Three orphans are part of a secret organization, called Talon, which is used to go behind the lines of WWI to do the work no one can authorize. In The Brilliance of Stars, by J’nell Ciesielski, this team is trying to destroy a man who is selling weapons to anyone with the money to buy. With connections to Dracula & a dead language, the reader will travel with the team through Siberia and Romania. I was reminded of the old TV show Mission Impossible. I was thinking able to read this on #NetGalley.

Action-packed and rich in historical detail, The Brilliance of Stars is a love story between two spies as they fight to keep peace in Russia in the 1910’s. The camaraderie of orphans turned friends turned teammates gives this book a vulnerability you wouldn’t expect. Fair warning, the book ends on a cliff hanger, as this is the first in a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a new author to me, I've not heard of her before stumbling onto this book, which I chose to read based on the blurb.

The pacing of the story was good, we jump right into the action without any setup or preamble. The characters were believeable and it had a nice plot.

The ending is a cliffhanger, so if you don't like that, maybe wait for book two to release before reading this one.

Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Wow what a page turner. Tense, action packed, breath holding story with a deep, sweet love story. Action rivaling a Bond or Mission Impossible movie.

Ivy and Phillip are young orphans who were turned out on the street. In 1917 as they are trying to sell papers in a new neighborhood to survive, they stumble into a spy meeting. They're taken into a secret organization where they meet Jack. The three form a tight bond as they train. Their mission takes them to Russia, Germany, Romania to take out a madman selling weapons of mass destruction. Their disguises and accommodations vary from opulent to peasant and they excel. Their education involves book learning and tactical defense, espionage and assassin. Each has their own skill they bring to the group and mission. This is really hard to put down. Many of their situations on their missions are impossible, but the team comes through, outsmarting the bad guys. They're up against really, really evil people who don't die easy. Amazing read.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#TheBrillianceofStars #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HistoricalFiction @JnellCiesielski

I was hoping for historical fiction but got mostly overwrought romance. It was like reading a couple of lovestruck hormonal teenagers. Not for me.

This book was interesting...a WWI spy novel mixed with romance. Not my type of novel but was intriguing. Wouldn't mind trying another book from this author.

This book opens with action and romance and does not let up! A mash-up of historical fiction, spy adventure/thriller, and romance with vivid characters and an intriguing plot. Themes of friendship and trust are woven throughout the danger, espionage, and fight against a dark evil. Loved the feisty Ivy, and she was my favorite character. Vivid and well-written, I felt as though I was dropped right into the action. A quick-paced and exciting read.

I thought this was historical fiction, but this is not. It's a spy novel with a plot similar to a James Bond movie but with a large sprinkle of romance. To be honest, not my thing. Especially the romance dialog was so strange. The characters completly abandoned their normal way of speaking for some type of flowery language that didn't work for me at all. If you like spy novels with unrealistic plots then this is your book, but if you like ww1 historical fiction, like me, then skip it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy of the book.

Such a good historical fiction read. Part of the reason I love reading historical fiction is learning things about history I didn't know. J'nell Ciesielski's writing is wonderful and really transports you into the story. A historical romantic suspense that has unique characters and is action-packed. Reminds me a little of Indiana Jones or Captain America with all of the action sequences plus romance. Looking forwarding to reading the next book in the series!

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

** “The agency upon which you have thrust yourselves is a beacon of light poised to roust out the bitter darkness seeping through the earth’s cracks. Yet for our work to find success, our light must be cloaked in shadow.” **

J’nell Ciesielski delivers an intense World War I era novel with “The Brilliance of Stars,” a story of clandestine organizations and finding one’s place in the world.

When orphans Ivy and Philip find themselves in a situation they shouldn’t be witnessing, they soon are drawn into a secret society called Talon — one that seeks to fill in the good versus evil cracks left behind by the government (“When a country’s government fails to send their army or extend aid to the defenseless that is when we step in. Whatever is required to ensure that good outweighs evil.”)

Trained and befriended by Jack, the trio quickly form a tight bond that soon takes them to Europe and Russia to find and eliminate a man creating a deadly weapon, as well as to search for fellow agents who have gone missing.

What follows is an intense story filled with violence, loyalty, determination and heroism. Ciesielski does an incredible job of developing a plot that will leave readers guessing as to whether Jack, Ivy and Philip will succeed in their cause. She also creates characters that you can’t help but fall in love with and root for, as well as some you will completely loathe.

She also offers several great themes in “The Brilliance of Stars,” like feeling safe; security and belonging; the past doesn’t determine who we are; tomorrow is never promised, so seek joy when you can; abandonment; and overcoming and dealing with guilt.

I did feel the plot was a little bogged down at times, and the story does contain a couple of incidences of very mild language. It does end on a cliffhanger, so be aware of that.

Fans of historical fiction, especially war-era stories, as well as action-packed characters like Clive Cussler’s Isaac Bell and dynamic duos like Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence and The Thin Man’s Nick and Nora will love “The Brilliance of Stars,” which is due out Nov. 1.

Four stars out of five.

Thomas Nelson provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

This story follows the young spies Ivy, Phillip and Jack. They go from training to spying rather quickly. The story seemed to jump from scene to scene without much transition. There was some romance sprinkled into the adventures as the characters grew into their roles of spying. This was a read that might be better as a movie since there was so much action and the story quickly changed from scene to scene.

This book is full of action and intrigue.
We follow Ivy and Phillip when they’re just street urchins til the day they’re caught and a new life opens up to them
They train to be assassins who try to rid the world of darkness.
For the most part I enjoyed the story. Some was a bit outlandish and the romantic interludes during fights was a bit much.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I’m waffling on the rating for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it but there were things that drove me nuts and there are some warnings that I feel need to be made known.

