I ate this book up. Sarah has created a whimsical, magical and intriguing world. Full of political strife and interesting characters.

What to expect:
Fade to black romance
Slow Burn
Angst
Hate to love
Forced Proximity
One Horse

Isy the FMC was really trying to come into her own. After thinking constantly that's she isn't enough, she becomes a terrible spy in the midst of an invading army. I love even though she is terrible at sneaking and lying she befriends everyone and gets them to spill secrets that way. She's awkward and pretty damn normal which is refreshing.
Erik is a big softie underneath his tough exterior, the way he cares for his men and Isabel is swoon worthy.

The lore, worldbuilding and magic were all super interesting. I did feel a bit lost sometimes in the story but nothing to take me away from the enjoyment. The story is written like Isabels personal diary and I really like this. I can't wait for book 2!

4.25 ✨️

Will be posting to my bookstagram soon!

I liked that this was a romantasy story where the romance and fantasy were more balanced. Oftentimes, I feel like these type of stories will skew more on the romance side, but I liked that there was more worldbuilding with the plot. Personally, I am not really a fan of instalove, and I felt like that happened with the main characters here. However, I did enjoy the characterization of the FMC, she definitely felt more real, with her own struggles and self doubts based around her personal goals rather than her love life or on more superficial things. The way she was written kind of reminded me of Alison Saft's female characters. I think that a lot of people will enjoy this story, but I think it wasn't necessarily for me, primarily because I wasn't a huge fan of the way the romance developed.

From the first chapter, I was hooked. The ending of that chapter makes you go, "Wait, what?!" and when you eventually get to a comment about a "stormy-handsome Vold," you know it's on. It has your enemies to lovers, your court intrigue, and "who can you trust?" moments. I enjoyed the magic system, including types of magic and magical items and the FMC's sense of humor. For being a closed door romance, the tension still *tensions.* Honorable mention goes to when one of the main characters practices being a better liar. Iykyk.

With one of our main characters left in peril at the end, I'm curious to see what happens in part 2 of the duology!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I think this book would be great for YA readers and beginners in the romantasy genre. The beginning had me hooked and I was very interested in the storyline within the first few chapters. That being said, I did lose interest as the story went on. Unfortunately, I felt this book lacked a little in terms of plot. I think the plot was very jumpy and overall a bit rushed. I also felt that the romance didn't really have a strong foundation and was, at times, a little cheesy. However, I think this series has a lot of potential and I think the author has a very original idea to work with! 3 stars because I think this book was fun, but could have been better in my opinion!

Thank you Netgalley and Sarah Page for the ARC! I absolutely loved this novel. It was easy to get in to, the world building was comprehensive but not so much that it became overwhelming, and the twists and turns were unexpected. I absolutely loved our FMC Isabel, a royal healer in training, seeking ways to prove herself but thrust into the role of a spy. She is admittedly not a very good spy but a charismatic character and clever and witty. I enjoyed the growth between her and the MMC - it felt real and their banter was top notch. The book does end on a cliffhanger so I am DYING to read book 2! Thanks again for the ARC and opportunity to read and review.

While I really appreciated the concept of this book, it wasn’t 100% for me. But, I think it was more of a “it’s not you, it’s me.” issue
The writing was well done, the plot was interesting, so really I would recommend others give it a try!

There's just so much choice recently in fantasy romance and its with a happy heart that I can say I found this new author. Her book is in many ways classic enemies to lovers but the twist here is that both protagonists are a lot more alike than they realise. Isabel is desperate to be seen, be heard but alas her self doubt pulls her down. Erik is a tough soldier yet he has earned his troops loyalty in spite of never feeling enough for his parents. Thrown together as Isabel is appointed a guide it's obvious to all that Isabel is the worst spy ever , although actually she is the only one who doesn't realise that !
This journey has a few moments of action but it's quite amusing as Isabel comes up with what she considers stealthy tactics that just made this reader smile. It had a unique slant in that there's self harm mentioned and if you prefer less ahem bedroom Olympics than this is certainly not a particularly steamy read. Overall I enjoyed this with its political manoeuvres and unusual magic. I think for me though it was certainly the characters and how they interacted that brought me the most pleasure.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I loved this book! If you're into enemies-to-lovers romances with a dash of intrigue, mystery and cool magic you'll love this book too. Can't wait to read the next installment.

