It was thrilling to dive back into Lexi Ryan’s gorgeous fae world full of new and old characters. I loved seeing the aftermath These Twisted Bonds and how Jas and Abriella each dealt with and processed their experiences. I will admit that I didn’t relate to Jas quite as much as I did Brie, but I still enjoyed her character arc overall and connection with Kendrick.

Felicity was also a super fascinating character, and I loved her relationship with Misha (though that made the ending all the more heartbreaking).

The ending was jam packed, but the middle was admittedly a bit slow for me. I wish the pacing had been a bit better, but overall I really enjoyed this one and am excited to see where it goes.

I am SO glad Lexi Ryan decided to continue writing stories in this world! I am such a huge fan of These Hollow Vows, and I loved seeing some of the characters back in this book (plus new characters!).

Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I honestly had a really hard time getting into this book. I loved the other Lexi Ryan books I’ve read but I just felt like this one needed a lot more world building and explaining in the beginning. Even with my knowledge from the first two books in this world I was confused at times and I feel like if I didn’t read the other two books I would have been REALLY confused. I did like the characters and dual POV!

I really wanted to like this but I got bored about 30% of the way in and had to force myself to finish. I enjoyed Ryan's initial duology and was eager to see the next steps/stories of the other characters in this world. Still, Jas and Felicity's storylines left much to be desired. Unlike the other books which were more plot-driven, these were character-driven. The elements we all enjoy are there: fae, quests, forced proximity, good vs evil, magic, etc, but it was incredibly boring. I feel like there was a similarity to Nesta in A Court of Siver Flames with Jas and her PTSD/trauma recovery, but unlike with Nesta, the healing and growth did not happen in a way that made me like the character more. Jas was so naive and whiny that I could never start rooting for her. Unfortunately, I was not shocked by the ending or reveals and I do not think I will be continuing with the sequel despite the cliffhangers.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Alas, my memory is not what it once was, and so I didn't realize that this was a spin-off series from the These Hollow Vows series until I was probably 70% into the story and I was like, WHY IS THIS BOOK ACTING LIKE I SHOULD KNOW THESE CHARACTERS ALREADY?!? My bad. I mean, the covers are even similar so I don't know how I missed that. In any case, it prompted me to go back and re-listen to those books for a refresher, which was good because I was really not connecting with Brie or Finn before that, and there was one encounter with Sebastian that left me...curious. So, yeah. Glad I did that, even if I was mostly done with this book when I did, lol.

I think I was enjoying the book more when I just thought Jas was a main character in her own right. And I mean, she still is, but as the threads of the story were weaving together in my mind, it felt a bit more contrived after remembering the back story. I think the previous series kept me guessing a little more, whereas with this new series, I feel like I saw every twist coming before it happened on the page. Possibly a little heavy with flashbacks and foreshadowing, but maybe those will help me remember and retain more of the details for when the next book releases. (It won't, but a girl can dream.)

Even so, I enjoyed the dual narrative, the parallels as the two young women embarked on their different missions. Loved the fact that we get a lot more Misha time, too. ;)

I really loved the universe Lexi created with These Hollow Vows so I was really excited that Beneath These Cursed Stars!

I will say, overall I did enjoy THV more, but this was a really solid spin off. I do think you could potentially read this without the original series but you'd miss out on a lot of little things doing it that way

It has so many of my favorite tropes - who did this to you, slow burn, forced proximity as well as having multiple really well done POVs.

Speaking of the POVs, I really liked the parallel journeys that the main characters were on even if it ended on a cliffhanger lol

I'm excited for the next book and can't wait to read it!

How did I not realize this was set in the same world as These Hollow Vows?! And one of the FMC's is Aribella's sister!?! I would have read it much sooner if I had known. This one was written more YA, but I think I actually liked it better! And Felicity is such a fun character. I'm more invested in her and Misha if I'm being completely honest. Can't wait to see where the story goes from here.

I loved these hollow vows but even i was confused where this book started. I felt thrown into the world without much explanation and it took a while to catch up since it’s been so long since THV. I loved felicity and misha and the mentions of finn and abriella so much, they saved the book. I couldn’t connect with jasalyn. Very predictable ending. I’ll probably still read the next one but this was kinda average. 4 stars for felicity and skylar

I appreciate the ARC but was confused by some things in the beginning, after doing some searching I realized this was actually a spinoff of the author’s other books These Hollow Vow’s duology.

