This book was on my TBR list after I read the summary, but at a friend’s praise made me even more excited to read it! Also, the cover is gorgeous. A thrilling urban fantasy, A Dark and Hollow Star follows four fae teenagers who are investigating mysterious deaths.

Arlo is ironborn, or half-fae, with barely any visible magic; along with her cousin Celadon, the High Prince, she’s curious about the mystery of the ironborn deaths happening around the court. Then, she meets Nausicaä, an infamous immortal who’s kept to herself for the past 100 years. She finds Arlo fascinating and also has an interest in the deaths, as do Vehan, a fae prince, and his steward, Aurelian. They all investigate separately until fate, or something like it, brings them together.

I really liked the worldbuilding! It’s akin to the Iron Fey series, if you know it, in that it’s an urban fantasy with Faerie spilling over into our world. The fae and faeries can use technology although they’re mostly advertent to it. There are eight Courts with the main one set in Toronto.

The character arcs were fascinating to follow. Arlo barely has any magic, so she doesn’t expect to be an important player in this. When she discovers that she can have a larger role, she has to come to terms with being a hero. Similarly, Nausicaä has spent the past century wrecking havoc after being sentenced to live in the mortal world; however, even she must admit that the ironborn deaths are too large a problem for there to be no Court investigation, so she joins Arlo. Although he doesn’t know just how cruel his mother is, Vehan is, at his heart, good, and Aurelian tries to protect him while also trying to pretend he doesn’t love him. He has less of an interest in the murders, but Vehan does care, so of course he has to follow Vehan to keep him safe.

To put it into tropes, Vehan and Aurelian fulfill the “requited love but each person thinks it’s unrequited” trope. Nausicaä is the chaotic good immortal roped into the plot for little reason but personal interest; she’s spent a century not caring about anything, but suddenly she does. Arlo is the “chosen one,” in a way (not quite so literally), who must come to terms with her powers and her destiny.

You, as the reader, know a decent amount about the mystery that the protagonists are trying to solve. Instead, the plot follows the four of them as they put everything together, even if we can fairly see what’s coming. Of course, there’s still twists and turns that you don’t expect.

I also loved the LGBTQ+ rep! Nausicaä is lesbian and Arlo is pansexual. Also, Vehan is bisexual, and Aurelian is gay. There are numerous genderfluid and genderqueer side characters. Nausicaä makes clear that the fae’s “gods,” are not really “gods” but rather, deities because a large number of them are genderfluid.

A Dark and Hollow Star was a thrilling series opener, and I can’t wait for the sequel. The characters are great, and the worldbuilding is super interesting. I definitely recommend A Dark and Hollow Star if you like The Cruel Prince or urban fantasy!

I knew I would love this book from the description alone and nearly flipped when I received the ARC! A Dark and Hollow Star is freaking amazing! The cast of characters are super cool and the world is absolutely brilliant. The elements of fantasy mixed with an epic serial killer mystery? Yes please! Also... there’s rep! And can we talk about how beautiful this cover is? A 2021 must read for sure, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Someone is killing the ironborn - people born of a fairy and a human - and it seems like none of the leaders of the High Court care. A disgraced fury, a Summer Court prince, his steward and a Spring Court ironborn royal must band together to figure out just who is behind these murders and put a stop to them once and for all.

The best part about this book was that it was unapologetically gay. There was gay rep, bi rep, lesbian rep, nonbinary rep and more. I loved that in this fantasy world, gay relationships were not only normalized, but they could be utilized for strong, political alliances. In my opinion, the author also did a good job discussing and representing some very serious topics, like suicide, mental health and discrimination.

This book was unique in that it combined the myths, legends and stories of cultures that have really never seen much cross-over before. Just SOME of the lore encountered in this book include titans, furies, fae, fairies, vampires, the seven deadly sins and the four horsemen of the apocalypse. It was … a lot. While it was interesting to see all of these come together, it felt messy, as if they didn’t easily or naturally fit in the same universe. It also made the story very long. I was almost 300 pages into the book before I felt like anything was actually happening.

To sum it all up, this was an ambitious fantasy book that fell somewhat flat for me. 2/5 stars.

One of the biggest reasons I requested this book from NetGalley was because of the cast of queer characters. And I wasn’t disappointed – the representation is outstanding.

