“If being with her meant I would lose all reason, then I would fall into madness willingly.”

This romantasy follows Sorsha and Corvus. Sorsha works at a brothel, being left there as a child to work as a server until she became of age.

Corvus is a son to lord stormfall, he could never live up to his father’s expectations.

Sorsha is tasked to spy on Corvus and get information to your Madame, little does she know she find out more bout herself than she realized.

The first half of the book was pretty slow but man that second part makes up for it entirely! It was so good!

A wonderfully designed forbidden romance. This was full of magic and was a fun read. Can't wait for book 2.

First of all, i’m grateful for the opportunity I had to read this book early. It was fun, entertaining and fast paced.
I quite liked the plot and how it developed and the characters were likeable and well fleshed out.

I rated it 3.5🌟 rounded down mainly because of the romance. It felt too insta-love for me: within the first 40% the mcs have met, fallen in love, broken up and suffered from heartache; all while they’ve only known each other for barely a month. I would have liked them to have more build up, more tension.

Another thing that irked me was how quickly and easily Sorsha’s identity was revealed, I expected some grand reveal near the end of the book, not Corvus figuring it out in 10 seconds halfway through after a very underwhelming sex scene.

Will I be reading more from this author? Absolutely, this didn’t take away from the story for me and I generally liked the writing.

This one wasn't for me unfortunately. It had an interesting premise: a fae vs humans world where magic is slowly dying, however nothing seemed to land quite right for me.
First thing for me was the insta-love, I didn't realise that was the trope here and might have avoided if I'd known, there was no slow building of a relationship, just the awkward push and pull of Sorsha being a spy and not being able to commit.
The other inter-personal relationships did not impress me, I didn't believe in Corvus and his father's fractured feelings, and I particularly disliked Corvus' "bad boy" personality that he put on sparingly throughout.
I feel like the world building had potential: we talked about other empires across the sea, and about people preparing for war, only for none of this to come to any kind of fruition later on. Same with the magic system, I thought the throwaway comment about this world being 'behind in running water and electricity etc because previously they all had magic' really interesting. But again, we didn't build on that anywhere else.
There was also a continuity error partway through where it said that Ferdie cleaned up some blood but I'm quite confident he was meant to be in a dangerous situation on the other side of town. Little things like this just added up for an uninspiring reading experience!

This book is a great starting point for anyone new to fantasy or Romantasy. It leans romance-forward right from the beginning, with just enough fantasy to ease readers into the genre. I do wish there had been a bit more world building—particularly around the concept of the lost magic and its impact on the magic-wielding fae. Some early explanations could’ve cleared up the confusing parts.

The romance has a bit of a Romeo and Juliet feel, but I won’t say more to avoid spoilers. While the pacing felt off at times, the story picked up intensity toward the end, which had me guessing and fully engaged. Overall, a decent read with potential—especially for those dipping their toes into fantasy romance.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this but unfortunately it's a DNF for me. I made it about 30% of the way in and didn't feel like much was really happening and a bit instalovey for my preferences.

The Starlit Shadow is a good romantasy read, with a strong FMC and MMC who is obsessed. The world building was very easy to get swept into.

4.5 Stars

I volunteered as an Arc reader. Thank you Netgalley.

Where to start? This was a delight to read. A fae world in slow decay from a lack of magic, and magic having a somewhat scientific way of being present. This fantasy world is definitely one worth learning about.

Sorsha (FMC) is in servitude as a courtesan, and an unhappy one at that. She was orphaned at a young age and in servitude to the Night House for as long as she can remember. Her life is changed abruptly when Lord Corvus Stormfall (MMC) claims patronage over her. Corvus is just as surprised at his own actions as she is because from the moment he saw her he thought she had spelled him in some fashion. The madame of the house forces Sorsha to act as a spy on the young lord, however the secrets that are uncovered could make or break the realm.

Whenever we see magic in books especially those involving the Fae, it is always assumed that magic is inherit in the land and realm. This book showing slow decay of the world without magic was a very refreshing turn.

