Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.75⭐️

When I read Arbeaux's debut last year, I fell in love with their writing and it quickly became my joint favourite book of all time. As such, this was a very anticipated read for me, and I was very excited to dive in. And - for the most part - it did not disappoint!

One of Arbeaux's greatest strengths is their ability to write emotion, and this really shone in Cage of Starlight. And their strength lies not only in writing the characters' complex and nuanced emotions, and leading readers to become irreversibly attached and fall in love with them, but in how they produce emotions within the reader. Reading this felt like a visceral experience for me in the best of ways. I grew so attached to Tory and Sena that I felt their emotions alongside them, felt their pain as vividly as if it were my own, and cheered for them right through to their end. I think, on the whole, visceral is an excellent word to describe this story. Tory and Sena have both suffered immensely, and are now left fighting tooth and nail for freedom and agency, and its raw and brutal and emotional and heartbreaking, and yet still somehow beautiful and filled with hope and determination.

I fell in love with Tory's character immediately, and loved seeing a slightly different take on a protagonist. He's angry and hurting and scared to let others in and he never stops fighting, which I admired greatly. I also loved the asexual representation with him (I'm aroace, so this made me very happy), and very much enjoyed his gentle and subtle romantic bond with Sena alongside this. Speaking of Sena, his character may have broken me, in all the best ways. He, again, is a slightly different take on a protagonist, with a nuanced and layered backstory (that I do wish we got to see more of) which made his character so complex. Sena too is hurting and scared and his journey to finding hope again and allowing himself to indulge in freedom was beautiful. But I love him most for the neurodivergent representation. There's no confirmation on what sort of neurodivergent Sena is exactly, but as an autistic person, I related to him immensely and found such comfort in the representation. The representation was so thoughtful, and clearly so important to Arbeaux, and I adored seeing sensory issues and social struggles woven into this sci-fi/fantasy melded adventure. Whilst I think the character work with Tory and Sena was really strong, I don't think the side characters were as strong as those in Lord of the Empty Isles, and I found it much harder to connect with them.

The world in this book - based upon plants and energies and with subtle hints of science - is very expansive and complex, and a little tricky to get your head around at times, and I think does sometimes lean more towards sci-fi than fantasy, which I didn't mind at all! There's a lot of information on the worldbuilding and magic system fed to the reader at once at the start of the novel, which I usually would critique, but, even though it was a lot to wrap my head around, I actually didn't mind it! We spend most of the first part of the book in solely Tory's POV, and he doesn't know any of this information either, so I thought this worldbuilding method was actually quite effective with connecting readers with Tory and his journey and the new world he's acclimatising too. In a similar vein, I thought the plot of this book was strong, and worked with a similar effect to the worldbuilding. Tory and Sena spend most of the book in the dark about what is going on, piecing together the threads of intrigue themselves, as we readers do so alongside them, and I thought this was particularly effective for some of the antagonists' motivations and reveals.

This is also an intensely political book, just like Lord of the Empty Isles was, and I think the social commentaries were handled excellently. This book tackles some heavy themes, and tackles them with respect and force and determination in the best of ways, weaving activism throughout this tale of rebellion and agency. Arbeaux tackles incarceration and labour camps, forced conscription and a world upturned by the military, imprisonment and agency, and the nuances of rebellion and the consequences of corruption. The interweaving of social commentaries is another of Arbeaux's greatest strengths, and it was definitely a standing out point of this book.

I desperately wanted to give this book 5⭐️ for all that it made me feel, and in my soul it deserves those stars, but I can't deny that I just wanted a bit more out of it. I wanted more out of Tory and Sena's backstories. I wanted more expansion on the worldbuilding and the war and how that all came to be. I wanted some plot points to be tidied up a bit and expanded upon. I just wanted more. This book is officially a standalone, but Arbeaux has said they left it open for possibly writing more in the future, and I desperately hope that they do. To me, this book didn't feel like a standalone (though I do think it can be read mostly satisfyingly as one), but instead felt like the start of something bigger, something incredible, and I think a sequel would allow space to expand upon the things I found to be a bit lacking or messy in this book. I want to spend more time with Tory and Sena and their sweet, slowly blooming bond. I want to see this world expand and dive more into the politics and war and see the oppressive system crumble. I just adored this story and this world so much and desperately want more of it because I know Arbeaux is incredible and there is so much potential here!

