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4.52 AVERAGE
4.52 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)
This was such a great read. Loved it so much I had to finish it the day I started it. Boy was that ending quite the emotional roller coaster! I appreciate the author acknowledging the suffering caused by that ending lmao.
The world and character building were great. I adored the cast of characters with their found family and all the bantering between the characters. The slow burn and tension between Selene and Callan was well done. It does have some elements that may not be for everyone and does explore grief as Selene comes to terms with what the world is like for her now.
Next bit goes under a spoiler to be safe.
I was sus of Petyr and knew he likely was up to no good but I was not quite expecting that!
Favorite quotes
"You're not responsible for my actions." I frown. "But if it helps."
The look he gives me makes me wonder if I've missed something. "Yes. It helps."
"Say that again, and mean it this time. Explain to me why I cannot seem to breathe unless you're close. Explain why we're here now, when every event that has happened should have made it an impossibility."
"I'm sitting here. Merely existing."
"That," I grit out," is the problem. Exist somewhere else." He is infuriating.
This was such a great read. Loved it so much I had to finish it the day I started it. Boy was that ending quite the emotional roller coaster! I appreciate the author acknowledging the suffering caused by that ending lmao.
The world and character building were great. I adored the cast of characters with their found family and all the bantering between the characters. The slow burn and tension between Selene and Callan was well done. It does have some elements that may not be for everyone and does explore grief as Selene comes to terms with what the world is like for her now.
Next bit goes under a spoiler to be safe.
Favorite quotes
"You're not responsible for my actions." I frown. "But if it helps."
The look he gives me makes me wonder if I've missed something. "Yes. It helps."
"Say that again, and mean it this time. Explain to me why I cannot seem to breathe unless you're close. Explain why we're here now, when every event that has happened should have made it an impossibility."
"I'm sitting here. Merely existing."
"That," I grit out," is the problem. Exist somewhere else." He is infuriating.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
THAT ENDING. i’m shook. this was a really gripping story that had me hooked. the plot was super original, with the concept of the never sea and all the lore and types of magic in the world. with that being said, i do wish there was a little more exploration of some of the fantasy elements and the history, as i feel like that could’ve been explored further to have a little more depth to the story. but i also really enjoyed the cast of characters and the found family elements, and the romance was really sweet! i did think some of the pacing felt a little off, with some parts moving pretty slow and others feeling a little rushed. but ultimately, i have SO many questions, so i will be (im)patiently waiting for the sequel!!!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Sexual assault, Trafficking
Moderate: Death, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Rape, Torture, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
I went into this with no idea what to expect, and absolutely LOVED it! Some may call it… fate? 🥁but really, I loved it.
I can’t say too much without spoilers but just read it!!
I was yearning for a fantasy that gave daughter of no worlds with throne of glass vibes in all the best ways and Stars Above the Never Sea DELIVERED!!!
The plot is so good and well paced, the atmosphere?! Literally seeing stars!! ✨ oh and talk about yearning?? I’m obsessed!
No one’s had me swooning for a bronze-eyed man since Edward Cullen 😮💨 also, I cried and I really don’t cry easily with books, so gear up - and definitely check trigger warnings at the start.
I hope this is the start of an epic series, I need more of Selene and the gang!!
I’m so so glad I received an arc in exchange for an honest review - thank you sooo much to the publishers and NetGalley! Fingers crossed for the next one?? 👀 🙏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Minor: Rape, Torture
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
Thank you Net Galley and Evelyn Flood for gifting me my NEW TOP READ FOR 2025!!!
Evelyn Flood, what have you done to my heart?! Stars Above the Never Sea is an achingly beautiful, emotionally rich tale with stunning worldbuilding and unforgettable characters. If you've ever wished for a Hook and Tinkerbell love story, this delivers in the most magical, heartbreaking way. The world building is masterfully paced, with vivid imagery and a cast that feels so real and distinct. The bond between Callan and his crew is heartwarming, the villain perfectly crafted, and the final chapter? Utterly devastating. I fell hard for this story!!! Waiting for book two might just ruin me. Absolute perfection.