The tropes of fated mates appears to be lurking just beneath the surface, but again without magic, we do not know. I look forward to the next book!

The ending also doesnt make much sense, as since the reason for her being there was protection against her father once he and the cousin are gone Sorsha is then the head of a house and the Madame has no say over her life?

Note: for kindle on location 4215 after Sorsha is injured there is a line that "Ferdie cleans up the mess" in corvus' house. A few pages later location 4239 Sorsha discusses how they do not know if anyone survived or where Ferdie is. A minor error but I did reread it because I was genuinely confused if I missed something. Unsure who cleaned the house but it was not Ferdie.

Thank you publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. The plot revolves around our FMC, Sorsha, a courtesan with a hidden agenda, and our MMC, Corvus Stormfall, a fae noble burdened by legacy who crosses path at the House of Night, setting off a chain of passion and rebellion that may change their realm forever. Our MMC fell almost insta-lovey to our FMC, I wanted more banters before they actually fell but I love how they don't complicate their feelings and communicate because it feels more real. The world-building isn't the same like most romantasy I read, it lets you dive in immediately to the world with little knowledge on the magic and politics. But when the plot unveils I got hooked and all information are dropped to you, I got more interested. The book ends with so much questions I have no answers to and the spicy scene made it anticlimactic. I would still definitely read the second book and hopefully the author will tackle more on their magical realm and how things got to how it is now and the politics in their world since there are also humans involved. Overall, it was an interesting read and the chapters are short so it is a fast read.

Romantasy
Insta-love
Strong FMC
Second son meets reluctant spy

First Thoughts:

I finished it, slightly begrudgingly. The Starlit Shadow was entertaining at times, and the premise was promising. Unfortunately, the execution just ended up making it fall a bit flat for me personally. Corvus is our MMC, and I know the author wants us to think he’s some genius, acting like he doesn’t care in order to be more unsuspecting, but frankly it just made me think he was a bit foolish. He falls in insta-love with our FMC and promptly begins spilling all of his secrets.

Sorsha, our FMC, who, coincidentally, was ALL about learning his secrets (for her boss), was just very bland for the most part. I like a strong female character, but this one just kept inserting herself into situations in which she had no business, and for some reason nobody stops her?

Listen, I liked the plot, and I would’ve loved to rate it higher, but I just could never really believe it. The dialogue was written in a very cringey manner, and there was a distinct lack of worldbuilding, so I could never really lose myself in the story. Sadly, I kept constantly glancing down at how much of the book I had left.

Will I be reading the next one? Frankly, the ending of The Starlit Shadow was extremely anticlimactic, leaving things comically unresolved for no good reason (and saving the first sex scene for last 5 pages of the book, while people are suffering and dying elsewhere), so I really can’t care what happens next. I will leave this one at that. Thanks to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishing for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

Full review posted on my website linked

2.5 stars

This was technically well-written and has a gorgeous cover but for me, it was missing that inexplicable something that takes a story from ordinary to extraordinary. I struggled to connect with the characters, the romance fell too far into the realm of insta-love for my taste, and the plot failed to pique my interest for at least the first half of the book (although there were several plot points in the back half that I DID find engaging). If I hadn't committed to reading and reviewing the ARC, it would have been a DNF. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who love what it has to offer; I'm just not one of them.

*I received a free advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

The Starlit Shadow is a good romantasy read, with a strong FMC and MMC who is obsessed. If you are a big lover of romance, you will love the connection between these two. However, if you also love world building, you will massively appreciate this book. It is definitely for the long haul, it takes a while to build up the story but you see why as the book goes on. It also leads you gutted when you realise it's a series because you just want them all now and want to know what is happening, but is that really gutting or is it an opportunity to fall in love with a new world, amazing characters and just incredible story. I would highly recommend!

A romantasy that has shades of Romeo and Juliet with rivaling fae houses and human versus fae in a world where the fae have lost their magic.

This book felt clumsy. The introduction to the world, the relationships between characters, the magic system, all of it, just wasn’t well explained or plotted out. The dialogue was simple and lacked nuance. The FMC had access to people and places without much reason for it. The spice was lackluster with weird placement and timing in the book.