I wish this had been stated in the description. I don’t really feel like this is a standalone series. It feels like you’re missing out on important world building and details if you don’t read the other two books first.

This is my first book by the author. Although I still have questions, I am assuming the answers can be found in the next book. The character and world-building were great. It makes you think and try to piece the puzzle together. I love reading about a world where fae, goblins, and other magical creatures interact with humans, working as allies or enemies. There are more courts involved in the stories, and I am looking forward to learning about them. There is still a lot of mystery about Mordeus, Erith, and the oracles that needs to be explained and solved. The ending ends with betrayals and a cliffhanger, so I can definitely say I am invested in this story 100% and the chaos the betrayals and deceptions may lead to. The other two things I like about this story are the sweet romance and following the struggles of Jasalyn and Felicity. Both have been through a lot; both have to fulfill a mission, and somehow I am hoping they will be able to find healing and the HEA.

I LOVE THIS WORLD. The two POVs gave a whole new perspective on this world. Maybe I missed it in the first duology, but I loved the added layer of the resistance group and the corruption in the human realm. I was hesitant going into this about Jas, but wow I love her. She is broken, yet still fighting. And Kendrick? Ugh my heart! I also loved seeing more of Misha. I was so curious about him in the duology and am happy to learn more about him.
The writing draws you in and the plot keeps you engaged. The characters are relatable and the magic had me guessing. I'm eager for the second!

I think I’m realizing YA fantasy isn’t for me. It just seems like the Same story over and over these days.

I loved the first two books in this world but this one fell a little flat for me. It just didn’t have the same vibe. I loved being back in the same world in this spinoff but I just didn’t connect to the characters in the same way.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this story as I was unaware it was connected to a larger series and I haven't read that one. I felt some confusion about some parts, and glanced at other reviews that mentioned that this book would probably be better enjoyed having read the other series. I'd be happy to come back to this book if I read the other one, to be able to really get into the story better. But as of now, I could not get into this book.

2⭐️ DNF @ 60%

I couldn’t for the life of me get into this book. I loved the idea of this book and how we followed two FMCs on their journeys to find not only themselves, but their purpose and their loves.

Unfortunately I found Jasalyn insufferable. I was hoping that Felicity and Misha would be enough to keep me engaged. But every time I came to one of Jas’ chapters it took a concerted effort to pick the book up again and finally after about a month of trying, I decided to call it quits. Which was so disappointing because I absolutely loved the These Hollow Vows duology. I think I own three sets!

Maybe I’ll try again later. But for now I had to stop.

The following is a review for the early arc of beneath these cursed stars from netgalley.

Rating 2.5/5

I just finished this and I would say I feel kind of unsatisfied. i found the story interesting as well as the characters. I had read the trilogy that came before this so I already knew the characters and was very interested in what happened to jas. But I feel like it was an incredibly slow start and nothing really happened until the last 25-30% of the book. I'm interested in the book that will follow this one because I want to know what happens to the characters and in the story. I just think that this book was a lot of slow build up compared to her other series. I just wish more happened overall.

I was bored reading this. The concept was interesting in theory, but the execution fell flat for me.

I had a really hard time getting into this book & unfortunately didn’t have any better time after forcing myself to read it. I’m a little disappointed. I feel like there was a lot that could have been worked with but just kinda went no where. If there is another I will try it again but my hopes are a little low.

I did not post my review on my Goodreads because it is a low review and didn’t want it to review negatively because of it

What an entertaining ride. I picked this book up because it sounded like a nice break and, boy, am I glad I did. It had all the fun things; court intrigue, shapeshifting, magic, a little slow burn action, a mix of femme fatale assassin. I loved it. I did not read the previous and connected series and had no trouble following but I will more than likely go back and read the Hollow Bonds series later.

Jas is a princess with a lot of past traumas and even more secrets. Felicity is a shapeshifter with a skill of evading a prophecy until she can no longer. When Jas is kidnapped by none other than a handsome boy, Kendrick, from her past she has a hard time saying no to the request he makes of her while Felicity has been set on a new mission to get close to the Wild Fae King. I honestly didn’t have a favorite “couple” but have fallen in love with them both for different reason and cannot wait to continue on this dangerous and fantastic adventure.

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to finish this ARC prior to the release date. I’ll be reading the published version now that it’s out.