Member Reviews

This is such a good book! Highly recommend! The world building and character development is so well executed and I am quite impressed. Spanning multiple kingdoms, and looks into different cultures is difficult to do but EL Lyons pulled it off almost flawlessly. It was a pleasure to read about Axley’s choices, what led her to them, and the consequences of her actions. The Sprygans are such an interesting species I can’t wait to see what happens in book two.

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WOW a truly fun surprising little (big) treat this book was!! The world building at the top was a little slow and confusing, trying to grasp the completely inventive and unique world of sprygans and their half-human children called hybrids, but once I was in, I was IN!!

The book mostly follows Axly, the Starlight Jewel herself, daughter of the sprygan king with all of the gifts of their world (essentially enhanced skills like hearing and speed, among a few others) as she returns from a life on the run back to her old life of thievery, assassinations, and seduction in the name of keeping her family of hybrids alive. Axly is so morally grey in a way that she is repeatedly shown and proven to have her intentions be pure through her wicked deeds, as she weaves webs of deceit and love around those closest to her- including her "sister" Camille, brother Hyde, mark turned friend turned lover turned....something Grim, dressmaker and pseudo-mother Fria'lav, and her carefully selected Nameless student/mentee that she takes on midway through the book.

The first 20% of this book felt like it was going in one direction..the Cinderella direction. There was even a beautiful crafted pair of glass slippers that molded to her feet and her feet alone...but that was just the beginning!!! I have some guesses about a plotline that the seeds were sowed (lol) for throughout this book but will hide those as potential spoilers. Just know EL Lyons, I see what you were doing with Grim's name and family tree...

There were so many twists and turns, with this book taking place over the course of about 3 years. I loved that we didn't spend a ton of time on the journeys across the lands, but checked in with our people at points that seemed the most important. I was on the edge of my seat, emotions all over the place as twist after twist kept coming and upending where I thought we were going!! AND THE DIALOGUE YES THE DIALOGUE! The characters felt so well thought out and deeply grounded that all of their conversations felt real, and really carefully crafted, as well as entertaining- the number of sections I highlighted with the comment "LOL" or "roasted" is more than I expected for sure.

Thank you SO MUCH to EL Lyons and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. If you can check it out, I wholeheartedly recommend it. I cannot wait to hear news about the second book (hopefully soon)!!

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Thank you Netgalley and E. L. Lyon for giving me a free copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Axly, a hybrid human/sprygan, has spent the last year in hiding from the Starlight Company in order to protect her human brother. But when the Company catches up with her, she is forced back into her role as an assassin, thief, and seductress. Of course, things become more complicated when she receives an offer she can’t refuse, and she has to make a choice at how to best protect the ones she loves.

Lyon's strength is worldbuilding. Starlight Jewel features a rich world with a rich magic system - there were points where I was a little lost with names and meanings of powers, but because Lyon put in context details, I was able to get myself sorted fairly quickly. It is also worth noting that I am dyslexic, and can get names and such confused easily. Now, that said, this world felt lived in, and the descriptions of the city and Starlight palace were beautiful - and a little haunting at times.

One struggle with the book is the pacing. There is a rather abrupt 1 year time skip that had me a bit confused at first. While I understand why this was implemented, it was jarring for me as a reader. In addition, there were points - particularly in the middle of the book, where it started dragging. However, every time I thought things were starting to get too slow, Lyon did a fantastic job at reeling me back in with a new plot point or new reveal.

I found the characters enchanting, to be honest. Axly was a lovely main character and encompassed the titles of "assassin, thief, and seductress" quite well! Each side character, particularly Grim, was developed to their full potential, and I enjoyed watching their own stories unfold along Axly's. As the author says, this is not a "romantasy" book, but there is a romance side plot that I believe was handled well. The relationship Axly and Grim built throughout the story was amazing, nuanced, and it was hard to not want to root for them!

All in all, this was a strong novel, and Lyon can count me in for when the second in the series comes out! :)

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This was such a good book! I absolutely flew through this book. The characters were so interesting and I absolutely loved where the author took this story. I will be recommending this book to all my family and friends.

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I’m gonna need a minute
WOW
I love it like really loved it ! I couldn’t put it down and I know it’s going to live in my head rent free.
First I’m can’t get over how much I thought and information has gone into this from the maps at the start to each and every character, place, books.
My mind is full of so much imagination after reading this. I can’t picture each and every detail.
I loved getting to know the characters Grim’s my favourite even if he’s broken my heart a little. I enjoyed getting to know them all and need more so much more. I actually don’t read much of fantasy and this book has shown me how much I’m missing out. My first book of the year and what a brilliant book it was.
Thanks you so much NetGalley for this arc I couldn’t of loved it more

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This had a really interesting world with unique magic and storyline. I think it would have flowed better if it was shorter and the author tried to do less in the first book. Overall enjoyed the characters and appreciated the chance for an arc from NetGalley.

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I wish this book was for me because the premise sounded super interesting, but I just can’t get into it. The world building felt clunky, and I couldn’t even lean on enjoyment of characters to help me power through it because I have no reason to care about any of them or desire to learn about them. The pacing was also not to my liking.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview this guy, though!

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