Overall, I did absolutely adore this book and was completely hooked from the very start. With excellent protagonists, nuanced social commentary, unique worldbuilding, this original sci-fi and fantasy blend was a beautiful tale of loss and suffering and yet also strength, rebellion, agency, and hope. I'm very honoured I got the chance to read this early and definitely recommend picking up a copy when it releases next month!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.75

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the eARC.

'Solitude can make even the vastest domain into a cage, and starlight is no gentler a prison than any other.'

Having enjoyed Lord of the Empty Isles I knew I'd be in for a treat with Cage of Starlight. In a lot of respects it delivered. Jules Arbeaux's writing just really hits the spot for me. It flows beautifully, the descriptions rich and immersive. The world created in Cage of Starlight was in many ways brutal and unforgiving but there is such wonderful imagery and raw depictions of tender moments that it was easy to lose myself in.

The characters, as in LotEI, were probably my favourite part of the book. Whilst it centered around Tory and Sena there were a couple of side characters I particularly liked who provided some comic relief, too. But the main two messes of human beings were loveable and I enjoyed their enemies-to-kind of lovers arc (there is plenty of love, trust me, just nothing physical). One idiot deprived of love and another who has kept it at bay lest he lose it all, forced proximity, the revelation of one's true nature—excllent stuff.

It's hard to explain why I didn't really feel like this hit for me, though. I enjoyed the beginning and end but the middle sort of lulled, and it was somewhat predictable in a lot of ways sticking to a very familiar fantasy formula. The worldbuilding was okay, and I did enjoy the world itself, but it also left a lot of questions for me. It doesn't look like there's a sequel planned which is a shame as I would have liked to follow on the journey.

All in all it was an enjoyable read and perfect for anyone who fancies a touching slow burn amongst themes of survival, betrayal and learning to love.

"Cage of Starlight" by Jules Arbeaux impresses with its vivid characters, emotional depth, and an exciting blend of fantasy and sci-fi elements.
The writing style is easy to read, emotional, and I was immediately drawn into the story. It starts off a little slow, but that didn’t bother me much. Instead, it gave us more time to get to know the characters and understand the situation they are in. After that, the plot picks up significantly and surprised me with some twists I truly didn’t see coming.
One of the strongest aspects is the dynamic between Tory and Sena. Their initial enmity evolves convincingly into reluctant allies who regard each other with distrust but gradually learn to trust and understand one another.
This transition worked very well for me. However, the next step—from reluctant allies to lovers—only semi-worked in my eyes. Most of the time, it felt more like a deep friendship rather than a romantic relationship. I can't really judge how Arbeaux usually writes romance since this was my first book by her, but personally, I would have liked a bit more explicit development in that regard.
My favorite character is definitely Tory. He grows beautifully from a cautious outsider into a confident survivor. Sena, on the other hand, was harder for me to grasp at first. I leaned more toward finding him unlikeable and often wanted to shake him, but he also gained more depth as the story progressed.
I found the worldbuilding a little less convincing. It could have been much more detailed, especially regarding the magical elements, the structure of the world, and the general explanations, which all felt a bit thin to me. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun with the story—though, you know, something just felt a little missing.

Overall, Cage of Starlight is a captivating story about freedom, trust, and self-discovery that will especially appeal to readers who love strong characters and emotional growth. Despite some minor weaknesses, the book offers great reading enjoyment—I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!

I was a little bit worried going into this book, because I loved Lord of the Empty Isles SO MUCH. So much.

You know, I loved this almost as much. Maybe I'm more critical because it's the author's second book, but that means it's 4.5* instead of 5* 😂

Tory was just as angry as Remy, but Tory had something a little more adult about him, and a little more relatable. You understand Tory finally growing sick of appeasement.

And Sena? I just, I didn't realise he was so young. He's... yeah.

This review probably isn't too useful but the book is beautiful, I enjoyed it and I would really recommend it. An excellent second novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I read and loved the authors previous book Lord of the Empty Isles, so was surprised that I did not enjoy this one anywhere near as much. I honestly can't say why but the characters just did not resonate with me as much as Remy and Idrian did. There were parts of the story I liked, for example the sections within the facility where the seeds were learning to use their powers co-operatively. I think this will appeal to many, but just not one for me.

