This was a nice book.

It was immersive and I enjoyed the world building a lot.
The writing was beautifully done and edited.

I was totally submerged in the story for big portions of the book. But I did find myself struggling a bit with others. However, I did enjoy the journey the characters embark on.

I love that the main character was the morally grey character. Usually it's a side character or the love interest. It was a delightful fantasy read- not romantasy as some might assume. The romance is only a side plot vs the main focus. The World building was well done and Axly's character development was lovely to watch.

It has been a while since I jumped into a new fantasy world, and it's often daunting, right? Settings, magical systems, character naming styles. And this book may trip into the "slow" fantasy pitfall for parts, in the interest of establishing the aforementioned stuff, but I commend a lot of worldbuilding falling to dialogue that still read as organic conversation. Starlight offers a compelling story, and multiple POVs keep things moving along.

Starlight Jewel by E.L Lyons is one of the most original and inventive fantasy novels I have read in a very long time. It has everything that a reader could want, from unique and compelling characters to complex political plots and machinations, not to mention a love story that had me rooting for both characters involved and meant that when I finished the book I immediately wanted more , so I am delighted to learn that book two is on the way.
The book is set in a world populated by humans, Sprygans (tree like forest creatures with magical abilities ) and Hybrids, a mix of the two. Axly, the protagonist of the book is one such Hybrid, and she uses her magical gifts in her career as the Starlight Jewel , an infamous seductress, thief and assassin. When she learns that her human half brother is in danger, she breaks every rule of the society she belongs to in order to try to save him, including revealing the truth about herself to her latest target. What follows is an action packed adventure filled with secrets and betrayal.
I am not going to lie, it took a little while to get into the book, there is a lot of world building and explanation of the magic system and individual powers in the first third or so of the book, and while it did not feel like info dumping it did just take a little getting to grips with. I stuck with it because of how much I liked the character of Axly, and I was so glad I did because once I got into the swing of it I was completely hooked. The pacing also picked up a lot in the second half of the book, and the ending was very dramatic and definitely left me keen to see where the story goes next. Axly may have been my favourite character but this is a book filled with intriguing characters , most notably Grim, the love interest and Henry his cousin who just happens to be royalty. The dynamic between Axly and Grim was so much fun at first as they went from grifter and mark to lovers , but it was the relationship that they developed over time and the trust that they had in each other that really won me over.
A unique read from an author that I am looking forward to hearing more from.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of this book!

I am obsessed. I am also in a panic because I can find no mention anywhere of a second book and all I want to do is keep reading. With that being said - the ending was ???? Like it felt like it ended mid thought versus a cliffhanger. It was incredibly abrupt. I scrolled back and forth confused about that being the end.

Overall, I love the world that was built. I didn’t always understand everything but I loved it all the same. The characters were flawed and wonderful. I just want to know literally everything about King Henry tbh. He’ gives me Sherlock (or Moriarty) vibes. All I can do is hope there’s another one coming soon!

I overall enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review. Technically, I gave it 4.5 stars. At the beginning, it was a bit slow and a little confusing with the world building. Once I was understanding it, I enjoyed it and started reading it quicker. There were definitely a couple of twists that I did not see coming, and there will likely be even more in the next book. I'm invested in Axly's journey now.

When I read the blurb for this book I was immediately hooked and it did not disappoint! I enjoyed the ride immensely! The worldbuilding is intense and epic!
I love that this is a bit darker than it appears from the cover and I'm super excited to read the next two in the series. I love supporting indie authors and I think we should be talking about this title more!

Thanks to .EL Lyons and NetGalley for the eARC in return for my honest review

#StarlightJewel #NetGalley

An enthralling fantasy novel that weaves together intrigue, romance, and betrayal in the enchanting city of Minalav. Set against the backdrop of lavish balls and hidden secrets, the story follows Axly, a hybrid assassin and thief, as she navigates a dangerous path to protect her human half-brother.

The world-building in this book is absolutely mesmerizing, drawing readers into a richly imagined realm filled with magic and mystery. The intricate plot keeps you on the edge of your seat, with twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the very end.

