Member Reviews

A captivating and atmospheric fantasy read that blends in scien e as well. It's a fun read and I can't wait to read the second book. It's such a unique blend of futuristic world and fantasy elements. Its an interesting book and I definitely cant wait to read the next one!

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I have no idea 50% of what I read and I have read a decent amount of complicated high fantasy. The pacing was off, the world-building felt random and not well-thought out. There were plot holes and weird syntax that took me out of the story. If I have to hear “Who did this to you?” one more time… there were like 5 references. It loses its luster. I will not be continuing this series.

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The Stars Are Dying" by Chloe C. Peñaranda is a captivating and atmospheric science fantasy novel that explores the intersection of technology, humanity, and the cosmos. This thought-provoking story follows a young protagonist as they navigate a world where the stars are dying, and the fabric of reality is unraveling.


Peñaranda's writing is evocative and immersive, with vivid descriptions of the futuristic world and its strange, otherworldly landscapes. The characters are complex and multidimensional, with the protagonist being a particularly well-developed and relatable heroine.

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"I couldn't become that frightened girl again. I couldn't allow her to crawl from the fresh grave I'd laid her in."

This series has some amazing potential and book one really starts it off in a good foundation. As in most fantasy books, you have a lot of world building and character development. This is not a bad thing, Just makes some parts feel a little drawn out. The main characters goals are a tad unclear. Additionally there are a lot of unanswered questions. With this being the first in the series i can see why this is down however, some of it feels like its a little excessive, to much mystery leads to possible plot holes or unanswered questions in the end. I feel as if once the main characters hit their growth the story will progress at a more even pace.

This has its own unique magical system as well that seems to be flushing itself out nicely, I do love to see the ins and outs of a new world and how the magic and society build in to one another.

I really enjoyed this book but I did have some parts i wish were less drawn out for the sake of character development, once you do hit the trials the pacing does pick up. I will be reading the whole series , and making sure i get the pretty deluxe editions for my home library, they are stunning.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group | Bramble and NetGalley for the Digital ARC
#NytefallTrilogy #NetGalley #TheStarsAreDying #TOR

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While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

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3⭐️
A Spicy, Dark Romantasy
Age Range: 14+
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
🖤 Deadly Trials
🖤 Slow Burn
🖤 Forbidden Romance
🖤 Celestial Magic
🖤 Vampires

The Stars Are Dying is a slooooooow burn/world building story that mixes romantasy with deadly trials. The chemistry between Astraea and Nyte is 🔥🔥🔥 but I could totally be biased about Nyte because I absolutely adored him!

Overall, this book is for readers that enjoyed When The Moon Hatched and don’t mind it taking longer to build up a world with its lore. The spice is spicing. The characters are memorable, and now that I saw the sequel is available, I’m going to jump onto that one next!

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This book was *insane* in the best way. Dark, emotional, and totally addictive. The world-building was super immersive, and the characters had me in a chokehold. Some parts dragged a bit, but the twists and raw emotions made up for it. If you’re into sci-fi with drama and intensity, you *need* to read this.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

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Absolutely loved the concept and romance in this. A unique plot and storyline, and I really enjoyed it! A good balance of everything.

As others have said, there are a few bumps in the road around cohesion and dialogue, but I’m looking forward to the next book!

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Overall, a good book and I'm excited to continue on with the series.
Has some good spice that wasn't overpowering. However pacing is everything to me and there were some spots that were a little slower than I enjoyed.

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The Stars Are Dying is a stunning and emotional journey, with rich world-building and lyrical prose that immerses the reader from the start. The characters are deeply relatable, and their growth feels authentic, making it easy to connect with them. The themes of loss, love, and hope are explored with grace, leaving a lasting impact. If you enjoy character-driven stories with a touch of speculative fiction, this book is a must-read. Highly recommended!

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This is a dark fantasy set in a world filled with vampires, trials, and deceit. This is a star-crossed lovers story and I like the way it explained how the MMC and FMC are connected. However, it was hard for me to connect with the plot and the world. I wanted so much more of the world, but I didn't get that. I also felt like the plot was never fully

The pacing was the biggest flaw. I felt the storyline had the intention to keep the reader hooked by withholding answers, but that didn't happen for me. Questions kept piling up and the FMC did little to attempt to answer them. I also found it to be extremely slow, and even the action scenes felt lackluster. I quickly started to lose so much interest that I even considered DNFing this. I think the reason for holding on was because of Nyte. I was so excited for this one, especially because I have the exclusive version. However, I became very bored with it and couldn't wait for it to be over. I will continue this series because the second one seems to have higher ratings than the first and to see what happens. Ngl, I'm also continuing because if the first edition is beautiful, I can only imagine the 2nd and 3rd one. Lol!

