Firstly a book with a glossary will always have my heart. - a map would make it perfect!

Our FMC has been held in isolation for her whole life, only ever seeing her parents from afar. The small happiness she has is sneaking out to see her friends in the nearby village. She starts to feel threatened within her life and decides to run, she is found and asks for help from a glamoured fae (Prince Leon) who refuses and she is took back. Soon after her near escapes she finds out her captive lifestyle was due to her being the heir to the throne and her parents have mysteriously just been killed and she is thrust onto the crown. She soon finds out Prince Leon was accused of the murders, when he sees her in the castle he kidnaps her for insurance and they begin a quest to get back to his lands. Along the way her once thought lacking magic appears as very rare and Prince Leon begins to help her to learn how to wield it. The banter throughout is so good… but the last chapter. UGH I DIE!

I enjoyed so much about this book my only gripe being sometimes the romance being rushed at times, but that is the princes whole vibe. He’s very hot and cold. I loved the side characters, Alastor is just 🤌🏽

Would definitely recommend and so excited for the next books!

Unfortunately this read was a 2.5 🌟 for me, I just struggled to get into the storyline of the book. I couldn't really connect with the characters

Special thanks to Zara Storm, the publisher, and Netgalley for this ARC of Curse of the Sun and Stars.

It took me a little bit to get into this book. The unique magic system and names of places took some getting used to at first to understand. Once I got to about halfway I couldn’t put it down.

I found Leon’s inner monologue comical from the very beginning and I enjoyed his “found family” with the other fae soldiers.

I enjoyed Ana’s character development throughout the story (without giving too much away for spoilers).

The twist/cliffhanger at the end was a surprise for me. I will need to read book two when it becomes available!

You’ll enjoy Curse of the Sun and Stars if you enjoy:
-slow burn
-unique magic systems
-dual pov
-forced proximity
-magic training
-fae prince MMC x human princess FMC
-enemies to lovers
-magic suppression

Zara Storm has done it again. Known for her criminally underrated Gold Weaver series, she returns with a powerful new fantasy that delivers heart-pounding stakes, swoon-worthy tension, and unforgettable characters.

Ana’s story begins in isolation—trapped in a manor, surrounded by guards who protect the secrets of her identity more than they protect her. When she makes a daring escape and encounters Prince Leon, a classic morally grey Fae prince, sparks fly—but not in the way romance readers might expect. Their initial meeting leads to rejection and heartbreak, but fate throws them together once more after Ana discovers the truth of her royal heritage. What follows is a beautifully layered tale of growth, resilience, and political intrigue.

Ana’s evolution from fragile prisoner to fierce, self-assured force of nature is one of the novel’s greatest strengths. She becomes the kind of BAMF heroine that readers can rally behind. Leon, meanwhile, hits all the right notes of the morally complex male lead—brooding yet loyal, dangerous yet protective. Their chemistry is electric, heightened by forced proximity and the ever-addictive “touch her and die” trope.

Storm’s side characters are not just filler; they breathe life into the narrative, creating a world that feels rich, immersive, and emotionally grounded. The world-building itself is masterful—complex yet accessible, dripping with lore without ever dragging down the pace.

Yes, it ends on a cliffhanger—but it’s the kind that leaves you breathless, desperate for the next page, not frustrated. Storm knows exactly how to balance tension with payoff.

With tropes like enemies to lovers, lost princess, Fae royalty, and found strength, this is a must-read for fantasy romantasy fans. If you're not already reading Zara Storm, this book is the perfect place to start.

Final Thoughts:
A dazzling beginning to what promises to be a standout series. Unputdownable and emotionally satisfying. Bring on book two!

Tropes:
❤️‍🔥Hate to love
⚔️Enemies to lovers
🥷Hidden identity
⛓️ she’s kidnapped
🗯️Witty banter
🤺Training together


Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. This book was wonderful, and I loved the world-building and magic styles. I absolutely love that he calls her princess🥹
Okay my favorite scene was when his jealousy was about to get exposed.
I love the fact that he never held back when they physically fought. There were some moments where I got intense second-hand embarrassment and had to close the book. The cliffhanger was crazy and I can’t wait for the sequel to release.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this book via NetGalley!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It had some good tropes that I love; slow burn, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the scenes and the world building worked really well. The premise and plot of the story seemed to flow really well, and it was an easy to read book. Sometimes the dialogue felt a bit ‘immature’ at times but I think this was a really nice book to get stuck into. Romantasy & YA lovers will really enjoy this book!!