I haven’t read many books involving the fae, so I always appreciate when the author doesn’t assume readers know all the ‘rules’. I can’t say I’ve ever read a fantasy novel set in Canada (Toronto), so it was a very welcome change. With this being urban fantasy, the teen fae come across as genuine, mentioning pop culture, hanging out at coffee houses, texting each other, and generally getting into trouble with their parents. I have to commend the author for getting me to see and understand so much about these characters in just a few sentences. Other authors I’ve come across have written paragraphs of description, and I’d still feel like I didn’t know the characters even close to this level.

At the beginning of the story, most of the main characters are in different locations, and I enjoyed getting to know each of them (Arlo, Nausicaa, Vehan, and Aurelian) and their personalities through their different POVs before they joined together later in the story. All the POVs are very distinct and when I set the book down and came back to it later, I immediately knew who was speaking. The author also gave a POV of the villain – it was interesting being in his head and getting glimpses of what was going on with the murders of iron-born teens.

Snarky characters capture my heart every time, so Nausicaa was an immediate favorite for me. She’s dark and dangerous, but there’s a good heart inside – buried waaayyy down deep, but it’s there. Celadon, who gave me plenty of laughs, is also at the top of my list, and I would have loved more of him.

External conflict abounds – murders, a brewing war, secrets about Arlo and her magic – but a good bit of internal conflict with each character also contributes to a richly layered plot. It’s not really a secret who the villains are in this novel, but there’s a reveal at the end that isn’t that shocking. This person is rotten to the core, and I hope very bad and painful things happen to them in the next book. Just sayin’.

The popular comp titles are very appropriate, so fans of both The Cruel Prince and City of Bones should enjoy this series. I’d highly recommend it to fantasy fans looking for more diverse reads.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF at 5%

No one is more disappointed than me because the premise of this sounds amazing, but I just cannot deal with the writing. It's overwritten with clunky prose, info-dumps, excessive description, and giving me nothing to really care about the characters or anything that is happening. I hope others will get on with this better than I did because the concept is very cool! Fae creatures in Toronto, a queer cast of characters...sounds awesome. Unfortunately I just can't with the writing style and don't see my experience being a positive one. I received an advance copy of this for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

After trying the genre in YA, I did not think I liked urban fantasy books. However, Crescent City was one of my favorite books last year and now this one has given similar fabulous vibes that I really enjoyed. I was a bit confused at first figuring out the worlds because each character's perspective is so unique. I enjoyed reading in each of their heads and at each POV shift I was left wanting more. This book is one of the best I've ever read at weaving POVs together in a way that slowly revealed how they were connected and gave the reader a puzzle to fit together to solve the underlying plot mystery as well. The villain was also given a POV with shifted timeline which was an awesome way to build further suspense. These character made ma literally laugh out loud and I loved all the nerdy references. The intrigue, mystery, politics, magic, and monsters all combined in new interesting ways that really impressed and entertained me. This story and its characters were wonderful surprise for me and I can't wait to hear more from them in future books.

A Dark and Hollow Star features four queer teens who find themselves involved in a series of murders destabilizing their world, as they know it. It's been a while since I've read an urban fantasy with Faeries. A Dark and Hollow Star is set in Canada and bites off a huge chunk with epic and broad world building. It's a world of multiple courts, magical creatures, and banned magics. My main issue with A Dark and Hollow Star was how slowly it unfolded.

I'm all for slow burns and unfurling worlds, but by about 20% I was still not really grasping the crescendo of action and still a bit confused about the backstories of the characters. Since I'm normally a fan of multiple POV novels, I'm not sure if it's a combination of the fact that the switches sometimes made the narration feel a bit slower, or the combination of the slowly unfolding intrigue, but I wasn't as invested as I wanted to be as early as I wanted.

Thank you Netgalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

If you're looking for a fantasy book with LGBTQ+ rep, this is it! While I personally didn't like it and struggled to get into it, I can tell that many others will, especially if you like YA, and that's why I'm giving it 3 stars.

The strong point of this book is its unique plot line. I really like when fantasy books have modern settings, because it makes. them stand out! I'm not a fan of historical setting and dialogue, so I feel like I can relate to and enjoy a book more if it's set in the present.

But, I didn't really feel attached to any of the characters, even though I did like Celadon. I felt a lot of the dialogue was awkward and not something people would actually say in normal conversation, like it was trying a bit too hard to make them sound young (the scene with Hero and Arlo at the coffee shop comes to mind).

The world did confuse me, there was a lot of things about the fae mentioned in the beginning that I couldn't keep up with. There was just a lot going on, and that's why I struggled a bit to get through this. Plus, I think five POVS is a lot, especially for the first book in what I assume is going to be a series. I think it would've been better at a max of 3 POVs.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for the review copy of this book!