⚠️ CHECK YOUR TRIGGER WARNINGS ⚠️
Evelyn Flood, what have you done to my heart?! Stars Above the Never Sea is an achingly beautiful, emotionally rich tale with stunning worldbuilding and unforgettable characters. If you've ever wished for a Hook and Tinkerbell love story, this delivers in the most magical, heartbreaking way. The world building is masterfully paced, with vivid imagery and a cast that feels so real and distinct. The bond between Callan and his crew is heartwarming, the villain perfectly crafted, and the final chapter? Utterly devastating. I fell hard for this story!!! Waiting for book two might just ruin me. Absolute perfection.
⚠️ CHECK YOUR TRIGGER WARNINGS ⚠️
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
First of all thank you NetGalley and Evelyn Flood for allowing me to read this Advance Reader Copy of Star Above The Never Sea.
I devoured this book in 1 day. That's how much I was invested in it!
Writing: The writing was beautifully done. Everything was described in such a way that I could picture everything in my head. I get turned off by bad writing quiet easily and there wasn't anything that I found annoying at all. The only thing that mildly annoyed me was the use of the insul eejit. I found that a little weird but only mildly so.
Characters: Wow! I loved all of them! I am not a romance read typically and not into tropes except found family. And this has a wonderful found family. I loved every single one of them. Also FMCs usually annoy me however I loved Selene.
Story: The story grabbed me right away. The magic system is quite unique and the world etc was also quite unique as well. There were definitely some loosely borrowed themes, but changed enough to be it's own thing.
Overall: I loved this book a lot and highly recommend it when it's released on July 30th.
I devoured this book in 1 day. That's how much I was invested in it!
Writing: The writing was beautifully done. Everything was described in such a way that I could picture everything in my head. I get turned off by bad writing quiet easily and there wasn't anything that I found annoying at all. The only thing that mildly annoyed me was the use of the insul eejit. I found that a little weird but only mildly so.
Characters: Wow! I loved all of them! I am not a romance read typically and not into tropes except found family. And this has a wonderful found family. I loved every single one of them. Also FMCs usually annoy me however I loved Selene.
Story: The story grabbed me right away. The magic system is quite unique and the world etc was also quite unique as well. There were definitely some loosely borrowed themes, but changed enough to be it's own thing.
Overall: I loved this book a lot and highly recommend it when it's released on July 30th.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Firstly, thank you to the author who gifted me an ARC of this book via NetGalley. My first arc!
My review contains spoilers!!
I love the found family. I already love them. There are so many STRONG women characters that are a focal point at different moments throughout the book, which is a big selling point for me!!
The beginning is EPIC where we see Selene leaving Asteria, as the reader we don’t know what’s going on yet as neither does Selene, and the novel is written from 1st person POV of Selene and Callan. Compared to this thrilling and suspenseful beginning, I felt the rest of the book I felt didn’t follow as strongly, and something just felt missing for me, but was still very good!
One reason for this is that I wish there was more description of Petyr, and possibly the life on Boreas before voyaging to Asteria. As we only see Petyr when he interacts with Callan etc, he felt a bit 2D and flat as a character for me. A bit more background would be good, maybe explaining more of why he’s like this. Although as it’s from Selene and Callan’s perspectives I guess we may learn this as they do. But it was a bit ‘generic evil villain makes robot army’ at this point for me.
Also, Selene and Callan’s romance feels very rushed. Although C is very sweet and lovely, I just felt a bit uncomfortable that she had just escaped being a sex slave and he is saying how he constantly wants to be touching her and she doesn’t even understand love. It seems that there’s something more behind Callan’s reason for loving her (fated?) that will maybe be revealed but it almost feels like Selene falls for him because of her trauma and he’s the first person to have shown her love - I just felt vulnerable on her half.
I love the maegis element, which they must pay a price for using, it gives the magic an unusual and unique spin. For me, a bit more of an explanation of the world behind it would have been helpful before we are thrown into trying to understand it
Ending: The loss at the end was heartbreaking and I definitely cried (you’ll know when you get there…), even if I had already guessed at Selene’s parentage. Not sure if this was me being eagle-eyed or others also figured it out too from the little hints. Would have been great as a reveal I hadn’t already guessed!
The Cliffhanger!! I love that it wasn’t a happy ending, but only because I know this is a series 😅. I was half expecting someone to rock up and save the day and everyone live happily until the next novel so it was really refreshing that this didn’t happen. Thank goodness we don’t have to wait long for the next book as it’s due December 2025 - love the authors apology after the last page 😂
I cannot wait for more world building in the next novel and hope that we get some more background behind some of the characters and loose ends tied up! Looking forward to seeing how this series develops!
