* 2.5 stars *

Well, admittedly this book has a very pretty cover. But that's unfortunately the best thing about it for me. I really liked the Indian & Persian inspirations in this romantasy because it brought something fresh to the genre.

However, the FMC's inner dialogue drove me mad. And all of the curses felt so out of place and too modern for the setting. It just took me right out of the story and made me roll my eyes. And the MMC was so bland when he was supposed to be charming. Overall, I was definitely disappointed. However, I'm sure plenty of romantasy fans will enjoy it!

A huge thanks to Netgalley for the eARC, I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard

3.25/5⭐️
2/3🌶️ (spice)
2/3 🦋 (swoon)

•My Thoughts•
I’ve got mixed feelings about this one, folks. I picked this one up because the cover is gorgeous and while I haven’t read any Amalie Howard books before, she’s a well established historical romance author. I did really enjoy the middle eastern/Indian mythology. I liked the MCs and the story premise. I had some trouble with the writing style and a little bit of the pacing. Amalie used a lot of modern phrases that took me out of the story, especially because it was set in a time of horses and sword fighting AND she mixed it with historical phrases too. I felt like the world building was a little confusing and there were possibly some plot holes. There was a confusing love triangle vibe that is going to be a bigger part of book 2 (I assume). I often have a hard time with more than one love interest so that absolutely affected me. I think this has some good bones with the trials, the mythology and great evil characters you love to hate AND while I had some trouble with the writing style, that might not bother many!

Thank you to Amalie Howard, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Starlight Heir releases January 7, 2025.

I’m a fan of Amalie Howard’s historical romances so I was very excited to get this new fantasy book, and I am glad to say I enjoyed it a lot. Once I got into it I didn’t want to stop reading. I found it interesting that the main plot in this book seems to be resolved, and it almost felt like it could be a standalone novel. However, there are just enough little questions left that I’m excited to see how this twists and turns to continue in into a series.
Suraya was a good FMC overall. She was a little naive and immature, but she was also strong and determined. I think she has a lot of potential to grow as the story continues. Roshan was a good love interest for her. He was attentive and able to take control of any situations that came up. I had the feeling from the start that he isn’t end game and I feel I’m correct after finishing the book, but I could be wrong and it wouldn’t be a bad thing. I’m most interested to see more of Darrius in the following books. I think he could present a really good enemies to lovers plot if it goes the way I think.

Rating: 3,5 stars

I’ve been a huge fan of Amalie’s historical romances and when I saw she was trying her hand at fantasy romance I could not be more overjoyed. I love her fastpaced writing and her MMC’s and if those are the things you like too, hold onto your beltbuckles, it’s gonna be a RIDE.

This was a very fastpaced book and when you think you know what is going on, at 25% the whole story gets knocked upside down and you have no idea what you have just gotten yourself into. While it took me a while to get back into the story after that moment, it felt like the plot was settling down and I am seeing a ton of potential with this whole world that Amalie crafted.
This is based upon Persian mythology and I myself am not at all versed in that world, but it really intrigued me. The concept of the gods and the stars was something that I can’t wait to learn more about.
The only thing that annoyed me in this whole story was Suraya’s reaction to a reveal about Roshan, but thankfully she got her head out of her ass pretty quickly, which I was afraid wasn’t going to happen.
I really hope this story gets a followup, because I am not done at all with the breadcrumbs left behind. Especially regarding Roshan, I really hope we will be getting more of him (totally not based on the fact that Roshan reminds me of my favorite Amalie Howard hero, Rafe Saint swoons).


Was this a perfect fantasy romance? No.
Did I have any clue at what was going on? No.
Was I entertained? Yes, very much so.
Am I going to read any follow ups? Hell yeah!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing an ARC.