I really enjoyed this!

The opening was fast-paced with enough world-building to make sense, but no info-dumping, which I'm getting so tired of these days.

The novel follows Tory who's on the run from serving in a brutal war. He's a healer, which I LOVED. So refreshing from the usual fighter/shadow daddy MCs. No judgement, I just like them softer.

The development between Sena and Tory is so interesting, and they are built beautifully.

Lord of the Empty Isles was one of my favorite books from last year, and as a result this was one of my most anticipated books for this year. It did not disappoint.
Similar to LOTEI, Cage of Starlight is a heavy, emotional book with gritty world building and lots of trauma. A major theme in this book is about defying authority or acquiscening to it to attempt damage control, and especially how in the long run the latter just doesn't really work.

The book is set in a country that used to be run by four families, which each handling their own aspect of the government. But sometime before the MC was born, the leader of the military family took over and plunged the country into a military dictatorship. They're at war with a neighboring country for basically bullshit reasons. Prison sentences are now for life, in labor camps. People born into labor camps basically have to stay there too. And there's people with magical abilities called seeds, who are all rounded up and conscripted for the war effort.

Tory is a healer who escaped such a labor camp where he grew up, and has kept his healing abilities mostly secret. He hides out in a mining town where he heals people in exchange for getting to live there and they keep his existence secret. But Tory can never quite put roots down, is always at risk of needing to leave, as people like him are hunted down.

When Tory fucks up and draws too much attention, he is captured by Sena and taken to the Box, a military compound specifically for seeds (the people with the powers). He wants nothing more than to get out, but he'd also very much like to make Sena pay for what he did.

What I like about Tory is how defiant he is. He was basically taught his entire life to be polite, stay hidden, appease authority, not make it worse for himself etc, and he's fucking done. He consciously makes this decision around the time he's captured. He is rebellious, openly defiant in the military environment. And it's easy to think he's making it worse for himself by acting this way, but his situation sucks no matter what. At least this way he can take as much control as he can of the situation, reclaim the minimal amount of agency he has left.

Sena is the opposite. He's very much what Tory was taught to be. He appeases. He does exactly what he's told and hopes they'll treat him better for it. He's the son of the general who is in charge of the military dictatorship, but his power within this situation is very limited and he's treated more like a weapon than a person. He keeps telling Tory to stop making it so hard for himself, and his character arc is very much about learning that appeasing the people in power doesn't work. That he needs to remove himself from the situation entirely, and cannot let them keep hurting him and using him. It took me a moment to warm up to him, because at first we see Sena only from Tory's POV, who understandly hates him. But from about halfway in Sena also gets a POV, and we begin to understand his actions a bit more. He's not the villain who did this to Tory, he's another person trying to survive and having very little agency in the situation. I really liked his characterization as a very sweet person who was forced into this and made into a weapon, who believes he's fundamentally destructive due to his power I'm also pretty sure Sena is supposed to be read as autistic, which I appreciated.

There's several side characters I enjoyed, but I have to give a shoutout to Dr. Helner. She's insane. She's morally grey. She's really cool and competent. She's a Reacher which basically means she can do surgery without actually cutting someone open but through magic. I love her. I'm about as obsessed with her as I was with Yves in LOTEI.

The main relationship is between Tory and Sena and it took its time to develop considering Tory starts out hating Sena for good reason, but they slowly warm up to each other. Tory is ace, and their relationship remains quite undefined. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be romantic, and they clearly love each other, but there's pretty much nothing physical happening that traditionally signifies romance, so it was a very interesting take on a romance by a a-spec writer, which I enjoyed seeing.

Would recommend it to people who enjoy heavy, character driven stories such as Lord of the Empty Isles or Arcane

Jules Arbeaux’s Cage of Starlight is a gripping, action-packed queer fantasy romance that combines heart-stopping adventure with a tender exploration of love, trust, and freedom. Set in a world where magic is both a gift and a curse, this novel follows Tory Arknett, a healer on the run, and Sena Vantaras, the coldly efficient captor who becomes his unlikely ally.