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Wow!! I did not know what to expect with this book, and i had such a good time. This is a character driven story, and i really enjoyed the journey this book took us on. I know a lot of reviews mention the plot changing throughout the book but Astraea has lost her memories- only remembering the last 5 years and as she uncovers new things about her world and herself, her priorities do shift. I can't even break down the story without giving spoilers, but a lot does happen, and it was a little challenging to keep up, but I was still invested to keep going. I immediately need to know what happens after that ending. Also, I liked getting the bonus chapters at the end with the side characters Rose and Zath. I'm hoping book 2 has more found family vibes. And of course, the second bonus chapter was of Nyte's POV and I always love getting the MMC perspective!

Read if you like:

-faes, vampires, celestials
-trials
-"who did this to you?"
-slow burn
-secrets/hidden identities
-shadow daddy

I am updating ny review . Overall 3 ⭐️1.5🌶

(Why I dropped 2 stars)

I'm still a little confused with the world and magic, but I expect we will learn more in book 2, and the ending was a little predictable (it just took Astraea longer to figure it out). There was also a lot of time jumping that jolted me, and I had to re-read many times to make sure I understood what was happening.


*Bonus* The special edition is beautiful, and I am definitely adding it to my shelf!

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The Stars Are Dying kicks off the Nytefall series with a cool, imaginative world and an interesting plot. The whole vibe is pretty unique, blending trials, vampires, and plenty of danger. That said, the pacing gets a bit slow at times, and some characters don’t feel fully fleshed out, which makes it harder to connect with them. If you're into rich world-building and can be patient with a slower story, this could be a fun read. It feels like there's a lot of potential for the series to really shine as it continues.

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I was hyped about this book. I really enjoyed all of the elements, but I am not sure it was executed completely well. I was living for the romance, but some of the dialogue fell flat for me.

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I struggled to get into this story. It had some world-building, but it didn't grab my attention and make me want to read.

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Now that's what I call a morally grey male lead! The Stars Are Dying strikes a perfect balance with Nyte. It's so hard to straddle the line between dark enough to truly be morally grey and full-out villain, but Peñaranda definitely manages it. I love that Astraea is still finding her spine, but doesn't hesitate to use it as soon as possible. Wonderful to have a female lead who is, in some senses, childlike and new to the world around her, but not a complete doormat. I can't wait to see more of these two!

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A lush, dark fantasy filled with star-crossed love and impossible stakes. The writing is atmospheric, pulling you into a world where every choice feels like destiny. Perfect for fans of poetic, otherworldly tales.

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DNF @ 25%

I have taken so long to write this review because I was SO excited about this book, and I didn't really hate it...I just didn't like it? I didn't find myself connecting to the plot or characters, and I found the writing to be very slow. So many people DID love it and I wanted to give it another chance, but it's been four months and I think I need to admit that I'm never going to finish this book.

I think I was really uncomfortable with the initial noncon, and the FMC's starting point was really confusing and bleak, and that made it hard for me to connect to her. I like my FMC's in particular to be strong, and it seemed like this one had reasons to be the way that she was, but it took too long for me to understand them and I just needed a single moment of joy or levity for me to personally connect with the book.

I would recommend it to fantasy readers who have a lot of patience for the plot to start and want to immerse themselves in a really unique world.

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I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I was unsure about this book at first. I'm not a huge fan of vampire books mostly due to the inconsistencies that seem to be inherent in them (for example saying that a vampire let out a breath he/she didn't know they were holding but having previously stated that they did not breath!!!!). However, this book was a pleasant surprise. Not only was it not solely focused on vampires a la Twilight but it also had different types of vampires and kept a lot of the vampire details vague enough to be inconsequential. In this book there are at least two different types of vampires: those who suck your blood and those who steal your soul. I believe that both take away time from your life when feeding but the soul suckers (aka Nightcrawlers) seem to be the most vicious and deadly. They also have Fae, humans and Celestials. The fae are not described in too much detail although we know of at least one by the end of the book who is a shapeshifter. Fae and Celestials were on the wrong side of the war and are either hunted, conscripted into the vampire army via mindcontrol/brainwashing, or are forced into hiding. The Celestials also seem to be hidden behind the veil? Which is only vaguely described as well. This book is about two possibly fated beings who are both each others love and doom (as well as the doom of the world's). They are finding their way back to each other (maybe). One of them remembers everything that has come to pass and the other was reborn and remembers next to nothing. The dynamic is crazy and you are left unsure if you as the reader are being manipulated as well as the characters that you are reading about. The relationships between the characters feels real and have dynamics that leave a reader unsure who they empathize with or whose side they should be on. I haven't read a book in a long time that left on such a potent line as this one did: "I know how you got that scar". Excuse me ma'am but I would like to know too! What do you mean I have to wait for book two!? Also I really enjoyed the extra scenes with Zath/Rose and Nyte at the end as bonus chapters. I cannot wait to read book two!

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Imagine spending so much time together with someone that you start to love and trust them completely. They then turn around and use you for their gain and it seems like they never truly loved you in the first place.

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