Thanks again to the author and publisher for the ARC :)

Overall I really enjoyed this book and for a debut novel I am so pleasantly surprised. There wasn’t a part of the book where I felt the need to put it down because it was slow. Illusion of Stars is a slow burn, enemies to lovers beautifully written descriptive fantasy that kept me hooked throughout the entire story.

You get an intense look into the main two characters life & history and how they have coped with their pain, making you easily invested in their stories, and their banter takes the edge off the darker parts of their story.

The FMC is a healer, who has been tasked to spy on the enemies in command officer and seduce him to gain information to take back to her kingdom. There is a unique magic system which I really enjoyed reading about, and it felt really fresh and interesting.

I really enjoyed this book!

We follow Isy as she tries to find a weapon whilst guiding the MMC Erik and the rest of his people. She also has to navigate her feelings for said MMC as the story progresses.

It is well written, and the pacing felt perfect. I especially loved the characters who all felt well developed and likable. I especially love the care that’s obviously been taken with the characters and how they are flawed and believable. The growth, especially from Isy, is wonderful to see. I would advise people wanting to read this to take the authors outlined triggers seriously though.

The only issue I had is that this was marketed as enemies to lovers but didn’t quite feel the hate one should for an enemy. It may just be a me thing though. Also, the story finishes on a cliffhanger, one of my personal pet peeves. Again, a personal issue so I won’t take away any stars for that as others will undoubtedly ot mind this.


Overall, the story was wonderfully enaging and well told. The writing is accessible and well done. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Romantasy and stories focused on romance in a low fantasy setting. 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and shadow forge for the Arc. All opinions are my own and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

. I rated this book between 3.5-4 stars. I felt like it started off really well, it captured my attention and then midway point it slowed down. It wasn’t boring but it wasn’t exciting. Then towards the end it picked up.
I found myself a little lost at times and I think it was just the writing style. I think this story has potential to be even better if there was more action and more humor.
I did enjoy the way Isy and Eric connected and supported each other. They understood each other and I feel like that was such a strong message to me as the reader. I enjoyed the twists and I do have some questions about Katrina but maybe those questions will be answered in the next book which I look forward to reading.

While this one is advertised as enemies to lovers, I'd say it had more of an annoyed to lovers vibe. The MMC was truly a marshmallow inside with a lot of emotional baggage. While they might have been "enemies" on the outside, the two main characters had the instant attraction happening from the get go with all the back and forth banter, and "omg he is so hot why do I like this" storyline. The FMC is quite quirky and carries her own baggage, that she needs to work through. Overall the book felt very YA, but not just because of the closed door romance. The characters felt young and had to go on their journey of self-discovery. With a unique magic system, this romantasy is great for readers who are young at heart and prefer fade to black romance.

Oh, my heart! Sarah did such a wonderful job with her storytelling in this book. I cried a few times, and laughed a lot. We all have had times where we wanted to feel seen. The FMC, Isabel (Isy for short) is an absolute spitfire. Snark-on point. Humor and banter-absolute perfection. Yet, we still get to see the vulnerability and internal struggle. She can absolutely get things done,

She is on a mission to gain the trust of the enemy. It’s all going according to plan…until she starts to fall for Erik. He is the MMC, the general for the enemy is his dad, and he can wield illusion magic. He has some painful baggage of his own, and they end up finding they can lean on each other…eventually. They are definitely enemies first. Those abs, though.. Oh, what a mess Isy has gotten herself into here!! There are some steamy scenes, but most of the action is fade-to-black/closed door/off page (whatever you prefer to call it).

