DNF pg162

Was this the most revolutionary book out there? No, but certain people would probably enjoy it. This book was absolutely impossible to get into, I know it’s kinda the point to not get it for a while BUT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO KNOW WHATS GOING ON AT THIS POINT, I just have better books to read tbh. The characters were fine themselves, nothing special but bearable.

3.75-4 ⭐
This book has so much going on at times it was hard to follow but as a series it has so much potential.....I will be reading book 2 to find out what happens next.
I feel like this book can be divided into two sides......one is the FMC trying to overcome and grow as well as retrieve her lost memories and self and the other is the rest of the story and plot. One should be driving the other but I feel like our FMC isn't concerned with what happened to her and those are the answers we need to drive this plot further.....until then it is the side cast and characters that keep this plot moving. Because of this I feel like sometimes the pacing is off but if the author can bridge those two I think this will be an amazing series.
The world building and romance are good and I want to see where that goes.
Overall I would recommend this to someone who likes to having more questions then answers in the first book and likes to be kept uncertain about what comes next. Almost like a mystery waiting to be solved and you are just waiting for the right clue.

I liked Astraea the FMC and Nyte the MMC. Astraea does not recall her past beyond the last few years of her life. She has to go through a lot before she understands why. This definitely had some surprising moments in the book. I am ready for the next in the series already. I need to know what is going to happen next. This book kept my interest throughout and I really liked the characters in it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy books.

I originally requested this book because of the title and I am so glad I did! 🫢 I felt very drawn to the storyline even though admittedly I had a hard time following what was going on at first. The book threw me into a world that relies on the balance between two kingdoms to survive (basically light and dark). The overall way this works however, was confusing and this could be due to all the events introduced in the book. There was ALOT going on with vampires, trials, celestial beings, the fmc figuring out who she is etc… Therefore there was a lot of history to cover and I might have missed some important points. Even so I would definitely continue this series! Astraea and Nyte had so much tension and I was obsessed with all of their interactions. 🤩 I mean seriously, who doesn’t love a dark haired mmc with “who did this to you” vibes and who turns out to be the villain?! 🫢😭😍

I just can’t resist a good fantasy book with vampires, fae, celestial aspects, and romance. I think the author did a great job overall with the idea of this book but I do feel like the pacing was a little off for me. I’m not sure if that impacted how I understood the plot line but I did feel like there were many events taking place while also having to explain backstories for Astraea. But even so, I loved this book because of the many twists and betrayals. I read this book in two days on my kindle because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next! 💖

*minor spoiler ahead*

Overall I desperately need book 2 right now to get a better understanding of the kingdoms, how they keep balance, the history in general, and of course to see where book 1 left off! It would also be interesting to read more moments between Astraea and Nyte as well as seeing who her “bounded” is in the next book.

This book is for you if you like;
💫 Villain gets the girl
💫 Slow burn romance
💫 Vampires, fae, and celestial guardians
💫 Memory loss
💫 Light x dark
💫 Trials to win

This book had similarities to From Blood & Ash, The Serpent & the Wings of Night, A Court of Thorns & Roses, and Of Darkness & Ruination. ✨🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC!

Unfortunately I DNFed this about 2 chapters in. I really did not enjoy the writing style and it made it entirely unreadable :( Thank you to the publisher for the gifted eARC!

I am DNFing this book at about 50%. The beginning of this book was a lot more enjoyable, but I will say I did not go into this book knowing that it was vampires and trials. I honestly am just getting sick of those two tropes and am needing a break of them there was also some like odd pacing moments within the book. I did get this as an advanced reader copy and I got an advanced listener copy but most of the time at that point that stuff should be solved. I also just didn’t love some character choices that were made some felt super random and again, some just felt so trophy and I’m just sick of that. I think that if you have not read a lot of fantasy romance books you like this book, but someone who has read a lot. I just can’t deal with the same tropes over and over again.

4.5 Stars!

"People fear the dark because they think it's where monsters thrive. They're wrong. The dark belongs to the stars who can't shine without it. It's where passion burns brightest. It's peace and it's company. The darkness is you".

The Stars Are Dying is a deliciously and consuming read you won't want to put down. With its intricate plot and web of mystery, this book is sure to make your head spin.

The pacing of this book is a bit slow for the first half as there is a lot of world building that must happen. Don't let that discourage you. This is so well written that you will honestly not care about the pacing. The mystery, action, and intrigue will keep you on your toes.

And if all of that wasn't enough, you've got a delicious slow burn romance to contend with as well. I couldn't get enough of the star crossed lovers vibe and delicious chemistry. The push and pull and banter. I couldn't get enough of it.

The Stars Are Dying takes you one heck of a ride and will definitely keep you on your toes. From Vampires and secrets to magic and romance, this story will keep you guessing with all of the unexpected twists and turns. The ending will leave you breathless in anticipation to find out what will happen next.

Mesmerizing! The prose is lush and atmospheric, painting vivid scenes of both beauty and peril while the stakes rise with every challenge Astraea faces. Themes of identity and choice echo throughout the narrative, making you ponder whether the pursuit of safety is worth the price of one’s soul. And, the chemistry is off the charts hot. I definitely can’t wait for the next instalment.

*The Stars Are Dying* by Chloe C. Penaranda is a promising start to a romantasy series that delivers an engaging mix of drama, romance, and mystery. Book one lays a solid foundation for the world of Nytefall, introducing readers to intriguing characters and a love story that keeps you turning the pages. While the world-building and plot hold great potential, there are moments where the storyline feels underdeveloped, leaving readers occasionally confused about the female protagonist's true motivations. That said, the setup is strong enough to spark excitement for the next book, as this series has plenty of room to grow.

For fans of romantic fantasy, *The Stars Are Dying* offers a compelling blend of familiar and fresh elements. The book is packed with action, plot twists, and mystery that keep readers guessing. Some readers noted a mix of predictability and surprise, which added a refreshing dynamic to the story. However, the pacing can be uneven, requiring extra focus to follow along with the plot. Despite a few confusing moments, the rich tropes and intriguing world make the journey worth it, leaving many eager for what’s next in the series.

The characters are a highlight, with some readers comparing them to beloved figures in the genre while still finding them unique and original. Fans of classic romantasy characters like Celaena Sardothien and Rhysand may feel a hint of familiarity, but Penaranda manages to bring her twist to the genre. Overall, *The Stars Are Dying* will appeal to both veteran romantasy readers and newcomers, setting the stage for an exciting series that shows a lot of potential for growth in future books.

To begin this review, I’d like to say I am so thankful I’ve had the opportunity to read this book and am thankful to the publisher & author for accepting my request for it!

This story has so much potential, but just missed the mark for me. The writing was not organized, nor did it purposefully push the plot forward. It felt stagnant most of the time and lacked purpose. I struggled to connect to Astraea, or any character for that matter. It felt like some popular tropes were all forced into one book to appeal to readers current trends, but it wasn’t done in a cohesive way that made sense to the story. The banter and dialogue throughout felt forced and awkward to me as well.
I had such high hopes for this book, and the special edition covers of this series are absolutely STUNNING. But I will not be picking up book 2.

Book one was a fantastic setup to all the amazing things that could come in book two! The plot, world building, characters & love story were such a good foundation for a good book and series to come! Chloe did a good job starting up this series with book one, that had me intrigued and excited to jump into this book.

While it had some great potential, I think the plot in book one was a little confusing and didn't feel fully fleshed out, making the read in some spots kind of confusing trying to figure out what our female main character is really after. That being said, I think there is so much room for this series to only get better from here and I look forward to reading more of the Nytefall series!!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

I received an ARC Copy from NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.

The Stars Are Dying (Book #1 in the Nytefall series) was a perfect blend of Fantasy and Romance. This book had many of my favorite aspects, such as deadly trials, forbidden romance, Fae, Vampires and of course a Morally Grey MMC. I also loved the dynamic between Astraea and Nyte, they absolutely embody the meaning of star-crossed lovers. I have to say, I think this was one of the only books I’ve loved so many quotes from. I thoroughly enjoyed the many twists and turns, and did not see some things coming. Overall, I absolutely cannot wait to pick up the next one.

"𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘢. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨."

⭐️ 3.75-4/5

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵."

This story follows Astraea (Our FMC), with little to no recollection of her past, she’s seeking answers as to who she truly is and where she belongs. The beginning of her journey takes place as she escapes her captor, Hektor, with the help of her closest friend, Cassia and our mystery man. During that time, we also get to meet Nyte, our mysterious MMC. Astraea’s plans change once certain events take place, in which she chooses to compete in a series of deadly trials to secure the kingdom's safety from the vampires.

