The Stars Are Dying (Nytefall, #1) (2024)

Dnf at page 206
The stars are dying.. And so is the person who reads this book.

The lesson here is to not get influenced by reels or positive reviews so easily 😕

From the prologue itself, it did not have a good start. The writing is not impressive at all, it's confusing, there is absolutely zero structure to it and it is leading to who knows what because there is no actual plot in sight. Even after reading 18 chapters, there is no clarity. The dialogues are out of place. The characters have no specified role or purpose in sight. They seem to be talking big but about what? NO DAMN CLUE. The romance?? Wtf was that. There is no chemistry, random tropes being thrown in together for the sake of popularity.

Am just glad I stopped reading it before it puts me in a slump.
~.~.~
Have heard nothing but positive reviews and apparently it is a mix of FBAA, ACOTAR and Serpent and the Wings of Night? OOF let's go

3.25 ⭐️

This series has massive potential, with world-building, political intrigue, and a magic system that will set it apart. However, its ambitious scope wasn’t a perfect success in this first installment. That being said, there’s a solid start here, and I’ll be reading book 2, which I anticipate highly!

The pacing was the biggest flaw here. The book is built to keep the reader hooked by withholding answers. However, questions continue to multiply for the first 300 pages, and the FMC does little to attempt to answer them. Due to the fact that the author is also trying to tell a deeply compelling story about a victim of abuse who has learned helplessness, the two initiatives kind of thwart one another. On one hand, there’s an intriguing plot full of mystery centering on our FMC as the chosen one of sorts, and on the other is our FMC who is reluctant to even have desires or any identity due to her abuse, so she’s not exactly out solving these mysteries with any urgency or focus.

As the plot moves, it’s unclear what the FMC is after. Her tiny purposes change multiple times, but her main dilemma from page one is that she has no memories before 5 years ago. It seems like an obvious initiative would be to try to figure out her own history so she can understand her own identity. But ultimately the secret of her past isn’t a priority for this book, instead each side character and their secrets become the reveals that drive the plot. So…frustratingly, for a book that kept me hooked for answers, at the end of book one I have NO IDEA what the FMC’s ultimate purpose is or was, what happened before her memory wipe, why she came back, and how being with the MMC will ultimately be a thematic good if they’re endgame.

I ultimately think the story suffers for the sake of the FMC getting a growth arc from victim to powerful, a worthy storyline in and of itself, but in the middle of a gripping mystery of identity and politics, it really dragged the story for me. As she grows in future installments, I have every confidence the pacing will improve.

The high points for me are the chemistry and development of the romance, the world-building, and the potential for high stakes and potent themes as Chloe explores the necessary integration of light and dark, and the power of memory and identity as these characters find their higher purposes.

Note: I received this book as a gift from the author.

”When falls Night, the world will drown in Starlight.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Angst/Tension: 🔥🔥🔥/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5

What To Expect:
✔️ Villain gets the girl
✔️ Deadly trials
✔️ Forbidden, slowburn romance
✔️ Soul and blood vampires
✔️ Celestial/star magic
✔️ Impeccable world-building
✔️ Twists and betrayals

I binged this in one day/night and I have no regrets whatsoever! 🙈

Shadow Daddy: Nyte
"Think of me, and I will answer," he spoke to my mind. Then he pulled away, lingering against my mouth to say aloud, "Long for me, and I am right here with you."

Nyteeee 🫠. He was✨everything✨and more… if he has red flags then red is my new fav colour 🚩🙈. In all seriousness, his charisma and energy reminded me of what all the bitties make Azriel from the ACOTAR series out to be, and also Rhys from ACOMAF, so I LOVED that. He also was like a hot version of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland in my mind (iykyk). It was the way he moved and it’s very much you have to read it to understand where I’m coming from with that one haha 🙈

Our Star Girl: Astraea
”I couldn't become that frightened girl again. I couldn't allow her to crawl from the fresh grave I'd laid her in.”

My girl 😩!!! She underwent so much growth throughout this book and I honestly cannot what to see her come even more into her own power in the next book. I know that under the surface she has bad bish energy brewing waiting to be let out and I can’t wait to see her release it. She was such a fascinating FMC and reminded me a lot of Auren from the first Plated Prisoner book (Gild) with what she was being subjected to early one in the book. Her powers were so cool to read about and truly unique. I cannot wait to see where her story goes from here!

A Star-Defying Love
"You're perfect for me, Starlight. So f*cking perfect the gods reject it out of spite."

