I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I rage quit this book pretty early on, so my rating is for the first portion of the text. Maybe it ends up being the greatest novel of all time but I won't know because the casual sexism frustrated me so much.

Now, I'm not an ideologue. I don't need my fiction to be an all inclusive utopia with peace, love, and all that jazz. But I'm getting so bored of author's writing casual sexism into their fantasy and sci-fi stories. Like, is it impossible for a female character to have struggles that don't relate to having tits and a vajay? I don't know, maybe I'm overreacting but it just feels so lazy to me.

Three overlapping character arcs, intertwined from the level of "someone was mean to me" to "the entire kingdom will fall and everybody dies".
Opening is very fast paced, to the point I thought the characters suffered for it. Overall, entertaining.

I love James Rollins. This was a hefty book that was a little different from his usual works. Definitely an epic fantasy ride! Some parts were a little drawn out, felt the book could have been shortened by a couple hundred pages but I still enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc copy. Will definitely keep reading this new, thrilling, series.

Probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.

CW: childbirth, bullying, brain manipulation

James Rollins is an author I’ve been reading for more than a decade now and every year, I find a lot of joy in picking up the next Sigma Force novel. So when I saw that he was getting back to fantasy after many many years, I knew I had to read it. And I was ecstatic when I got the arc of this one. And it definitely was an interesting read.

This was a tough going for the first few chapters. I hadn’t even bothered to read the premise of the book because I trust the author so much, so I went into it without knowing a word and I guess I felt a little lost in the beginning. But once the first three POVs were introduced and we got to know them a little bit, the story took up speed and then it was a breeze through. I think I also had a bit of difficulty following the various names of kingdoms, gods, creatures, peoples etc initially but I slowly got accustomed to remembering only the ones necessary for the ongoing immediate plot. The pacing, the multiple POVs converging together, the elaborate action set pieces involving lots of firepower, various fantastical creatures, and a world whose prophecied apocalypse is a bit reminiscent of our climate change issues - any veteran reader of Rollins will recognize all these elements which are always present in his books and I think it was this familiarity that pushed me to continue until I fell in love with the characters and their goals. My main gripe remains the various descriptions of generous bosoms and breasts which just felt so unnecessary in the circumstances the characters were going through.

I’m used to getting right into the thick of the plot in Rollins’s novels because I already know all the major characters too well for more than ten years now. So I think it took me time to get myself attached to these new ones. But the wait was totally worth it. Nyx’s story is one of family and hope and love, who is inadvertently pushed on a path of danger when she sees a prophecy of an impending apocalypse. What I admired about her though is her bravery and dedication to her goal despite any adversity, and her endearing bond with Bashaalia and Aamon. She is aptly supported by her friend Jace who may be a well of bookish knowledge but will do anything to protect her.

Kanthe is second son of the King, forever doomed to be the forgotten member of the family, with no expectations set on him. And he seems content playing that role until he realizes he is in a fight for survival - both of himself and the world. I was slightly miffed that he kept having feelings for Nyx despite their being a possibility that she was his half sister, but hopefully that confusion resolves soon. I’m just not sure I like this love triangle though, but thankfully Nyx doesn’t have time for these boys when she has her brother to take care of and a world to save.

Rhaif and Pratik were characters I didn’t really feel much connected to for a long time until I realized how much they were doing to protect Shiya and ensure that she arrives at her destination. Shiya is definitely the most special one here and I don’t wanna say more about her lest I spoil the fun. Frell is an alchemyst like Pratik and despite being old, he is a good voice of reason for Kanthe as well as the whole group, determined to bring the truth to light even if it gets him killed. And finally Graylin, the disgraced knight exiled from civilization who has to come back to his homeland to confront someone from his past and maybe makeup for all the grief he has caused and experienced.

There are also many other side characters, some of whose POVs we do get, and many of them antagonists who only care about increasing their power and maybe win wars against neighboring kingdoms but have no care for the fact that their world might be ending soon. I’m hoping they’ll all get their comeuppance for being so narcissistic and power hungry, and in a few cases downright even, but I’m sure I’ll have to wait for the last book of this series for that to happen.