An interesting premise, readable, but overall, a clunky read.

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC for an honest review. All opinions are my own*

I have a new book boyfriend and he’s got feathered wings! 😍

I loved this book! Starting the book, I didn’t realize it was going to be a series so the worst part was when I hit around 60% and realized it wasn’t going to be able to wrap up and must be the first of a set. Which with these characters and this world isn’t much of a problem to have I just don’t want to have to wait!!

The world doesn’t feel overly built but I think it lends well to our female main character being very sheltered so we only know what she does. I can see how the world will expand more though as the books go on and I’m excited for that! I appreciate that the romance wasn’t too much of a slow-burn even though it did feel a little insta-lovey.

I did sort of sense where the story was headed as far as character reveals and choices, but only because I can’t turn of the puzzle solving part of my brain and just let things unfold. There were still some things I didn’t see coming at all though! One disappointment I had was that the female lead didn’t give the resident mean girl what she deserves when there was a perfect opportunity toward the end but I have a feeling that this is being saved for a bigger moment in a future book! 🤞🏻

Overall, I love this author’s writing style and world building. I do feel that some words/phrases were a bit repetitive and could have used some variation but it wasn’t anything to major. I did also find a couple of typos, but they were minor. One confused me and I had to go back and re-read it a couple of times to figure out if I had missed something or if it was an editing error. The other was a use of the wrong name for a character but in the context of the scene I understood it was an error and this character didn’t just appear out of nowhere!

A huge thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

The Starlit Shadow is a romantasy that follows Sorsha and Corvus in dual pov. Sorsha a courtesan / spy is assigned to obtain information from Corvus who is the second born son of a Fae Lord, who may have involvement in a coup.
This romantasy is not your typical read, the MMC is not a morally grey character, he gives of golden retriever vibes, but he still does have wings, he still has that spark that people love this read. Sorsha has been brought up in the courtesan manor with no memories from the time prior. Is it love at first sight or is it intrigue read to find out!

Pasts unfold
Truths are told
Forbidden romance vibes
Political intrigue
Plot twists

This book is fast paced and does leave you wanting more, I can’t wait to find out more. Thank you Cidney Mayes, Netgally and Cranthrope Millner Publishers for the ARC read

Thank you to Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the ARC!

Read if you like mortal and fae rivals, corruption, evil dark magic, court politics, secret powers, a winged MMC, touch her and die, and enemies to lovers.

Slow going but the second half offered redemption!

As for the plot involving humans overtaking the fae lands and banning magic, I found it interesting and a novel idea: however, it lacked context and the reader just got bits thrown in randomly throughout the book. It would have been good to give that backstory. For the first half of the book, I found the way the plot unfolded to be choppy with chunks of random info dumping here and there which dragged on, slowed the pace, confused the reader at times, and didn’t immediately peak or keep my interest. Also, there seemed to be plot threads that appeared randomly out of nowhere and with little to know context until later in the story, like the MMC’s brother’s ending. As for the FMC’s scars and origin, I get why the author waited to reveal the details but it was just randomly and briefly mentioned in the beginning of the book in a way that was not organic so it was confusing at first and seemed random. Also, the animosity between the MMC and his father and the father’s advisor were thrust upon the reader with no explanation. We are first introduced to the other fae houses at the initial meeting so there is a lot of info and name dumping. There could have been some scenes from the fae court to build up an understanding for the reader of the politics and house intricacies in a way that made more sense. The random and partial info dumping for the first half made it hard to be engrossed in the plot and instead of leaving bread crumbs for the reader and building anticipation, it fell flat and left confusion until further explained later. It disrupted the pace of rising action of the plot.