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺?"

I really enjoyed Astraea as a character, between understanding her mental battles due to the abuse she suffered, to watching her grow a bit more confidently into her new self. Astraea's journey of self-discovery and past discovery was intriguing, and I truly cannot wait to see her development throughout the next installment. I also enjoyed our side characters, I loved the friendship between Astraea, Cassia and Zath. Although, I do wish we got a bit more history on Cassia and Astraea’s friendship, I think the supportiveness was so heartfelt. Same for Astraea and Zath, Zath felt like a bit of a complex character to me, I feel like he’s genuine in his actions but there may be more to him that has yet to be uncovered. Moving onto Nyte, WOW there’s a lot to say. He is the absolute embodiment of a morally grey MMC. Nyte always had the most perfect things to say, and I feel like there are still so many layers to unravel about him and his complex character. The dynamic between him and Astraea was UGH so good. I loved the tension, and the spice was PERFECT.

"𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦."

I did struggle with a few things, which altered my rating for this book. The pacing was okay, I felt like the first half of the book had me intrigued, but it was a bit slower than the second half. Now, the second half of the book really picked up and I felt consumed by it, between the twists and turns and not to mention betrayals! That cliffhanger absolutely had me SHOOK as I was not expecting certain events to take place. Aside from that, I felt like we were missing a bit of history and lore on the world, along with some of the characters. I felt this way about the magic system too, although intriguing and I loved the concept, I do not feel like I was truly able to grasp how things worked. I think the only other thing I’d touch on was the trials, I’m all for them, but I felt like we did not really get to dive into them as one moment we were mid-trial then they were done. Overall, this was a great read, and I absolutely will be picking up the next one.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘚𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦."

Definitely recommend reading if you enjoy the following:
✨ Forbidden Romance
✨ Morally Grey MMC
✨ Dual POV
✨ Lost Memories
✨ Deadly Trials
✨ Who did this to you?
✨ Vampires, Fae, Celestials

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6658084360

I really wanted to like this, I even tried reading it on three separate occasions and honestly... I don't know what it'll take for me to finish the book. I got bamboozled because it's so beautiful. I just wish the flow of the writing or maybe even the writing itself was half as beautiful as the outside of the book. It was just very dry. It's like looking at the most delectable sandwich, biting into it and realizing that it's turning into sand inside your mouth.

Maybe I'm also not the target audience anymore, it felt like a YA book?? More on Y/N if that makes sense? AH, she felt like a pick me girl--an insufferable, "I'm the main character!!" type of character and that's not my cup of tea anymore. I also don't think that it's a good trope/archetype to write anymore tbh.

If this is your first novel, I hope you find this review as constructive criticism. I hope to read more of your work because the premise is very interesting and I can see where you wanted to take it... it was just very hard to get through your book. It was like wading in quicksand...

I really, really did my best, but I couldn't continue reading this. The worst part is I wanted to like it! The aesthetic, and posts I've seen for this book had me sold as someone who loves romantic fantasy.

The writing makes the world-building hard to understand, I get what the author was going for regarding storyline and characters, but it fell flat for me. The FMC was just all over the place, the MMC didn't intrigue me either, when I started feeling like reading this became a task, I knew it was time to accept this wasn't for me.

I'm not deterred from future titles, maybe down the line, I'll give this a second chance. As of right now though, this wasn't for me.

I'm really sorry, but I just can't do this. The writing is too convoluted and the plot is too confusing to make this worth my effort to try and get more into

So turns out I already read this book but I didn't realise till I started reading it again. Why? Because the synopsis sounds much better than the book actually is. We have a wannabe strong FMC who blindly follows the man who raises and trains her despite him abusing her and who has no judgement of character. Then we have a MMC who is supposed to be strong, dark and mysterious, and honeslty he was just... meh. At no point did I trust Astraea's judgement as quite frankly she has zero common sense and therefore at no point did I trust Nyte, or like him all that much. Like I can tell what kind of characters the author was trying to create but they fell flat, I wasn't invested and the big, shocking reveal at the end... yeah saw that coming since the start of the book. By no means is this book bad, it just isn't gripping like others of its type but maybe it will get better with future books.

I went into this having LOVED the indie edition and I just knew this would hit. And I was not disappointed. I'm so glad more people will get to read this incredible series and fall hopelessly in love with Nyte like I did :)

I really wanted to like this book, but compared to other Tor titles, this wasn’t it for me. My biggest issue pertained to the writing style, which more than often consisted of run-in and convoluted sentences that took multiple rereads to comprehend. My second biggest gripe was with the purpose of this edition.

