[Digital ARC provided by NetGalley and 47North. Thank you! -- This is a late review developed and edited from my reading journal.]

I don't normally like romance in my fantasy. Oh sure, as a background fixutre of sorts, it's fine, but romantasy isn't my jam. Unexpectedly, this series captured me with just the right amount of conflict and world-building to balance out the romance. And, quite honestly, the romance checked a lot of boxes for me. I can't resist mortal x god romances, what can I say? My greatest issue, though, was still with the romantic subplot. Lets just leave it at...it's hard to take Aija seriously when she is proclaimed an independent-woman-type character, yet obsesses over the ML to the point that I fear for any other relationships (platonic) she developed otherwise. Regardless, if someone is looking for an easy read based in original mythology, this is a great duology to pick up, though Star Mother is the superior book of the two.

I read this book a while ago and am finally getting around to writing a review. I loved this book so damn much! It felt like fairytale in the best way. I still think about this book often and am planning to reread it soon. Highly recommend!

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however it took me so long to read it I've since purchased both the ebook and audiobook versions of the book. As always all opinions are my own.

I read Star Mother ages ago, and it had a unique concept. Both books read as standalones, but this book give Saiyon's story closure. I do recommend reading Star Mother first to get a better handle on the world and the lore.

This takes place after the events of Star Mother and follows Aija, a farmer and artist in the wake of the sun disappearing from the sky. The world enters into darkness, and her family does their best to survive in the endless night they've found themselves in. A few days after the sun's disappearance, Aija finds a sick man by the river on her way to gather water. As she nurses him back to health she realizes he's not a normal man, but in fact he is the Sun God and he has lost his divinity. An attraction quickly develops between Aija and Saiyon, but they know their time together is fleeting. He must return to the his war with the Moon Goddess that has been raging for millennia and once his powers return he can't be with Aija without hurting her.

Aija is determined to be with her true love and she is willing to sacrifice anything to be with him. She begins a quest for immortality and makes many sacrifices and suffers greatly on her way. She isn't willing to give up until she gets her man. Aija comes off as a bit obsessed with Saiyon and she is willing to hurt everyone else in her life to be with him. I kind of had a problem with the fact that she abandoned her family and everyone else that took care of her while she was sick and injured for a man. I'm all for love and making sacrifices to be with the one you love, but she came off a bit over the top stubborn and obsessive. I'm all for a strong, determined, female main character but Aija came off a bit lovesick and boy crazy.

The world building was good and unique and I liked the concept of the gods and godlings. Overall this wasn't to my taste but think others who enjoy a more romance heavy plot will enjoy this.

I have enjoyed almost all of the authors other books, but this series just didn’t work for me. I never know what amazing world we will be going to when she writes, but this just doesn’t flow for me this time. I wasn’t a big fan of the first, but I love reading stories from this author that I had to read this one just to add it to my list.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. At the time of my request I did not realize this was a duology. While this can be read alone, I think it’s helpful to read the first book to get the best context and most meaningful experience. I will be going back to read the first book now as well. I enjoyed that this book was about true love and the lengths that one was willing to go and sacrifice for that love. Determined and stubborn at times but unwavering in her devotion to that love which was nice to see. Overall an enjoyable read. Great for Charlie Holmberg fans and fantasy/mythology fans alike.

Because of problems with my computer and e-reader my I didn't read the book and my copy has expired.

I liked that this book departed a bit from Holmberg's typical storyline (lady magicians and whatnot), and I thought it worked really well overall. The romance felt grounded and "human" even within the mythic structure of the tale. There was a nice balance between the first part of the story, which takes place in a single location (the MC's house) and the second part, where the MC goes on a quest that takes her across the land. The quest actually made sense and held my interest the whole way through, which impressed me! All the characters that were introduced felt necessary to the story and were each intriguing in their own way.
I also liked the addition of the epigraphs for each chapter that were often taken from "flashbacks" of the MC's earlier life as an artist.
I read this as a standalone, though there is another book, Star Mother, preceding this one. I received an ebook ARC from NetGalley for review.