⚠️ Trigger warning that there are frequent mentions of self-harm and r*pe/ sex slavery throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault
Minor: Death
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
A wink to the Peter Pan story and not a retelling, in case someone gets confused.
I loved everything about this book.
The characters, the plot and the universe.
Selene, is the strong, no-nonsense FMC that we were longing for. She supposedly cannot feel much but that is neither here nor there. People around her believe that but we are in her head and we know better.
Callan is our golden retriever MMC, who loves his found family and he would do everything for them.
The magic system is really interesting in this one. There is a significant cost for using magic and it is not the same for everyone.
A bit of enemies-to-lovers and fated mates (even though this is not a concept in this world).
The cliffhanger cut deep and I am definitely impatient reading the second one.
Thank you to the author and #NetGalley for the copy!
I loved everything about this book.
The characters, the plot and the universe.
Selene, is the strong, no-nonsense FMC that we were longing for. She supposedly cannot feel much but that is neither here nor there. People around her believe that but we are in her head and we know better.
Callan is our golden retriever MMC, who loves his found family and he would do everything for them.
The magic system is really interesting in this one. There is a significant cost for using magic and it is not the same for everyone.
A bit of enemies-to-lovers and fated mates (even though this is not a concept in this world).
The cliffhanger cut deep and I am definitely impatient reading the second one.
Thank you to the author and #NetGalley for the copy!
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for granting me ARC access!
I took away a star for each unforgivable act this book committed. 1. opens up with a brutal genocide and the sole survivor living in sex slavery for 10 years. hey! thats not fun. would have preferred literally anything else have happened to her in those 10 years like she couldn't have just been locked up somewhere? idk im very sensitive to human trafficking and the first part of this book almost made me stop altogether. 2. there was too much happening with the magic systems and the mysteries and the gods and fate and I just felt like there were so many plot holes and things that got ignored for sake of thats how the story plays out. the main character basically doesnt try to figure anything out when she makes it back to her home and relies on her random magic to lead her. 3. ended on the biggest bitch of a cliffhanger without even a hint of happiness truly just a horrendous ending. so ultimately very little joy to be found in the book besides the rare moments characters eke out that have the most ominous chekhovs gun lurking in the background.
I think there are interesting parts to this story but if this is the story the author wanted to tell I think the book needed to be longer with more care given to character development, there was some attempt and I found the voices of characters string but there just wasn't much growth besides the romance aspect which I dont love given how recently the main character fled sex slavery! Feels like she should get a minute. idk i think this book has a lot of potential and if other people are able to look past the things that bothered me they would likely enjoy it! wasn't my cup of tea in the end. very vivid imagery and strong author voice, the writing and prose itself weren't a problem i am just not a fan of how the plot shook out.
I took away a star for each unforgivable act this book committed. 1. opens up with a brutal genocide and the sole survivor living in sex slavery for 10 years. hey! thats not fun. would have preferred literally anything else have happened to her in those 10 years like she couldn't have just been locked up somewhere? idk im very sensitive to human trafficking and the first part of this book almost made me stop altogether. 2. there was too much happening with the magic systems and the mysteries and the gods and fate and I just felt like there were so many plot holes and things that got ignored for sake of thats how the story plays out. the main character basically doesnt try to figure anything out when she makes it back to her home and relies on her random magic to lead her. 3. ended on the biggest bitch of a cliffhanger without even a hint of happiness truly just a horrendous ending. so ultimately very little joy to be found in the book besides the rare moments characters eke out that have the most ominous chekhovs gun lurking in the background.
I think there are interesting parts to this story but if this is the story the author wanted to tell I think the book needed to be longer with more care given to character development, there was some attempt and I found the voices of characters string but there just wasn't much growth besides the romance aspect which I dont love given how recently the main character fled sex slavery! Feels like she should get a minute. idk i think this book has a lot of potential and if other people are able to look past the things that bothered me they would likely enjoy it! wasn't my cup of tea in the end. very vivid imagery and strong author voice, the writing and prose itself weren't a problem i am just not a fan of how the plot shook out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Self harm, Sexual assault, Trafficking
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced