Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
ARC Review

***I skipped spice in chapters 22, 26, and 27***

Tropes:
- "Who did this to you?"
- One horse
- One bed
- Friends to lovers

I really enjoyed this book! It took me a second to get into it because I went straight in from These Twisted Bonds. My actual note said, "Where is the damsel in distress?? Dang!" Friends, this is not the Jasalyn you met in the other two books. She has been through a lot of stuff that we never got to see because Brie never got to see it. Spending time with Jasalyn truly was a wonderful experience. Her journey of growth and inner struggle is enticing and worth reading.

Felicity is someone I want to protect at all costs. Her empathy won me over immediately. Her magic is also incredibly intriguing.

Misha could do anything and I would probably still love him. I loved him before this book and I love him even more now.

The plot twist at the end was not what I expected, but the groundwork was there so that it made sense. It was devastating, but it worked well for the story and I bought into it.

I will be reading book two!

I really wanted to like this one. i thought the premise was so fun and interesting but unfortunately Beneath These Cursed Stars fell flat for me. We follow two separate POVs, Jas and Felicity, while each of them embark on their own mission to save Elora and settle personal scores. I get that this is the first book in a new fantasy series but... nothing happened? We get to know the characters and get the world building but it all felt so.. boring. I struggled to connect with any of the characters which led to being really uninterested in their backstory or their mission. I think the split POVs was a big problem for the book because every time you would start to connect to a character and the group they were with, it would flip to the other POV so I was never able to get invested. My other big problem was the lack of action. Nothing particularly interesting happens throughout the entire book. In one group, you have Jas and co traveling and her being into Kendrick. On the other hand you have Felicity pretending to be Jas and falling in love with Misha. Either way, nothing feels significant outside of a romance plot that doesn't even fully feel plausible.

All in all, not the book for me. I don't think I'll continue with the series because I just don't care to know what happens to any of them.

This YA fantasy has dual plot lines that follows a princess and the shapeshifter who takes her place. Their paths cross in a quest to stop the resurrections on the previous king, Mordeus.

Princess Jasalyn was previously a captive in Mordeus's dungeons and wants to see him dead once and for all. She pairs up with Kendrick and his crew in hopes of ending things for good. In turn, Felicity takes her place and gets close to the Wild Fae King.

Both plot lines include:
FMCs with great character arcs
swoony MMCs
betrayals
and cliffhanger endings

I really enjoyed this. I was expecting to prefer one storyline over the other but found I was equally invested in both. When I finished I found myself googling to see if there was a release date for book 2!

A romantic fantasy with lots of twists, drama, suspense, adventure and romance.
Jasalyn has a enchanted ring, Felicity a shapeshifter who trades places and goes with Micha.
Jassalyn goes with Kendrik can they all stop the evil King.
Voluntarily reviewed.

As someone who loved These Hollow Vows, I was really looking forward to reading something set in the same world.

In Beneath These Cursed Stars, the magic system really stands out and adds a lot of depth to the fantasy world. I loved how the enchanted ring and shape-shifting abilities were woven into the story—it made everything more intriguing and kept me hooked on the magical elements. It's clear the author put a lot of thought into building this fantastical setting, which made the adventure all the more exciting.

However, I felt like the relationships between the characters, especially the romantic ones, could have been fleshed out more. Jasalyn's connection with Kendrick and Felicity's with Misha felt a bit rushed and didn't have enough depth for me to fully invest in their relationships. It would have been nice to see more buildup and exploration of their feelings.

Another thing that bothered me at times was the confusing plot. Trying to keep track of everything happening in the shadow court and fae realms was sometimes a challenge, and it took away from the enjoyment of the story. The problem is that while being confusing, it was also extremely predictable.

Beneath These Cursed Stars gives an imaginative magical world and a thrilling adventure, but it could have benefited from more developed relationships and clearer plotlines. I love where the story is going, and hopefully, the next installment is more flushed out and developed.

Two romances between two sets of characters? I loved it! Misha has made his way to one of my top book boyfriends. 🫶

I haven't read the other duology set in this world but honestly did not feel lost... at all. I plan on going backwards to read the sisters story so I guess I may have spoiled it for myself but that's OK!

Dual POV lovers to enemies?! Found family! I cannot wait to see how this story ends.

Thank you HarperTeen for an ARC!

4⭐️ 2.75🌶️

Spin-off
YA Romantasy
Dual POV
Parallel Storylines
Morally Grey FMC
Destiny
Forbidden Love
Forced proximity
Secrets
Shifter
Revenge
Betrayal


There wasn’t much world-building. The author definitely counts on the reader having read the duology prior to this book. Many characters from the duology play fairly significant roles in this story. There was enough space where she could have given us a little more background and world-building. this was an interesting want to change things up in a genre and micro genre to make the story set apart. I appreciate that more than I expected to.

Some repetitive moments. The pacing was slow to start, I think due to the dual storyline needing so much attention, and then the double romance on top of it.

Jas wasn’t my favorite FMC, I definitely
Preferred Felicity’s storyline… I wonder if it was battle to remain fairly even in splitting the story.

The cliffhanger was good and I’m excited to read the next book!

***2.75🌶️ means there was sexual intimacy implied off page or there was physical intimacy just short of an open door romance.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperColins Children’s Books for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love Lexi Ryan’s writing. I had so much fun with her first duology and was so excited to return to that world and explore these characters. Jas and Felicity are so fun to read. I really enjoyed alternating their points of view for this story. I think I definitely felt more of a pull towards Felicity’s point of view. Both characters took a minute for me to warm up to, but by the end I just really loved both of them dearly.
I loved revisiting the Wild Fae Lands with Misha. He was one of my favorite characters in the first book so I loved returning to his court and reading about him again.
The ending of the book left me immedietly yearning for the next one even though this one isn’t even out yet. I can’t wait!

