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A review by bookboxbabe
The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
*thank you netgalley and publisher for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review*
this should’ve been renamed “the plot conveniences” because by god that’s all there was
we never got time to actually sit with any of the plots in this book. they would be introduced and then immediately pushed aside. the trials? one and half rounds and like 2 chapters before it’s over. they get captured? escape. captured again? oh look they escape. almost die? yeah that’ll happen 10 more times
we also never really got to know these characters (especially the side ones) well enough for me to care if they died or were in danger. we are told that this character means a lot to our protagonist, but we never see it or feel it so when they died i didn’t actually care. the author was so focused on making plot point after plot point and shoving as much as she could into one book that she skipped out on character progression.
speaking of that, wow i couldn’t care less about the main character. i LOVE a chosen one trope okay, but for some reason the trope just didn’t work here. she rarely actually saves herself, the people around her are usually the ones jumping into the scene and saving her and she’s just given powers that aren’t really explained in any sort of way besides “the fates decided” and that’s about it. i hate a non fleshed out magic system.
the romance was also bleh. insta love, sex, betrayal? kinda?, forgive. formulaic and against, bland characters
i listened to the audiobook version which is honestly what saved the score of this from being like a 1.5. the narrator was FANTASTIC and she was the only thing pulling my attention into the story. so an extra star for her.
this should’ve been renamed “the plot conveniences” because by god that’s all there was
we never got time to actually sit with any of the plots in this book. they would be introduced and then immediately pushed aside. the trials? one and half rounds and like 2 chapters before it’s over. they get captured? escape. captured again? oh look they escape. almost die? yeah that’ll happen 10 more times
we also never really got to know these characters (especially the side ones) well enough for me to care if they died or were in danger. we are told that this character means a lot to our protagonist, but we never see it or feel it so when they died i didn’t actually care. the author was so focused on making plot point after plot point and shoving as much as she could into one book that she skipped out on character progression.
speaking of that, wow i couldn’t care less about the main character. i LOVE a chosen one trope okay, but for some reason the trope just didn’t work here. she rarely actually saves herself, the people around her are usually the ones jumping into the scene and saving her and she’s just given powers that aren’t really explained in any sort of way besides “the fates decided” and that’s about it. i hate a non fleshed out magic system.
the romance was also bleh. insta love, sex, betrayal? kinda?, forgive. formulaic and against, bland characters
i listened to the audiobook version which is honestly what saved the score of this from being like a 1.5. the narrator was FANTASTIC and she was the only thing pulling my attention into the story. so an extra star for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail