You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
I have very conflicting feelings about this book. I really liked the writing and the prose of this book. The competition and trials aspect of this was interesting. But the magic system was really confusing, the different types of vampires weren't explained well, and the banter between our main characters was just too little too late. There was a weird power dynamic because of the mentor mentee relationship, and I wanted to see more chemistry between our couple, rather than the author telling me that they were supposed to be together.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"For 200 years, he'd watched the same constellation as if it were the only one in existence."
Tropes:
✨Rivals to lovers
✨Villain MMC
✨Strong FMC
✨Trials
✨Vampires
There is spice in this book.
Despite varying reviews, I went into this book very open-minded. However, I think in this case, the reviews were fairly accurate to my experience.
I found myself struggling to understand what the story was in this book, and while I came out of it with a basic understanding of the plot which I could describe simply, I don't feel like I retained 80% of what I consumed. Considering this was an 18 hour audiobook... that feels abysmal.
I gave this star two stars because I feel like it had potential. The plot idea was promising, and the writing style was pleasant. The most major downfalls were:
1. The length
I think this book could have been half the length it was with the same (or probably better) results because I would've come out of it feeling less overwhelmed and confused if the focus had been on just completing the story. Instead, it felt like there was a considerable amount of unecessary filler and not a lot of questions being answered.
2. The characters/relationships
I didn't find the characters overly likeable or memorable. The FMC was a strong character, and I loved listening from her POV. Her character development throughout the story and the things she stood for were what kept me interested in this book. She had a couple relationships that I could have seen myself enjoying, but not enough time was put into them and so I came away feeling mostly disconnected even from the likeable characters. Also, I'm not opposed to morally black MMCs, but I really struggled to like anything about this one. I wasn't rooting for him or for their relationship. They tried to do the "he's awful to everyone except her" thing, but honestly it wasn't enough. He still lied to her, promised not to lie to her again, and then continued to. He kept secrets from her needlessly and treated her like she was completely incompetent when she was obviously very capable.
I listened to the audiobook, and while I do think it probably captured my attention more than reading it would have, I still struggled. Historically, I've been able to finish 9-10 hours of audiobook in 3-6 days, but this one took me all month.. I was so unmotivated to listen, and I felt like I had multi-hour listening sessions where I retained nothing of value. I should've been able to easily finish this in 2 weeks and it's making me nervous to complete the series, as I have an ALC of book three due by the end of the year.
Despite having two narrators to ensure the masculine and feminine characters were easily distinguishable, I didn't find that the characters' voices were distinct. Part of what caused a lot of confusion throughout listening was that I couldn't really tell which character was talking when (for example, when two men were talking) because the narrators barely changed their voice, if at all.
Ultimately, I did enjoy parts of this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it more at half the length. I may try doing book two with the audio and physical book to see if that improves the experience.
Tropes:
✨Rivals to lovers
✨Villain MMC
✨Strong FMC
✨Trials
✨Vampires
There is spice in this book.
Despite varying reviews, I went into this book very open-minded. However, I think in this case, the reviews were fairly accurate to my experience.
I found myself struggling to understand what the story was in this book, and while I came out of it with a basic understanding of the plot which I could describe simply, I don't feel like I retained 80% of what I consumed. Considering this was an 18 hour audiobook... that feels abysmal.
I gave this star two stars because I feel like it had potential. The plot idea was promising, and the writing style was pleasant. The most major downfalls were:
1. The length
I think this book could have been half the length it was with the same (or probably better) results because I would've come out of it feeling less overwhelmed and confused if the focus had been on just completing the story. Instead, it felt like there was a considerable amount of unecessary filler and not a lot of questions being answered.
2. The characters/relationships
I didn't find the characters overly likeable or memorable. The FMC was a strong character, and I loved listening from her POV. Her character development throughout the story and the things she stood for were what kept me interested in this book. She had a couple relationships that I could have seen myself enjoying, but not enough time was put into them and so I came away feeling mostly disconnected even from the likeable characters. Also, I'm not opposed to morally black MMCs, but I really struggled to like anything about this one. I wasn't rooting for him or for their relationship. They tried to do the "he's awful to everyone except her" thing, but honestly it wasn't enough. He still lied to her, promised not to lie to her again, and then continued to. He kept secrets from her needlessly and treated her like she was completely incompetent when she was obviously very capable.
I listened to the audiobook, and while I do think it probably captured my attention more than reading it would have, I still struggled. Historically, I've been able to finish 9-10 hours of audiobook in 3-6 days, but this one took me all month.. I was so unmotivated to listen, and I felt like I had multi-hour listening sessions where I retained nothing of value. I should've been able to easily finish this in 2 weeks and it's making me nervous to complete the series, as I have an ALC of book three due by the end of the year.
Despite having two narrators to ensure the masculine and feminine characters were easily distinguishable, I didn't find that the characters' voices were distinct. Part of what caused a lot of confusion throughout listening was that I couldn't really tell which character was talking when (for example, when two men were talking) because the narrators barely changed their voice, if at all.
Ultimately, I did enjoy parts of this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it more at half the length. I may try doing book two with the audio and physical book to see if that improves the experience.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Possible triggers: Abusive relationship, Addiction, Assault, Attempted murder, Attempted rape, Death, Emotional Abuse, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical Abuse, Self-harm, Torture, Violence
Overall star rating (out of 5⭐️): 3.75 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level (out of 5🌶️): 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (open door)
Content review: It started out a bit rough for me, as I have trouble with female characters that are so submissive. And our girl in this romantasy is very much gullible, annoying and submissive. I hope she has some more character development going into the next book, as I liked her getting stronger and more assertive but just not enough for my expectations. The trails are okay but not super high stakes or main objective of the overall story. So it feels a bit out of place. But all in all a great romantasy adventure that I enjoyed!
Narrator review: fantastic narrators! Love that they have a male narrator reading the male voices. Done very well! 4 out of 5 stars
Tags: bargain,dark vibes, dragons, fae, fantasy, good banter, secret/hidden identity, high fantasy, magic, parallel world/universe, paranormal, reincarnation, romantasy, slow burn, competition/trails, vampires
Tropes: he falls first and harder, lost memory, only one horse, who did this to you
❤️ Love interest: Nyte x Astraea
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this book to be incredibly romantic, and emotionally complex. That being said, the emotions of Astraea, especially those regarding romance, felt very fragmented and at times contradictory. I feel like it highlights how isolating and confusing memory loss can be. It also delves into themes of abuse and grief very tastefully. I like the writing style, but I think some clarity was sacrificed for the sake of aesthetics. The sensory descriptions in this novel really captivated me, and helped immerse me. This novel was largely driven by her personal character development, and the plot drug on a bit in the middle. Overall I enjoyed this story very much, any idea probably one of my favorites of the year. I can't wait to see where fate takes Astraea and Nyte!
adventurous
medium-paced
had a promising the start but somewhere along the way it got boring and disorganized.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 3.5/5 ⭐️
𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮 3/5🌶️
The Stars Are Dying by Chloe C/ Penaranda is the first book in the Nytefall Trilogy. Astraea only knows safety in seclusion. She remembers nothing from before five years ago and she is determined to find her past even if it means leaving her safety.
I am so conflicted. I thought we would have a pretty good idea of the plot here. She goes off to find who she is and what happened. However, that really doesn’t happen. It kind of starts too than tapers off and it totally changes direction. I also felt like it got confusing at times and that the author was just throwing popular tropes at you.
With all that being said I did like it overall. Did I think it was fantastic writing not really but it was interesting enough and the ending had enough of a cliffhanger to keep me wanting to read the next book. I hope the second book has better flow and direction though.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes