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noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings: Grief, violence, depression, disownment, murder, ableism, suicide [off-page], racism, body horror, child neglect and abandonment, death, human trafficking, blood/gore, and drug use.
This book has been on my radar for a bit, and as book two was recently released I knew it was time to dive in. Right off the bat, I knew Shuttleworth was an author who cared about their readers. At the very front under “Author’s Notes,” they discuss the heavy topics that will be covered in the book along with content warnings.
I’m always so excited when an author ensured content warnings are listed within their book or on their website. As someone who’s used reading as an escape for years [woohoo childhood trauma 😅], it’s important that I avoid certain subjects or at least have ample warning to prepare myself, emotionally, ahead of reading. Any author, or publisher, that puts that little bit of effort to list potential content warnings will always have a special place in my heart.
Nausicaa, formerly known as Alecto, is a fallen fury. Taking vengeance into her own hands and exacted revenge on those responsible for hurting her dearest sister so badly that her sister ended her own life, she had no regrets. Nausicaa now spends her immortal life finding new ways to annoy and anger the Fae.
Arlo the daughter of a Fae mother and a human father is determined to find her place in the world. Never fully fitting in with the Fae, as so far she’s shown very little ability in magic, she’s struggled to find where her strength lies and where her future will take her.
Vehan, the prince of Seelie Summer, has had questions for the last few years so when things start happening he’s set on finally finding answers and solving the mystery that’s haunted him.
Aurelian, Vehan’s retainer and steward in training, is determined to protect the prince at all costs…even if that cost is creating distance between the two. Hiding a huge secret is hard but Aurelian will do whatever it takes to protect the prince physically, mentally, and emotionally.
We also get to see the inner thoughts of someone who despises the ruling Fae and is set on a path to destroy them… but I don’t feel like writing about them. 😋
I enjoyed seeing pieces fall into place and forces joined though we definitely don’t get every question answered in this book. Shuttleworth has set up quite a few questions that I’m thinking will be elaborated on and answered within book two. I didn’t quite get the found family trope I was hoping to get within this book, as all four characters I talked about aren’t super close yet, but I’m hoping that we’ll see friendships and relationships continue to grow in book two which will give that overall found family feeling.
Overall getting to know all the characters, except the one I refuse to write about 😤, was so much fun and I look forward to seeing where book two takes us. If you’re looking for a fantasy where most of the characters are still finding themselves and finding their inner strength, I recommend giving this book a go!
This book has been on my radar for a bit, and as book two was recently released I knew it was time to dive in. Right off the bat, I knew Shuttleworth was an author who cared about their readers. At the very front under “Author’s Notes,” they discuss the heavy topics that will be covered in the book along with content warnings.
I’m always so excited when an author ensured content warnings are listed within their book or on their website. As someone who’s used reading as an escape for years [woohoo childhood trauma 😅], it’s important that I avoid certain subjects or at least have ample warning to prepare myself, emotionally, ahead of reading. Any author, or publisher, that puts that little bit of effort to list potential content warnings will always have a special place in my heart.
Nausicaa, formerly known as Alecto, is a fallen fury. Taking vengeance into her own hands and exacted revenge on those responsible for hurting her dearest sister so badly that her sister ended her own life, she had no regrets. Nausicaa now spends her immortal life finding new ways to annoy and anger the Fae.
Arlo the daughter of a Fae mother and a human father is determined to find her place in the world. Never fully fitting in with the Fae, as so far she’s shown very little ability in magic, she’s struggled to find where her strength lies and where her future will take her.
Vehan, the prince of Seelie Summer, has had questions for the last few years so when things start happening he’s set on finally finding answers and solving the mystery that’s haunted him.
Aurelian, Vehan’s retainer and steward in training, is determined to protect the prince at all costs…even if that cost is creating distance between the two. Hiding a huge secret is hard but Aurelian will do whatever it takes to protect the prince physically, mentally, and emotionally.
We also get to see the inner thoughts of someone who despises the ruling Fae and is set on a path to destroy them… but I don’t feel like writing about them. 😋
I enjoyed seeing pieces fall into place and forces joined though we definitely don’t get every question answered in this book. Shuttleworth has set up quite a few questions that I’m thinking will be elaborated on and answered within book two. I didn’t quite get the found family trope I was hoping to get within this book, as all four characters I talked about aren’t super close yet, but I’m hoping that we’ll see friendships and relationships continue to grow in book two which will give that overall found family feeling.