At the end of Star Father, it was said that this book wasn't supposed to be written. That Star Mother was meant to be a standalone, meaning we were never supposed to get Saiyon's story.

And that would have been a huge mistake.

I remember while I was reading Star Mother how it felt so lyrical and an old story being told. This book though, this book took your soul and tore it apart. I loved Saiyon's character in Star Mother a lot. It broke my heart when he was left alone but Ceris' was truly meant to be with Ristriel. However, it is clear that Aija was meant to be with Saiyon.

When I reached the end of the the first half of this book I thought, what is going on? There is still so much book left, what is happening? I could have never prepared myself for this story. It was beyond amazing and even though the first half was just Aija and Saiyon's bond building - I was hooked. Then Aija's journey to be with Saiyon in the second half of the book? Truly something else. I couldn't wait to pick up this book again once it was down. If people needed to experience Star Mother, then they are required to experience Star Father. The struggle, the devotion, just everything worked together so well.

Aija was just amazing. She lived her life the way she thought was best and when she knew what she wanted, she stopped at nothing. And that's not even an exaggeration. The connections she made while following her path, the way she never quit when so many had. Aija was so strong and only someone like that, strong like Ceris was, could make the Sun God fall in love with them.

Overall, Star Father by Charlie N Holmberg was another fantastic addition to her collection of books. While most of them have fantasy in it, but in a more modern way, these books take you back in time. Take you back to where Gods exist and those mortals who would dare love a God. Who would sacrifice anything because their hearts belonged to them, by choice and freely given. How one woman could change so much because she dared to love. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and strong characters who would do anything for their true end happiness.

I didnt know that this was part of a duology, but I thought this did ok as a standalone. Overall, i thought this book was just ok. Nothing really wow me and the characters were just ok also. I wanted more depth. The world building was good though.


This was a low 3 stars for me.


Thank you NetGalley and publishers of 47North for this ebook for an honest review.

This story is both unlike any I've read before, and a story that hits home for anyone feeling out-of-place in their corner of the world.

The main character's struggles with her passion in the midst of daily monotony hit home in a way I wasn't expecting. How many of us live in an existence that is somewhat lackluster while wanting more out of life?

The otherworldly elements found in Star Mother are brought out even more; magical creatures, worlds, customs, etc. I found the world building intriguing and it drew me in oner the course of the story.

Overall, this book is a gem that I didn't expect, but wholeheartedly enjoyed. The romance was perfect, the fantasy elements interesting and on=point, the plot made sense even where it asked the reader to stretch their imaginations. I thoroughly enjoyed the stretch.

When the skies go dark, Aija craves only for the Sunlight to return. Then she runs into an unconscious man glowing gold at the river’s edge: the Sun God himself. As she revives him, she realizes she’s falling in love with him, so once he returns to the sky, Aija vows to do whatever she can to become immortal so she can join him up there forever.

Star Father is told in a similar style to Star Mother, which I read right before starting this book. Even though this book stands alone, there are references to scenes and characters in the first book, so reading Star Mother before Star Father is advisable, but not necessary.

Star Father has more adventure than the first book as Aija is on a quest to return to the Sun and has to traverse the world and meet with many different gods and godlings, each not quite giving her what she wants, so she has to continue elsewhere in her quest. So even though the book is very adventurous, I got frustrated with how many times Aija’s plan was thwarted. I wanted something good to happen to her, but she encountered problem after problem after problem, and it just made me want to stop reading. I also got kind of bored during most of the middle of the book as I was just waiting for Aija to reach her end goal of returning to the Sun.

I like Charlie Holmberg’s writing style and I have really enjoyed many of her books, but unfortunately, Star Father was a miss for me. The only reason I wanted to read it was because of the author, not because of the story. The synopsis itself doesn’t interest me as I have never been a fan of mythological retellings or fantasy stories featuring gods, which is obviously the entire focus of this novel.