In the end, this was an interesting new world with lots of perspectives and characters, their various ambitions and destinies driving the journeys they undertake which we get to follow along, and many many gruesome as well as endearing creatures who inspire awe while reading. This is quite an adventurous novel, reminiscent of the author’s most famous series and I can only hope the next one will be even better. Thankfully it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger and is pretty satisfying, so I think this wait might not be very painful.

Thank You Tor Books for this eARC.

The Starless Crown which is the first in The Moon Fall series.

Mini Review:
This world building story was so phenomenal.
At first I hesitated when I opened my Kindle, but man am I so glad I read it.
James writing is consistently compelling, always full of beautiful prose, adept world building, and rich characterization.
His storytelling pulled me in from the very first page and kept me enrapt until the very last word.
This action filled fantasy was great and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it!
Truly enjoyed it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐

With The Starless Crown , James Rollins embarks on an epic fantasy that brings excitement, danger, and suspense to an adventurous journey that includes some unusual allies and some common enemies. With this first book in the Moon Fall series, he introduces the four main characters and does a fantastic job of building a world that is unique.

Nyx is a gifted seventh year student at the Cloistery of Brayk. She is also nearly blind and having dreams and nightmares. Rhaif is a thief who was betrayed by his guild. He is now a prisoner assigned to work in a chalk mine. Prince Kanthe ry Massif is the second born twin of King Toranth. Graylin sy Moor, a former knight and friend of the king, has been exiled for 10 years. How do these diverse characters on the run meet? Will they learn to trust each other as they face both old and new enemies and uncover ancient secrets?

The main characters have depth and are brought to life in this novel. They have weaknesses that challenge them, but also strengths emerge when least expected. Each one experiences growth over the course of the story. One of the many things that stands out for me is that the secondary and tertiary characters are also very well-developed. The point of view changes between the four main characters. While their stories and actions start out separately, the author gradually brings them together. This takes a skillful writer to pull it off and keep readers interested. Rollins succeeds.

There’s a lot of time spent introducing the characters and their back stories as well as world-building, but that’s not unusual in the first book in a series of this magnitude. As readers get acquainted with the characters, both good and bad, it becomes clear that there is even more going on than the journey. Evil, greed, the desire for power, and treachery are abundant. Will those that want to save the world survive and finish their quest? The world-building is remarkable. From the creatures that inhabit the Crown to the magic systems and the land itself, Rollins introduces readers to a fantastic new world. As in his thrillers, he includes science, historical secrets, and suspense. Themes include bullying, murder, torture, jealousy, betrayal, suicide, actions people will take in search of knowledge and power, grief, hope, sacrifice, and much more.

Overall, this book was an action-filled fantasy quest that is gripping and thought-provoking. The high stakes and smooth writing made it a page turner. While it’s the eighteenth novel I have read by this author, it is the only fantasy novel I have read by him. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. If you enjoy epic fantasies with great world-building, an unusual magic system, and a diverse set of characters, then you may enjoy this novel as much as I did.

Macmillan-Tor/Forge – Tor Books and the author provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for January 4, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Starless crown review


James Rollins can put down some images that cause you to slink down and try your best to hide and not be noticed. This is the first book in a new series adventure of hidden secrets and ruthless control.

This is a complex tale with the introduction to, and eventual meeting up of a whole cast of characters tasked to save the world.

As with any epic, this is a long book. It does great at setting up this new universe. I will say that towards the last 10% of the book, I kept thinking “Really? ANOTHER battle? ANOTHER twist?? I guess for me I was ready to just wrap this one up and go on to book 2. This is a series I will look for the next book in, just know that in this one - one battle leads to another and another and another until your adrenaline is spent and all you want is a nap. Not saying it’s not a good story - just … you get it.

I will definitely be recommending this novel, and rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars - and I am excited for the next installment, and the first book releases on Jan 4, 2022. Oh man am I in for a wait!

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher, and the author James Rollins for providing me with an electronic arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I’m going to try something a little different. I didn’t realize this book is a bit long and should have started long ago. Anyway, I’m going to add some obscure quotes from the uncorrected copy. Just bits and pieces…. keep you intrigued and hopefully find a winner.

The Starless Crown
When the world stopped turning,
new lands were born


From Author:
(For Terry Brooks, whose creativity inspired me and whose generosity of spirit is the only reason you are reading this book)

Life is full of holes. Even the best of times, the span of one’s years is never a perfect tapestry, laid out in a sprawl of days, months, and years, all woven in flawless detail, each color as bright as when its thread was plaited into the whole


This man, who is he? He goes on to talk about his age, his memories, a woman and he does it beautifully.