Overall getting to know all the characters, except the one I refuse to write about 😤, was so much fun and I look forward to seeing where book two takes us. If you’re looking for a fantasy where most of the characters are still finding themselves and finding their inner strength, I recommend giving this book a go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Grief, Child death, Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Ableism, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Racism
Minor: Suicide, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment
jennamcclendon's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.75
***SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK.***
I heard this book was like a queer ACOTAR and that immediately intrigued me, and I’ve been wanting to read it for quite a while. Turns out it was everything I was hoping for and more. It definitely did feel a little like ACOTAR, but also a little bit of The Cruel Prince (from what I remember from that book). But God, I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down when I really got into it.
I heard this book was like a queer ACOTAR and that immediately intrigued me, and I’ve been wanting to read it for quite a while. Turns out it was everything I was hoping for and more. It definitely did feel a little like ACOTAR, but also a little bit of The Cruel Prince (from what I remember from that book). But God, I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down when I really got into it.
I will admit that at first I was confused about the whole fae/faerie/folk system and their magic and how all of the Courts and families worked, but that’s pretty typical of a fantasy book so it’s something I can look past. I immediately fell in love with Nausicaä and that love only continued to grow. She’s so snarky and I love that she’s so morally grey, but underneath the surface, you can tell she has a soft spot for the people she loves. I mean, she literally burnt down a boat for Tisiphone, she can love people. I also really liked Celadon at first (Arlo was kind of 50/50 at the beginning) but I couldn’t deny that this book had you already loving the characters as soon as they were introduced. And Aurelian and Vehan had such a compelling dynamic (PRINCE/BODYGUARD FORBIDDEN ROMANCE TROPE) from their first introduction and I shipped them probably instantly just from them describing each other. I’m usually not one for the friends-to-lovers trope but with them... yes. I could spend hours talking about how in love I am with Nausicaä and how amazing these characters are.
The only real complaint I would have with this book (hence the half star) is that it seemed a little slow in the beginning. There had to be a certain setup of events, like Hero meeting his Hunter and the Reaper in the cafe so Nos and Arlo could meet and Lethe being introduced with his past with Nos and everything. There was a lot of setup and the main squad didn’t even really meet until the latter half of the book. I would have loved to see more of them together. At the end in the lab, their dynamics (AURELIAN AND NOS ESPECIALLY) were so entertaining and I feel like it could have gone so much deeper. It just felt super long at the beginning only to pick up with the major conflict at the end.
However... the ROMANCES. There wasn’t a lot of it, but it still definitely was there. Arlo and Nausicaä had that tension from the beginning in the cafe, and then at the Faerie Ring with Nos being all protective, and then finally at the factory? With Nos being even MORE protective, and also THE KISS??? THE TITLE, THEIR KISS, AND AN ITALICIZED “oh.” ALL ON THE SAME PAGE. I love them so much. I’ve already checked for fanfics and there AREN’T any which should be a crime. And then Aurelian and Vehan. I mentioned it earlier: usually, friends-to-lovers isn’t my thing, but the way they’re so clearly in love with each other but if Vehan’s mom picks up on it Aurelian is going to die? If that happens in the next book I may combust.
Some of the other things I really liked were the way that gender and sexuality were presented. Vehan, Aurelian, and Nausicaä were all CANONICALLY AND EXPLICITLY STATED to be bisexual, gay, and lesbian respectively, and the author said Arlo is later going to come out as pansexual. All of the conversations about the deities and their pronouns and their gender fluidity were very straightforward too, and it was great to see they/them pronouns. Also the neopronouns (Vesper and xe/xem)! This was the first time I had ever seen neopronouns in a book and it was super cool! All of the pop culture references took a second to get used to (as is the case with urban fantasy) but all of the Pokemon and Dungeons & Dragons (I want that die so badly) and Lord of the Rings and SHE-RA references were great.