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth is an imaginative, modern take on the fae lore that we all know and love, weaving expertly modern teenage life and a culture that's older than time.

The folk have had a peace agreement with the humans for centuries, but when a series of iron-blood (half-fae/half-human) murders starts to concern both human and fae, four teenagers take it upon themselves to do what the adults in their lives won't -- figure it out. Arlo, an iron-born stuck in between the human world and the world of her royal fae family, Nausicaa, an outcast warrior who wears her disdain on her sleeve, Vehan, a prince determined to do what's right, and Aurelian, the prince's guardian who is keeping secrets from his companion.

I enjoyed this book a great deal! The author's writing is fantastic and flows so well. The story is well crafted, and the world-building is excellent. It's fae lore that we've seen, but it still feels new and fresh. I love the urban fantasy aspect of this book, including all of the pop culture references sprinkled in.

The characters are fantastic and well fleshed out, but enough mystery is left at the end of the book to have me wanting to learn all the things we don't know. My favorite is probably Nausicaa. She wears sarcasm like armor and her quips are so obnoxious, and honestly, that just endears her to me even more. Her backstory is tragic and she's had a lot of time to ruminate on her anger, but seeing it soften just a bit around the edges when Arlo is near is an absolute delight. Arlo is the sunshine to Nos's grumpy, but she's still believable. She's worried that she'll never amount to anything, that she'll always be a useless disappointment, but even with that she still manages to find it in her to fight.

Vehan and Aurelian were also nice to read, although I didn't get as much of them interacting (re: pining) as I might have liked. Still, there's plenty of time for that in the next book and with the way it's headed, I feel much angst in their future.

Overall, such a strong fantasy debut. A sapphic grumpy/sunshine pairing, an Achillean forbidden crush, a genderfluid Titan, and enough interesting villains to satisfy all your baddie cravings. Can't wait for book 2!

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

If I haven’t convinced you to go out and buy 10 copies of this book by the end of my review, I haven’t done it justice.

When ironborn children-those of mixed faerie and human decent- begin being killed, everyone expects the Fae High King to take immediate action. However, when it becomes increasingly clear that they are not up to the task, four unlikely heroes must rise to the occasion. Nausicaä, the exiled Fury; Arlo, the seemingly powerless ironborn; Vehan, the mischievous Crown Prince of Summer; and Aurelian, Vehan’s protector, harboring a terrible secret. Together, they must fight to solve the murders, as well as find their place in the brewing conflict between the Mortal and Immortal realms.

Ok, let’s be honest, there are TONS of book about the Faerie being written as of late, but I promise none can compare to this one. It was so unique, and had everything that I felt to be missing from others in the same genre. For starters, there is a perfect blend of the Faerie world and the modern world. I love that this wasn’t set in some medieval, patriarchal fantasy land, but actual modern day US/Canada with splashes of the Faerie world thrown in.

Not to mention the casting! Every one of the MCs was LGBTQ+, and there was even a character who used neopronouns. Plus it was /deliciously/ complex. Some people view that as a bad thing, but for me it made the world so much more real, and fascinating. It wasn’t complexity for confusion’s sake, but rather a world so layered and intricate that it was an absolute work of art.

Now the characters. Oh. My. God. I loved the mixture of mythology. There were the standard Fae of course, but so much more: Titans, Furies, The Four Horsemen, and many others. The story switches perspectives between the four main characters, which was really cool. Those kind of switches are always really hit or miss for me, but it definitely worked in this book.

Arlo was just about the most relatable person ever. She was unsure of herself, her powers, and her standing in the world. I found her struggle between the desire to do what is right, and the desire not to have to be a hero very personal. It’s the kind of struggle I have always pondered; would I have the grit to fight for what is right, even at risk of my own life? Vehan and Aurelian were kind of painful because I was rooting for them SO HARD, and their hurt was very tangible. I feel like they weren’t the main focus of the story, but their perspectives did add important information for the plot.

But Nausicaä. WOW. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be her, or was in love with her (I was definitely in love with her). She was quick-witted, fearless, and everything I look for in a heroine. She perfectly balanced out Arlo, and her dialogue was absolutely amazing. Sometimes when authors go for the relatable young adult banter-like dialogue it comes of as super corny, but Shuttleworth, once again, NAILED it. I was laughing through so many parts.