"I wish you were real so I could slap you." "I shouldn't find your violence so attractive."

The tension. THE ANGST. THE SPICE PAYOFF!!!! Ugh. Their relationship is everything I could have hoped for and more. The ending has me so shook though and I’m very interested to see how that changes the dynamic… but, all I can’t say is the bell tower scene will live in my head rent-free (as will the fanart) 🙈✨🖤

Why Not 5⭐️?
I am still slightly confused around some of the lore and history we learn in book one. I’m not sure if this is due to the speed at which I read the book, or if it’s because there is also a lot to be still revealed. I’m planning on doing a reread to see if this remedies the issue also!

The pacing is another reason as to why I’m not giving it 5⭐️. I feel like we could’ve gotten to the trials sooner and spent less time travelling to get to the capital. Once there, the book does speed up a lot and I really enjoyed this!

Final Thoughts
I need book 2. Immediately. K thx bye 😘💋

I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review 💖

Disclaimer: while my rating are and always will be about the books, not authors, i would like to say something about this author.

Chloe’s recent Instagram post about how “seeing the bad rating on GoodReads upsets her” and encouraging her followers to (if they liked her book) remember to rate and review doesn’t sit well with me.
Now, I am all for making sure to leave good reviews (if you liked the book) on indie authors.
What I don’t like, is how she worded it.

like I’ve always said, GoodReads is a place for reviewers. It is a review site, and people can rate books however they wish there.
People are allowed to not like a book.
Most authors stay off of GR for that very reason, and accept they will get bad reviews, because everyone has different tastes.
On Instagram, it’s completely fair not to want bad reviews.
But on a book review site?
If we stop leaving bad reviews, how will people know what they will dislike about a book?
Are people just meant to trust marketing team?

I am not changing my rating because of this (because my rating is for the BOOK), but I just wanted to add this disclaimer anyway.

—🌟 2 stars 🌟—

“Because you are the brightest star,” he said, a murmur over my lips. “And the brightest star needs the darkest night.”

————about the book————

Age: NA
Genres: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Vampires, Faeries,
Writing: 5/10
Quotes: 6/10
World building: 5/10
Characters: 4/10
Romance: 5/10
My rating: 5/10

trigger warnings: Domestic Violence, Domestic Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Gaslighting, Grief and Death, Violence and Gore, Suicidal Ideation, Addiction, etc.

Many thanks to Chloe Peñaranda for this digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

———my thoughts———

In a world abandoned by its celestial guardians, all Astraea knows is seclusion.
Her memories are fractured, and her so-called saviour might just be the thing that’s holding her back.
But when she meets the mysterious Nyte, and strikes a deal with him, her determination to discover her past grows and grows.
And as she grows closer and closer to the truth, it becomes harder to ignore the attraction she feels towards Nyte...

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book.
And I just want to preface my thoughts with the assurance that it’s not the book, it’s me.
I was fully expecting to adore this.
It had all the tropes, all the ideas I loved, and the most beautiful cover.
But I didn’t.
I think I should have realised that maybe The Stars Are Dying wasn’t for me after it took me so long to get into it.
I was stuck on the first 20% for a few weeks, because I simply could not find the motivation to continue.
There wasn’t even any particular part I had a problem with, it was just that I found the writing style dissociated me from the story.
I couldn’t connect with the characters at all, and it ended up being more of a case of me making myself finish it than me being interested in any of the plotlines.
It didn’t particularly grip me at any point, but there were parts (especially in the middle section) where I began to enjoy it more.
However...I was still mostly making myself push though.
It wasn’t that I found it uninteresting, but simply that I didn’t care about where the story was going.
It felt extremely slow, and even the action scenes felt lacklustre.
I didn’t particularly like the protagonists either.
(I had to pause my review here to go look up their names as I couldn’t remember)
Astraea and Nyte.
They felt like they had potential, but it was so wasted!
I couldn’t feel their chemistry, their dialogue almost felt flat, and I didn’t even remotely related to them at all.
It just felt like everything that is popular right now squashed into one book.
And believe me, that’s not a good thing.
Yes, the quotes are quote-able.
But again...it just feels like I’ve read it all before.
Maybe there is a point when you’ve read enough books where nothing feels new anymore, but I don’t think I’ve reached that yet.
So it had potential, yes.
But in my opinion?
It didn’t live up to it.

————quotes————

“Think of me, and I will answer,” he spoke to my mind. Then he pulled away, lingering against my mouth to say aloud, “Long for me, and I am right here with you.”