The book opens with them FMC and MMC meeting and it being an insta-obsession on the part of the MMC. I would have preferred to get more backstory on at least one of them so I had a more emotional connection to the characters. The author could have opened with the initial meeting and then backtracked to give character development or could have simply started with some backstory. Also, while I get the premise of the book is built on the MMC meeting the FMC and being attracted to her… I think the romance/infatuation came off a bit too sudden and forced. They could have had initial attraction with a few more encounters that involved getting to know each other better rather than the instantaneous decision of the MMC to take drastic action to be with her within minutes of meeting her and without any substantial connection. That being said, the encounters did happen after the grand gesture, and I found the moments they spent together built a stronger connection for the reader. I enjoyed the push and pull and tension building and the spicy scenes were written well.

Overall, I liked the unique concept of the book and plot but I think it lacked in execution for the first half of the book. The second half of the book is where the story really picked up steam and the plot was well paced. I was not expecting some of the twists and I was kept interested and immersed.

I like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading.

For an indie debut, this was a fun romantasy.

Our main character is an orphan who lives in a gentleman's club in this fantasy / renaissance setting. Due to her roles, and the roles of other women in the establishment, they wear masks. She is told by the mistress who runs the establishment that she is the chosen one for a gentleman. She goes, and comes face to face with one of the richest and highest families in the district.

The gentleman is the son of a fairy/fae family, part of a court who maintain the magic / fae families while saving face with the human court that has taken over. He isn't quite interested in her, but as they continue to meet, he starts to feel something for her. What he doesn't know is that she is currently spying for the mistress of the establishment.

What I liked about this couple as once they realize that they were both using one another, recognize their emotions, they become a couple that supports on another. There is also a human prince who was involved and I was afraid of a love triangle but thankfully one did not come about.

I will say that if you're someone who likes world building and magic understanding, you're going to have a bit of an issue on the presence and strength. I really wish that there was more of this, but I think since we'll get a sequel out of this we'll get more world building in book two.

So, stay for the cat and mouse build, but frown at the world building. Hopefully this will be rectified.

I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the chesmistry between Sorsha and Corvus. I loved how she was trying to take her power back and gain independence. Great writing!

The Starlit Shadow is the first book in a Fantasy Romance series and I loved it so much, it has many of my favorite tropes and I can’t wait for the next book.

Sorsha is a courtesan, abandoned by her mother as a child at the House of Night and working to pay off her debt. When Corvus, a fae lord, gets obsessed with her from the first meeting and requests to be her only client, they can’t ignore their growing attraction, but with Sorsha tasked by her madame to spy on Corvus and them getting involved in a conspiracy to restore the magic, they realize that their forbidden feelings for each other are the least of their problems.

This book was such a pleasure to read from the first page and was getting better and better with each next one. I mean, who doesn’t love a courtesan turned spy and obsessed with her fae lord with forbidden relationship and political intrigue in a fascinating world with so many secrets, I couldn’t get enough of this book and there wasn’t a single boring moment. And just when I thought I knew where the book was going, everything was turned upside down and I loved all the plot twists here. Sorsha and Corvus were amazing as the MCs, I liked how they both were perfectly imperfect and struggled with their questionable decisions and actions, but they were perfect for each other and the tension and angst between them was delicious, I liked the forbidden/star-crossed aspect of their relationship and loved it when they gave in to their feelings. I also really liked Tristan and hope we will get more of him in the next book.

The Starlit Shadow is an amazing romantasy book, I loved it and definitely recommend it to everyone who enjoys this genre. I’m so excited for book 2!

This was a delight to read. A real breath of fresh air from the usual morally grey characters.

Corvus, is a Golden Retriever of a MMC. Plus, he has wings! He's suffering through grief and family woes within his house, alongside an age long vendetta with a rival house. He has an instant connection to Sorcha. To which he dives in. Head first!

Sorcha, is a loveable FMC. She doesn't hold societies standards of beauty. Yet she is beautiful, and she feels it. Thats so refreshing to read. She has a past of her own that comes into play amongst her relationships with Corvus, a Prince and a political coup!

This is a fast paced read, I do hope there is more to accompany this story. I feel like there are a few characters with loose ends and a great deal more story to transpire.

**Thank you to Cidney Mayes, Cranthorpe Millner Publishers and Netgalley for the eArc, in exchange for an honest review**