The story itself was brilliant as well. So many pieces were woven together, it didn’t feel like a standard YA fantasy at all. It was more like having an entire series packed into one book, but in the absolute best way possible. I loved the descriptions of all parts of the faerie world, from the vibrant Spring Court palace, to the Hiraeth, to the regular descriptions of Toronto. Every scene was dripping with magic, and I could write pages just on how much I loved the experience of being let into this world.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book yesterday!

Rating: 5/5
Pacing: fast
Intended audience: Older YA
Content warnings: murder, suicide/suicidal ideation, death of a loved one (there is a complete list included in the actual book, but these stood out most to me)

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4 Stars

City of Bones meets The Cruel Prince with a queer cast of characters – that is a hell of a tagline! Definitely one that immediately sucked me in. I’ve been burned by a good tagline before, though, so naturally I went in pretty wary. Let me just start by saying that A Dark and Hollow Star definitely delivered on the City of Bones comparison and the cast of queer characters. There are gay, lesbian, non-binary and bisexual characters in this book and they aren’t side characters. I LOVED the diversity in this book and can’t wait to see where the various romantic entanglements go in future novels. As I said, the City of Bones comparison is also pretty spot on. The urban fantasy setting, multiple POVs, variety of magical creatures, investigation centered plot, and utter lack of caring or responsibility by most of the adults in the book all work together to hook any good Shadowhunters fan.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way that Ashely Shuttleworth tied our current world into that of the Fae she created. The Fae folklore we as readers are familiar with in YA was turned on its head a bit, but in a really fun way. Instead of living in mysterious forests, modern Fae in A Dark and Hollow Star hold court in major cities and have mingled their lives pretty well with the lives of humans. Hell, our half human protagonist even works at Starbucks. It is because of this that I don’t completely agree with the comparison to The Cruel Prince. The Fae in this book are definitely capricious (as are almost all Fae) but seem to be much more humanized and less cruel than Fae in other series I’ve read. This obviously doesn’t stand true for all of the Fae characters in this world, but every species has some bad apples, right?

The overall pacing of the book was pretty solid and I definitely never felt bored. I also found myself equally enjoying all of the POVs, which is a rarity for me in a book with this many POV characters. Not only did we get chapters from the four main characters, we actually got some of the villain’s POV, which I definitely enjoyed. Usually in a book narrated by multiple characters, I find myself looking forward to one more than the others which can slow down the pacing of the book for me. That wasn’t the case here at all, and I definitely found myself equally engrossed in all character plots.

There were bits of the book that felt a touch disjointed, as though the reader had missed a scene. The main characters would discuss a meeting they had, but the reader didn’t get to see the actual meeting. I’m not sure if these scenes were taken out of the book in editing to shorten it, or if the book was initially written this way, but it did leave me feeling as though I was playing catch up a couple of times. Additionally, though I did enjoy this read, it was easy for me to put down. Those of you who are familiar with my reviews know that if a book is easy for me to put down and not read for a day, I can’t rate it five stars. That being said, I do think there is potential in this series for the sequels to be five star reads. This was an incredible debut from an author that I look forward to following in years to come.

I do also want to note that though there isn’t mature sexual content, there is profanity which, when combined with the age of the characters, made this read a bit more NA than YA for me personally.

This debut YA fantasy is packed with faerie magic, a fallen Fury, alchemy, lots of banter, an underground Fae court in the heart of Toronto, and disaster queer teens trying to solve a string of mysterious and dangerous murders. Definitely add it to your TBR!

First Impressions

I really enjoyed this book! In general, I preferred Nausicaä and Arlo's chapters, but Vehan and Aurelian weren't bad either. I love Nos so so so so much! She is chaos incarnate, which makes her a super fun character. She's also incredibly broken by the experiences of her past. I'm glad we get to be in her head during the book, because it helps us get to know her in a way that you just wouldn't get otherwise.

The book is a little slow at the beginning, but I don't know how much has to do with it truly being slow vs the weird format I had to read it in. The eARC was kinda messed up and so until I was *really* into it, reading was slow going.

Characters

Some of my favorite moments are when Nos and Arlo are interacting. Arlo gives so much of herself, even to virtual strangers, and Nos realizes that. Nos has never been given much care (except maybe from her sister Tisiphone), and Arlo opens a door to healing that wasn't previously open. I can't wait to see how their relationship develops.

On the other hand, there's Aurelian and Vehan. Vehan is amazingly innocent. While he has struggles, everyone in his life has kept from him just how cruel (and evil) his mother is. Aurelian is partially responsible for that, but for good reasons. These boys are going to need to come to terms with a lot of hard stuff before they have any true chance of being together.