“If there’s one thing you’re not allowed to give up on, it’s love, Astraea. That’s a demand.”

“I would meet you in the darkness. Every time you called,”

“I’ve always been right here. Waiting for you.”

———random extra thoughts———

The cover is GORGEOUS though 😭

Thanks for reading! ❤️

DNF @ 35% 😩
*updated*

Added disclaimer: the author has suggested to readers to rate and review this book *if* they liked it (See: IG post made on their account). This felt like a push to, not only swing reviews in their favour (for their benefit), but to also discredit the current reviews of this book and the readers capacity to understand the book. I want to make it clear that I gave this review honestly. I, to the best of my ability, critically engaged with this media, and believe I have to capability to read books as they are intended to be read. I have read plenty of well structured books with complicated plots and unreliable narrators, that I could understand and engage with.
I am not changing my review in light of this new post. But I do want to encourage everyone to always remain steadfast in their honest reviews, regardless of when authors infiltrate the reader space.

My biggest issue with this book is the writing. It’s readability is lacking due to continuity issues(e.g. how does she get back inside a room with a locked door?), strange phrasing, sentence structure, scene choreography and ‘floating head syndrome’. It definitely needed a few more rounds of edits though I know the author and her team rejected this idea to all ARC readers.

From the beginning, I found it difficult to find the character in the scene and understanding who Astrae is, and any and all motivations. The frequency in which I had to reread sentences and paragraphs was alarming, and it pulled me out of the story every time.

I’m aware of things that are revealed later on in the book that might explain away some of these issues, though I still found that these reasons do not help the overall readability. Not to mention that it required spoilers in order to gain that information.

The premise was promising, a girl lacking memories of who she is, locked up by her ‘savior’ for protection. Trials occurring every 100 years to save the city from Vampires (if only a little predictable and lacking any understanding as to the ‘why’), dark, gritty.. Star crossed lovers. A protective, loving side character. All great things. I could see this book having so much potential. But the potential was ultimately lost in the clunky writing style.

Unfortunately, reading this became a task and I never want to feel that way when reading.

*thank you Chloe and team for sending the ARC for review*

I was also dying.

again... a f*ckin-gain. nothing new, nothing changed, same old sh*t. romantasy genre is one story regurgitating over and over again in different fonts. some don't even change the font ffs. im so tired i wanna scream. i cannot wrap around the fact how readers read the same sh*t over and over again and gush about it like its pulitzer winning literature. yeah, you go after the things you like but at what point do they get tired? bc im over it. i want people to start speaking up so we can start getting back originality and authenticity. pls. indie stuff from 4-5 years back used to slap. something changed and we know what, or who, triggered it

coming back to this book, it wasn't written poorly. and it got a little hot. two stars for two points. everything else just annoyed me. you have the bland girlie who has special powers but is too dumb to notice she's getting used. then you have the dark guy that is using her and also being incredibly possessive at the same time for no f*cking reason. now tell me you haven't seen this before a million times. oh god... my head is throbbing

1.00 stars.

I am so so so so so disappointed 😭 man I thought I'd like this one because the reels that the author was posting were really intriguing but this was just blah like I really liked the start but 150 pages through it just fell and I just couldn't read this anymore.

This author is a miss for me I think I only liked one book of her which was the second book in her series an heir comes to rise. That series was also disappointing which I dnf'd.

Wouldn't recommend.

3⭐️
Spice was chefs kiss.
The plot was intriguing but also felt pretty underwhelming at times and kinda dragged on..
I felt a little conflicted and have mixed feelings towards the story line.😅
Astraea had some nice character development, she started off super insecure and anxious and found her stride, confidence & voice by the end of the book which was nice.
She didn’t question anything enough which drove me crazy though.
I had so many questions about what and why certain things were happening while I was reading her POV and nothing was being answered.
She was too nonchalant which was really annoying.

