I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused by a book than I was while reading The Stars Are Dying. Days after putting the book down, I still don’t understand what was happening, which made me not want to pick it up again. There are only so many times I can reread the same paragraph before I have to admit that it doesn’t make sense to me, and that was happening far more often than I would have liked.

Amnesia tropes are challenging. If not executed well, the reader often ends up more confused than the main character, which is notable since the main character has no memories to begin with. However, in the case of our main character, Astraea, she remembers five years ago, and yet, even with those five years of memories, I’m convinced I understand more than she does, and I could barely figure out what the words on the page were trying to tell me. The amount of convoluted info-dumps interspersed with scenes that had no rhyme or reason was off the charts. I could not follow a single thing that was happening, except for the fact that trials were coming up.

Trials, you say? Indeed. I’ve read many books about trials recently, and quite a few were exceptionally well done and interesting. This one was not. I didn’t care a single bit about these trials because, again, I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on.

Was it the writing? Am I just incapable of comprehending what the author was trying to say? I was so beyond confused that I was actually frustrated and not frustrated at a character for making a silly decision, frustrated. I was frustrated in a way that had me tearing at my hair, wondering why words suddenly no longer made sense.

I feel like I’m just regurgitating the same thing repeatedly at this point, so I shall end here with: The Stars Are Dying was a DNF for me.

I received an advanced copy of The Stars Are Dying from NetGalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

An exciting romantasy. I cannot wait to read the next one in this series. This book is lovely and the special edition is stunning. I would recommend reading this if you love fantasy

This book wasn’t my favorite unfortunately. Fun concept but DNF at 20%. I may pick it up again in the future but couldn’t get through it now.

For a debut into the world, I think that this book is lacking just a little more of that tightness of pacing that would make it such a compelling read.

Though I enjoyed the world building and the characters, I can't say that I'm desperate to read the next installment.

I had really high hopes for this book considering all the hype it had around it, and found myself underwhelmed with how it all played out. I am planning to read book two as I am hopeful that with the world a bit more established the pace will pick up and things will fall into place. Interesting premise and world building.

I had high hopes for this one. I still, really try to 'go into' a book blanco when I start it so that I'm as little as possible influenced before.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the book for me and I'm really #bummed about that. But I just couldn't get into it. It felt a bit all over the place for me.
I DNF'ed it, so I can't write a proper review for it, sorry.

Format: Audiobook ALC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher-all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story has a lot of potential…unfortunately for me, I felt lost through quite a bit of the book. I believe the author is doing this with intent for character growth of our FMC and plot twists but it was hard to listen to at times. I hate rewinding an audiobook and found myself needing to do this multiple times and still feeling like I was missing things. After a week, I don’t really remember much about this book.

I have listened to both of these narrators before and enjoyed their performances but for some reason, I had a hard time with this audiobook. Maybe a mix of their narration and also the story flow.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I received an eARC of this book early for review but I tried reading it and just couldn’t get into it. I thought maybe it was the timing for me or maybe it needed more editing still so I waited for the book to be published.

When I tried this again with a finished copy it was just as confusing as the first time. It feels like the author has a good grasp and understanding of her world but just that she’s not conveying it clearly to the reader, leaving us mostly confused and trying to make clear of the awkward sentence structure. Things aren’t fully explained and I was half guessing at things most of the time.

This series really does have so much potential, I did like the characters and what I could grasp of the plot was interesting and fun, it just wasn’t well communicated. All the characters danced around saying things outright, the main character is terrible at putting two and two together do the reader (or herself).

Overall this really made the book a slog to get through which is sad because I really wanted to love it.

I feel like this book had been on my TBR since like forever, and I somehow never got into the right mindset to get into it. The downside of being a mood reader.
Honestly, I enjoyed it. I think it was a fun read once I got into it, but it wasn’t the kind of book that stayed with me. Like, I was not dying to read the sequel (which I have bought and will read at some point), but I don’t think I would have finished the book as quickly as I did if it wasn’t for the audiobook.
Overall, it was fine. Was it life changing? No. But I still had a good time, and I will revisit this world sometimes in the near future, because I am curious about where the story will go next.