What truly sets this book apart, however, is its complex and compelling characters. Axly is a fiercely determined protagonist, willing to do whatever it takes to safeguard her loved ones. Her journey is both captivating and heart-wrenching, as she grapples with loyalty, duty, and the consequences of her actions.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


In all honesty, I got 70% of the way through this book before I stopped. I wasn't a fan of the plot. The writing style was really engaging but the plot holes just got too much for me and I felt like there were times where we would just skip forward with no warning. Give it a read, and I might come back to it someday, but I don't think I was in the right headspace for this book right now.

“I’ve committed to being who I am. Changing would require making everything… I’ve sacrificed… meaningless.”

“If all you’ve done hasn’t left you feeling like you’ve done the right thing, then it’s already meaningless. Learning from your mistakes is the only thing that can give meaning to them.”

If you’re looking for a unique fantasy with a formidable female protagonist, then this book is for you. E.L Lyons builds a captivating fantasy world, establishing the magic system and character types without tireless descriptions (in fact a lot is done through dialogue). The political intrigue builds the tension of upcoming conflict, and pushes the narrative forward. In the interest of such high quality world building, I did feel as though at times the pacing of the book was particularly slow, but despite this, the pace did pick up due to the increasing importance of the secondary cast. Moreover the final 100 pages had a much faster pace which I enjoyed, however I felt as though the ending conflict was slightly rushed and could have built the tension had it been drawn out more.

The book includes humans, Sprygan's, and hybrids, the last of whom have a range of gifts extending from exceptional hearing to effacing (the ability to remove memories). It is clear that the author focuses heavily on the exploration of identity and how the choices that are made create that persona, and I found that this was particularly shown through the protagonist Axly who is a hybrid, and therefore supposedly has to maintain the balance between humans and Sprygan's. Axly is morally grey, powerful, and vulnerable, and she explores both her born and found family in a manner that is entirely intriguing, you never truly know the lengths she would go to for those that she loves. This is emphasised during the ending that is partially conclusive, however E.L Lyons leaves just enough plot undecided that builds the intrigue and suspense for the next book.

The secondary cast of characters in this book is so incredibly diverse. Aside from the characters that work in the company alongside Axly, E.L Lyons includes previous love interests and the memories that come with them, found family, real family, and finally her mark, Grim. Grim's character was one that particularly fascinated me, you meet him and immediately suspect that he will be the broody male love interest that makes the female protagonist more feminine, but actually he encouraged her independence and her strength and loved her regardless of her (many, many) faults. One of the other characters who I can't wait to be explored in the sequel is Axly’s brother Greg. The concept of Watching and Waiting is so enthralling, but it's not entirely developed throughout the book to leave the reader in suspense and to aid in accentuating Axly’s intelligence over all other characters.

Firstly - apologies, this review is far later than I anticipated.

5 star fantasy read. This book is a fantastic antidote to the "fast fantasy" that has recently overtaken the book community. The world building is complete, complex and also easily understood. The author has a few small info dumps, but they are placed well- at points where, I, as the reader wanted to know those bits of information. The cast of characters is well developed, and I became very invested in the success of our morally gray FMC was she embarked on her unusual "Heroes journey". The stakes are high and the outcome goals somewhat murky, which made this novel about hybrid humans, magic, and unknown territories seem quite familiar and relatable. While Starlight Jewel provides a bit of escapism to another world, it also is thought provoking about the challenges every day humans face in communities, relationships and society.
I am hoping the next book in the series comes soon!

This was an incredibly unique book that moved incredibly fast. Sometimes it felt as if the plot skipped forward without any explanation, and there was definitely some conflicting and confusing information. Overall though, I found this book highly engaging and the characters unique and well written. I can definitely see myself wanting to continue this series to see how it ends. 3.5/5

I loved Axly as the fmc: she is morally grey and that one of my favorite tropes. Usually it’s morally grey men in books but I loved that this was the fmc. I love that she embraced her power and wasn’t like the typical fantasy fmc’s that struggle with their roles. Great world building but felt slow and complex at first but I eventually got so lost in the book. The world, although complex felt so original and unique, I read a lot of fantasy and I’ve never experienced a world like this before it was very refreshing, The characters and world felt so real. The characters were charming and I enjoyed learning the culture of the Sprygan. Safe to say I throughly enjoyed the magic system. I loved the themes in the book of love, loss, found families and friends. I loved the chemistry between the characters and the dialogue was the most entertaining for me. Also great character development.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy to put on display for my shelf. And I’m happy to know the author is currently working on book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For transparency, I DNF’d this book but purely because it wasn’t for me, not a reflection on the book itself. From what I did read the writing style was engaging and the world-building seemed quite extensive. I wish the author all the best!

