickly became my favorite — his growth from a guarded outsider to someone who can stand his ground was satisfying to watch. Sena was harder for me to connect with at first; I found him frustrating and difficult to read, though he did become more layered as the story went on.

I did feel like the worldbuilding could have been stronger. I wanted more detail about the magic system, the world’s structure, and overall explanations — some parts felt a bit thin or underdeveloped. Even so, the story was a lot of fun, just like something was missing to make it truly shine.

All in all, Cage of Starlight is an engaging tale about trust, freedom, and self-discovery. It’s a great pick for anyone who enjoys complex characters and emotional journeys. Despite a few minor flaws, I really enjoyed it and am excited to see what Arbeaux writes next.

The story took to long to start. I really felt lost at first. At one point I managed to get a grasp of the plot, but I found myself not really caring about the characters nor the plot. so dnf

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Hodderscape for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: slavery, injury, violence, death, grief, torture, abuse, imprisonment

For years, having escaped a prison camp as a child, Tory Arknett has been on the run. Fleeing the military who would use his healing ability on the frontlines of an endless war, he’s tried for years to avoid connection- and to stop anyone from seeing the tattoos that marks him as the child of a prisoner. Having hidden himself in a small mining town, Tory has carefully made a life for himself but this is all ruined when, in a desperate attempt to heal an injured miner, his powers alert the authorities. Tory attempts to run, only to be captured by Sena Vantaras, the cold and brilliant son of the head of the military. Caught, fitted with a tracker that’ll kill him if he escapes and caged inside a training facility for those with magic (Seeds), Tory is determined to break free, but not before he makes Sena pay. However, Sena is already suffering and he’s paying for his mistakes in ways that Tory barely understands. When a mission into enemy territory goes wrong, Tory and Sena are stranded in an environment determined to kill them. Forced to rely on each other, and better understanding what made both of them into the people they are, Tory and Sena come to realise that there’s things more important than just surviving. With only three days before their trackers kill them, and growing more and more frail as time passes, they have to decide if their lives are more valuable than their freedom.

Oh this book. It took me through every possible emotion from the very first page and didn’t let up until the end. It explores so much- self determination, autonomy, queer love, social commentary and freedom- while never becoming boring, which is what I loved so much about this author’s debut ‘Lord of the Empty Isles’. Tory is brash and impulsive, driven by rules given to him by his dying mother, while Sena is more regimented and severe. I loved that this book centres on an asexual relationship (I’m ace) and the many different ways that Sena and Tory connected meant the world to me. I also loved the importance of some of the side characters- particularly Iri, who I would read an entire book about. The atmosphere within the training facility is oppressive and claustrophobic, the scenes set in the woods just as tense. One of the highlights of ‘Cage of Starlight’ is how it handles really difficult topics while combining sci-fi and fantasy. The writing is seamless and emotional and powerful. I would love to see a sequel to this book, it definitely ends in a way where more could happen, and I’m very eagerly awaiting Jules Arbeaux’s next work.

<i>Cage of Starlight</i> is one of those books I knew absolutely nothing about when I started it. I forgot to read the description and just let it blindside me with whatever story it wanted to tell. And I liked it!
At its core, it's nothing really new: There's an authoritarian regime, there's a rebellion, and two lovers that start out as enemies are thrown into the thick of it and inadvertently become important figures in the fight for justice. But Arbeaux does her own spin on this old tale. While the Evil Regime is clearly only Evil and I would have loved more nuance here, I did enjoy that the rebels aren't portrayed as the perfect group fighting for the perfect goal. There's a lot more realism and moral ambiguity involved, which elevates it from many other fictional rebellions in romantasy. The world-building is well-done though I remained a bit confused about some things, like the magic and political system. O often felt that important aspects of the world were underexplained and I couldn't really picture them clearly in my mind or makes sense of them.
I did very much enjoyed our two main characters. The book is written from Tory's perspective, a healer who might be much more than just a healer and who is caught and imprisoned in order to turn him into a weapon useable by the aforementioned Evil Regime. His captor is Sena, son of the Leader of said Evil Regime and at first seemingly loyal to a fault to him. Both of them are likeable, nuanced and complex. I enjoyed both their development as characters on their own and the slow relationship building between them. It's mostly actual slow-burn and their relationship makes sense within the context of their world and their roles in it. Sena especially tugged at my heartstrings more than I would have expected.
There are some likeable side characters, but neither of them is incredibly fleshed out. But I enjoyed them and felt for them. I liked the primary Surprise Antagonist, too, and enjoyed the twists about him.

All in all a beautiful start to what I think might be a duology or series, at least the ending definitely doesn't wrap up the story. Likeable characters, a romance full of yearning and tragedy, beautiful writing and an interesting world - give this one a try!
3,5 stars, rounding up to 4.

It was my first introduction to the author, and I was very pleased to find it to my tastes: a nice merge of things like in SFF, queer yearning, character-focused narrative, nice worldbuilding. I'll be on the lookout for more from the author!

2.5🌟 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.

I enjoyed Arbeaux's first book, Lord of the Empty Isles (a queer, low-key sci-fi novel about found-family and eco rebellion), but I didn't get on with Cage of Starlight nearly so well.

Tory Arknett is an unregistered healer living on the fringes of society. Though he has lived by a rule of never putting down roots or getting attached to a place, he's not as good at following that rule as he thinks. When a particularly showy bit of healing attracts the attention of the governing military, he's taken in by Sena Vantaras. Tory is prodded and probed and fitted with a kill switch, and trained up in an academy/prison setting to fight as fodder in a war against some rebels. Though there's plenty of animosity at first, Tory comes to realise that Sena (with his uniform, title and restrained countenance) might not be as free as he first thought. Perhaps they even have a few things in common...

The magic system has something to do with ancient star beasts and seeds and made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever - simultaneously overexplained and underexplained, it was never tangible enough to grasp hold of. There was the nugget of something interesting hidden amidst the viney tendrils, but it never quite made its way through.

The rebellion lore was also ill-defined. Why are these people fighting? Why have so many been thrown in prison? It's not enough to stick in a one-dimensional fascist villain (who barely features) and tell them all to have at it. A couple of characters turn out to be SUPER POWERFUL (we're talking chosen-one territory) and nobody around them really seems to care? I think with a book like this, you have a certain set of expectations going in, and when they're not met you're left kind of stumped.

It contains some nice ideas and images, but structurally doesn't really hold together. When I learned the author had drafted the second half of the book first it actually made a lot of sense. That's where all the interesting stuff happens!

The main characters are well-written and dynamic and complex. I think Arbeaux actually excels at writing in the grey areas. It was the world-building that let it down for me. I just couldn't see it.

I'm struggling to verbalise this one - I will start by saying I did enjoy it ... BUT ... for me, who is a fantasy reader and not a sci fi reader at all, this one felt like it crossed genres a bit. It does have a fantasy feel but it's also quite dystopian (a corrupt leader / government that is mistreating it's people in the name of war) and sci fi (the language around abilities, implanted devices to track / destroy people, devices of war that have been created to kill) - like it all ties back to their magic but it was tricky for me to get into for this reason, and it was a slower read for me.

I loved Tory and his reluctant chosen one vibes, the found family that has but isn't sure if they actually like him, because he thinks he's so unlikeable. He's sassy and devil may care, but he is hell bent on surviving no matter the cost. He's a great MMC!
But I also loved Sena, he needs a hug! He is convinced of his evilness thanks to his abilities, his family, his role in the military. The untouchable Rogue from X Men vibes broke my heart a little bit.
And these two together, two sad boys who kind of hate each other until they warm up to each other and become friends that think they aren't friends because neither of them deserves it, until their eyes linger and they feel warm when the other smiles - perfection. I love yearning, slow burn, will they won't they and the hint of something more and this ticked the box for me.

In terms of the world and plot, we've got a military facility, a war (which could do with a little more explaining for me and some development of the 'other side'), an evil dictator, rebels who may or may not be doing the right thing for the right reasons, and some fierce protective vibes between our MMCs as they grow to like each other.

I would read something by this author again for sure but I would want to go in with a better understanding of the genre I guess, because it was tricky for me to wrap my head around and I'd want to do it when it suits me.

This book kept me hooked, and I enjoyed the worldbuilding, the magic system, and how the two protagonists found their identities within that system. They are both engaging characters, although in the first part of the book, I found Tory to be rather one-note emotionally (that did change in the second half of the book, though). The relationship between the two characters is pitch-perfect: not sweet and sappy, but perfectly in character.