This was a fast paced book that surprisingly pulled me in from the beginning, but it was lacking in some areas. It’s my first book by this author so I was not quite sure what to expect and although it wasn’t a five star read for me, it was entertaining. The writing style was easy to read and my attention didn’t necessarily wander, but I do wish certain things had been more thought out and focused on. The story follows our main character, Suraya, when she is chosen to be the bride to the crown prince. However, she finds herself falling for the prince’s brother. This book was a decent starter for the series and I enjoyed the romantasy aspect and the slow burn is definitely present. This book did tend of come off very YA which was kind of a disappointment, especially when it came to the dialogue and the spice level. The dialogue sometimes read very modern world which threw me off because of the setting. The world building isn’t complex so it’s easy for readers to understand, and would be great for someone who is perhaps newer to the fantasy genre. Some of the plot twists were fairly easy to guess but others grabbed my attention. Overall, I think this could be a great book for someone who is just starting to explore the fantasy genre and also great for younger readers. It did fail to meet my expectations of a true adult fantasy novel though but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager/Avon for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinions and review.

ARC Review: The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
Pub Date: January 7, 2025

I have loved Amalie's historical romances for the most part so was so excited for her foray into romantasy! I didn't know much going into this other than it was based on Persian and Indian mythology and that the FMC was a bladesmith.

I was pretty immediately sucked in! There were pretty high stakes and even though I didn't know exactly where we were going, I was intrigued by the characters and the world. I really liked the magic system even if I didn't fully understand it! I did like the relationship between Roshan and Suraya and thought they had pretty good banter - I'm interested to see where their relationship goes in the next book. And of course, because it's Amalie, the spice definitely delivered even though I would have liked to see another scene or two to really see the progression of their relationship.

I do think this book falls into some of the common pitfalls of popular romantasy - there are betrayals, secret identities, and other typical tropes from the genre. It was pretty predictable in a lot of ways, particularly toward the end. And the world building felt pretty incomplete to me personally. I don't mind being dropped into the world and having to figure some things out but I do think just a little more world building would have been helpful.

This does end on a bit of a cliffhanger - I haven't really decided if I'll read the second book. I'm somewhat intrigued but I also know by the time the next book publishes, I'll have forgotten what happened in this book.

Thank you to Avon for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don't mind fast pace, but it felt more rushed than fast pace in the beginning, and then the world building was boring or just really lacked imagery. I really need more descriptive imagery in my fantasy reads, so this one's not really for me. And I have complaints about the female main character that I won't go into details on because they're spoilery. I'm bummed this one isn't for me.

This was such an intriguing story!

I loved the Persian & Indian aspects to it as I haven't read many of those.

I also really liked the writing, even if some of it was really modern and weird in the story. Laleh had some of the funniest things to say.

There were some VERY interesting chapters with the God of Night that leaves me really wanting to know more for the next book!

Suraya and Roshan had a lot of forced proximity and tension plus the best banter!

Read if you love:
-Persian & Indian Mythology
-Witty banter
-Soul fated mates
-Quests

Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book. My thoughts are entirely my own.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this arc.

This is my first romantasy novel, as well as for the author. I've read some of her historical romance and really enjoyed them so had to give this a read.

The cover art is stunning.

I enjoyed this story and am glad to see that it will be a series to continue developing the characters. They could use some more development. I liked the plot behind this story and how it played out. I did find the language that was used in the story to take me out of the world at times. They used very modern language and at times I was expecting them to be doing tik toks and not in this old fantasy world.

Overall it was a fun read and I look forward to following these characters in the next one.

Suraya Saab is working at her weapons forge when she receives a golden invitation to the Crown Prince’s ball, where he will be looking for a bride. But it’s not the Crown Prince that catches her eye, but rather his bastard half-brother, Roshan. While at the palace she discovers there’s lots her parents never told her about who she is, and when she finds out that the ball is really a contest meant to flush her out, she escapes into the desert with Roshan. They travel across the sands and meet up with a rebel group where Suraya must learn more about her powers, how to control them, and how to keep them safe from those who would control her.

I think that this is a great book for someone who is maybe unsure about trying out romantic fantasy books! It has a lot of great fantasy tropes (young female savior, corrupt government, light/shadow dynamic) but the language is more modern and less formal than you’ll find in most fantasy books, and so you may find it more accessible. I enjoyed the plot lines and the mysterious dream shadow daddy (thank you for him, Amalie!) and am really looking forward to what’s happens next. I hope we get to see Suraya more at her forge and some of Roshan’s POV.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been impressed by this author's historical romances, so I was really looking forward to seeing what she could do in the romantasy space. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. It felt like she was trying to take the banter of a contemporary romance and shove it into a romantasy costume, which had the effect of diminishing both aspects. I nearly DNFed at "Don't princesplain to me."
The plot could have been interesting, but the book ended with some characters still entirely unclear because they were just being set up for the next book. There were also way too many things happening for nonsensical reasons to aid the plot-our MC spends most of the book trying and failing to master her new powers, then suddenly is able to do something she's never tried before... just... because! And it leads to her finding out all kinds of secret things that can help her move foward in her journey! How lucky! I was really frustrated at the lazy writing.
I won't be continuing this series, but I will continue to read her HR work!

