3.5* Rounded up

Wow that ending was intense, much like the first book in this series the reveals in the last like 75 pages made my head spin. It was nice being back in this magical world and I liked the check in with characters we know but I especially liked that we were able to focus on this new batch of characters that added more layers to this world. I do have to say that I really enjoyed Felicity's POV and her chapters were way more interesting to me than Jasalyn's chapters. I don't know why but I just never connected with her story as much and I also wasn't as invested in her romantic plot as I was in Felicity's. I am looking forward to the next book as I need to know how these reveals will affect all of these characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperTeen for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

I started this story with high hopes, but I didn’t realize it was interconnected to another. That was remedied with a little bit of research, and so I kept reading. I had to break for the other books though as I felt lost without more world building. My rating may change as I become more familiar with the world.

I'm gonna start off by saying that I did enjoy reading Beneath These Cursed Stars. Did I enjoy it as much the These Hollow Vows duology? No. But it was still nice to return to the world and see how things have come along since the conclusion of THV. I highly advise reading THV before jumping into Beneath These Cursed Stars. There is very little world building/explanation in BTCS and without having read THV you will probably be very confused.

I could not help but think that Beneath These Cursed Stars felt like The Little Mermarid 2. Jas' hatred (while justifiable) just felt like such an echo of Bri's and her overall story felt too similar to THV.

I found Felicity and Misha's story SO much more interesting. Granted there's bias there because we all stan Misha :P but I do wish there had been more focus on Misha/Felicity than Jas/Hale.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think this would have benefited from a bit more world building. A spin off should still be able to stand on its own and I think this relied too much on the first two books. Other than that, I did enjoy this spin off!


It was a bit predictable but nothing wrong with that sometimes. It was still interesting! I will be reading the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

If you love fantasy with high stakes, very strong heroines, and a sub-plot of romance? You need to read this book as soon as possible.

This book grabs you - from the very first page you are immersed in a fantasy world full of intrigue, action, romance, and some extreme fierceness in the heroines. Jasalyn's character is compelling - her nighttime escapades as an assassin, her entire story line is one full of hope, perseverance, and fierceness. Felicity is an incredible shape shifter and I absolutely love her and truly was in love with her POV as it was just so intriguing. Their missions were intense, and the twists and turns kept me engaged, and kept the pages being turned. There was a beautiful forbidden romance sub-plot that was just delicious and never once took away from the overall story and plot!

Very enjoyable read and I can't wait to read even more.

Very solid third installment to the These Hollow Vows series. Really enjoyed the dual POV in this fae shifter/human novel! And the cover art for these books are always gorgeous. Definitely a solid series choice for anyone wanting to dip their toes into YA fantasy. 4 stars

I got through one chapter before I had to walk away. This writing was awful. I could not put myself through anymore.

I made a mistake 😅
I forgot I hadn’t read book 2 yet before I picked this one up. 🫣

But I don’t mind the spoilers for book 2, and I really enjoyed this one! The cliffhanger is a bit of a bear, so if you’re not a fan of those, fair warning. I can’t wait for more of Felicity and Jasalyn’s stories!

If you loved the first two books, don’t skip this one!

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own and a review was not required.

I feel lost, so very very lost with all these characters that are just kind of thrown at me with no background. So, searching I went and I found out this is a 3rd book after These Hollow Vows duology, so that is why I have no idea what is going on. I went back and found that I didn't enjoy the first book and that's probably why most of this didn't even come to my memory. So I will wait on giving this a full review as I think I need to try and push through the second book before finishing this one.

This was such a fun read! Did I know it is connected to an established series when I started this? Nope. It took someone telling me, which to me shows how well it stands by itself, I was not confused at all and could easily follow the world building. Highly recommend reading this, I'll be adding Lexi's other books to the top of my tbr!

Lexi Ryan knows how to write books that break age gaps. While this may be a YA book it will appeal to adults as well. I was completely swept up on the sisters take in fairy and how unlike her sister she wanted nothing to do with the world they had found themselves in.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and am leaving my review voluntarily.

PLEASE stop what you are doing and go read this book right now. Right. Now. AMAZING. This is definitely my favorite read of 2024, no competition.

This was a multiple POV with Jasalyn, the shadow princess, and Felicity, a commoner. Jasalyn's chapters were packed full of romantic tension, action, and amazing character-building. Felicity's chapters were more secretive with backstory and even the romance plot line. The two characters complimented each other so well.

There were so many unexpected twists and turns throughout the book that it kept me hooked. Another thing that kept me hooked was the world-building. Or lack thereof I should say. I know this sounds backwards but I find that most fantasy books have too much world-building for me to properly understand what is going on. I love that there was definitely some background knowledge for us, but it wasn’t too overwhelming.

If you couldn't tell from my first sentence, I highly recommend this book. The only thing I'm upset about is waiting for the new book to come out.