World Building

A Dark and Hollow Star is set in our world, but it's much bigger than it is for us. First off, there's the faerie courts and all that entails. Additionally there's the realm of the immortals. Arlo, Vehan, and Aurelian are all mortal (even if they have a longer lifespan). Nos though, she's a former Fury that has been banished to the mortal realm. And boy is she pissed off about it. So Nos has made it her mission to make trouble for immortals, which is how she gets drawn into a mess in Toronto with half-fae, half-human children being killed. You could say it all goes downhill from there.

Final Thoughts

One thing I really appreciated was how full the book was of casually queer characters. A range of sexualities and genders are present, and every POV character is queer. Non-cis/straight identities are everywhere, and it felt like a little snapshot of what our own world could be. As I said before, this world is really big. You learn a lot in this book, and yet it still feels like I know nothing. I just know this series will be full of twists and turns and I can't wait to discover them all!

I really spent years thinking I didn't like fae books only to realize the existing ones were just painfully cishet.

That said, if I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be "confusing". I started reading it and felt confused. It was halfway through; still confused. And having finished it, that hasn't changed.

The one way I can see this being a good thing is if this book was a very long introduction to a series with multiple chunky installments. But even then, I feel like the author could have done a better job adding clarity to the story, and I just found there was such a lack of structure. The world building and the plot were very hard to keep track of for me, and I really couldn't make sense of the different kinds of fae.

I realize this makes it sound like I didn't enjoy this book very much, and it may sound unlikely, but I actually did have a great time reading it. I especially loved the characters. I just spent the entire time feeling so confused and waiting for explanations, and they never came. I might end up rereading this book at some point, because I did find it enjoyable and intriguing.

Thank you NetGalley for a free eArc in exchange for an honest review!

All I can say is I’m glad I finally finished this book. I thought this would be an easy 5 star read and I’m stretching by giving it 3 stars. Especially since I’m trying to think of a something I enjoyed and only two things comes to mind! I LOVED Verhan and Aurelian so so much. Their story and relationship were the only things that kept me reading, but sadly they are only a side focus of the book. And I love the LGBTQ rep (we love diversity). So let me explain why I’m disappointed-

First of all, the world building/ magic system was a mess. Several different creatures from any type of myth thrown in at random, which I don’t normally mind, but when there’s no benefit to the story it made me feel like we were just jumping around everywhere. That along with the fact there are FIVE POVs. Seriously, five... I didnt get to build a connection with any of the characters because you AGAIN are jumping around person to person. I feel like 2-3 POVs would have been fine because I ended up skimming so many unnecessary inner monologues it was ridiculous.

Second, there are both plot holes and over explaining of things. *trying to keep non spoilery* I also feel like we were TOLD everything instead of SHOWN. Things that I think were supposed to be a little plot twists lost their surprise factor because instead of getting hints and glimpses we were just shown the whole damn deck.

And third, I REALLY don’t care for the fact that beings hundreds of years old are talking/ acting like 16 year olds from 2020 with all the teen slang. You can make a character young and cool without losing their immortal age... it just felt very immature and annoying. Also, I don’t like the multiple Harry Potter references, especially in a book that is for lgbtq rep.

I wish I enjoyed this more than I did, and I know I’m probably the odd man out! I feel like a good majority of YA readers will like this one, but if you’re more of an NA reader like me than this one may not be for you.

After days of struggling to get invested in this novel, the multitude of characters made it tough to be engaged. While I'm not saying all YA novels must be quick in the introduction and worldbuilding, readers still want expectations to be established and have an idea of where the novel is going once they begin it. This novel, almost 25% in, still felt like it had no real goal and I was left seeking how the characters would possibly collide and what the main objective was. Even once two of them meet, the reader still doesn't feel any sort of connection, especially assuming that they will be the main couple of the novel. Will I give this a chance when it comes out? Probably. But for now, it requires more effort than many other YA novels out there and doesn't deliver on what was promised soon enough.

I loved this book! It's chock-full of banter and video game references, juxtaposed with a dark and glittery fae world. In ADAHS, Toronto is bursting at the seams with magic, and the author's lush descriptions are a joy to read. Plus, a team of magical disasters stumbling their way through a conspiracy investigation? Perfection.

This is such a fun read, especially if you're a fan of Final Fantasy or other jRPGs!

4.5 stars

A Dark and Hollow Star is an fantasic debut, filled with a thrilling plot, loveable characters and a creative world! It feels very much like urban fantasy, which for me is a very nostalgic reading experience, reminding me of all my favoruite books from when I was younger.