Signey is another character in the book that I hope we see a lot more of in book 2. I loved her grumpy, blunt, yet hilarious personality.

I am still stunned by the cliffhanger. It was one of those “sit and stare at the wall for a bit” endings so you can process the build up, then the book is over. I loved the mental health representation, and showing both main characters sharing their struggles with each other. Carrying the pain alone is so hard. We all need people to talk to and share with.

Favorite quotes:
“Because I see you. I see all of you, and it is beautiful…”
“I’m not a nobody.”

Also, can we just take a moment and show some love for this cover?! It is gorgeous. One of those covers that would make me pick up a book and get it, no matter what the description was. Franziska Stern did an amazing job, and I think it’s perfect for this story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Shadow Forge Publishing, and especially Sarah Marie Page for this eARC opportunity. I’m incredibly thankful the algorithm made Sarah pop up on my page so that I could find this book. My opinion is my own, and is given freely and honestly.

As a person who has always struggled with the feeling of just not being enough, so much of this book resonated with me! It is beautifully written, and I could see everything unfolding in my mind as I read it.

Isy is everything I think I want in a FMC, and her banter with everyone, but especially Erik. The angst, the tension, omg the tension!!! and the drama just made everything even better.

Also, the snakes. Excuse you, author, but what. the. what??? was up with that?!

I will now eagerly await the announcement of book 2. The cliffhanger was perfectly written, leaving me salivating for the next installment! Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me have an early copy!

I didn’t think I was going to get as hooked in as I did but wow I adored this. I loved the magic and stories throughout the plot. Isy and Erik and hope there is a second book soon!

This book has a strong female character, great banter, suspense and mystery! I give this four stars purely based on vibes. I read this in one sitting and found it very enjoyable but it wasn’t my absolute favorite book.

I loved the lore, history and magic in this book but wished it had been a bit explained in the beginning more to give the whole book more background. The plot had me confused at a few times and I did my best to keep up. Overall I enjoyed it and will read the second book to find out more

This was such a great read!

From the very first chapter I was hooked and texted all my friends so they could keep an eye out for this book. I think there are sometimes when you start a book and you just *know* it’s going to tick nearly all your boxes and this definitely did so for me.

Isabel is a wonderful main character, and I really enjoyed the style with which this book was written. The other main and secondary characters especially Erik, Katrina, Hans, Signey, Kaspar, Bo, and Stefan are well fleshed out and I loved learning
more about them.

Good banter is one of my favorite things in any story and this one had plenty that left me giggling to myself in public:

“You orchestrated this. Don’t pretend like you didn’t.”
“Orchestrated what?”
His jaw tensed. “The baths.”
“Are you telling me you don’t bathe? That’s gross, and probably unhealthy. Come see me when you get a rash.”

This book was an emotional rollercoaster in the most delicious way and I cannot wait for more people to find out about it.

I am SO delighted to hear there will be a second, hooray!

I also have to say I am obsessed with the cover art which is what immediately drew me to the book *hides from don’t judge a book by its cover crew*. The color scheme of darker colors, the font choice, the whimsy of the flowers and knives, 10/10.

Thank you Net Galley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Illusion of Stars was a book I struggled with. The premise sounded interesting, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I found the prose style somewhat distracting with its constant descriptions and similes, and that pulled me out of the story in every chapter. I am usually all about the tropes, but here I found them a bit annoying as I was so tuned in to what was going to happen ahead of time that it took any excitement out of the story. I never connected with Isabel as the lead female character; I just couldn't get behind her. But on the plus side, I thought the development of the romance part of the story worked well and avoided the insta-love trap so much romantasy falls into. I would add as a disclaimer that my view of the book could also have been coloured a little by my reading experience. I received the book as an eBook ARC and, while it downloaded fine to my computer, it crashed my e-reader when I tried to add it on there, so I was forced to read a chapter or two here and there when I was on the PC, rather than settled in my usual reading routine. I even went out and bought a new e-reader, as mine was over ten years old and I thought it perhaps couldn't cope with newer formatting (since this was now the second file I'd had such an issue with), but even the new e-reader failed to accept it. In conclusion, this book had some positive points, but overall it wasn't for me. That's not to say, though, that other readers won't enjoy it, as I can see it also has many positive reviews online. If you are a romantasy fan, check it out and see for yourself. I am giving it three stars.