I didn't realize this book was part of the These Hollow Vows series when I started reading it. I found it very confusing initially because I do think you need to have read the other two books to understand what is going on. I will continue to recommend These Hollow Vows to YA romantasy readers and let fans of the series know about this book.

Adding a little caveat before my review: I did not read These Hollow Vows or its sequel. Like other reviewers, I had no idea this wasn't technically a standalone, and takes place in the same world, with many of the same characters, as the previous duology. I wish that I would've known this, because I definitely would've read These Hollow Vows first, and I probably would've enjoyed Beneath These Cursed Stars more. I think it's a huge failure of the marketing, considering so many of us ARC reviewers had no idea we'd need to read the previous series to not feel lost in this one.

Because lost definitely IS the vibe here. I adored the first chapter, with Jasalyn using her enchanted ring to take revenge on her previous captors, but as soon as that chapter ended, I felt like I was plunged into the book with absolutely no guides. And, considering the story ends up being so intricately political and (presumably) connected to its companion series, it made it hard to really engage with the stakes. Who is Mordeus? Why is he bad? Why do we care about him coming back? I assumed he's a companion series Big Bad, but without that context, he felt like a rather vague and bland threat. So, for me, the entire arc that propels the story fell flat. Similarly, Jasalyn's emotional arc did not work for me; Felicity ended up being my favorite character of the pair of MCs, because she was an entirely new character (mostly) unmoored from the previous series.

The romance, however, was quite good. For fans of romantasy who've read These Hollow Vows, I can see this book really working. It also felt reminiscent of a condensed version of the Zodiac Academy books, tonally, romance-wise, character-wise, etc. So that part I enjoyed. I liked Kendrick as a love interest for Jasalyn; their banter was good and the build-up of their ship was very nicely done, although the twist at the end was a little obvious. Felicity and Misha also work well; there's a fun little "hidden identity" trope in Felicity's POV, as she's a shapeshifter pretending to be Jasalyn and watching Misha fall in love with the shifted version of herself.

It was a quick read, a good slowburn, and a good palette cleanser between heavier books. I guess I just expected more -- and didn't expect to be so confused.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Lexi Ryan for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Oh my goodness gracious I already cannot wait for the next book in this series!! This was AMAZING and I couldn’t get enough of it!

I didn’t realize Beneath These Cursed Stars was a continuation of the story from These Hollow Vows but from Jasalyn’s POV before starting. I loved the original duology, so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, I found the pacing a bit too slow for my tastes and I struggled to find the desire to read this until past the 70% mark. Once I got close to the end, the story really picked up and I became super invested! That ending cliffhanger has me so excited for the next installment; I can’t wait to see where the story goes. The character development for Jas was very well done and I admired the author for not shying away from her trauma. Do I think this story needed to be two books? Not really, especially since it felt so drawn out for the majority of the book. However, I will definitely be picking up the sequel and hope it’s a bigger hit with me.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperTeen, and the author for sending me an early copy!

I loved the blend of fantasy and romance in Beneath These Cursed Stars! Princess Jasalyn’s journey was compelling, and her determination and strength really stood out to me. The addition of Felicity, a shape-shifter with her own burdens to bear, added a fun twist that kept things interesting. Their stories intertwined in a way that made me eager to see what would happen next.

The relationships in this book are definitely one of its highlights. I was drawn in by the tension between Jasalyn and Kendrick, and Felicity’s connection to the Wild Fae King, Misha, gave the story a great romantic spark. With a fast-paced plot, emotional moments, and a tantalizing cliffhanger, I’m excited to see where the next book takes these characters!

Tropes:

Forbidden romance
Shape-shifter
Vengeful princess

Okay okay, I was totally planning on this to be a one book spin off of the These Hollow Vows duology and so I was NOT ready for that ending. Ummm obviously there is going to be more and I am totally here for it!

I loved getting to learn more about Jas and Misha. I loved Misha in These Twisted Bonds and I hope he ends up getting his happily ever after! He is definitely an easy character to root for! I’m also looking forward to learning more about Felicity.

Kendrick is my new favorite though. As his story unfolded, it was admirable to see the burdens he carried with him. I hope some of the revelations at the end aren’t true or that there are explanations for them because it was so painful to read.

Definitely read this after you read These Hollow Vows and These Twisted Bonds!

Spice: None, just kissing

Read this if you like:
🌟 Deception and revenge
🌟 Second chance for beloved characters
🌟 Who did this to you?

Oh my goodness such an incredibly magical continuation of the beautiful worlds from These Hollow Vows. I loved Jas’ story from trauma to healing. She is a very likeable Nesta-type character. The journey, the betrayals, and the twists hit just right. The story is incredible ❤️‍🔥 You will love all of the characters, their pasts, their current missions. And, this is a unique dual POV story where you get 2 FMCS and 2 MMCs, and you even get two love stories. I am obsessed with this book, and the These Hollow Vows duology. They are 100% a must read.

This is a 5+⭐️ 🌶️ low spice read.