I felt like I had to force myself to continue reading the book but I’m kinda glad I did because things blew up at the end with the plot twist. I’m looking forward to seeing in the next book (if I'm bothered reading the next one) - just hoping the second book does exceed the first & makes persevering through this one worth it because it does have potential.🤞🏻

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
✧. 2,5 (shamefully disappointing) stars
╰┈➤ ❝ You're mine, Starlight.
✧. Vampire trope, enemies to sorta lovers
✧. Nyte is the villain (kinda fell for him)
»»———-　　———-««
✧. ┊ I decided to read this book since I saw the author marketing this book, sadly it disappointed and its nothing like she made it out to be.
✧. ┊ The FMC is not enjoyable and quite stupid (+ I found her whiney, bland)
✧. ┊ Nyte was the only enjoyable character that made it till the end of the book.
✧. ┊ Hunger games / ACOTAR type of book (felt like a ripoff)
✧. ┊ Around the 50% till the 80% of the book it felt repetitive and long and it was genuinely boring.
✧. ┊ That ending was quite confusing and odd
✧. ┊ The book contains a bit of spice (and Nyte delivered that)
✧. ┊ Genuinely expected more and the book should have been shorter.
»»———-　　———-««
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''Love was a drug laced with its own cure.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''Something about the night always awakened me more than the daytime.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''You think that I want your soul or your blood. I'll admit, one is highly tempting to hold, the other is to taste.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''No one can tell you how to feel. You observe, you draw on your knowledge, and you handle the responses your judgment makes.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''Think of me and I will answer. Long for me and I am right here with you.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''The truth? I want you to f*cking despise me. Your anger is my pleasure, your darkness is my light.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''Like you, I find the nights alive. Perhaps we both can find means of drifting off peacefully with a tale.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''I may have moments of peace in mind but you are a truly maddening temptation, Starlight.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''His promixity consumed me like a fever.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''You deserve to be worshipped- every damn inch of you.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''You're perfect for me, Starlight. So f*cking perfect that the gods reject it out of spite.''
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ''For a beat of time, we were two falling stars.''

- The author is apparently really problematic, wish I knew that before but oh well
- I dont know if the author is planning to make a #2 soon but I will NOT be reading that!!

2.5⭐️ Ok. It’s been a little bit since I’ve read this. Now that the “high” has worn off, this book isn’t as good as I initially thought. All of these issues I noticed while reading, but I didn’t seem to care at the time. There were so many issues. First-there are A LOT of similarities from other books. Mainly what I noticed is The Plated Prisoner series and FBAA. There are also a lot of inconsistencies. Especially with the FMC having no memories and she doesn’t seem to care to find out who she is and why she has no memories. I also had to reread paragraphs a lot because it seemed to jump-it got confusing. It was entertaining, but I don’t know if I’ll end up read the rest of the series.

DNF 33%

Now, I hate DNFing a book. My FOMO and anxiety battle it out, and I internally freak out for an entire day about what if I am doing the book an entire disservice by not completing it.

BUT I JUST CAN'T CONTINUE WITH THIS...

From the first line of the prologue, I was confused. I wasn't sure if it was because it was late or I was tired, so I read it again the next day, and I still didn't understand what was going on. I think it came down to overall this book made me feel stupid as I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND....

Firstly, the worldbuilding felt messy and confusing and didn't really make sense - there are fae, vampires, and celestials but are celestials types of either? The names and places seem like they are thrown together and not pieced together well, and the lore is a weird amalgamation of all three's general "backstory" when you think of fae, vampires, and celestials.

The writing was also just as messy; sentences felt overly metaphorical or there were just random additional words added. I found that a lot of aspects had to be inferred as it wasn't clearly explained, so I wasn't sure if it happened or not. The sentences just felt so convoluted and complex but just ended up confusing the living daylights out of me.

I also have no clue what the plot is - I read almost 200 pages, and I don't know what the purpose of the story is - what the prophecy has to do with anything as it just feels like random things thrown together.

Overall, I don't like it if books are overly confusing and make me feel stupid so this was not for me.

DNF @ ~50%

This read like really bad ACOTAR fan fiction, I’m sorry.

Overdone plot, bland characters, confusing writing, and a definite need for an editor.

ooooof I enjoyed the book originally but I’m now lowering this down to 1 star after seeing comments that this author tries to silence reviewers and plagiarises from other authors 🤬

When I saw this book being advertised on social media it sounded so good I did not hesitate to apply for an arc, and was so happy and grateful when I was approved. I have never read a book from this author before, but I know her other series is quite popular, but this was my first Chloe Peñaranda book.

That being said… oh my, where should I even begin. This is a tricky one to rate because it isn’t outright bad, so anything below three stars felt a bit unfair.

It is my belief that this book would have benefited from at least another round of editing, to tighten things up and make it flow better.

This is very much a plot driven book, and the plot is solid. The problem is that the characters just come across as pawns on a gameboard to be shuffled around in order to fit the plot and making it move forward. Certain instances felt very much like boxes being checked off in order to move things along to where they needed to go, rather than actual events I should feel invested in.

