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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was AWESOMER!!!! I don't know what to say to give it the praise it deserves.
Aeliana (Daisy) was 3 years old and Prince Gaeren was 8 when they were separated by a tragic kidnapping. Aeliana, her father, and two strangers disappeared in a blinding flash of light leaving Gaeren feeling he failed in his promise to protect her. Fourteen years later he still searches for clues to where she could be so he can fulfill his promise to be her protector. He has time to follow a last clue across the sea to find a fabled Star Bridge so he can cross the barrier walls separating the different countries. He's almost out of time because trouble is brewing in the kingdom a power-mad priestess on one side and a rebel faction on the other.
Meanwhile, Aeliana's captors have used her powerful blood for evil using it to perform blood magic. Aeliana thinks her blood is tainted and wants to rid herself of magic. Aeliana finally gets back to her homeland to find members of the rebel band waiting for her as they were told she would be back that year. She joins them on a rescue mission to save her mother from the priestess who happens to be her mother's sister. And this is just a taste of things to come.
Great characters, an immersive plot, an intriguing magic wheel system, dragons, politics, and sailing, what more could you ask for.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Without going into too much detail that might spoil this story, the basic setup to this story goes like this: similar to Neil Gaimon's <I>Stardust</I>, stars are sentient beings and, at one point in this world's history, some stars took human form and visited the world. And, of course, some of these star in human form ended up having relationships with humans. This resulted in "Half Lights", which are the descendants of the unions between stars and humans, and these Half Lights have access to magic. Eventually, magical barriers were placed separating portions of the world from one another, which, in general, keep the different peoples from fighting one another.
One of our main characters, Gaeren, is in search of somebody he lost years ago (the details of this can be found in the prequel short story [book:The Light That Takes|123846829]), and he believes that she must be across one of these barriers, so is doing what he can to find a way across.
The magic system in the series is quite interesting. It is setup/organized in the style of a wheel with spokes. Dependant upon where a magic user falls upon that wheel, they could potentially access a secondary, connected spoke of the wheel.
This story contains magic, monsters, dragons, hints of romance, war, etc. While these are clearly standards in the fantasy genre, this is by no means a bland by the numbers fantasy story. I devoured this book and the three short stories and immediately backed the Kickstarter campaign for Book 2 when it launched. This was a great read and I highly recommend picking it up.
The copy I read was the "Sparkly" Special Edition from the Kickstarter campaign.
One of our main characters, Gaeren, is in search of somebody he lost years ago (the details of this can be found in the prequel short story [book:The Light That Takes|123846829]), and he believes that she must be across one of these barriers, so is doing what he can to find a way across.
The magic system in the series is quite interesting. It is setup/organized in the style of a wheel with spokes. Dependant upon where a magic user falls upon that wheel, they could potentially access a secondary, connected spoke of the wheel.
This story contains magic, monsters, dragons, hints of romance, war, etc. While these are clearly standards in the fantasy genre, this is by no means a bland by the numbers fantasy story. I devoured this book and the three short stories and immediately backed the Kickstarter campaign for Book 2 when it launched. This was a great read and I highly recommend picking it up.
The copy I read was the "Sparkly" Special Edition from the Kickstarter campaign.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Aeliana has been traveling with her guardians trying to find a way back to her home Vendaras. Her guardians, who she’s been with for the last 14 years, supposedly saved her from the witch burning that killed her parents, but Aeliana does not believe it. Her guardians need the energy in her blood for their magic. When they think they’ve found the right place to get back home, Aeliana is determined to get home on her own and leave them behind.
Gaeran has been searching for a way to find out how to get Daisy or Aeliana back. When he was 8, his mother would send him to a Stargazer where a priestess who watched over him was very kind and her daughter Aeliana he swore to protect. Until a bright light took her away. And now Gaeran is trying to find out how to get her back.
Aeliana does come back through the starbridge with Cyrus, but not the way she wanted meaning behind chaos and bringing an unwilling person with her and her guardians. There are two men waiting for her who tell her they are there to protect her due to a promise the Vendaran people made to protect their high priestess’ daughter, which is her. And they are determined to rescue her mother who has been missing for the last 14 years with her help.
This is a beast of a book, but once I hit chapter 5, I couldn’t stop. It was too interesting, intriguing, and the characters that were being introduced drew you in and you wanted to know more.
This had such a good balance between world and character building. The world is vast, it has unique magic that is based on the stars and maybe blood 👀 and so much thought went into the magic!
There’s unique beings that I want to know more of, and the worlds they access with star bridges and stars and just everything I want to know more of that I hope we will see more in the next book!