Rating: 4/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Curse of the Sun and Stars by Zara Storm is a decent addition to the fantasy-romance genre, built on familiar ground—magical destinies, forbidden love, and ancient prophecies. While it didn’t quite pull me in completely, I can see the appeal for readers who enjoy classic fantasy elements wrapped in romance.

The world-building is clear and easy to follow, especially the magic system centered around elemental powers and celestial forces. However, it felt a little too safe for me—relying heavily on well-known tropes without offering much that felt new or surprising.

The romance, which plays a central role in the story, didn’t land quite as strongly as I’d hoped. The bond between the main characters felt a bit rushed, with sparks but not enough substance. There was potential, but the emotional depth just wasn’t there for me.

Oh my gosh, this book. I read it in less than 24 hours, and even dreamed about it! The main character, Ana, is an amazing FMC. And LEON!!!!! What can I say about Leon - sexy, broody, aloof, grey… SO GOOD. The battles were amazing, and the yearning and tension… top tier. The ending totally threw me, and now I’m dying for book 2!

Got this as a ARC and oh my gosh. It is SO good! At first I was a little worried the different powers would confuse me, but it was so simple to understand. I was enjoying it a lot, but the ending really got me like mindblown. I need the next book like right this second. This was my first book I have read by Zara Storm and it definitely won’t be my last!

Curse of the Sun and Stars
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Ebook

Thank you NetGalley and Relay Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The world building, while rich and detailed, took some time to settle into which made the beginning feel a bit sluggish. But once the story found its footing, things picked up fast—and by the end I was completely hooked. The final chapters had my jaw on the floor, and now I need the second book ASAP. Definitely a great start to a series that I am eager to continue. If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers fae fantasy with a twist of romance and aren’t afraid to wait a little for the payoff, this one is worth checking out.

Zara Storm does a really impressive job of building a believable world, with new magic systems, that doesn't feel overwhelming. The book is fast paced and I flew though this. I was dying to know what was going to happen after starting this book. It was a relatively short book (I think, my e-ARC didn't have page numbers attached) and Zara Storm does a great job of fitting everything you need into it, magic, politics, intrigue and romance.

That being said, I did feel the writing was quite cumbersome and, for me, that is something that really does take me out of the world. I felt as the story went on there became less showing and more telling and it was such a shame because I think the book starts strong.

The ending was exciting, the final 'confrontation' could have been more drawn out and suspenseful, and I thought the tension between the two main characters could have been played up way more (give me all the tension), it went a bit of 0 to 100 for me. The ending twist was not much of a surprise but the final twist did give me a shock.

This book describes it's self as a dark romance but I personally would not categorise it as dark, but I guess that is up to the reader to decide.

I see a lot of potential in this series and I would love to be able to immerse myself in this world if the writing just connected a bit more with me.

This was a fun, easy read and good news - it does end with a cliffhanger BUT I think I'll manage to survive until the next book comes out, for once the kindle was not thrown across the room in frustration!

Things I liked:
-The worldbuilding and magic systems are easy to follow and it will be very interesting to see how Ana's powers develop in the next book.
- Since this is the beginning of a series, the 1st book was not 600 pages, I actually appreciated that. The story comes to a satisfying halt and leaves us intrigued but not breathless. It was a good point to press pause!
- Some of the side characters are brilliant and very fun to read on the page
- Even though some aspects of the story are dark, it actually makes for a light, beachside type of easy read which felt refreshing

Things I didn't like:
- I felt that the main characters were not fleshed enough for me. All the ingredients were there for me to become emotionally invested in their journey but for reasons I can't fully explain, I didn't get there
- The chemistry was ok but I would have liked a bit more yearning before they become intimate with each other
- The writing was ok, but not particularly skillful. I think tighter editing would benefit this book immensely as the premise is really good!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this review copy, all opinions are my own

Thank you to Zara Storm for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Moments from capture and the brutal prison that awaits her, Ana offers a cold-eyed prince a desperate deal. “I’ll trade you,” she offers. A secret for her life. “ No.” With a single word, Prince Leon leaves her for dead. And Ana swears to hate him for a thousand lifetimes. But survival comes with a cruel twist. When her parents are murdered, Ana discovers why she was she’s the hidden heir to Trova, cast aside for being born without magic. Her first act as queen? Punish the assassin accused of their deaths—the same fae prince who left her to die. But Trova’s court is a viper’s nest, and someone there wants her dead. After a failed attempt on her life, Leon takes her hostage amidst the chaos—his means of escape, her worst nightmare. Now, forced into close quarters on the run with the man she vowed to destroy, Ana finds herself torn between vengeance and the pull of something far more desire. With a fanatical enemy rising and a wild magic awakening within her, Ana must decide if trusting Leon is her kingdom’s salvation… or its ruin.