*BEFORE

She gives birth in mud and mire…… the reptilian hunter is twice her length…. she kneels over her child. She is too weak even to stand… a piercing cry rings forth from the skies… it swings toward her, revealing its malignant splendor…. Better to die free, my daughter.


This book starts out solid in my opinion. I’m totally hooked and I hope it stays that way. What is this beast? What did it do to the hunter, the woman, the baby?

*CHAPTER 1

Nyx sought to understand the stars with her fingertips.
I love Nyx already. She’s near blind and has to take time to learn things in school. Of course, there are jerk bullies that I want to kick off the planet.

CHAPTER 2

maybe both her parents had abandoned her in the swamps, surely left to die, perhaps because she had been born afflicted, the surfaces of her eyes glazed to a bluish white.




I just love her and her father, he found her as a baby and I love Gramblebuck. There are some cool creatures in the book so far!

CHAPTER 3

Omg!! These damn bullies!! Evil bastards!



Omg! That just happened! Yes!!! And then…

As she lay there, the coldness continued to spread. It numbed her limbs until she could not move, barely breathe.
She felt the ice, like poisonous claws, dig into her heart and clench. The world immediately went dark, far blacker than any blindness….


What happened there? Are you tempted yet? 😏

CHAPTER 4 & 5

We meet the prisoner,Rhaif. He’s been underground for quite some time slaving away. We also meet The Bronze Goddess, I wonder what her story is….

KANTHE

But the most apt slur was simply the Prince in the Cupboard. He was a prince whose only use in life was to be a spare in case his older twin should die.


Poor Kanthe, he’s a hot mess right now but we shall see….

THOUGHTS

This story was pretty awesome and unique to me. I enjoyed the characters and the strange world of creatures. Nyx has abilities that are connected to a type of creature that is totally awesome! There is a bronze goddess that is awesome as well. All of the people and things… come together to … do things.

There really isn’t any world building, this is more character and creature driven, which is fine in this case. I’m looking forward to what is going to happen in the next book. The ending definitely makes you want to continue, at least it does me.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for a digital copy of this book!!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Although I'm choosing not to finish reading this book, it's an issue of taste, not quality. Rollins' world building is fantastic right from the start, and his prose is a pretty perfect balance between description and action. I did find one of the main cast fairly boring (the thief, for the record) but the rest of them are pretty fabulous, right down to the tertiary characters (by which I mean, they're not all good or interesting people, but Rollins makes every one of them come to life in the best way). The book is clearly building up to something seriously epic, and I'll probably come back to Starless Crown in a few years because I DO want to know how it all goes down.

What didn't work for me was the grittier edge to things; characters being crude, futures looking bleak, not flinching away from the gross-but-honest details. And more of that is bad writing: like I said at the start, it’s just not quite my cup of feel, rather than any actual flaw in the book.

I suspect it's going to be very popular, and I think it deserves to be. I'm just not the right reader for it.

If you enjoy epic fantasy, insane world building, unique magic systems then this book needs to be put on your to read list! The story's main character is a blind girl named Nyx. She was found by a family in the swamps when she was only six months old. She is now 15-16 years old and a student. What she does not realize is that she may also be the one foretold in an old story, that will bring about the end of the world. When fate brings her together with a cast of characters, from a fellow student, an outcast prince, a living bronze statue, Nyx begins a journey that she could have never imagined.
It definitely has a Lord of the Rings vibe with the group traveling together to solve a quest. Cities that reminded me of Lthlorien where the elves lived among trees with suspended bridges. Magical and terrifying creatures, which Nyx discovers she can communicate with.
I absolutely loved this book. I dreaded reaching the end knowing that this was the beginning of a series and I will have a tortuous wait until the next book comes out. Highly, highly recommend for readers of epic fantasies!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re an epic fantasy fan like me, then The Starless Crown is definitely worth your time. I really enjoyed this one. There were certain familiar elements, like creatures that have a special bond with a particular human, conniving nobles plotting away, and a religious system riddled with problems and corruptions. And yet, I never once felt bored or like it was a story I had read before. The winged denizens of Myr are a fascinating take on a real-world creature writ large and their mystical abilities add an interesting layer to their already formidable presence. Rollins also does something I enjoy in a fantasy series which is to have a few main characters whose stories start out separate and slowly spiral towards each other, though it only works when done well, and to me Rollins managed it nicely. He successfully built a world with layers and textures that I could imagine as reading, again not a feat all authors can manage. If you’re looking for a story of imperfect characters going up against a nearly insurmountable challenge with powerful, mysterious magic, then you won’t go wrong picking up this book.