I think fans of Charlie Holmberg’s writing style who also like mythologically centered novels will enjoy Star Father, and anyone who loves a good romance between a mortal and a deity will likely enjoy this book as well. I really enjoyed the ending. I actually liked the ending of this book better than that of Star Mother, but I enjoyed the overall story of the first book better than the one in the second book. Star Father is ultimately a story about love, and about how far someone will go to be with the one they love.

Star Father is a beautifully written modern myth, with an uncomfortable edge to it.

In Star Father we follow the story of Aija, a woman and an artist, who falls in love with the Sun god. She embarks on a journey to become immortal, so she can spend eternity with him.

Star Father truly reads like an ancient myth or fairytale, with modernized writing. Like it could be a story that was found on some stone tablets and was now being retold. The writing is beautiful, the story fantastical.

I loved all the characters - for the most part. The MC, Aija, made me very uncomfortable at times, as did her main reason to continue the story. Her absolute dedication to this one man, willing to give up everything she was and had, including sacrificing other people, made the entire story a bit of a struggle to read.

Luckily, her quest became a bit bigger than her own selfish reasons in the end, but it still left me with a bit of a bad aftertaste.

Despite that, I still really enjoyed the book, how the different characters are described, and how the world worked. I’m just not sure I would recommend it.

WARNING -- POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD

Without warning the sun is suddenly absent from the sky and the world is thrown into darkness. For four days the world turned in darkness. On that fourth day, young woman, Aija, discovered the body of a man, unconscious, by the side of a river. She drags him to her home where she, her mother, and her grandmother care for him, hoping he will recover and tell them who he is and how he got there. While he rests, Aija, an artist at heart and with great skills, is captivated by his appearance and makes many sketches of him.

When he wakes, he identifies himself as Saiyon, but he is rather elusive as to where he comes from or how he got to the river. And when Saiyon is injured helping the women fight off some some rural chicken thieves, Aija discovers that Saiyon bleeds a blinding light. She doesn't let on to her mother or grandmother but does push the point with Saiyon he ultimately admits that he is a god of the sky - the Sun God, in fact - which explains why the world was plunged into darkness.

The attraction between Aija and Saiyon is strong and she protects him from his celestial enemies just as he protects her from mortal ones, and it seems clear than Saiyon, who we remember from Star Mother as having made some mistakes in how he treated (or ignored) Ceris, has learned a lesson or two in his seeming immortality. But as before, despite his strong attraction for Aija, he doesn't see any future for the two of them. But Aija is persistent and is even willing to make a bargain with the devil (figuratively speaking) and she will give up her biggest gift, her art talent, in order to become immortal so that she can have the opportunity to be with Saiyon. But her bargain may cost her everything and gain her nothing.

Like the first book in this duology, the world-building is incredible. This is so much more than simple world-building - this is myth creating and it is spectacular.

There is clearly romance here, as with the first book, but it doesn't seem as prominent here for Aija as it was with Ceris, even though Aija and Saiyon are clearly attracted to one another and Aija's driving force is to be with Saiyon forever. Perhaps it doesn't feel as prevalent because we spend a a fair amount of time with Aija in the mortal world, dealing with mortal issues (like chicken thieves).

This story also seems more grounded (pun not intended) - Saiyon and Aija both have their attention focused on earthly needs or (in Saiyon's case) reactive to earthly deeds. This manner of living is new and unusual to him.

But just as we begin to think Saiyon is incapable of loving or even being romantic, Holmberg gives us this little nugget:


Saiyon noticed and touched the pad of his thumb to my mouth, banishing the expression. "When you have seen the world, the universe, as I have, you learn how trivial beauty can be. How ... subjective."

My discontent held strong. "So you care nothing for beauty?"