Ana seems incredibly meek and you can thank isolation from the world her entire life for that. But it was definitely a lot of fun to see her blossom and become more and more sassy as the book progressed. I would have liked a bit more of a deep dive into her feelings about her magic. We see her frustrations with it not manifesting as she wishes but we don’t see much fear or relief - both emotions which would be totally valid after being told her whole life she possesses no magic at all! Her inner strength was certainly admirable and she made for a feisty FMC!
It’s hard to know how I feel about Leon because he seemed to change a lot, back and forth with his emotions and presentation. I can tell he has a good heart, protecting Ana where he can whilst still saving himself. But it is the flips into this cold and stony persona that put me off him a little bit. A lot of the time they seemed unprovoked whilst other times they seemed to come out of blue - not just confusing Ana but me as the reader too! Perhaps more could have been done to dive into this POV further. He seems to harbour many secrets and a fair few of them motivate him but we never learn what they are.

If you tell me there is a romantasy with fae, I am there. If you then tell me it’s heavy on enemies to lovers and has some spice to it? Completely and utterly sold! So, when I stumbled across this book, I knew I needed to read it. The overall plot was pretty good, it just felt like it dragged quite a lot. The flow just felt a bit stilted to me, like I was wading through mud. Add in the vague background information for the majority of the story, it seemed like there was a spark missing. I so wanted to adore and devour this story, especially with the synopsis being so strong, but with the plot not being as strong or detailed as I’d hoped, it just wasn’t WOW for me. I will say though, I did like the magic system here. Made things intriguing! The characters weren’t too bad, but like the plot, there were too many secrets or lack of details in what spurs them onward. There was a lot of variety to them which I liked but when they are more one-dimensional, you don’t feel a pull towards characters. In stories, I want to be rooting for someone, or grinning when they make an entrance because I know they’re trouble. I didn’t really get that here. There were a lot of angsty romance moments that was perfect for the enemies to lovers trope. And because of that, there were definitely some rather hot and spicy scenes! I think Storm did a brilliant job with these for sure! The ending, despite my opinion on the rest of book, has left me really wanting to read the sequel! What a plot twist! I did not see that coming in the slightest!

Overall, Curse of the Sun and Stars is a romantasy with a lot of promise, it just didn’t hit all the right notes with me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Zara Storm for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog 18th July due to scheduling. Available now on Goodreads.

3.5 Stars from Me!

This enemies-to-lovers book is a great pick for Romantasy lovers!

The worldbuilding is accessible, the spice is definitely spicing, and the magic system feels fresh and unique. I especially enjoyed the dual POV and the dynamic between the two main characters, Morgana and Leon.

Some tropes you can expect:
✨ Kidnapped by the enemy
✨ One bed
✨ Hidden powers
✨ He trains her
✨ Betrayal

The story kicks off with Morgana—also known as Ana—living a quiet, isolated life in a manor, hidden away from the outside world. She believes her parents have kept her there for her safety, as she supposedly has no magical powers. One day, she decides to escape her lonely life and stumbles upon a group of Fae in a tavern. That’s when everything changes—especially after meeting Leon, the Nightmare Prince of the Fae.

I really enjoyed following their journey and am eager to see where their story goes next. I’m also looking forward to more development of the side characters and the found family elements in the upcoming book.

As someone who reads a lot of Romantasy, I found some plot twists predictable—but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment.

All in all, a solid 3.5-star read and a promising start to a new series!

If you've picked this book up you're about to be thrown into the world of Morgana and Leon. Star struck enemies to lovers vibes, with a little bit of sass. Dual POV and some unique friends along the way fill in some much needed gaps and humour along the journey.

🗺️ The world building is very basic, with new areas being introduced hopefully in book two. This isn't a fast paced book at times and certainly has a very slow and limited location start.