One sign of a good book for me is when it sparks my imagination and I start making up little stories in my head based on the world/characters of the book and that defiently happened with this one! There were so many elements to play with in terms of imagination, and while I do think sometimes there were slightly too many influences overall it built into a very vivid world. We have elements of greek mytholgy, fae and faerie lore as well as alchemy and philosphers stones.

My favourite part of the book was the characters and their relationships with each other. There were so many different dynamics that had their own dynamics and I loved the banter (especially in the latter half of the book), the two "romances" were also a highlight for me - I was so invested and shipping them so hard!

We are following 4 main POVs in the book, who are brought together to solve mysterious murders that are happening to the ironborn (a type of magical person).

Arlo - Arlo is a sweet, slightly naive character, who at the start of the book is being judged whether she is worthy of being a fae citizen or not. She doesn't have much magic, which in their world is seen as inferior and Arlo struggles with feeling useless. Arlo is such an easy character to root for, I love her slight awkwardness and dorkiness!!! I also really love her relationship with her cousins Celadon and Elias, strong family bonds are something I love in books and their relationship was so precious!! I also really loved Arlo growth throughout the book, watching her realise her worth.

Nausicaa - Previously known as the fury Alecto at the start of the book she gets exiled from the fury realm and is made to live in the human world. Nausicaa is very much the bad ass character, and it was so refreshing to have this character as a girl, as normally in this type of book it would be the charming bad boy meeting the main girl. Nausicaa struggles with depression, as well as having lost her sister fury to suicide. I really loved how she casually drops in that she goes to therapy - I thought this was so powerful! She is very saracastic and witty on the outside but she actaully has a lot of sadness and a soft side. Seeing her an Arlo develop a friendship and then into something more was SO SATISFYING. I'm so soft for sapphics in love uwu. We also see how they compliment each others characters and bring out the best in each other. Watching Nausicaa, who is adamant she is only out for herself start to get all protective and soft for Arlo ughhhh i'm so weak.

(only a minor gripe but I didnt like how I kept reading her name as nausea :( )

Vehan - Vehan is the prince of the summer seelie court, who while he seems like on the outside has a perfect life, he is actually very lonely and is quite starved of affection, his mother is also very manipulative but Vehan still sees her as a good person and I think this storyline was very interesting look at abusive relationships. Vehan is looking into the ironborn murders as he feels they are connected to alchemy when the rest of the fae are conivced they are the fault of the dark star (nausicaa).

Aurelian - Aurelian is Vehan's bodyguard (essenially) and is the type of character I love who is all gruff on the outside but is actually a big softie. He and Vehan are quite clearly in love with each other but Aurelian is keeping his distance in order to protect Vehan and when we get the reveal of this it is so juicy!!!! THE ANGST. I also really love the childhood friends to being in love with each other but can't be together UWU.

We also follow a POV of a character called Hero, who at first we are not sure how he ties into the main plot and his POVs seem to be on a slightly different timeline, but it becomes quickly clear how he is relevant and my opinion from how I felt at the beginnning towards him very quickly changed haha.
I also think the villains are interesting as there always seems to be a mastermind behind each person we intially see as the villain, adn teh epilogue had me very excited for book two and the dynamic between two certain characters (although I did see the reveal of who the 'mastermind' was coming).

In terms of pacing, I think the book took me a while to get into (around 25%) but after the that the plotting was incredible, I was so engaged and kept interested in terms of the slow reveal of infomation, knowing who to trust and following the characters on their adventures. The ending was slightly abrupt but it made me so excited for book 2!!

The setting was also very interesting, set in our world in Toronto but with a hidden world of fae and magical creatures among us! It was also interesting to see how the political structure was set up in the world of fae with their courts and also how the 'immortal' characters played into it, characters like the furies and deities. One of my favourite things in books is when powerful old immortals get themselves involved in what is going on. The writing did feel slightly like a debut book, but it was very easy to follow and get into, I think dialogue is a massice strength of Shuttleworth.

In conclusion this was a great start to a new YA fantasy series, with a sapphic ship to die for and an intriuging plot which I can't wait to see where it goes!

So happy I got to read an early copy! This was a fantastic action adventure and murder mystery rolled into one. The mix of fae culture and politics into the bustling city of Toronto was wonderful, and I found something to love in every POV character. Also so many times where I just laughed because there were so many funny moments too. This is such a wonderful and FUN book with such heartfelt characters. Also, Nausicaa is my favourite and I will love her forever.