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A review by shelbys_cerebral_escapes
Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It all started with a prophecy...
You will fall in love with the King of Stars, and it will kill you both.
This story was so beautiful. It had your enemy kingdoms, kidnap a princess, training to take down the ruling system... but it was also a beautiful story about a princess who struggled through isolation, loneliness, and betrayal. I really felt Elara's sorrow in my core as I read. And UGH, that cliffhanger. Not gonna lie, I cried a little.
And with complete clarity, like the dawn breaking through the night, she understood. She was not perfect or imperfect. She was not a villain, nor a hero. Simply herself. A girl who had lost and grieved and made her way the only way she knew how So she had fallen in love. That did not make her a fool, nor did it make her weak. It made her courageous.
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, prophecies and multiple 'visions' throughout the book keep you guessing how all the pieces fit together, star-crossed lovers (literally), slow burn, suppressed magic.
Spice: 3 chili peppers, but only one open door scene. Mostly slow burn with the plot carrying the weight of the book.
Favorite Quotes:
ENZO: 'You deserve to feel true love, El,' Enzo said finally as his thumb began to trace the inside of her palm. Her breathing shallowed, trying to focus on the light show. 'You deserve to be adored.' His thumb stroked the inside of her wrist. 'To feel pleasure.' It came to rest back on her palm. He paused. 'To be the one they look for first in every room.'
ELARA: 'I don't just want love. I want reverence.' She looked away. 'Is that too much to ask?'
She felt a hand under her chin and trembled slightly as he forced her to look at him. He held her gaze for a long time as sparkles traced their eyes. Finally, a breath parted his lips.
ENZO: 'No. ... I think you would be very ease to worship,' he murmured, his voice so soft she almost melted into it.
ENZO: 'You have a filthy mouth for a princess.'
ELARA: 'Oh, wouldn't you like to know.' (teehee)
To Elara, a reader was an alcheist. They turned the mundange into something extraordinary, transforming words on a page into entire worlds. To steal away from reality, to feel real emotions for things that didn't exist? ... reading was a special kind of magic.
She was in love with him. And not only that, when he had kissed her in the clouds, she had felt a lightning bolt of power that she could not deny. It had felt familiar. A quiet recognition. As though after all this searching, her soul had said, 'Oh, there you are.
'What you should have been taught is how brave it is, to be vulnerable in such a cruel world. How it is better to feel every ray and shadow, than to feel nothing at all.'
I loved him more than the dark loves the light, and he loved me more than the day loves the light. Lions may fly, and lovers will die, but my love - that will live on.'
You will fall in love with the King of Stars, and it will kill you both.
This story was so beautiful. It had your enemy kingdoms, kidnap a princess, training to take down the ruling system... but it was also a beautiful story about a princess who struggled through isolation, loneliness, and betrayal. I really felt Elara's sorrow in my core as I read. And UGH, that cliffhanger. Not gonna lie, I cried a little.
And with complete clarity, like the dawn breaking through the night, she understood. She was not perfect or imperfect. She was not a villain, nor a hero. Simply herself. A girl who had lost and grieved and made her way the only way she knew how So she had fallen in love. That did not make her a fool, nor did it make her weak. It made her courageous.
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, prophecies and multiple 'visions' throughout the book keep you guessing how all the pieces fit together, star-crossed lovers (literally), slow burn, suppressed magic.
Spice: 3 chili peppers, but only one open door scene. Mostly slow burn with the plot carrying the weight of the book.
Favorite Quotes:
ENZO: 'You deserve to feel true love, El,' Enzo said finally as his thumb began to trace the inside of her palm. Her breathing shallowed, trying to focus on the light show. 'You deserve to be adored.' His thumb stroked the inside of her wrist. 'To feel pleasure.' It came to rest back on her palm. He paused. 'To be the one they look for first in every room.'
ELARA: 'I don't just want love. I want reverence.' She looked away. 'Is that too much to ask?'
She felt a hand under her chin and trembled slightly as he forced her to look at him. He held her gaze for a long time as sparkles traced their eyes. Finally, a breath parted his lips.
ENZO: 'No. ... I think you would be very ease to worship,' he murmured, his voice so soft she almost melted into it.
ENZO: 'You have a filthy mouth for a princess.'
ELARA: 'Oh, wouldn't you like to know.' (teehee)
To Elara, a reader was an alcheist. They turned the mundange into something extraordinary, transforming words on a page into entire worlds. To steal away from reality, to feel real emotions for things that didn't exist? ... reading was a special kind of magic.
She was in love with him. And not only that, when he had kissed her in the clouds, she had felt a lightning bolt of power that she could not deny. It had felt familiar. A quiet recognition. As though after all this searching, her soul had said, 'Oh, there you are.
'What you should have been taught is how brave it is, to be vulnerable in such a cruel world. How it is better to feel every ray and shadow, than to feel nothing at all.'
I loved him more than the dark loves the light, and he loved me more than the day loves the light. Lions may fly, and lovers will die, but my love - that will live on.'