Amazing!! I was so excited to jump back into this world and Ryan did not disappoint! I would recommend reading the other two books first to truly understand but it’s amazing. Can not wait to have it on my shelf.

“And what if you find yourself living beneath nothing but cursed stars?” “Then you go find yourself a world with a whole new night sky.”

⭐️ 5 stars

I didn’t realize this was a spin off series from “These Hollow Vows”. I wish I re-read that duology before reading this, as it took me a little bit to remember all the important characters. This is a dual POV FMCS with slow burn romance. Beautiful writing with intriguing characters and creative magical system. The two FMCs have separate missions with multiple mysterious occurrences throughout. There is found family. It ends on a cliffhanger, so now I’m desperately waiting for the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harperteen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have already read the previous duology from this same world from Lexi Ryan (which I feel is somewhat necessary to fully understand the characters and world-building in this novel that was previously set up in the prior books). This story follows the younger sister from the first series and includes a new cast of characters as well as some returning ones. I think readers need to understand what happened prior and the sister's relationship to fully grasp everything that is happening in this new story. Overall, it was more of the same and an enjoyable read. I look forward to the next book, as this one ends on a cliffhanger.

An enjoyable return to familiar lands and characters from the previous books, although this book felt a bit heavier, with a focus on the lasting effects of trauma. The two main characters, Felicity and Jasalyn are both dealing with the mental fallout from previous traumatic events and end up working together to find out much needed information about an old foe. Lexi Ryan creates a rare dual story where both plot lines are equally interesting, and builds up to an ending that will leave readers desperate for the next book. Can't wait for the sequel!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Beneath These Cursed Stars picks up about three years after the conclusion of These Twisted Bonds, and follows the story of Jasalyn as she makes a life in the Unseelie Court, doing her best to hide the depths of her trauma and fear after everything she experienced in Mordeus' dungeons.

While on the surface she appears timid and withdrawn, Jasalyn is secretly exacting vengeance on all those who did her harm in the dungeons.

This book was a great beginning to a new chapter in Ryan's world that began in Hollow Vows. The magical elements remain consistent from the first duology, but this story kicks off with a new cast of characters and a dual perspective narrative. Ryan incorporates multiple missions the characters are pursuing, several mysterious occurrences throughout the plot, betrayal, and some slow burn romance to round it out.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and I was excited to jump back into this universe. There were a few stretches in the plot in the last third of the book that felt like a bit of a leap, but they still work and maintain the pace and needs of the plot as a whole. Definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys YA romantasy that is very plot driven and light on spice while still maintaining romantic vibes.

Interesting premise but I wasn’t clear on the fact that you should read the authors other series prior to this one.

Even though this is a new series from Lexi Ryan, (and it says it can be read as a stand-alone), this is a new series best enjoyed by reading THESE HOLLOW VOWS first. Admittedly, I have not read these hollow vows yet - it's sitting on my TBR - I enjoyed this story.

It took me a while to get into it because I felt like there was information and characters that should recognize as important but I failed to grasp it. Ryan does a good job getting new readers caught up with in the world and everything that happened in the other series. By the time I was 60 pages in I was well-informed and able to keep up with the new characters and the new problems in the world. I love the back-and-forth between Felicity and Jasalyn's POV. The tension between their plots and their unusual love interest was hair-raising.

And the plot twist that happened, I did not see coming. It had me sucked in and I'm dying for the next book. I'll be catching up on her other book while I wait and better appreciate the world she created.

Definitely reccomend.

Loved it loved it! I couldn’t put this down! Love the fact that it was dual POV! Jaslyn was a fantastic FMC. Her character development was done just right! She felt very real and relatable!
I’m also a sucker for new found family and the characters were written so well. Loved the chemistry between Kendrick, Remme, Natan and Skylar.
Love the plot twist in the end! I can’t wait for the next book.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for eARC!

3.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

An easy, enjoyable read for fans of YA. 2 POVs from the FMCS, but I did find myself enjoying Felicity’s POV more because Misha was my favorite character! This book is advertised as a spin off of Ryan’s These Hollow Vows duology, but I would still recommend reading it prior to reading this! It helps the reader understand the background and worldbuilding to make it a more enjoyable read.

FYI there is a cliffhanger 🥲 now I’m just impatiently waiting for the next book!

Beneath These Cursed Stars Review ⚔️⭐️🧚🧌🐦‍⬛

4⭐️
1🫑

This book was so much fun! Going in, I didn’t realize that it was a spin-off of another series, but it was still an enjoyable read.

I loved the dual POV between the two FMCs, the slow-burn romances in both POVs, and the found family with Jas.

The one thing that lacked for me and held me from a 5 star rating was the lack of world building. I’m sure that it would’ve made more sense or been easier had I read “These Hollow Vows”, but reading this series on its own lacks descriptions and background information.

I wasn’t expecting such a cliff-hanger ending- I thought I had one more chapter to go and when I flipped to the last page I literally gasped. I can’t wait to see where this series will continue to go!

Read if you like:
⚔️ Strong FMCs
⭐️ Unique magic systems
🧚 Fae
🧌 Found family
🐦‍⬛ YA fantasy with NA romance

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book and think you will to.

I've thoroughly enjoyed every Lexi Ryan book I've read so far, and this one was no exception. The story was beautifully written, with the same captivating magic and intrigue that characterizes Lexi Ryan's work. I highly recommended this to my friends. “A human princess armed with death’s kiss and a fae shifter on the run..” that should grab everyone’s attention and I already can’t wait for the second book in this duology.