I think I’ve said all that I’ve wanted to say, but this was such a great book. Once you get sucked into it, you really can’t put it down and you fall in love with the characters (Nausicaä please marry me). It was all super cool and to be honest, I would rather read something like this than something like ACOTAR and The Cruel Prince (although I do want to reread those). Absolutely amazing, 10000/10. I CAN'T WAIT FOR A CRUEL AND FATED LIGHT THIS SUMMER.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gore, Stalking, Suicide, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Racism, Trafficking, Body horror, and Drug use
hannahwhiteyy's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a really good book! Written by a queer author, the book showcased a beautiful diversity of gender, sexuality and race. It was slow-paced in the beginning, which I didn’t love - hence the 4 stars. By the middle and end, I was truly engaged and genuinely related to each of the main characters. Worth the hype, but be careful of the content warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Trafficking, Stalking, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism
jenny_librarian's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I was in a slump when I started reading this. The sheer amount of infodumps and worldbuilding nearly put me off altogether. But I pushed through and I kept reading, and it never really got any better.
Part of it is probably due to this book being a debut. Big chunks could have easily been edited out and some sentences would have had much more punch if they’d been shortened to erase some of the purple prose. It’s not bad, but it’s distracting and a bit clunky.
I was slowly familiarizing myself with the character (although I still can barely tell Vehan from Aurelian), and then the whole D&D and seven sins things were dropped in and it was just too much. The whole faerie world was already big enough without including the sins in it. And the whole role play thing with the dice was too much. If you want to make a game type book, then make a game type book. Don’t just drop a role play element in the middle of a novel that had nothing to do with it until then.
I really wanted to enjoy this book (gay fairies in Canada, I mean come on!) but it fell flat for me. I don’t care enough about the characters to continue with the sequel, and the dice thing is just too weird for me anyways.
Part of it is probably due to this book being a debut. Big chunks could have easily been edited out and some sentences would have had much more punch if they’d been shortened to erase some of the purple prose. It’s not bad, but it’s distracting and a bit clunky.
I was slowly familiarizing myself with the character (although I still can barely tell Vehan from Aurelian), and then the whole D&D and seven sins things were dropped in and it was just too much. The whole faerie world was already big enough without including the sins in it. And the whole role play thing with the dice was too much. If you want to make a game type book, then make a game type book. Don’t just drop a role play element in the middle of a novel that had nothing to do with it until then.
I really wanted to enjoy this book (gay fairies in Canada, I mean come on!) but it fell flat for me. I don’t care enough about the characters to continue with the sequel, and the dice thing is just too weird for me anyways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Death
Minor: Body horror, Mental illness, Drug use, Grief, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
trilby's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Characters were engaging (if a little uninventive- great characters, just not notably unique characters), writing was good, overall tone was easygoing and relaxing without being boring, worldbuilding and magic system was thought out and interesting, and I was very invested in the story. The author is pansexual and genderfluid and the queer representation is very well done. Both main romance plotlines were queer, and they were very present without being the focus of the book. The book started out a bit slow and boring but picked up speed quickly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Gore, Child death, Drug use, Grief, Trafficking, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Violence
alibader's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year which is what makes this especially disappointing. The plot and pacing were all over the place, it felt as though the story didn't really start until 300 pages in and the beginning was very slow. The ending felt rushed and several moments throughout I found myself rereading a chapter because things weren't explained.
The only aspect that saved this book and makes me want to pick up the sequel is the characters, I thought they were very entertaining to read about and the romantic buildup was well written.
The only aspect that saved this book and makes me want to pick up the sequel is the characters, I thought they were very entertaining to read about and the romantic buildup was well written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Stalking, Trafficking, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Grief and Gun violence
Minor: Body horror, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Suicide, and Vomit
camy_1911's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is a great book about a murder mystery set in a faerie world with a wlw main couple, a mlm main couple, non-binary/gender fluid rep. One of the main characters Nausicaä is super sassy and sarcastic. Plenty of funny scenes and pining. Additionally, the author has added content warnings at the start of the book.
Also great pop culture references 😄
Also great pop culture references 😄
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence
Minor: Body horror, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
irlchaosdemon's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
stubbornlybookish's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings: murder/death, serial killings, depression, human trafficking
If you want a campy, hella queer, fae story that is super reminiscent of YA from the past decade, this is absolutely a story for you. A Dark and Hollow Star follows four queer teens navigating supernatural life. We have a prince and his guard, an immortal being with dubious intentions, and a half fae girl desperate to stay in the world of magic who cross paths when a string of murders crop up and no one seems to want to get involved. What they discover will shake the magical realm to its core.