My only real issue with the book is that it's too violent for my tastes. They want peace, but they're going to war to get it... I've seen that play out too many times in the real world, and it never ends well, so I don't enjoy seeing 'a just war' romanticised in fiction.

An incredibly well crafted story which swept me up and transported me to a dystopian land, where those with magic are conscripted to the army and kept under lock and key. I loved Tory and Sena’s story and slowly getting to know them both better through the book, as they open up but also as they face challenges at every turn. It may seem like they’re on opposite sides but do they really know each other?

The enemies element was really strong and gifts us a really slow burn romance that hit all the right notes without these characters ever even kissing! An absolute feat from Jules Arbeaux, who crafted something incredibly hopeful in Tory and Sena. A magnificent book with equally magnificent main and side characters. Even better than Lord of the Empty Isles, with just as much emotion, plenty of secrets, and unlikely love.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

Cage of Starlight grabbed my attention right off the bat and didn't let me go for a single page. Seriously. Usually when I read I take breaks every other chapter, but I couldn't put this down for literal hours!!

The plot is fast-paced and action-packed, with a lots of suspense and tension. Tory is constantly in dangerous situations; while he's constantly planning ways to escape, he also doesn't take shit from anyone, and is more than willing to antagonise Sena just for the sake of it.

The cover is giving cozy high fantasy vibes, so I was pretty surprised by how high tech and militaristic the setting is. A lot of it takes place in a high tech military training facility, and guns are pretty commonplace in this world. This isn't to say that this book is all dystopian gloom; there are some really intimate, magical moments, that feel all the more precious contrasted with the intense high stakes of everything else.

Speaking of intimate moments, let's talk about the romance! This one is a little complicated. The author has described the relationship in this book as "enemies to lovers", but Tory and Sena's relationship didn't read as romantic to me. They definitely start off as enemies; sometimes you read something pitched as enemies to lovers and the "enemies" just argue a little while making eyes at each other, but in this case Tory feels pure, unadulterated loathing for Sena from the second they meet.

I feel that enemies to lovers can be hit or miss, depending on how it's executed, but in this case the author did a wonderful job. I love how Tory and Sena gradually deepen their understanding of each other, and the way they grew closer over the course of the story felt very natural. While I don't feel like their relationship is romantic, it can certainly be read that way, and regardless, the relationship development is brilliant and also better than a lot of enemies to lovers romances out there.

This is a standalone novel. The ending wraps it up pretty well but there is definitely room for a sequel. I am being so serious when I say this, if the author wants to write another book following Tory and Sena I AM SO DOWN PLEASE I'LL READ ANYTHING I NEED THEM TO STAY TOGETHER FOREVER.

Obviously, I'm chill and normal about this book. Go read it y'all <3

DNF 20%

While the summary intrigued me, I found the first chapters very slow, and the worldbuilding info-dump that we got right at the start didn't help. However, I found Tory to be a very intriguing character, so I might give this book another chance in audio format.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc.

Jules Arbeaux could write a dictionary and I would read it ok. Lord of the empty isles was one of my favorite book of last year. And Cage of starlight will be in my top 5 too.

I would kill people for Tory and Sena’s happiness. Like. I had to put the book down multiple times just to take a breath. This book made them go through a meat grinder, BUT SOMETIMES THEY HAD A LITTLE RESPITE and it was amazing.

Tory had to hide all is life, running away from the military who is hunting people like him who have powers. He lives a quiet life until an incident forces him to flees his safe place, aaaand he got captured by none other than Sena. Another being with similar power as Tory but Sena was born into the military, he had no choice but to join.

Their relationship is not the best from the start but little by little they start seeing something in each other, and it was just beautiful.

I won’t say more but, I loved how the story went, loved how protective they were of each other and I cannot wait to reread it.

3.5/5 stars

Cage of Starlight is a standalone queer fantasy from Jules Arbeaux. Tory Arknett is a young runaway with secret healing magic, hiding his power so he won’t be conscripted into his country’s unnecessary war. But when he is discovered and captured by Sena Vantaras the youngest son of the warlord dictator, he is sent to a training facility then to the frontlines of the war. After a botched mission leaves them both stranded in enemy territory, they must work together if they want to survive and earn both their freedoms.

