Overall it was a solid and interesting premise. I think the execution was a little lacking. Too much time was spent on the mundane and the main action spots felt unresolved. It was a cozy book with mystery without making me feel too anxious. I liked the plus-size representation and the fact that so many different magical beings were included. I was lucky enough to get a preview copy of the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job in terms of the audiobook. I was able to differentiate between the different voices and she was clear and interesting in her narration.

Besides that vampire smut I recently read and loved, I don't read "otherkin" type books.
This though- it made me laugh. It is hilarious. Our girl is dealing with her self esteem following a divorce, she's had to move back home and clean out her parents home and settle back in. She's got a lot going on.
And now she's battling ghosts, falling for a werewolf who saw her naked (accidentally) and dealing with her ex husband. It is so fun!
I had a blast listening to this. I love the narration. The narrator is why I picked it.

🌟Audio Book Review🌟

🎧📚 Starlight Web By Yasmine Galenorn

Newly divorced January Jackson isn't going to let a failed marriage to a horrible man hold her back. Going back to her roots, January moves home to Moonshadow Bay–a town for witches and shifters. Mystery and intrigue aren't too far behind, though. January soon finds herself investigating a malicious haunting while catching the attention of a wolf shifter and a vampire. Will January be able to irradicate the spirit(s) enacting harm on Moonshadow Bay's residents before it's too late?

Starlight Web has all the hallmarks of a paranormal cozy mystery. The lore is intricate without being overwhelming. The characters are fun, and the mystery is intriguing.

I really wanted to like Starlight Web. A mid-sized, badass protagonist over the age of 40? Sign me up! However, several things brought me out of the story and kept me from really enjoying it: January's backstory with her ex husband and her parents was repeated ad nauseam, her love for skid-proof shoes quickly went from quirky to an odd detail, and the statement that mentally ill persons shouldn't perform magic at all to prevent they're mental state worsening.

If those aren't things that bother you, you'll love Starlight Web. This book just wasn't for me

The audiobook of Starlight Web will be published on January 23, 2024

Thank you, NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ALC.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for an advanced audiobook copy.

I loved this book! It's a light and quick listen. If you like small town witchy vibes give this a try. This is the 1st book in a series and I can't wait to listen/read the rest.

Things I liked:
-small town vibes
-witchy/shifter story
-cute love story
-good friendship and family bonding

There wasn't much I didn't like about this book. Maybe that it ended too fast!

3.75 Stars

This is the first book in a new series about a woman in her mid-forties (January Jaxson) who is thrown for a loop when her life changes drastically. Her husband has left her for a much younger woman, she discovers that he had been cheating on her for quite a while and in the process of the divorce, she also realizes that through some treachery and forged papers, he has cheated her out of the business she helped make successful AND the house that they owned together. Feeling lost, she returns to her hometown.

In the months before all of this, her parents were just killed in an accident. This at least gives her a home to retreat to and she goes back to her childhood home. I felt a couple of well, I think a good word would be "dis-associations" (not really sure this is a word) in the beginning because it seems as if she had lived the last 18 years of her marriage without the existence or even discussions of magic. See, she is apparently a witch. She comes from a very long family of witches and is supposedly pretty powerful. Her husband knew she had magic, but he didn't like it so...well, I guess she just....forgot about it? See, that was just a bit odd to me.

Anyway, when she goes back home, she seems to fall into a TOTALLY different world. Without going into spoilers, lets just say that everyone around her is some sort of supe (supernatural). There are witches, shifters, vampires...get the picture?) And it felt like she really fell back into her old life a little bit too easily. I mean, she was gone 18 years and had basically cut all ties with her old friends.

So, the story itself is interesting. A bit odd, sure, but it did hold my interest. There is a love inter3est that seems to pop up overnight, there is a crazy supernatural problem happening in the city, she gets a job that had just been looking for a supernatural person to fill it.......see any themes?

This was an audio ARC and the narrator was Cassandra Campbell. I'm not sure if I've ever heard her before, but she did a fine job with the narration. This is one of those stories that if you just decide to go with the flow and not try too hard to sidestep any plot holes, it is an easy and fun listen.

There were many new secondary characters introduced and the possibility and seeds for more shenanigans were definitely planted.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

🔮Starlight We b🔮
If you’re looking for a light, cozy, mysterious UF, that’s filled with magic and amazing supporting characters about a Woman finding herself again after an abusive marriage, then Starlight Web is the perfect read for you.
✨Divorcee—> cheating husband—> she 🔥 his new car (love that for her, as she should)
✨Witchy/Magical town
✨FMC-40, Curvy, Witch who’s trying to get back in touch with her magical roots while restarting her life back in her hometown.
✨I want her new job (PNR investigator)
✨LGBTQ+ rep
✨Urban Fantasy/PNR-🧙🏼🧛🏼🐺👻 and much more
✨Slow Burn
✨Narration of audio was done well
Parental loss
Definitely could tell it was starter for a series.
Things I liked:
-The side characters! Loved her work friends, her bff, her aunt, and Killian.
-The setting. The town seems so cozy and quaint, with the devious/creepy/mysterious woods.
-Loved her new job and the first assignment and how all of that was set up.
Things I could do without:
-The constant repetition about her ex. Some is perfect for the backstory and situation, but constantly still hearing it over half way through got a bit exhausting.
-A few of the inconsistencies: with food, her parents, and little story elements throughout that just felt like we were given crumbs of and never seen again.
Easily 4.5 stars and 100% believe the rest of the books in the series will be 5 stars once everything is ironed out. I cannot wait to read more about the Moonshadow crew.

After a tumultuous marriage, and an even more tumultuous divorce, January Jaxson is moving home to Moonshadow Bay - the paranormal town, filled to the brim with magic. Utilizing her skills as a born witch, she takes a job at a paranormal investigations company. But her first case turns out to be a real doozy, and she finds herself in way over her head as she tries to solve it.

Yasemin Galenorn really knows how to build a fantasy world that has all the usual suspects, with a twist. The plot of this book is so good and expansive that you buy into the story from the first chapter. It was such a lovely cast, that was the epitome of inclusion. There was fat rep, LGBQT+ rep, abuse survival etc. It was so nice to see all of those things included.

While there are many positives in this book and I will be continuing the series, there were some things that I wish were a bit different. I really did not enjoy the narration, I don't think it helped me with the story. This could definitely be something that is a personal preference though. I also didn't love the way this book ended. The book could have been longer and honestly the big "whodunnit" reveal was too underplayed for my liking. I wish it would have had a bit more of the last act.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I liked the characters, atmosphere and inclusion so much that I will be continuing the series. This is a great, short paranormal romance that has all the things that fans of the genre love.

Loved this one! I listened to the audiobook and Cassandra Campbell was as wonderful as always. I loved the paranormal elements and especially the relationships between the characters. I cannot wait to read more!