I initially picked up A Dark and Hollow Star because its pitch is fantastic and appealed to that nostalgic YA bone I apparently still have. City of Bones meets The Cruel Prince set in Toronto with an entirely queer cast of MCs?? Sign me the f up.
Objectively speaking this book needs a little work-specifically in regards to the world building. You can tell this is a debut novel because Ashley Shuttleworth just packs way too much information, much to the detriment of the story. The pacing, plot, and even sometimes the characters get sidelined all so the reader gets told about the various abilities each subsect of fae contain. This persistence lasts right up until the end, whilst during the climax the story was getting undercut by world building interjections. I liked some of the concepts but found the execution lacking.
I also think this needed to be way shorter for what it was. At times the story felt like a giant prologue. So much of the beginning felt unnecessary and did little other than to dump a bunch of
information. Say what you will about classic ya fantasy (which there are plenty of critiques), those books got moving with a quickness that A Dark and Hollow Star desperately needed. I think this story could have easily been 150 pages shorter and the story would not have changed in any significant way.
Subjectively speaking this was a lot of fun. As soon as we got to the meat of the plot, I was in it. Broody characters with witty banter, a dangerous mystery driving the plot forward, a truly ridiculous villain/climax (which I say fully as a compliment). I especially liked our characters and their developing romances. The story could have benefitted from the two different story threads coming together sooner, because I found all of the different character interactions highly entertaining. I also happened to really enjoy the setting. This is incredibly niche but having a fantasy book set in a city I'm familiar with was really enjoyable. Also, the ending, while incredibly campy did actually hook me and I am willing to pick up the sequel to see where the story goes.
I predict this will be a super polarizing book. Depending what you value in stories this could really be your thing or supremely not. And I, of course, find myself in the middle.
*2.5 stars*
If you want a campy, hella queer, fae story that is super reminiscent of YA from the past decade, this is absolutely a story for you. A Dark and Hollow Star follows four queer teens navigating supernatural life. We have a prince and his guard, an immortal being with dubious intentions, and a half fae girl desperate to stay in the world of magic who cross paths when a string of murders crop up and no one seems to want to get involved. What they discover will shake the magical realm to its core.
I initially picked up A Dark and Hollow Star because its pitch is fantastic and appealed to that nostalgic YA bone I apparently still have. City of Bones meets The Cruel Prince set in Toronto with an entirely queer cast of MCs?? Sign me the f up.
Objectively speaking this book needs a little work-specifically in regards to the world building. You can tell this is a debut novel because Ashley Shuttleworth just packs way too much information, much to the detriment of the story. The pacing, plot, and even sometimes the characters get sidelined all so the reader gets told about the various abilities each subsect of fae contain. This persistence lasts right up until the end, whilst during the climax the story was getting undercut by world building interjections. I liked some of the concepts but found the execution lacking.
I also think this needed to be way shorter for what it was. At times the story felt like a giant prologue. So much of the beginning felt unnecessary and did little other than to dump a bunch of
information. Say what you will about classic ya fantasy (which there are plenty of critiques), those books got moving with a quickness that A Dark and Hollow Star desperately needed. I think this story could have easily been 150 pages shorter and the story would not have changed in any significant way.
Subjectively speaking this was a lot of fun. As soon as we got to the meat of the plot, I was in it. Broody characters with witty banter, a dangerous mystery driving the plot forward, a truly ridiculous villain/climax (which I say fully as a compliment). I especially liked our characters and their developing romances. The story could have benefitted from the two different story threads coming together sooner, because I found all of the different character interactions highly entertaining. I also happened to really enjoy the setting. This is incredibly niche but having a fantasy book set in a city I'm familiar with was really enjoyable. Also, the ending, while incredibly campy did actually hook me and I am willing to pick up the sequel to see where the story goes.
I predict this will be a super polarizing book. Depending what you value in stories this could really be your thing or supremely not. And I, of course, find myself in the middle.
*2.5 stars*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Moderate: Mental illness and Trafficking
Minor: Suicide and Gun violence
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