*mild spoilers at the end*

A slow starter, this fantasy feels YA with adult content (The spice we love from Amalie!) and has a lot of similar themes to the genre. It's fairly creative in worldbuilding but it's a bit of an info dump. Things start happening quickly about a third of the way in, establishing a romantic interest early on and plenty of danger all around. Interesting magical system and excellent villains, but I just didn't buy into everything fully. I'll still be reading the next book though, and seeing what happens as the rightful king is crowned and the "god of darkness") or night or whatever keeps talking possessively to himself) is made known to us....

Went into this know little to nothing about the story, but so happy I did! A journey of love self discovery, grief, and even family this was a wonderful story! Our main character starts off shyand timid and takes a leap into the unknown when she is summoned to the palace for a bridal competition. Things escalate extremely quickly and turn into a fight for her life! She quickly learns all that glitters is not gold! Simply convinced she will just be along for the ride before the Prince makes his decision on a bride and then she will be going directly back home. No harm no foul. She learns how wrong she is when upon arriving the Prince takes interest in her during the second challenge. The reaction of what she faces during the challenge is highly unusual and therefore starts her race to stay alive. With a few allies help she manages to escape the Crown Prince’s clutches for the time being. However the Prince will not be made a fool of and he quickly goes after everything our fmc holds dear. The friendship she forms with the other Prince is innocent until its not😉. Eventually they both land back at the palace and marriage preparations have started for our FMC and the Crown Prince. Very fast pace and along the way we get another POV, is it friend or is it foe?🧐😖 A true gym in the writing and mythology and the origins of this tale are very unique!

Alright, I had to process this one. I really enjoyed this book!! I loved the inclusion of Middle Eastern and Indian mythology, divination, and the power of love. Suraya is a complex character who, I think, is either a little naive or just loves to drink dumb b*tch juice. There were parts where I literally had to put my kindle down and walk away rubbing my face because… girl, ALL the signs are there!! BUT, it’s for the plot! And it makes sense as she’s a 25yo woman who’s never left home or had a romantic relationship. It’s just me needing to take a chill pill.

I love the side characters in this story. Roshan is so charismatic and charming, he made me giggle and blush a little lol I’d love to know more about Aran, might just be me but my gaydar was going off. Laleh… oh girl, I love best friends and girlhood and that platonic soulmate you get lucky enough to find in your life!! Laleh deserves the world.

One thing that did throw me a bit was the more modern language and references. It just didn’t flow in my mind very well. This is definitely a more new adult book, kind of a coming into yourself story. I know some readers who are going to eat this up (much like I did!) thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read it early!!

I just finished this book and had to submit my review. I have enjoyed this book immensely it has a great plot line that keeps you reading to find out what is going to happen next. The main character is very relatable and easy to love. The nemesis is easy to hate and the romantic interest of the heroine is easy to cheer on! Great book!

This was a really great start to this series. I’m not sure if it will be more than a duology but there is a ton to work with when it comes to world building. I did get a little lost in the houses/areas people are from, but I assume that will solidify over time. However, while it is a bit confusing the added layers between people’s loyalties, abilities, and beliefs played well. It’s an onion of plot development – not an orange – many layers to what drives each character. The magic is also very interesting, and with how things ended I’m very curious how that develops – especially with the main characters. The pacing is good. The tension and banter between the FMC and everyone but mostly the MMC are great. Suraya is sarcastic and blunt, and I loved her. I found myself laughing out loud at a lot of her comments and some conversations between her and Roshan. The only part of the book that fell to the side for me were the God of Night chapters. I had a whole theory going only to be left at the end with more questions than answers and ultimately was a little confused by the purpose of those chapters. The ending has a lot of possible easter eggs for what’s to come, and I’ll definitely be continuing on this journey.