I loved the author’s debut novel, the devastatingly beautiful Lord of the Empty Isles, a queer-platonic science fiction that reads like a fantasy. This time around, Jules Arbeaux has written a fantasy that reads like a YA dystopian science fiction. Unfortunately, I have mostly moved past this phase of my reading and didn’t like it quite as much. The far-too-complex magic system comes across like superpowers and the presence of so much science and technology and the typical militaristic government made this comparison all too accurate. The plot is slow to progress yet each story beat somehow feels like it’s going too fast as well. There’s a lot of action, some tists and turns, and a few frustratingly YA-feeling moments. While telling a standalone story, the book leaves us off with an impression of it being the first of a series.

The best part of the book is its two main protagonists, seen in limited dual PoV that mostly follows Tory. Tory is brash, emotional, and impulsive, often reacting before he thinks things through. Sena is closed off and in control, raised to be an example and used by his father as another tool in his ongoing war. In Sena, Tory sees the worst type of person that allows themself to be used to perpetuate evil. In Tory, Sena sees the person he can never be—someone who acts how he feels and connects with others. But as they are forced to see each other’s perspectives, they grow to understand and learn to trust each other. They are both relatable and understandable characters that you will want to root for despite some frustrating traits. Although there is an Achillean romance between them, it is mostly just suggested and they don’t even kiss or go so far as to admit any feelings to each other.

Cage of Starlight is not exactly the queer romantic fantasy it was advertised to be.

*Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC via NetGalley

This book and I don't match for some reason. It's a pity. Lord of the Empty Isles was one of my favourite books of last year. I was therefore really looking forward to this one. I kept on hoping that the book would grab me at some point. That something would happen to change my feelings on this book. There just is a point where I can no longer wait.

The main issue of this book is the world building. I'm almost halfway and I still don't really understand what's going on. There is a lot of info in the beginning. Maybe a lot of it was explained there, but the explanation didn't stick. I have issues understanding what those people are fighting for, who they are fighting against and how this situation could happen.

And because I felt a little lost in the world, I also had issues connecting with the characters. I just didn't feel a connection. Both the main characters clearly had their fair share of hurt and pain in their life, but since we only get snippets of their past, it's hard to understand them and their reasons for doing things, saying things and taking certain risks.

I was also waiting for the plot to catch up with the summary of it. The moment promised however, where both characters are sent on a mission and will have to choose between freedom and living, still has not happened.

I therefore noticed that picking up this book was hard. It felt like a chore. And I decided that both I and the book don't deserve that. I'm sure there are a lot of people who will enjoy this book, I saw some really positive reviews, but this book and I are not a match and I gave up hope that it will happen later in the story.

With Jules Arbeaux's Cage of Starlight, we're in very much the same territory as we were with her debut Lord of the Empty Isles: a central enemies-to-friends arc (though here, there's a hint of asexual romance), both fantasy and SF elements, and the exploration of potentially destructive magic. I was interested to learn in the afterword that Arbeaux in fact wrote this novel first, and Lord of the Empty Isles does, in my opinion, have richer, more original world building. Cage of Starlight occupies familiar SFF territory, focusing on 'Seeds', members of the population who are forcibly drafted into a war against another fantasy kingdom because of their powers. Our protagonist Tory has tried his best to hide his abilities, but when he's caught by scout Sena Vantaras, he's sent to a training camp where, if he does not escape, he's sure he'll meet death on the front line. Surprisingly, though, as he gets to know Sena, he realises that Sena is as much a prisoner of his magic as he is, and neither of them really understand what they can do. The magic system here feels much more well-worn than the 'tethers' in Lord of the Empty Isles, and the final quarter of the novel is the usual SFF showdown; I'm not a huge fan of action, so this never does much for me. Nevertheless, Tory is an endearing protagonist, I liked the exploration of a platonic romantic bond, and overall, this was fun escapism. 3.5 stars.

3.5 stars

Firstly, I’d like to say thank you to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I genuinely think this is a great book and I truly hope it gets a lot of attention because I feel so many readers will absolutely LOVE it. It is a wonderful blend of fantasy and science fiction with also a sense of dystopian peeking through.

the highlight of this book for me was definitely Tory and Sena. I think the growth of their relationship and friendship was beautiful to see and although I wouldn’t say it was very romance heavy, you could definitely see the building of this amazing love between them. individually I thought they were both such strong characters, each with their own things to work through and build on. I love how their powers complimented each other too, I felt it was very symbolic of how they compliment each other as people.

the powers were definitely interesting and I enjoyed seeing the different powers in this world and also finding out more about Tory and Sena’s in particular. However, I did feel like I got slightly confused with aspects of this world building and the magic/powers. it felt like we had a lot thrown at us from the start which was helpful but at times a bit too much, leading to my confusion - however this could just be a me thing and not an issue for others! I wouldn’t say the confusion hindered any enjoyment of this for me anyway.