Oh, and there’s a dragon 🐉
The characters made this story though. The found family that builds as the story progresses was beautiful 👌🏻
We follow first the main characters who eventually meet up with their found families and converge into one and it was just wonderful! The friendships in here that are built truly became such wonderful friendships, some that were broken that were healed and some that just built as they journeyed together. You really connect with a lot of the characters because some are suffering from trauma and ptsd, as well as whether they’re worth it or not. Gaeran was one of my favorite characters because he was so good, but I think his growth was one of the biggest going from a prince who has no care in the world, to someone who realizes maybe he should do something, and then actually taking charge even if that means going against his own family only because it’s the right thing to do. I really admired him and his growth.
We also have some comedic relief, such as with adorable and sassy Velden. He really helped kind of break up the seriousness of many situations and I just wanted to kiss him each time 😂 He knew how to be positive even despite his rather dark and sad background.
Then the slooooow burn romance that you KNOW is going to happen, but no! That ending is leaving me WAITING.
But it’s fine. We love cliffhangers right!? 🤣
I will also say that I’m giving this 4.5 ⭐️ only because I’m still rather confused about the bondmate situation 😅 I think it’s just me not grasping it, but I’m confused as to whether they’re born with it, or these kids are randomly selected to be bondmate. And if that is so, then I’m confused about a couple of them as to why they were selected to be bondmates, but maybe I’ll understand more in the next book! I don’t want to spoil what I’m confused about 😆
I received a free digital copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Gaeran has been searching for a way to find out how to get Daisy or Aeliana back. When he was 8, his mother would send him to a Stargazer where a priestess who watched over him was very kind and her daughter Aeliana he swore to protect. Until a bright light took her away. And now Gaeran is trying to find out how to get her back.
Aeliana does come back through the starbridge with Cyrus, but not the way she wanted meaning behind chaos and bringing an unwilling person with her and her guardians. There are two men waiting for her who tell her they are there to protect her due to a promise the Vendaran people made to protect their high priestess’ daughter, which is her. And they are determined to rescue her mother who has been missing for the last 14 years with her help.
This is a beast of a book, but once I hit chapter 5, I couldn’t stop. It was too interesting, intriguing, and the characters that were being introduced drew you in and you wanted to know more.
This had such a good balance between world and character building. The world is vast, it has unique magic that is based on the stars and maybe blood 👀 and so much thought went into the magic!
There’s unique beings that I want to know more of, and the worlds they access with star bridges and stars and just everything I want to know more of that I hope we will see more in the next book!
Oh, and there’s a dragon 🐉
The characters made this story though. The found family that builds as the story progresses was beautiful 👌🏻
We follow first the main characters who eventually meet up with their found families and converge into one and it was just wonderful! The friendships in here that are built truly became such wonderful friendships, some that were broken that were healed and some that just built as they journeyed together. You really connect with a lot of the characters because some are suffering from trauma and ptsd, as well as whether they’re worth it or not. Gaeran was one of my favorite characters because he was so good, but I think his growth was one of the biggest going from a prince who has no care in the world, to someone who realizes maybe he should do something, and then actually taking charge even if that means going against his own family only because it’s the right thing to do. I really admired him and his growth.
We also have some comedic relief, such as with adorable and sassy Velden. He really helped kind of break up the seriousness of many situations and I just wanted to kiss him each time 😂 He knew how to be positive even despite his rather dark and sad background.
Then the slooooow burn romance that you KNOW is going to happen, but no! That ending is leaving me WAITING.
But it’s fine. We love cliffhangers right!? 🤣
I will also say that I’m giving this 4.5 ⭐️ only because I’m still rather confused about the bondmate situation 😅 I think it’s just me not grasping it, but I’m confused as to whether they’re born with it, or these kids are randomly selected to be bondmate. And if that is so, then I’m confused about a couple of them as to why they were selected to be bondmates, but maybe I’ll understand more in the next book! I don’t want to spoil what I’m confused about 😆
I received a free digital copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved Blood of the Stars. It’s adventurous, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down. Norton weaves many fun subplots and characters together, which gives the story a sweeping saga feel. This is definitely a top fantasy read of the year for me.
Sensitive Readers: This book deals with blood magic and mentions dark spirits. This is not graphic, and allows the characters to wrestle with concepts of right and wrong, compromise, temptation, and healing. I found it to be well done.
Sensitive Readers: This book deals with blood magic and mentions dark spirits. This is not graphic, and allows the characters to wrestle with concepts of right and wrong, compromise, temptation, and healing. I found it to be well done.