Not sure why, but this was not what I expected from Rollins. It is really good fantasy. Guess because I have always read his thrillers I was surprised by the world he created in this book.

DNF. Rollins is an all time favorite of mine, but I could not get into this one so I stopped reading.

The Starless Crown by James Rollins wasn't a favorite of mine. I have read most all of his previous works with
enjoyment. This one took me numerous tries to get into and briefly considered .giving up but I did end up finishing. .Thank you for the opportunity!

"Untold millennia ago, the world ceased its turning. It left one side frozen, locked in eternal darkness; the other a blasted ruin, forever facing the sun. Continents shifted, oceans boiled away, lands sank under miles of ice. To survive, life evolved in strange and unpredictable ways to fill the harsh niches of this new landscape. Even its people were forced to retreat to the only inhabitable region of the globe: to the band of twilight lands trapped between the burning brightness and frozen darkness. Within these lands, tribes and kingdoms struggle against one another, vying for power among the magic, myths and prophecy that grip their lives. But a young girl foretells a new apocalypse approaching, one that will end all life for all time. Her reward is a charge of grave heresy, punishable by death.

As she flees, she gathers an unlikely alliance of outcasts to join her cause to save their world. The journey will take them into lands both burning bright and eternally frozen, to face creatures unimaginable and enemies beyond reason. All the while, hostile forces will hunt them. Armies will wage war around them. To stop the coming apocalypse, it will be up to this group to form a fellowship strong enough to move a planet, to melt the amber that forever traps their world—and set it turning once again."

Another great gripping and totally addictive James Rollins novel! I like the story very much and just burn through it. I recommend it!

I adore fantasy stories and series that have a wide range of main characters, especially when they're all so different and diverse from one another, and THE STARLESS CROWN did not disappoint. I have not read a book from James Rollins before and I felt this to be a great entrance to his work. In this, we follow a group of... interesting characters as they uncover secrets of the past in their world and how they relate to each character individually. There was much to adore in this story, and I especially enjoyed the world building and humor found in this. I burned many a candle staying up late reading this.

This eARC was sent to me by Tor. Thank you so much to Lizzy from Tor for connecting with me!

According to Goodreads, the release date for this book is January 4th, 2022.

This was a very interesting book.

This is a multiple POV epic fantasy story with a handful of vastly different characters. I really liked the concept of this book, especially with all the astronomical world-building aspects. This books has a somewhat unsettling atmosphere that goes hand in hand with the creatures, gods, and prophecies revealed early on. I always felt like there was more I wanted to know about the world and lore. Each character was unique in his or her circumstances, lifestyle, and goals. Throughout the book, I kept wanting to know more about how everything tied together with the prophecy and main problem in the story, and that kept me reading and guessing and making theories.

Though the characterization was done very well, yet I do wish we had more insight to the characters’ true thoughts and feelings in order to connect with them better.

The other thing I did not love about this story was the writing style. I find that most authors are either character-focused or plot-focused, but this author is neither. This author is description-focused. I really felt this made the story weaker, as the author did a lot of “telling” and not “showing.” The descriptions were long-winded and not needed. I feel that what was needed was better insight to the characters’ thoughts and feelings, and more drive for the plot. At times, I felt bored while reading this due to the endless descriptions of things I did not care about. The things I DID care about (gods, lore, religion, character feelings, the world) we’re not described, but things I did not care about were overly described (clothing, what happened between time jumps, weather, time of day, characters thinking about what they might do rather than actually doing it,etc).

I have never read a book quite like this before. I think people who are lovers of epic fantasy and Tolkien-esque writing styles will really enjoy this new addition to the fantasy genre. However, if you prefer a fast-paced character-driven story, this might not be the one you’re looking for.