I enjoyed how the story developed and wrapped up as a stand-alone but with potential for more. I do think it was a strong plot, but it wasn’t always clicking for me. I felt a lot more of a connection to the characters than the plot itself, again this is probably just a personal thing and I wouldn’t let it put you off as the plot does have a lot of features that readers would definitely enjoy. it could just be that it felt more sci-fi to me at times, more than I was anticipating, which is a genre I’m not as used to. this did get better as we got further into the book and the action started happening as I was more engaged then.

overall, this was a solid read and I would definitely recommend!

I am finding this a really, really tough one to review and I wish I could rate it higher because it had some truly strong points going for it. Some of the issues are probably just a matter of taste and reading preferences, but I do also think there were a few more technical thing that made this a little hard to get through.

First and foremost, our main characters Tory and Sena are fantastic. Both are multi facetted characters who are in ways total opposites and yet also have plenty in common which also makes them a great duo. I'd argue that this book is very light on the romance side but the slow burn was nonetheless well done and I generally loved how their enemies to allies dynamic gradually grew. The writing was well done and I liked the premise of this book.

The first issue I had has the pacing and info dumping. It was extremely slow to get the ball rolling, at around 25% I felt that I had read close to nothing but world building and explanations around the magic system. At around 65%, I felt very much the same. It was as though more than half of the book was a set up and the actual meat of the plot just wouldn't take off. But what makes it even worse, for all the worldbuilding and intricate magic system, I feel like I only have the vaguest idea of what this world is meant to be like.

I kind of went into this thinking it's more of a high fantasy setting but the magic system feels very much more like science fiction. There's more science than magic going on here. And that's fine! It's just that I am still unsure which of the two it's meant to be The original set up, the lore and general vibe feels like it's more of a medieval-esque setting. And yet the magic is largely based on psychic abilities and there are plenty of human experiements, high tech devices and weapons. So as far as world building goes, I am utterly confused.

Then there is the magic system - we spend so much time explaining how it works but it remains a vague concept to me. This also didn't help with the battle scenes and devices. There are items that are part plant and part machine or crystal - they're vaguely described as balls but they are vines wrapped around a crystal. They are extremely dangerous but I don't understand what it is they do or where they come from exactly. It's a device but it's also implied that it may have a mind of its own. From the moment they were mentioned to the last chapter, I did not understand their purpose, their origin, how they function or what exactly they looked like. And I fel tmuch the same about wider battle scenes. So much was happening and action scenes aren't always the most straight forward to write but I just spent so much time confused.

So, ultimately, I felt almost everything was extremely over and under explained - too much in some areas, not enough areas. That also made this a pretty slow read to get through and it is just such a shame as I truly enjoyed the characters. I will say that I personally would have liked just a wee bit m ore romance, but I think I understand what the author was aiming for and there are also plenty of readers out there who prefer no to little romance, so this is truly just a personal preference.

Cage of Starlight was my first read from Jules Arbeaux and I'll be picking up their previous title for certain!

We follow Tory as he's imprisoned by the government and forced to work for the military, stuck with a piece of tech that can kill him if he misbehaves. He's paired up with Sena who oversees him during his training and after they both end up stranded after a mission gone wrong they have to make some difficult decisions between life and freedom.

The world building can be a bit overwhelming at first, however, as Rory learns more about his abilities so do we as the audience and it answers so many questions without overwhelming you. The magic systems were intriguing and the differences in ideologies between the factions and their treatment of the magic users but also how they used magic was super interesting.

The characters were such a standout for me and Tory was my absolute favourite, compassionate and hotheaded in a wonderful mix. Sena grows on you as you uncover more about him throughout the story and there's a whole host of side characters to love.

Thanks to Netgalley + Hodder and Stoughton for this arc.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I absolutely loved Jules Arbeaux’ debut novel; the way they write complicated people and the relationships between them is so very special to me.
It’s not about the magic, it’s not really about the world building; it’s about Tory and Sena, and the hurt between them.

I didn’t love this as much as Lord of the Empty Isles, but it was still a fantastic story!