Astrea is our main character and she only has five years of memories, anything before that is a blank. My main problem with her character is (but not limited to) that she only questions things when it is convenient for the plot, if it isn’t she decides it’s not important right now, over and over again.
At one point in the beginning she is able to retrieve an object which is not in the room with her, and she just NEVER questions that or tries to do it again until towards the end of the book, it’s a bit like “huh that’s weird, but it got me what I wanted/needed”
There is one instance early on where something bad happens and she wakes up in a foreign place with a stranger, and instead of making sense of the situation we move into dialogue with world building/history lesson, and THEN comes the “where am I, who are you, what’s going on” which you’d expect from the moment she wakes up. Natural character reactions/responses take a back seat to everything to do with world building and the pre decided plot.

There is a very obvious disconnect from the plot to its main character.

The book picked up around 50% and it’s clear the story had arrived at a point where the author had wanted to go, but if this hadn’t been an arc I would have dnf’d before getting this far, I only finished it because I felt a sense of obligation to.

Anything Nyte says in the first 40% is pure nonsense. It’s a classic case of wanting a character to be “mysterious” but as a result anything that comes out of their mouth is just utter nonsense.
Example:
Astrea says: “You have an intrusive habit of touching me.” To which Nyte replies “You have an inquisitive will to allow it.”
And then right after she asks: “The shadows, do you command them?” And Nyte responds with: “Some things are far more thrilling to be felt rather than told.” Just shut up and stay silent if you’re not going to make any sense at all?
That is also an accurate representation of anything Nyte says for the first half of the book.

The characters are all over the place and it’s sad because I can really see the potential in the book, but it just falls short from where it wants to go. The only character who seems like an actually fully fledged person who isn’t being puppeteered to move things along is Zath.

I won’t go too much into the parallels between other popular books, but whether or not it was intentional on the author’s part doesn’t matter; they’re there. From the very beginning when Astrea escapes into a seemingly empty room to hide (in a questionable establishment) to find a stranger waiting for her and his “you are not what I expected.” To an mmc who can read and speak into minds and controls the shadows/night, and “It was all real. Everything I feel for you is real. When the dawn comes, please remember that.” Sound familiar?

Anyway, this became unintentionally long, I’m sorry. To sum up: should’ve undergone more editing to tighten everything up, the characters seem disconnected from the plot (and reality lol), and some times it’s just jumping all over the place as if to reach a word count goal, and there are a few more similarities to other popular books than what is comfortable; the potential was there, but it fell short. Will not be reading the sequel.

WHERE DO I BEGIN.

Goodness, this book is incredible. I’ve no words to express how incredible this story is and the new cast of characters are equally amazing!! Not to mention a villain love interest? *chef’s kiss* Nyte is the perfect mix of Luc (Addie LaRue), Patch (Hush, Hush), and maybe even a bit of dark magician Howl (Howl’s Moving Castle). You all know how much I love Reylan from Chloe’s An Heir Comes to Rise series and I hope you’re ready to make room for yet another book husband to add to your lineup.

Astraea is our new FMC in this world and I absolutely ADORE her to pieces. Truly I can’t say enough good about her and I’m excited for you all to go on this epic journey across Solanis with her. I connected with her right away from the start and I felt/laughed/cried with her till the very last page. I can’t wait to scream with you guys!! Her dynamic with Nyte is utter perfection and top tier swoon worthy.

I think that’s all I can say for now without spoiling anything. If you are new to Chloe’s books and have not read her AHCTR series I think you will do just fine reading this without feeling like you’re missing out on anything major. However those who have read AHCTR I think you will appreciate the little Easter eggs that are sprinkled throughout the story. ;)

I really wanted to love this book but it was unreadable.

Most sentence structures are so convoluted that they make no sense and we are just dumped into the world with no explanation with people having conversations about things we know nothing about.

I had to DNF.

First off, my reason for the deduction of a star is, the pacing felt a bit off at the beginning of the book. And there were times where the plot seemed to drag on a bit. THAT BEING SAID. Keep. Reading. Because omg that last 150 pages made everything worth it.

Nyte and Astraea’s tension was so well written, their banter and chemistry was the best part of this book. I honestly can’t wait for the rest of this series. It has such potential!