This was the fantasy book l've been needing for a while now. I love everything about it. The magic system is something I've never heard of before and I love how we learn about it all along side our fmc. This is a slower paced fantasy with a lot of complex world building but I never felt overwhelmed. There is a lot to unpack and I can't talk about too much or l'll spoil it. But yall this is the one you need to pick up.
Thank you Book of Matches Media and Karyne Norton for the eARC and having me on the tour!
Thank you Book of Matches Media and Karyne Norton for the eARC and having me on the tour!
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Epic Fantasy And A Unique World? Yes, Please.
Blood of the Stars is well written with an intricate plot and a wealth of characters that have deeply set motivations. This book takes you on an 800 page journey of some dark places with really tense scenes. There is substantial world building, but it happens in an exciting way that makes you want to continue reading. If you’re looking for an epic world to get lost in, this is a great choice.
(🚫🌶️ & very little romance)
Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙
Epic Fantasy: Found Family, Reluctant Royalty, Frenemies to lovers, Sloooow burn romance, Blood magic, Dragons
Third Person, Past Tense, Multi POV
⚠️: Mild fantasy violence, abuse, self harm
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence
Blood of the Stars is a YA fantasy for readers who enjoy thick books with a thorough world building, a unique magic system and a big cast of characters. The two main characters are Aeliana, a magic-user with a great potential who was kidnapped as a child, and now that she has arrived back home joins the rebels to stop the big bad evil, and Gaeren, a prince who has spent the years since Aeliana’s disappearance to find her. Now as loyalties are tested, betrayal is around every corner and the intrigue of it all on an all-time high, the two former childhood friends find themselves on different sides of a bigger conflict.
The book deals with themes of abuse, physical harm, healing, and finding hope where there might feel like there’s no hope at all. Because someone might have made you a monster, doesn’t mean you are a monster. Aeliana has a hard time connecting with her magic, as it has been misused by others for years to cause harm, but her magic in itself isn’t evil and neither is she. I really appreciated how good and bad, like Aeliana magic and the “monster” character Felk, are portrayed in the book as not clear-cut good or bad. Things that might seem evil or bad, doesn’t have to actually be it.
But despite the many good things this book has, there were two major things that didn’t work for me. The first one was the slow pacing. The book isn’t short and while I appreciate the details that are put into the world-building and magic system, there were just big chunks of the book I feel I could have skipped and the story would be enjoyable. For the entire middle part of the book I kept turning the pages, but it never felt like it actually got anywhere. Usually I love when characters travel the fantasy world, but here it just was so slow. The book was almost a DNF because of it. The second thing was the characters. While both Aeliana and Gaeren was fine as characters, and Felk my special little guy, the rest were underwhelming. I was promised found family but didn’t get it, since everyone in Aeliana’s travel group just was just there for most of the story. I didn’t connect with any of them.
—
Thank you to Book of Matches Media and the author for an e-arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The book deals with themes of abuse, physical harm, healing, and finding hope where there might feel like there’s no hope at all. Because someone might have made you a monster, doesn’t mean you are a monster. Aeliana has a hard time connecting with her magic, as it has been misused by others for years to cause harm, but her magic in itself isn’t evil and neither is she. I really appreciated how good and bad, like Aeliana magic and the “monster” character Felk, are portrayed in the book as not clear-cut good or bad. Things that might seem evil or bad, doesn’t have to actually be it.
But despite the many good things this book has, there were two major things that didn’t work for me. The first one was the slow pacing. The book isn’t short and while I appreciate the details that are put into the world-building and magic system, there were just big chunks of the book I feel I could have skipped and the story would be enjoyable. For the entire middle part of the book I kept turning the pages, but it never felt like it actually got anywhere. Usually I love when characters travel the fantasy world, but here it just was so slow. The book was almost a DNF because of it. The second thing was the characters. While both Aeliana and Gaeren was fine as characters, and Felk my special little guy, the rest were underwhelming. I was promised found family but didn’t get it, since everyone in Aeliana’s travel group just was just there for most of the story. I didn’t connect with any of them.
—
Thank you to Book of Matches Media and the author for an e-arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 Stars- A solid read but a few things bugged me
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hooked on this series! The plot’s compelling, Gaeren and Aeliana are great protagonists, and I’m intrigued to see what the next book holds in store for them. Cyrus is also a favourite, and I’m fascinated by Enla’s motives and Orra’s mysterious past. I love the worldbuilding, especially the magic system; there’s something about the visual of the Wheel that resonates with me as a reader. Very much looking forward to Book 2 and finding out what happens after the events of Book 1’s ending.