That curve deepened. "I did not say that." Turning, he looked out toward the stars. "What I mean is that two very different beings can both be enticing. If not for beauty, I might never have noticed you in the first place."


This beauty ... and I have to be honest, I don't recall much conversation around whether or not Aija was considered beautiful ... comes in to play again near the end when Aija's determination pays off and, in the course of this mythology, what she ultimately becomes. I hadn't seen it coming but it worked really well.

This book is maybe not quite as strong as Star Mother, but it's still a really incredible read and I'd really like to get more background on this entirely new mythology that Holmberg has created. The door is wide open. It wouldn't surprise me if there was already fan fiction being written in this universe.

Looking for a good book? Star Father (along with Star Mother) by Charlie N. Holmberg is a romantic fantasy that excels with its world-building and myth-creating and should be on the reading list for every fan of fantasy fiction.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I don't have any deep feelings about this book. It's pretty much like all of the books by Charlie N. Holmberg that I've read so far - light entertainment that's pleasant to read but doesn't leave much of an impact after you've finished the book.

3.5 stars rounded down

I needed to sit and think about this book for a while before I reviewed it. I struggled with it at times, trying to follow the sci-fi/fantasy aspects of it that just didn't come across well visually or clearly in a way I could comprehend, for me personally. Several other reviewers appear to really like the fantasy aspects of it, but this one was harder for me to follow, so I was glad to see other reviewers that felt the same way as I did. I was able to "see" a lot more of this conceptual world/scenario (of planets as Gods/physical beings) better in the first book rather than in this one. I needed more explanations and descriptions of some of the things. There were lots of different things going on too, where the story moved slower for me because it kept shifting between things that Aija needed to do in order to be with Saiyon. I also had a hard time with the names of characters and places. I tried to download the Audible version so I could hear the pronunciations, but it didn't work for me. The names were pretty complex. While I can appreciate the creativity behind them, for me, when I had to slow down my reading to stumble over a pronunciation of a name, that disrupted the flow of the story. I really think this is one book I would like to listen to as an audiobook to get a better appreciation for the story. I even struggled trying to picture where on Earth (literally) Aija lived and was from and the places she traveled. Yes, they're made up, but what type of culture would it be, what type of nationality/race were Aija and her family -- factors that would help me personally to visualize everything I was reading in this book better that just didn't come across clearly to me through the story and descriptions. Also, where this is a sequel, there are brief mentions to the first book, but it so very different from the first book that there were several times that I wondered (aside from the obvious connection of Saiyon) how they could possibly be connected.

All of that said, I did like the world-building, the variety of beings whom Aija encountered, the descriptions of Aija's art, how she relearned her skills, her travels to Earth Mother, her time spent with Moon, etc. I've enjoyed the other books with the fantasy/sci-fi aspects that Holmberg creates, but this one was harder for me to follow, so this one would definitely be worth a re-read for me so that I can follow and visualize everything better the second time now that I'm familiar with the story.

Content: Clean with no foul language; only mild romance descriptions

Usually a big fan of Ms. Holmberg and enjoyed Star Mother. Couldn't get into this one, It dragged and I had to bail on it. My first Holmberg DNF.

I apologize but I was not able to finish this book. I was in a different headspace at the time of requesting / recieving this book and the time I got it. Also, it was not made clear that this was a sequel.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a fantastic sequel to Star Mother, and was nice to see Saiyon get his own HEA. Aija is a fantastic protagonist and really drives the story forward with her determination. I love the writing style of these and they feel like fairytales or origin mythology.

Although this book had some amazing scenes it just didn’t do it for me like the fist book. Star Father's courtship came off as a little hurried and abrupt, more like love at first sight. I did appreciate the artistic component and the fact that I got more of the Moon's perspective than I had in the first book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Hadn't known that this book was the second in a series but the events in the first novel seemed to happen a good amount of time before so this mostly stood on its own. The central character was a bit under established before the whole major event went down, but being a poor farmer in a pre-technological society there wasn't much to her days.