Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio!
I was excited to try out this story but unfortunately, it ended up not being for me. I struggled to get into the story; I felt it took a while for the book to pick up and I struggled to stay engaged with the narration. Sad I didn't end up loving it as it's such an interesting premise.

The audiobook was just not for me. I could not follow along well with all the jumping around. I will probably pick the book up in paperback and give it another try.

The Stars are Dying is the perfect blend of fantasy, romance, and trials. Astraea, our FMC with missing memories, embarks on a journey of self-discovery in a world teeming with vampires, deceit, and danger. As her quest to uncover the truth behind her lost memories unfolds, she faces heartbreaking discoveries and is left questioning everyone and everything. The world-building is done so beautifully and the spice level, oh my goodness, YES DEVINE! The Stars are Dying is a must-read for fans of When the Moon Hatched, as it is a similar emotional impact. Be prepared to have your jaw on the floor while eagerly awaiting the release of book two, which I'm hoping is just as Devine as book one!

Audio - the duet narration was okay but I felt like it was obvious in the difference in sound quality of the audio. I did like both narrators separately but the first portion of the male narrator’s audio seemed very rough quality.

I felt like this book lacked a bit of world building. I did enjoy the mystery aspect of it and the trials. I would still want to read book 2 in this series.

The Stars Are Dying was impossible to put down. The world was unique and I desperately needed to konw who/what Nyte really was. And also the mystery behind Astrea. The side characters were fantastic and I love how Penaranda wove everything together beautifully. Cannot wait to dive into the next book!

This is one of the first romantasy books I read when I got back into reading (read in July 2023), and I devoured it in two days! Nyte is a perfect addition to the morally grey book boyfriend club. There are so many twists and turns that I was on my toes until the last page of the book. I can’t wait to read the next book to discover more about Astraea’s lost memories.

I just did a reread (February 2025) via audiobook and the narration was perfection from two of my favorite narrators - Corvin King and Jacci Prior. They sound exactly like I would imagine Nyte & Astraea, and truly bring the story to life.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. This review is voluntary, and all opinions expressed are my own.

This story left me a bit confused. I even went back to check if I had started mid-series, but it turns out this is the first book. I gave it two tries, but I still couldn’t get into it. That said, I really enjoyed the narration by Corvin King and Jacci Prior, their voices were great together.

DNF. This was a disappointment for fans of The Serpent & the Wings of Night or Shadow and Bone. Unlike those books, this one was very confusing. You're left unsure of what you just read and struggle to connect with characters or the plot. Very disappointing.
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for this arc

Spicy, dark, and underwhelming. Not my type of book if I am honest. I hope the author keeps at it and keeps trying. Many authors failed their first handful of books and then became successful later.

Astraea has lived under a tyrant's "protection" for several years but the memories from her prior life will not come back. When Nyte suddenly appears, he is the villain but also a different kind of protector and she realizes she has been manipulated. She sells her soul to him to help her escape and get her memories back which is the beginning of on and off again attraction to the Villain. As the danger of the past tyrant and the vampires increases she realizes there is a whole more at stake - the kingdom is in danger. This one was hard for me to follow and while I enjoyed the chemistry between Nyte and Astraea, I was left wanting more from their characters.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audio!

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. I was not able to finish reading the audiobook. I want to try other books from this author and I hope those are better.

Dark, Addictive, and Full of Tension

The Stars Are Dying is an intense blend of deadly trials, lost memories, and a dangerously seductive vampire. Astraea’s journey is gripping, with high-stakes competition, eerie suspense, and undeniable chemistry with Nyte. While the worldbuilding could be deeper, the tension and intrigue kept me hooked. If you love morally gray love interests and fierce heroines, this is a must-read. Can’t wait for the sequel!

Wow, the narrators are EVERYTHING. Corvin King basically IS Nyte, his voice is so deep and brooding, I was totally swooning. Jacci Prior as Astraea? Perfection. She captures all the character's inner conflict and strength.
Some parts drag a bit, and if you're not into slow-burn romance with tons of tension, this might not be your jam.
The worldbuilding is incredible, and the whole vampiric political intrigue? Chef's kiss 👌 If you love romantasy with morally gray characters and a heroine discovering her own power, you HAVE to listen to this.
4/5 stars. would absolutely recommend

The characters were my favorite parts of this story, FMC aside.... her self deprecating comments were just so damn much. I struggled to empathize with her, because I was constantly rolling my eyes wanting to move on from her every thought.
While the story was interesting and had some good twists, it felt like a composition of Serpents and the Wings of Night and From Blood and Ash/Flesh and Fire. Like each piece of the story ended up being predictable.
I had a good time reading it, and am looking forward to continuing on with the series. I'm SO hopeful that we'll get more time with Rosalind, because she's a top tier character for sure!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
🌶️🌶️

This book had a lot of promise. The premise was very good. I do think the book was executed a little unorganized, but that’s just my opinion.
In this book we get celestials, Fae, vampires, and humans. This also has the amnesia or loss memory trope. One of my favorite tropes that I really don’t read that often is starcrossed lovers and this one is definitely starcrossed pun intended.

There is trials and a contest in this book, so it does give off that dystopian vibe while still being fantasy.

I did listen to the audiobook for this, and I thought the narrators were phenomenal. I really enjoy Corvin King’s voice work in this book. I will be reading the next one just because it does leave off on a cliffhanger. I do think this series does have potential.

I would recommend audiobook.

First off, thank you NetGalley and the Publishers for an advanced audiobook of this story!!

I went into this book with such high hopes and expectations because of all the hypes and special editions I’ve been seeing pop up of it. And I was sort of disappointed. I found the story itself hard to follow, I felt like new characters popped up left and right with hardly an explanation. The plot was all over the place and super confusing. I actually gave up trying to read it about a quarter of the way in. I just couldn’t understand what was happening and was frustrated.

The idea of story itself was super intriguing and sounded so original! I think I may try to pick up a hard copy of this book and see if I have better luck. This is one of those cases when I really want to like a book.

The narrators did an excellent job! This was my first audiobook with two narrators and I loved it. I think it made the story more fun and engaging. They truly did an excellent job.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio 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 story was just so interesting. Astrea was such a great character. I just love how the story unfolded. Everything is revealed just so piece by piece. You have a solid villain but also some morally grey characters. I felt like I had different theories about each one as I read. The twists were so neat to the story. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

The narrators Jacci Prior and Corvin king did a pretty good job with this one. They both work very hard to convey the story in a way that makes sense. The prose in this book does really work that well for me to being heard without visual aid, and even with visual aid it’s not my favorite and does feel over done at points. On top of this the story felt very repetitive and like a lot of nothing until 75-80% of the book. I will probably continue the series but this one was a miss for me.

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.