I really like the idea of a whole new race and its hybrids and how they could or couldn't really fit in with any of their parent species. And I especially liked the drawing at the beginning.
A LOT happens in this book so it's very fast paced and sometimes I found it hard to keep up with everything, but I did still find the whole main idea of the book quite interesting and I think it has a lot of potential, especially if things weren't so rushed.
Axly is quite the character and she's your badass powerful assassin and thief, but that's not all it is, you get to discover more about her and understand her struggles and fears and I think that's why I liked her, because I could make sense why she is the way she is, even when she was annoying.
The CAWPILE score is 7.43 for me.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

Starlight Jewel by E.L. Lyons immerses readers in a mesmerizing world where opulence and treachery collide. In the heart of the human city of Minalav, lavish balls unfold at the Starlight Palace, drawing nobles from distant lands. These guests arrive to be both romanced and robbed by an enigmatic group—the half-human hybrids who dwell beneath the city's surface.

The wealthy leave these glittering events without their treasures, their memories wiped clean—except for the lingering emotions that beckon them back, season after season. Yet, beneath the glamour lies a web of **dark secrets and deceit** that sustains the magic of Minalav.

Enter Axly, a hybrid with a dual identity: assassin and seductress-thief. Her loyalty lies with her human half-brother, and she'll stop at nothing to protect him. But her path is one of blood and chaos, threatening to disrupt the delicate equilibrium of Minalav and ripple through the wider world.

As Axly's choices unfold, the very foundations of Minalav tremble. Will she tip the scales toward salvation or destruction? E.L. Lyons weaves a spellbinding tale of intrigue, desire, and the price of power in Starlight Jewel.

I have to be honest, the description and reviews of this book intrigued me more than the first 20%, so I DNF.

Not to say that I completely gave up on this book, but I don't see myself picking it back up now. The reviews in their majority are very good (as of the moment I am writing this, 79% of the reviews on Goodreads are either 4 or 5 stars), so I believe this was the case of right book wrong time for me. I struggled with the pacing, feeling that a lot of information about the world and lore was being thrown at me without giving me enough time to assimilate and enjoy the narrative. I also sometimes struggles imagining the scenery and would get surprised at times when finding out that the image I had in my head would get contradicted later on. Again, this is very personal and someone else can experience the opposite.

Might pick this up again at another time, because the reviews and themes of this book are aligned with what I usually enjoy reading. Just not at the moment.

Thank you NetGalley, the publishers and the author for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very into the story early on, and I think it has a lot of potential. I really enjoyed it, and was easily hooked at the premise of it all . For some reason one day I picked it up and put it down and it ended up being a DNF for me. I’m going to go back one day and finish it. I know it but for now I just wasn’t sure why the story got a bit confusing.

This is such a hard review to write! On one hand, I did decide to DNF this book. But on the other hand, there was a lot that I was really enjoying about it. I decided to DNF because I'll be honest, I was struggling to keep up with what was happening. This plot is very fast-paced, and the world-building was good but very hectic. So, I spent a lot of time reading and then going back to try and figure out what was going on. I was really enjoying this world (it's so unique!) and I did feel like I was understanding it for the most part. What I struggled with was mostly trying to grasp the dynamics between the humans/hybrids/spryggans. Due to that, I struggled with feeling the urgency of what was at stake. I'm having a hard time trying to explain this, but I think what it comes down to is that because it felt sort of chaotic, I had a hard time caring about the characters and what was happening. Which is a shame because I LOVED Axly's character so much! I really tried to stick it out for her, but sometimes I think that certain books aren't for everyone, and that's okay. I still think the author is very talented at writing. I really enjoyed her writing style, and I would like to sink into another one of her fantasy stories maybe in the future.