Wow wow wow. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in with this book, I just knew I wanted to read it. AND my god, it left me with such a beautiful ache. I love how Sarah writes. I didn’t get overwhelmed with a whole bunch of world building, and political strife, but I knew exactly how this world was working. It was so easy to follow, BUT that doesn’t mean it wasn’t big, magical, whimsical, intriguing, and mysterious. I LOVED feeling like I was reading Isabel’s personal journal- it made me feel so connected to her. It read like a normal story and then all of sudden you remembered she was writing to us, as a reader, by little quips or breaking the fourth wall. And chapter 36…the way she wrote exactly how it feels to be torn in 2 different directions, but 2 different people, and your mind just reeling…PERFECT. Isabel is such a warm character and heartbreaking in all the right ways, and she’s one of my favorite female characters. Erik was a little longer to get to know, but his pain and baggage was also beautiful to see and to see him finally share with someone else. Their love story didn’t feel ‘big’ but felt so so so special. You knew how much they needed each other, not all love needs to be loud. Sometimes all you need is an ‘I see you.’ Also? I just knew I was going to LOVE Signey…I hope we get so much more of her. I loved this story so much, it was such a good read. It flowed so well and made me feel so many things. The whole theme of ‘I see you’ and ‘am I really enough’ really sat with me and wasn’t down your throat the whole time, but it made me cry in many different places. Sarah’s little note at the end? CRIED, what a beautiful story to share with the readers. Now I desperately need book two🦋💟🌱

The story follows Isy, the royal physician, as she is tasked to find a weapon under the guise as being a guide to Erik and his people. With the kingdom, and her life on the line, Isy is put through challenges for both herself and her feelings for Erik.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The concept and the lore and the world were interesting, especially the magic.
The last 50 pages were a standout for me as the pacing really picks up and I couldn't put the book down!
There's angst, drama, tension... you didn't know where the story was going to go. And although there is a cliffhanger, I was left knowing what the stakes are which really worked for this book.

Another big standout for me were the scenes between Isy and Erik. The sexual tension scenes were really good and the slow burn really built up the tension in a way that felt that it wasn't rushed.

There are a few things about this book that I got confused with and couldn't really follow. Although the lore and world are interesting, it was quite hard to follow both the magic and politics/kingdom lore.

The plot itself wasn't super clear and I was confused at points with why side characters had such high positions within the war (without giving too much away) despite their actual job roles in the kingdom. The plot did jump around a bit and sometimes I didn't really understand what was happening.

I think Isy as an FMC will be inspiring and relatable for readers as she isn't afraid to voice her inner demons and Erik as an MMC is definitely someone that readers will swoon over.

Please remember that all opinions are my own and that other readers will have their own opinions too

“I see you.”

Oh to be seen, and loved, and reminded of your worth. ❤️ I really resonated with Isabel in this story. I too (as I imagine many others as well) have had my own journey toward the realization that I am enough. It reminded me of my first ever tattoo (as pictured). I got that tattoo years ago after much work on my self-worth and self-esteem. The tattoo is a reminder to me and to anyone who sees it, I am enough. You are enough, “I see you.”.

This was overall a beautiful story. The writing (specifically Isabel’s thoughts) felt like poetry at times, so raw and beautiful. I love Erik so much, the soft spot he has for Isabel, the vulnerability he shows, and the parallels between both of them and their past traumas and struggles.

The only real “critique” I have is that I found myself confused at times in terms of world building and how their politics and powers work. However, I guess that makes sense since it is all through Isabel’s POV and we are learning info along with her. Hopefully, we’ll learn more in the next one.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing where the story will go in the next book!

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Page for this ARC. 🫶🏻