Spice:

How do I even explain my experience reading The Stars are Dying? I've read a lot of unoriginal books, but oh my god, this was on a whole other level. It took me months to get through this, because not only was there literally not one element of originality to this book, but it's also just extremely dense. And trust me, I love a good indie book. I read the description of The Stars are Dying and thought maybe I had found an underrated gem. Even now, I want to give it the benefit of the doubt, but it was so mind-numbing. The problem is that it wasn't just a case of lots of popular tropes crammed into an otherwise okay story, no, literally everything about this book is borrowed. The character's motives, their dynamics, their dialogue, the writing style, elements of the world building, the story tropes (such as a deadly competition) ... And there was nothing tethering any of this together. If you can't give me originality, at least give the story some glue to hold it all together. Normally I don't care about books being similar to one another, because with the vast number of stories being produced today, of course some are going to come out alike, but this book is different. There's no way that you can take elements from every popular story in the last 5 years without realizing. And because everything was borrowed, and nothing was grounded, the pacing was all over the place. The pacing of the world building explanations, fantasy plot, and romance were genuinely unhinged. The first 200 pages were so slow, and then all of a sudden moving at lightning speed with crazy levels of info-dumping. And don't even get me started on the back and forth reveals and allegiance changes of the last 100 pages.

This review has no structure, and could definitely be more concise. For that I am sorry, but then again, that's the nature of this book as well.

DNF'd @ 12%. I tried to give this a shot but my god the sentence structure and purple prose had my head hurting. I was constantly re-reading sentences to make sense of what I was reading. The FMC is also really bland; there is no personality to her.

Some might say that dnf'ing this at 15% isn't giving this enough of a chance. I'd argue that by 15%, I should at least have a care or an interest in the characters or the plot, and I don't have either.

I can see the potential in this world, but the writing in this is so clunky and confusing. Reading it felt like work, and I was constantly rereading sentences to try and make sense of them.

PLEASE. If you're going to include deadly trials as the main plot device, give a plausible reason for the why of it. Trials are held every 100 years between 5 human nations, and the winner gains their nation 100 years of safety from vampire attacks....but why?! It makes no sense. Maybe the reasoning is explained later in the book, but it should have been done when the idea was introduced.

It was also giving mad Plated Prisoner vibes.

I wouldn't recommend this book, but it is about to be trad published (Oct 2024), so I assume the necessary revisions have been done in the editing process for the rereleased version, if you wanted to try it then.

DNF AT PAGE 28 ( 5%)

I think is the fastest dnf of all my life.

The prologue is like a big fat spoiler.Avoid it at all costs

The mmc and FMC met at page 10 and by then you know exactly what the book is going to be about and how it will end.

The beginning is exactly the same from FBAA .
The writing was too much tell and not show and random tropes were thrown just from page one making it blatantly obvious ..

I love a well placed " who did this to you.." but in page 20???...come on...

Despite all this, if you are a new fantasy romance reader and you haven't read From Blood and Ash and/or Acotar this book may appeal to you.

Overall Score: 2/5 ⭐️
Character Devlopment: 2/5
Plot: 2/5
Ease of Reading: 2/5
Overall Enjoyment: 2/5

I wanted so desperately to love this book. The concept is great- twisted trials, hidden magic, star crossed lovers, a war between vampires and humans- but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. I loved all of the elements of this book, but yeah, something was just not there for me.
I have spoken to lots of people who LOVE this book, and I really think it’s just not a good fit for me personally but I think it’s worth people giving a try because sometimes I’m too picky for my own good.
The writing is the main thing that put me off.
I was granted an ARC of this book so I know there was a final edit before publication, but there were a lot of spelling errors in this book, there were dates and timelines that didn’t match up (I.e. there was supposed to be something big that happened 500 years ago, but a couple times it said 300 instead), missing transitions (how did they get from point a to point b, when did she sit down, etc) and odd sentence structure that didn’t make any sense at all.

The opening line to this book is this:
“He’d learned that dying, no matter how slow and painful the seconds before a final breath, was nothing compared to taking infinite more without the one he loved.”

I re-read this line twenty times trying to make it make sense but it doesn’t. If you took out the part in commas, this is how it reads:

“He’d learned that dying was nothing compared to taking infinite more without the one he loved.”

This is the opening line of the book, and it’s wrong. I really, sincerely hope an editor caught it before publication.

