Member Reviews
"Chasing Starlight" by Emily Stormbrook is a captivating journey through the cosmos of emotions and dreams. The story follows Mia, a young astronomer with a passion for unraveling the mysteries of the universe and a heart yearning for connection. Set against the backdrop of a quaint observatory, Stormbrook weaves a tale of love, loss, and the indomitable human spirit.
The prose in "Chasing Starlight" is luminous, painting vivid images of starlit nights and the depths of the human soul. Mia's quest to discover the secrets of the cosmos mirrors her own search for meaning and belonging in the world. As she grapples with personal challenges and scientific revelations, readers are drawn into a whirlwind of emotions that are both universal and deeply personal.
Stormbrook's characters are richly drawn, each with their own hopes, fears, and desires. From Mia's steadfast determination to her enigmatic mentor, every character feels authentic and layered. The romance that blossoms amidst the constellations is tender and poignant, reminding us of the fragile beauty of human connections in the vastness of space.
Overall, "Chasing Starlight" is a stellar debut novel that shines with lyrical prose, compelling characters, and a heartfelt exploration of love and discovery. Emily Stormbrook's voice is one to watch in the literary firmament, and "Chasing Starlight" is sure to leave readers starry-eyed and longing for more.
Did I enjoy this? Yes and no.
As an avid reader of romance I can guess plots from a mile away. Yes, I flew through this book but it was predictable. However, my enjoyment factor of this book was off the scale. I liked the two MCs and want to read more from this author!
The synopsis for this seemed so goof and I really wanted to enjoy this but unfortunately the multiple POVs weren’t done very well and it just ended up being confusing and this isn’t just 2 or 3 characters it’s every single chapter. Which is a pity as I wanted to love it
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Definitely a must read. I honestly really liked this story. Some of the other reviews didn't make this book look promising. But since I'm a sucker for shifter romance - especially erotic ones. I took the chance on reading it, and I'm so glad I did!
This book was well written. I enjoyed the character development and the unexpected twists and turns of the storyline. Brilliant job by this author.
This is the first time I have read anything by Emily Stormbrook. And I am interested to read more. I really like the premise of this book. I enjoy the whole soulmate storyline and choosing our own paths. Sirona And Liam are great together. It was fun to watch them grow and see all of the obstacles they overcame to become the people they wanted to be and to be with who they want to be with.
*This was kindly sent to me in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley*
This book left me feeling meh...and also a little confused. So much seemed to happen and yet also nothing seemed to happen. It was the most bizarre situation.
I loved the premise, this girl with a big secret on the run for her life, destined to be mated to a man who only wants her for her power. Great idea right?
It had me so hooked. I thought it was a fun twist on the common shifter themes. The issue for me was that the novelty of this fun idea was run into the ground very quickly.
This was so so repetitive. Not just in the writing (where the mechanics of the mating system are explained repeatedly in almost every chapter) but also in the fact that Sirona's special snowflake-ness is constantly changing. It always goes someone is after her for whatever reason, they catch her, she is magically saved by the fact that she isn't that special thing...she's a different special thing. And this happens again and again and again. It takes all the novelty out of her character if every time they get in a tough spot another part of her weird-hybridness happens to save or hinder them more for no apparent reason other than the fact it can because it's FANTASY.
Then near the end of the book after all the saving and changing and saving and changing...she is exactly in the same position she was at the start of the book - but this time she is okay with it because she has a mate she loves now? What? Like no! A life of running cannot just be undone like that. It annoyed me so much.
I mentioned the writing was repetitive in places, there were also some odd POV changes that made it slightly hard to follow but other than that it was decently written.
Like I said, I adored the concept. The characters weren't anything special but they also were not bad by any means. There were a couple of things I felt left things open but this is part of a series so that could potentially be why.
Overall, not the worst thing I' ve read and definitely had promise but just got too repetitive for me.
I really enjoyed this book! Wonderful writing. Its been awhile since I have read a book of this genre. I think ill be getting back into them now!! It took me 2 days to get through this novel and I was interested the entire time. I like how action packed it was and the characters were fine as well. I do think the characters could have been a little more round and there could be more in the book on their personalities as to me they seemed kind of flat. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author!!
The first part of this book was meh. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and, the way it disjointedly jumped from character to character in the first part was confusing. As the story went on, it picked up. The sex scenes were steamy and what made the book 3 stars for me.
This was the second book in the series. I didn’t read the first but had no problem following along so it can be read as a stand alone. I liked the premise for the book and the plot was ok.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the idea of this book. However, every chapter is in a different point of view and it gets super confusing. I made it to page 76 before I realized that I had no idea what was going on. I hardly ever don’t finish books, but I decided to call it quits on this one.
It wouldn’t be bad if the point of view was switching between two or even three characters and it was clearly stated, but it’s not stated and every single chapter is a new point of view.
It’s a shame because I love shifter books, and I was very excited to read this one.
I found the general idea of this story really interesting and enjoyed it but it got confusing with so many dynamics to the different beings and the way the author built this world. It was a little repetitive or disjointed storytelling and I found myself skim reading chunks
I thoroughly enjoyed Sirona and Liam's story. They are soulmates but only Sirona knows it after rescuing him from an accident. There are dark forces working to keep them apart. Sirona has lots of things in her past to work through in order to trust Liam and their future together. I thought this was a great read but also would have enjoyed Liam's troublesome twin Luke getting his ass kicked.