Spy books are cool. Romances are sweet. But spy romances are hard to do. Why? Because the romance either gets in the way of the spy bits or it gets shoved aside for the action. Honestly, I prefer the latter.

I loved Jack and Ivy and their relationship. But they would get mushy at inconvenient times when it’s really dumb to be distracted. I just kept getting annoyed at them.

Then, I know that it is well and good for married people to be attracted to each other and I don’t mind things like a couple going into a room and closing the door or even insinuations of later on that night, but there is a scene with a married couple that walks dangerously close to the line. Again, it’s marriage and we should be showing marriage as good and desirable and all that but in books???? Just for this aspect, I don’t recommend for anyone under 21 and maybe not for unmarried women. Especially if you struggle with thoughts and fantasies or have a past of sexual addiction. There is nothing graphic in this book but it leads to a place where you start to fantasize. I ended up skimming that part.

Okay, all that is important but you also need to know that this is a fun book. I loved the spy element and the secret agency working around the world but set against WWI. Very cool. I loved Phillip and who he is to both Ivy and Jack. This is a cool series that J’nell has created and I can’t wait to see where it goes. I will definitely be reading the next book. That cliffhanger has me all worked up, though!

Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and a favorable review was not required.

Washington D.C. 1914

Ivy knows how to survive, so when she discovers the secret society of Talon and is trained to become a spy and assassin, which includes learning ballroom dancing, languages, sharpshooting, and demolitions.

She learns how hard it is to balance the world between good and evil as they track the trail of a madman across Russia during WW1.

The Brilliance of Stars does not lack adventure, but towards the end, it lost me, and I think it could’ve been wrapped a lot sooner than it was. I liked the adventure, the chasing of Tsar Balsur, but in the end, I just wanted the end.

I did not connect with Ivy or Jack, who are the main characters. I found that their romance did not appeal to me, and I always look for at least a hint of romance wherever I can! It was disappointing. The time period in which this book is in is a personal favorite of mine.

I did like the concept, it was just too long for me.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson. "I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I realized with this book that I’m a Historical Fiction fan, but not when it has this level of romance mixed in. I found the way the romance was written, it took away from the historical significance of the time period. I’m sure this book will resonate with those who love romanticized Historical Fiction.

Since this is not a positive review, I will not be posting about it on Goodreads or social media. I will let those who enjoyed this book promote it!

Phillip and Ivy were only 10 when they were turned out of the orphanage, deemed old enough to fend for themselves, making room for younger children. They considered themselves siblings as much as any biological siblings. They found shelter in an old bakery, selling newspapers on the street to barely survive.

This is a fast-paced story with well developed characters. It was easy to sense the allegiance Phillip and Ivy felt toward one another and when Jack was brought into the picture his protectiveness and sense of humor was refreshing.

This is a beautiful story of second chances, danger as well as adventure with a measure of romance folded in as well. The ending of the book was a surprise - an unexpected cliffhanger. Definitely puts the reader into the position of anticipating the next next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

"In time she would learn: Death answers no summons but its own."

The Brillance of Stars is full of intrigue, cloak-and-dagger adventure and romance. At 400 pages, it is lengthy and sometimes I wondered how it could possibly wrap up by the end. Spoiler alert! It ends on a cliff hanger and is more of a to be continued. So we are left in anticipation until the next book in the series is released, which I am guessing will be some time next year.

Overall, I thought that the story was good.. There were times where I was expecting it to begin wrapping up but another plot twist hampered its conclusion. There was a lot of violence, as the story revolves around a group of "good" assassins and a ruthless arms dealer and his evil entourage. I hesitate to categorize this as Christian Fiction as a faith based storyline was practically non-existent, unless you count one mention of thanking God for His blessings, and one character crossing themself. There were two instances of the word "bastard" being used and one instance of a character saying "my God", which I didn't take in a prayerful sense. That being said, I felt slightly let down by the publisher Thomas Nelson who "is a world leading publisher and provider of Christian content." I feel like this would have been more appropriately published under the Harper Muse umbrella, which in my experience, is usually fairly clean content with minimal language. Had it been published there I would have been forewarned that although "tame", there may be some elements to the story that I might find objectionable. Despite all of that, I will likely still read the next book in the duology, as the book ends on such a twist I can't help but wonder what will happen next.

Kudos to the Thomas Nelson cover team for another beautifully designed book jacket. It would have caught my eye for sure if I was unfamiliar with J'nell Ciesielski's writing.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for the free DRC of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Such a great book! I truly enjoyed every minute of The Brilliance of Stars by J’nell Ciesielski! As always, it was pure clean fiction but not in the least bit boring. Philip and Ivy are orphans on the streets in the early nineteen hundreds. They fend for themselves and defend each other in every way possible. When they stumble upon a secret meeting, their lives will change forever. Full of adventure and intrigue. Full of romance. And full of laughs. You won’t want to miss this one! Even though It ends on a cliffhanger! Can’t wait to see what happens next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Highly recommend this one! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely won't be my last. The characters will stay with you long after you finish the book and you will find yourself wishing the story would never end.

I wanted to like this more than i did. It was interesting and had a lot going for it like I liked that Philip wasn't in love with Ivy and that the reason he had to be jealous was completely legitimate and utlimately come to pass. I wish Philip had a happier story he didnt deserve that but Ivy and Jack are super cute together too so there is a lot going on. I liked how complex and authentic their relationship felt but also the bad guy just wouldn't quit or die and it was definitely dragged out. Overall it was interesting but not my favorite if you like unkillable and determined villians i would recommend