The FMC has a personality that is all over the place and just fell really flat to me, and so did the love interest, Nyte. This book felt really plot driven, all the characters seemed to exist solely for these things to happen to them without any real background that led to the events of the book. There was a lot of confusing info dumping, but I still felt like the major bits were skipped over and that I actually learned nothing from the info dump. The FMC only remembers the last 5 years of her life but seems in no big rush to try and figure out her past at all. Maybe in book 2 she’ll finally come around and put her head on right. She and the MMC have this weird way of communicating that is supposed to be mysterious I think, but comes out as just jumbles of words that make no sense. The FMC often asks questions that are trivial in comparison to the matter at hand:
She wakes up in some random person’s house after almost drowning and instead of being like “how did I get here” she says “do you have magic”. Like?? Girl come on.
I did enjoy the setting of the book, I think the world building I could grasp was interesting and the history of the world was really unique. I enjoyed the tropes in this book, but just wish I liked the book more overall. More editing, more review and refinement of the plot and characters and background of the story would have been beneficial. I feel like the way this book was set up leaves a lot of room for plot holes in the following books.
Anyway, I had high hopes, but the inconsistencies, the grammar, and overall writing style just weren’t to my taste and made it hard for me to enjoy the book. Sometimes I’m an all vibes, no thoughts girlie and other times I’m all thoughts, barely any vibes. If you’re an all vibes person, I think this book works out great and you’ll have a possibly confusing, but good time.

*I was granted an ARC of this book from Book of Matches Media and the author in exchange for an honest review and promotion of the book on social media. While my post on social media is different from my post on here, it is an honest mini review recommending the book for people who enjoy the aspects of the book I listed and also enjoyed. These thoughts and comments are my own.*

UPDATE: after sitting on this review for months every time I think about this book the more annoyed I get. When I enjoy a book I usually look back on it with fondness, and this I only look back at with growing distaste for the use of other author’s creations that worked well with a fan base and copy pasting them into a new book. Adjusting my rating to 2 stars. I have read 3 books by this author now and I will not be continuing due to lack of originality.

*******

I am struggling with how to rate this book and keep going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. It had HUGE potential but ultimately… eh.

I went into this book looking to give the author a second chance after reading the first two books in her other series and not enjoying them due to the lack of original content.

I like the male characters in this series for their deliciousness 🥵 and all powerful, obsessive, consuming natures. But the female characters are either too overbearing or too dumb 😅 I need a main character that doesn’t make stupid choices. In this one, the FMC doesn’t seem to care that she’s missing memories for over 5 years of her life… glosses over a HUGE revelation and barely reacts to some major plot points. She also switches gears with her feelings more times than I can keep up with which annoyed me.

There were also issues with fluidity of scenes. How does she get back inside a locked room? The scenes tended to skip around and you were left guessing how we got from one point to another. She stabbed a man? When? I found myself re reading paragraphs to make sure I knew where we were now.

While the plot was unique and definitely intriguing we have several things pulled from other books. Basically scenes or characters that worked for other series like the hunger games and the plated prisoner series were put into this book almost word for word or descriptions were staggeringly similar.

I know it may sound like I didn’t enjoy this book at all, but I did in ways. There is a huge focus on celestial beings, true magic and cosmic energies. I loved how this concept was brought in, described and utilized throughout. I wish there was more emphasis on the magic but I get why it was slowly introduced.

I may have to think on this rating more but for now, as it stands it’s a 3.

Thank you to Chloe for allowing me to read The Star are Dying in advance...

TSAD follows Astraea's journey of finding more about her past. On this journey she makes a choice to flee the cruel male that was supposed to keep her safe from the vampires.. where she meets Nyte a mysterious male who thrives in the darkness. A bargain is struck and she is able to flee with her best friend to the King's Central where trials are taking place. Five humans compete to secure their safety from the vampires. Tragedy hits and Astraea must decide if she should take the place of the murdered participant in order to protect the people of her homeland.

What To Expect:
▪︎NA Dark Fantasy Romance
▪���Fae, Humans, Vampires, and Celestials
▪︎Star Crossed Lovers
▪︎Villian gets the girl
▪︎Secrets
▪︎Twists
▪︎Trials
▪︎Lost Memories
▪︎Please check triggers warnings ⚠️ (may contain spoilers)
*Domestic violence situation
*Emotional manipulation
*Grief and loss
*Explicit sexual scenes
*Fantasy violence and gore
*Suicidal ideation
*Overcoming addiction

I went back and forth on wanting to DNF this book. But I powered through because I wanted to love the book so much. However, the author's writing style was not for me. There was a lot of disconnect or floating head syndrome (which is lines and lines of dialogue with no real description of what the characters are doing for those of you who don't know). The world building was also lacking, and I was confused most of the time of what was going on. I wish nothing but the best for C.C. in TSAD and her future endeavors. Thank you again.