I haven’t previously read this book—certainly not when it came out—but I don’t see the value in the bonus added content/scenes. Personally, if I owned the original edition without the bonus content, and was asked if I’d purchase this newer edition, my answer would ve a definitive no.

In terms of premise, I try to be an optimist and give everything a chance because being a diverse reader is of utmost importance to me, but I can’t recommend this book in good conscience without betraying my integrity as a reviewer. You can’t have a premise that reads like every other high stakes fantasy and expect to have a groundbreaking product.

Overall, I’m disappointed but not deterred from future Tor titles.

This book had the perfect romantasy plot for me. The drama, the mystery, the romance had me gasping. I can not wait for more from this world!!

It took me a while to get into The Stars Are Dying. I found the unusual phrasing Peñaranda used distracting, as I often had to re-read sections or sentences to clarify the meaning. In some cases, it wasn’t just the phrasing that was the issue; there were fragments or statements that didn’t make sense. I also found some of the dialogue felt disconnected, like people talking over each other, about different things, because some of the responses didn’t make sense in the context of the conversation.

After a rough start, the story and writing settled some. I was hopeful for a strong growth arc for Astraea and I was interested in her story. While her real identity seemed obvious early on, sometimes, the intrigue is seeing how a character discovers their truth, and I was hoping for satisfying developments and revelations.

Ultimately, the story didn’t deliver the way I hoped. While Astraea learning who she is and discovering her purpose is a worthy arc on its own, there’s a goal post change when her friend dies and she decides to compete in her place. Unfortunately, decisions like this underscored issues with Astraea. Yes, she’s been sheltered, but she was also rebellious enough to sneak out, make friends, and acquire skills behind Hektor’s back. These actions suggest independence and willfulness and an awareness of the threats around her. And throughout her friendship, she had plenty of exposure beyond Hektor’s confines. However, she never seems very alert or aware, and she doesn’t seem to consider risks. For someone who had to plan carefully to sneak out and avoid detection, she jumps into risky decisions with no forethought later.

It can be very hard to write a compelling character who starts out naive and who makes impulsive decisions without having them seem erratic. And when it comes to Nyte, Astraea bounces back and forth more than a ping pong ball during a ping pong championship game. Ultimately, it felt like some of her decisions were more about serving the plot than organic character growth.

There were other issues, such as developmental contradictions, that a good developmental edit would have addressed. And in truth, since I read this before its re-release, some of the word level issues may have been addressed, so I wasn’t factoring those into my ranking. It’s less likely there were developmental corrections, but still possible.

Therefore, what I focused on when ranking this book was how I felt about the story and character arcs.

The competition was frustrating. While I can appreciate the guts it requires to do things differently, having the competitors competing against themselves and working at their own pace towards a general deadline eliminated a lot of potential for tension and drama. Instead, we had competitors doing things that didn’t make sense, such as starting fights with other competitors. Truly, what was the point, given that they weren’t allowed to kill each other, and they all had bodyguards assigned to them to prevent harm? It felt like distracting chest-thumping so we remembered some of those characters were around.

Several of my biggest issues center on the ending, so this is where I’ll warn you to stop if you want to avoid spoilers. The ending went on forever; having a notable chunk of the book continue after the competition ends isn’t easy to pull off, and it felt like momentum floundered. A lot of the revelations that followed confirmed things already suspected, and felt anti-climactic.

My biggest complaint had to do with Hektor and Astraea’s arc. I’d hoped she’d grow into a strong, independent character. Killing Hektor at the beginning certainly paved the way for this growth arc. However, then we learn during the competition that she didn’t kill him. At first, I hoped it was an illusion (like other things we’d seen during the competition) and she only thought she was confronting him. And then, after a late-in-story Astraea-Hektor confrontation to bring resolution to their story, Hektor was back in the next stage of the competition. Hektor resolution redux. And to top it off, since we now know Astraea didn’t kill him, we don’t even get the satisfaction of her correctly eliminating her captor and abuser. Instead, one of Astraea’s many protectors had to kill him. Ultimately, I found this book dissatisfying and frustrating. I really wanted to like it, and I remained hopeful until near the end of the competition, but it floundered and never really recovered for me.