Tory has spent years surviving by following three simple rules: don’t make waves, don’t get attached, and never let anyone see the tattoos that mark him as a healer. But when a desperate act of magic exposes his abilities, he is captured and forced into a brutal training facility designed to weaponize his powers for war. Determined to escape, Tory vows to make Sena—the facility’s unyielding enforcer—pay for his captivity. However, when a mission goes awry and strands them in enemy territory, Tory and Sena must rely on each other to survive.

Arbeaux’s world-building is rich and immersive, blending high-stakes action with a deeply emotional narrative. The dynamic between Tory and Sena is the heart of the story, evolving from mistrust and animosity to a profound connection that challenges both characters to confront their pasts and redefine their futures. Tory’s grumpy resilience and Sena’s stoic competence make them a compelling pair, and their chemistry is electric, balancing moments of tension with tender vulnerability.

The novel’s pacing is relentless, with twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. The stakes are sky-high, as Tory and Sena race against time to outrun the trackers implanted in them, which will kill them in three days if they don’t return to the facility. This ticking clock adds urgency to their journey, while the myth behind their shared magic deepens the story’s emotional and thematic layers.

At its core, Cage of Starlight is a story about finding belonging in the most unexpected places and the courage it takes to fight for freedom—both from external forces and internal fears. Arbeaux’s writing is sharp and evocative, capturing the beauty and brutality of their world with equal skill. Readers who enjoyed The Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat or Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell will likely find Cage of Starlight equally captivating.

3,5/5

I loved "The lord of the empty isles", so when I saw a new book by the same author was coming out, I was excited, especially since this time, there more of a romantic love story too. I can't really say I was disappointed, but I didn't love it as much as I expected.

The book felt long, a bit too "on the surface" too. I don't know why, but it lacked the complexity I was looking for. Not a high complexity, "The lord of the empty isles" didn't have that either, but still, something to get my grip into. I couldn't find it, and yet the characters and plot aren't bad. A bit easy to guess and decipher, but that's because I did read enough story with the same workings. The relationships are nice, not that there are a lot of them. Come to think of it, it might be one reason for my lack of big envolvment. We mainly follow our main character and his "love interest". Be aware that it is not a romance in the sense that the relationhip's construction doesn't work like one. It felt more like a big friendship to me, to be honest, but it's open to interpretation, and the feelings are definitely there.

I think the worldbuilding and the narration were the main things to throw me a bit off. Present tense is hard to do well with me. And I am also an annoying reader when it comes to a mix of fantasy with sci-fi elements : here, we have stones that basically make electric and electro-magnetic like forces and uses possible, and it felt way too easy to me. I would have liked to have more of a feel for the world too, but I undertsand it wasn't the goal of the story.

Despite all these little things, I still read the whole story and had a bit of fun. "Cage of starlight" will appeal to reader searching for a love story outside of what we see in romance, with fantasy mixed with sci-fi-ish elements, and young characters seeking their place in the world, even when the world doesn't want to make place for their freedom.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the generous ARC!!

I will say first and foremost that this book does start off kinda slow -- so bear that in mind! Basically it goes like this:

Tory, the MC, is a healer. Or at least, without giving anything away, he exhibits healing powers, which he's been trying to keep hidden all his life so that the Grand General (who is kind of the despot of the country) won't capture him and capitalise on his talents. Long story short, he does get caught (not a spoiler; it's in the blurb). I will say that because I'd read the blurb, I kind of knew what was going to happen, so the beginning chapters were a bit slow leading up to his capture.

But once Sena gets a hold of him, that's when the story takes off and you really get to explore what's going on here behind Tory's powers. I'm a huge fan of pretty, soft boys and I'd say physically Sena looks like that, but he's harder and colder. I felt sorry for him from the get-go once his dynamics with his superiors and his history with his father were introduced. In general you can tell pretty early on that he's also a product of his circumstances.

Unfortunately, I can't say I was super invested in either main character BUT I do think this is an enjoyable and intriguing story once the ball gets rolling. I would definitely recommend if you're a fan of enemies-to-lovers (kind of! The 'lovers' part may not be as explicit but it's there and I appreciate how it's presented) and watching two boys journey and grow together.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodderscape for accepting my request to read this book.