🌶️ There is a small level of spice here and it goes from enemies to perfect sexy time lovers in less then a page. It felt that things were thrown together head first and everything is mind blowling good. If you're not into spice this is easy to flick on by.

📚 This book is for you if you enjoy a lighter fantasty that isn't overly complex. There are no great suprises or emotional cliff hangers going on here.

✈️ An easy read that's good for those train travel days. This is the first book in the series so if you're a lover of completed series maybe just wait until other books are released.

Thank you to the author, Zara Storm, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC. an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Curse of the Sun and Stars marks a captivating and high-stakes beginning to Zara Storm’s new romantasy series. From the first page, I was swept into the dark, enchanting realm of Trova—a world brimming with magic, danger, and razor-sharp dialogue that refuses to let you go.

While a few plot twists were easy to anticipate, their execution still hit the mark and maintained the story’s intensity. And that ending—absolutely devastating in the most satisfying way. It left me reeling and counting down the days until book two.

In short, this book pretty much delivers everything a romantasy lover could want: a bold heroine, a compelling antihero, a rich world of magic, and a narrative pulsing with emotion and suspense. Zara Storm has crafted an unforgettable beginning, and I’m all in for what comes next.

Such an engaging and interesting book, kept me up reading all night! I just had to know what was happening next. I loved the depth of the story into the fmcs upbringing and how it unfolded more as the story progressed. It evoked such emotion into felt everything the characters where feeling.
Although the literary market is full of fae romance
I feel this book brought something new. I loved the banter, the spice and the unique magic system
Only thing I would love is if there was a map included and the pronunciation of some of the names and place included in the glossary.
Overall it's one of my best reads this year and will definitely be continuing the series.
Thank you to netgalley and victory editing for the arc.

I absolutely loved Curse of the Sun and Stars. The characters really grew on me—especially Leon. I wasn’t sure about him at first, but he quickly won me over, just like Alastair. Morgana was a great as well. Her tough upbringing could have made her bitter or one-dimensional, but instead, she came across as thoughtful, cautious, and resilient without being boring or overly hardened. I appreciated how she carefully considered her actions, which made her feel like a very real and relatable protagonist. I enjoyed seeing her grow into help powers and actually wanting to learn more.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the romance between Morgana and Leon. Their relationship was perfectly balanced with the rest of the story—it had just the right amount of spice to make it swoon-worthy without overpowering the plot.

The pacing of the story was solid, and I never felt lost in the plot. However, I did get a bit confused by the geography. The group travels for several days, takes a detour, then spends more time traveling by boat—without a clear sense (for me, personally) of where everything is in relation to each other. A map would have been really helpful to visualize their journey and better understand the scope of the world.

I do have some questions about the ending and how certain events unfolded, but I’m assuming those will be answered in the next book—and I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Overall, I’d absolutely recommend Curse of the Sun and Stars to my friends. It’s a compelling read with strong characters, a well-paced story, and just enough mystery to leave you wanting more.

This was a fun read! I did find the start to be a little slow but overall, that did not impact my time reading this book as it picked up from there. I found the characters, Morgana and Leon, to be enjoyable and entertaining and I **really** enjoyed Leon's friends and the scenes they were in; I found them to be memorable and I am always a fan for found family.

That being said, if you enjoy a book with:
-Good slow burning romance
-A solid, classic magic system but with an amazing twist
-Deeply layered political intrigue with some crazy religious factions
-Dual POV!

Then dare I say this is going to be a book you should be adding to your TBR. I am 100% going to be continuing with book two once it is out and I am so excited to see where the story goes from here.

As always, thanks to my besties at NetGally & Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for review. Also thank you to Zara Storm for writing a book I'm having a hard time not talking about.

I found it to be a slow start but I was hooked from the beginning. The banter and friendships are enjoyable from the very beginning. The magic system is engaging, unique, and not overly complicated to follow. The slow burn builds a delicious tension. The side characters are loveable even if vicious fae. Very pleased with the ending and can’t wait for book 2 this summer.

Ana has spent her life guarded and locked away in order to survive. At 21, Ana’s life implodes and she learns, not only is she a princess but her parents, the King and Queen, have been murdered. On the night of her homecoming an assassination attempt is made on Ana’s life and she is taken hostage by Nightmare Prince.