I was absolutely stunned after reading the book, and that feeling still hasn't left me. I can confidently say that this book is an extraordinary masterpiece by the author. It immerses readers into a mysterious and captivating world, filled with secrets, peril, allure, and thrilling events.

I enjoy gazing at the stars and moon as it brings me a sense of calm and tranquility. That's why when a book includes elements like stars, the night sky, and the moon, I can't help but devour it.

Meet Astraea, our main character who's a bit naive but definitely not afraid to throw a few punches, but as the story unfolds, she evolves into a more knowledgeable and wise individual. Astraea constantly grapples with the question of who she can truly trust, as everyone seems to have their own hidden motives. Her life has been quite sheltered, only having memories from the past five years, which fuels her desire to discover her true identity and purpose. The journey to find these answers is far from easy, marked by heart-wrenching losses, deceit, and heartbreak. But guess what? These experiences only make her stronger and more badass.

Nyte, the Villain Daddy main male character, completely captivates Astraea with his sweet and poetic words, always being by her side. I absolutely adored their dynamic. They have this playful yet intense relationship. The slow-burning romance and clever banter were absolutely fantastic. Nyte is just incredibly attractive and brooding, and despite being portrayed as a bad guy, I couldn't help but fall in love with him. In reality, he's a sensitive and troubled soul. Whenever he unexpectedly appears, it always brings a smile to my face. Astraea and Nyte are truly meant for each other in every way. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing more of their story in book 2.

Honestly, I expected certain events to have an impact on Astraea, but I never anticipated the unexpected surprises that left me feeling stunned. There are little hints scattered throughout that tie into the AHCTR world, and I can't wait to see how they come together in Chloe's future books.

DNF at 71%

I tried to push through multiple times but I just can’t do it anymore and it’s not worth it. I’m disappointed because I was really looking forward to this book because of the hype on TikTok but man it was just confusing and dragged on. Honestly, I had no idea what was even happening.

Мені відверто не сподобалося.

Все, що в цій книжці гарне - це дизайн обкладинки та арти Найта. Все інше… підійде для шанувальників книги Gild із серії The Plated Prisoner. Я ненавиджу таких героїнь як Астрея та Орея (Боже, навіть імена схожі). Всі навколо заради них ризикують, а вони лише бояться, ниють і тормозять процес. При цьому в своїх думках, вони ненавидять свою долю і знаходження у клітках.

Я не знаю. Мені навіть відгук писати важко, бо я читала абсолютний плагіат на все відразу, ще й з такими тупими діалогами та героями. Якщо Gild я дочитаю, бо чисто із принципу хочу дізнатися чим там закінчиться, і взагалі закінчиться цей ідіотизм чи ні, то цю серію я не буду читати далі. Бо я тільки нервую через героїню.

Я не люблю зламаних героїнь, які сидять у клітках і люблять того, хто їх тримає на ланцюгу. Я не люблю відверто сильних героїнь, ось ці альфа-самки вже теж остогидли. Мені хочеться бачити персонажів, які мають трохи самоповаги і трохи характеру.

А взагалі я бачу, що команда Рейвен Кеннеді не працює, бо не вилучили повний плагіат. Діалоги схожі, смисл однаковий. Ну серйозно! 😧

The stars are dying and so are my brain cells.
DNF at 20%

I have realized that I love fantasy books that Goodreads rates very low and it checks out because I don't like the really popular fantasy books that are higher rated. I liked this book a lot, especially the romance aspect. I'm still confused about a lot of the worldbuilding aspects, there's was a lot of repetition and the fmc annoyed me a bit but I liked the stars/moon allusions and the writing had some good quotable moments. The middle of the book is quite slow and confusing but I think the beginning and ending made up for it cause I was hooked.

This book has vampires, fae, and humans and the fmc starts as an escort who's kept hidden by this lord who rescued her. She plans to escape with her best friend and that's when everything hits the fan. In her mind, she hears the voice of the mmc who talks to her and helps her but she doesn't realize that no one sees and communicates with him except her. The main characters have lots of chemistry and the tension is so good I was rooting for them even when secrets are revealed and people are not who we think they are. This is a bit of a slow burn but there is some good spice in it. I'm excited for the next book and can't wait to see what happens.j

I forgot to add that I arc read the new hardcover edition coming in October and it’s really pretty and 2 bonus scenes at the end! Thank you Bramble for the arc.