I’m sure Romantasy lover out there will adore this with their whole heart. Unfortunately, for me it just didn’t hit right. I couldn’t get into the story the way I feel like I usually would with a romantasy.

I was not a fan of this book so I will keep my review short. To me, it didn’t bring anything new to the genre. The synopsis builds it up so much but unfortunately the book fell flat for me.

I also didn’t feel the chemistry at all and just couldn’t care about the plot in general.

I’m also tired of names being spelt with unnecessary “y”s. Gives me the ick for some reason at this point. Too trendy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2 Stars

⭐️ 2.5
Hmm… I have very mixed feelings about this! I really think it could have benefitted from a few more rounds of editing. There are numerous continuity errors and the flow was off in so many places. I found myself needing to reread sentences way too much to truly enjoy the story. The plot was so promising and intriguing, but the disjointed writing took me out of the story again and again.

I really liked the concept of this book and I enjoyed the writing style. I loved the characters and the plot and the various magical elements. I think where I struggled a bit with this book was with the pacing. The first half felt really slow and then the second half almost felt too fast. Overall I enjoyed it enough that I plan to pick up the second one!

I have to admit The Stars are Dying was a tough read for me. While there were moments that had me feeling for the characters I ultimately struggled to connect them and it felt like the main romance was built so high up for it to just be tossed aside for a good vs evil story. There were moments it flt like it should be a dark romance but then the story just pivoted away and never addressed again.

Ultimately the story ended up luke warm for me. I didn't hate it but I'm not necessarily scrambling for the next book to see what happens next.

Was a little challenging to get into. This is a book I had high hopes for and half way through I almost DNF’d but I finished it. I think it had potential but unfortunately the pacing was an issue for me. The main FMC has no memories from five years ago. It would seem obvious that her main objective would be to find out why she lost her memory but it didn’t seem to be a main priority for the FMC in this book. More questions with no answers through out the book was a little frustrating. I kept reading hoping I would get some answers which is ultimately why I ended up finishing the book, but no luck. Wonder if the author intended that on purpose to keep the reader on the hook for book two but it left me feeling frustrated more than intrigued. Hope book two is better. Covers are gorgeous.

this book sounds like a darkly enchanting mix of fantasy, mystery, and slow-burn romance—exactly the kind of story that pulls you in and refuses to let go. The premise of Astraea battling memory loss while being held captive by a tyrant king is immediately compelling, and the high-stakes competition of the Libertatem adds an exciting, almost dystopian edge. The vampire element heightens the tension, especially with the enigmatic Nyte, who seems to blur the line between danger and desire in deliciously complicated ways.

What intrigues me most is the internal struggle Astraea faces—not just surviving external threats, but unraveling her own identity and past. It’s not just about defeating enemies; it’s about rediscovering herself, which adds real emotional depth. The dynamic between her and Nyte is filled with tension, mistrust, and undeniable chemistry—perfect for readers who love morally grey characters and impossible choices.

Overall, this feels like the kind of book that balances action, intrigue, and romance with a strong emotional core.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bramble for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I'm really not sure how I feel about this book. I think I enjoyed it while reading it, but it's been a couple of weeks and I honestly cannot remember anything about it anymore.

I feel like I liked Nyte, but also thought Astraea was a bit too naive. Maybe it was the whole "innocent maiden" idea that usually just doesn't sit well with me. Or maybe it was Astraea herself.

If you like romantasy, you might enjoy this, but it just wasn't able to stick with me for very long.

This was pretty interesting from the start. The story kept me engaged for the most part. But it felt a bit flat and the constant back and forth on betrayal and will they/won’t they gave me a hit of whiplash. I might continue into the second book but it’ll be a but before I pick it up.

I didn't really connect with the main characters unfortunately and had a hard time continuing with the story. It was confusing. I started off not knowing some things and kept having more questions as I progressed. Wasn't for me unfortunately.