This is the second book in a PNR series. It can be read alone, but there are many cross references which can be confusing. This book has a number of various types of shifters, with additional paranormal abilities; as well as Fae, nymphs and even some humans! Our h, Sirona is the only child of a nymph and fox shifter. She has unnamed abilities (until much later in the book) which her parents choose to hide, and they move frequently to avoid discovery. Sirona is presented as a damaged siren who cannot speak, and she is tormented by other shifters as she is very submissive. Our H, Liam is a wolf shifter, an Alpha and a berserker. When he meets Sirona he feels an immediate connection, but is told she is his twin brother's mate. There are three different packs seeking to keep Sirena, and two of them are very abusive which is contrary to most shifter books. The plot is circuitous, but intriguing. The book could really use some editing, there is constant misuse of pronouns and words (pact instead of pack etc.) There is much repetition which should be eliminated and would improve the flow of the story. The world building was confusing at times as you switched through the three packs. The main characters were well developed but the sub characters who are interesting could use more development - so we look for their books! The story is told in dual points of view, which was helpful. I liked the story , but found myself skimming over the repetitive parts, and annoyed at the numerous errors.
I received an ARC from Net Galley. I chose to read the book, and the review is mine alone.
The PDF version that I read had a notice that it was a much older edition and that errors were included and not the most recent cleaned up version. With that being said, my review is based on the story with the errors.
It felt a little disorganized and the story was sometimes irregular. There were some scenes that didn't need to be on the pages and by that I mean they either pulled me from the story and they didn't help carry the story along. There was one plot line that just disappear from the book and then another that just appeared out of nowhere. I hope the beta readers picked these up and that the author was able to make it more consistent
The underlying plot was really good and that is what captured my attention, I love me a good shapeshifter story.
I was excited to return to world after reading the first book by the author. Though it's an old trope (paranormal-romance), I liked that the author created a world in which it wasn't just werewolves or Fae. She created a world where all supernatural brings and shifters existed in hierarchical clustered packs with alphas, betas, and omegas. The driving force like in any society is power. In this world, it's the submissives that get taken advantage of must watch out if they have a lot of in spiritual power.
This story is a stand-alone but it has crossover characters from "Hel to Pay", so it was nice seeing the berserker, Liam, on his journey to love and others from his pack have his back. I really hope there is more to come because I've been enjoying these books.
** Thank to the author and publishers for providing me with a copy of the book through NetGalley in return for my honest opinion **
This is going to seem harsh, but I would have written this when I was 15. A special breed of girl who everyone wants, but abuses? Every time she leaves one situation a worse one comes along. Soulmate struggles.
**ARC provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I enjoyed Sirona and Liam's story. They both come from dark pasts and there are forces that are still trying to tear them apart but after all the dark they find their light and their HEA. It was so hard to get through Sirona's past and most of her present. Up until she meets Liam she is pretty much just trying to survive without being forcefully claimed. Until she can escape. Over all it was a great read.
I honestly really liked this story. Some of the other reviews didn't make this book look promising. But since I'm a sucker for shifter romance - especially erotic ones. I took the chance on reading it, and I'm so glad I did!
Sirona is hiding a secret, because of this, she and her family have been on the run since she was 14 and saved her mate's life. Being on the run, she has been moving from place to place she's never had a home where she can relax. She's changed schools every time her parents thought they might be exposed. At those schools, she takes a lot of abuse for being a submissive mute siren. Since she's a submissive, anyone can mark her and make her theirs. However, these marks don't last long so it's a weekly game the males play. This causes her to be humiliated and degraded week after week.
After a traumatic event happens, she goes to live with the pack of her true-mate. Here she isn't treated with kindness and respect. She's treated like trash or a slave.
This book has quite a few triggers: abuse/neglect, assault, humiliation and degradation, and the threat and attempt of rape.
Overall, Sirona and Liam's story is one filled with heartbreak, loss, and sadness; however, there is also light, love, and growth. I really did love their development and how the story played out.
Since I did receive an uncorrected proof there were typos and confusing sentences that were worded out of order, while it did make reading a little harder, that is to be expected. I still loved this book so much that I already bought a physical copy that will arrive next week!
Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the advanced copy to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
DNF at 25%.
Maybe it's because I haven't read the first book (my fault for not realizing, I didn't see it on the cover until after I started reading, but I could not get into this world.
*This eARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
I just reviewed Chasing Starlight by Emily Stormbrook. #ChasingStarlight #NetGalley
It was a fast read, I would say that I read it in a single day. I think it is targeted for a younger audience, as the writing style felt a bit kiddish.
I found the story quite loose and couldn't relate very well with the lead protagonist (Sionara). The story is still captivating and I kept going on. The story has an interesting plot and the author has tried very well to expand it.
I think, the only trouble I felt with it was that it felt more for youngsters.
Still is its a passionate story and go for it if you want to enter the world of Alphas, beta and shape-shifters.