4/5

I do admit that I struggled to read this on my Kindle, but I did find a way around that, by just using the Netgalley Reader app so that’s my one complaint about the weird formatting layout of this book when I first downloaded it.

I also can’t take the name Tory seriously as a UK resident, I subconsciously think his full name is Conservative Party and I can’t help the little giggle I have when I come back to reality.

It was a bit of a slow start for me but that might just be fantasy books in general. I do remember taking ages to get into the Mortal Instruments because I couldn’t wrap my head around it when I first read it (it took about 2 years).

I clearly need to read the tropes/tags on Goodreads because I did kinda go into this blind regarding the LGBT+ representation, not out of some kind of ignorance but because I’m just stupid. But, yes, I can so get on board with this. Bring out the representation in fantasy worlds, we need more of it.

I tried my best to keep this spoiler free, please let me know if it’s not and I will edit it so that there are no big ass spoilers.

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PLOT
I’m a sucker for fantasy worlds, because of that stereotype of hating the real world and I’m really boring and a law student. As I said before, it was a little slow for me at the start but I may be slightly distracted due to exams. Once the plot kicked in, it was with a giant smack to the face. I began to devour the book and once the villain appeared I started getting that hate for fictional characters and how their audacity fuels the plot.

I only wish that there had been more POV switches in book but obviously that’s not how yearning works. Especially not for me.

The war between the two countries and trecherous landscape that the characters must face when far away from what they are used to brings to light how much they need to be challenged in the face of adversity. The growth that Sena and Tory face whilst fighting to free themselves from their futures is amazing.

I will admit that I wasn't expecting the plot twist because I was expecting another plot twist but that may be just my brain. I then started thinking “huh, wait a minute I could totally see how that person convinced people to do that” because it made sense.

Superb writing skills from the author. I tip my hat to you.

I did start mentally sobbing (no physical tears from me ‘cause I’m built different) towards the end (almost DNFd at 96%) and started offering suggestions to the text. Sometimes its just as simple as doing what this author did and push me to the edge of my bed.

If there's meant to be a sequel I would definitely not be opposed, hell even a short story about Sena and Tory will do. Just being domestic and bad at talking. May I request a kiss if there is to be a sequel, PRETTY PLEASE.

SETTING
I was so lost without a map, maybe that’s the beginning of the privilege reader in me, but my imagination is so weird and I kept picturing something like Ba Sing Se in ATLA and Paradis in AOT. I swear I need a glossary for what some of the words for things were so I can understand but again, that’s just my problem.

CHARACTERS
Well, Tory is a bit of a hot mess as is Sena. Equality in its finest form. But this is their finest strength, they both have challenges they need to overcome to be their greatest. True enemies-to-lovers. Like that song “loathing, unadulterated loathing”. When faced with their true antagonist – society – they must face true and difficult tests that bring them closer together.

Tory gives off Chihuahua vibes to me with how often he mentally threatens to sink his teeth into people … especially Sena. He is so strong despite his complete and utter stupidity in the situations that he finds himself in. The quests in the book can attest to that, I swear he gets tired faster than I do (which is a feat). I love the journey he goes on to become the absolute best that he can be. He begins to shine as he becomes stronger.

Sena was a bit of a surprise to me, with how much he’s been tortured by his father and his, well, twisty behaviour towards Tory in the beginning. His willingness to help Tory out in the stupid situations that he finds himself in is *chef’s kiss*. I do admit that I didn’t quite understand his character at first but obviously he grew on me and I used that critical thinking that my education beat into me.

While I do love the protagonists, I confess that Harsa is one of my favourite with how much she is willing to do for Tory, God knows he needs it, despite how she can lose everything in a moment's notice. Same with Iri.


(Cross-posted to Fable and Goodreads and Storygraph)

This book was so intricate and dynamic. I wasn't prepared for the number of twists and turns it had, and it left me constantly gripped wondering what would happen next. I absolutely loved the theme of refusing to be compliant and quiet in the face of oppression and being brave enough to resist. Troy was a very interesting character and I loved his spirit throughout. Overall, a really solid read! I'm reeling slightly from the emotional rollercoaster I went on reading this (in the best way!).