BLOWN AWAY.
This book was everything I needed. I took it on vacation with me and I could not put it down.
Suraya Saab Is a feisty, strong willed, and isn’t afraid of asking the hard questions.
I devoured this story, the plot was amazingly paced, the character development was on par with the pacing, the world building was there but not vast that it toed the line of a high fantasy which I can dislike. The descriptions of the world, and artifacts, and other aspects of the story were beautiful, elegant and I could truly picture what I was reading.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in need of a new Romantasy to fall in love with.

This was my first book from Amalie Howard and I really enjoyed it!! A pretty solid Romantasy debut. It was fast-paced and action packed and I never found myself bored or skimming. The world building was easy to follow. I did guess a few of the plot twists, but others completely threw me.

"𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨."

I LOVED Laleh, the FMC’s bf. She was hilarious.

"𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮?"
"𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙠, 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮"

I absolutely ate up the slow burn between Sura and Roshan, I was squealing when I got to chapter 17.

"𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮? 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚."

But my favorite parts of this book were the action scenes.

And the surprise POV?? WHAT A TEASE. I desperately need more!! Very interested to see how this plays out in the next book!

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙧𝙮𝙣𝙙𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧. 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙪**𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙙."

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
💜 Fantasy Romance
✨ Dangerous Trials
💜 Prophecies
✨ Twists
💜 Persian & Indian Mythology
✨ Slow Burn

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVoyager/Avon for both the e-ARC and physical ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Starlight Heir was one of my most anticipated books of 2025 and I really wanted to love it. It was off to a great start and somewhere at 30% it flopped. It begins as The Selection meets The Hunger Games in a persian and indian inspired fantasy setting, but to my great disappointment, the "competition" is already over after the first trial; then there's a lot of capturing and escaping on repeat and then the book is over. It reads like YA for the most part, but there's some spice in it and I guess that's why it was marketed as adult romantasy.

The FMC is lusting over the MMC constantly for about 40% of the book, even when she's trying to escape dangerous situations. I get that it's romantasy, but it was too much for me. Also the FMC's internal monologue using words like "sex-on-a-stick" to describe the MMC really put me off.

The mythology and the magic system were really good and honestly this is what saved the book for me. I wanted more of that, but unfortunately it was more like an introduction to book 2. It was also pretty repetitive and there weren't any twists and turns that I didn't see coming.

Overall, I think that the story has a lot of potential and I will definitely read the sequel, hoping that it's going to be better than this one.

I would recommend The Starlight Heir to fans of romantasy who enjoy fast-paced reads with some drama and spice.

So for Amalie’s debut fantasy romance/ romantasy— I enjoyed this! Amalie’s humor and wit strike again in her latest book. I will say if you’re a romance reader dipping your toes into fantasy this would be a good introduction versus a fantasy reading looking for a little romance. Personally I would rate this book a 3.8/5 and let’s get into why:

Spoilers ahead so if you want to avoid that do not read any further.

What I liked:
-The mythology- it was intriguing to have a different and diverse mythology focus than I am used to (don’t want to tell you too much about this as that will take the fun out of it no?)
- The FMC - I love a sassy FMC — She does use a lot of modern language so I know for some that can feel jarring / throw you out of the world when it’s not an urban fantasy but this didn’t bother me too much
-The MMC - Charming and his way with words had me happy for the FMC— I feel like we got good development for the FMC & MMC
-I am a trials and stakes girlie so I loved “the invitation” concept

What I think could be improved but I’m giving grace on with it being the debut romantasy:
-I want more world building. I like the way Amalie described people, food, and action scenes— but I wanted more from this. I wanted to learn more about the mythology and more about the world they were in. At times I felt like we were “jumping” from scene to scene and this threw me off more than the modern language.
-The spice— I wanted a bit more from this— the first introduction scene was fleshed out well but the later scenes felt too rushed. Also, I think because the characters used more modern language but then the spice/smut scenes used more “historical” language to describe bits threw me off in these scenes. However, in fantasy books open or closed door romance really doesn’t make or break the book for me.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and glad I had the opportunity to arc read it thanks to Netgalley.