I really enjoyed this book. The world building slowed me down initially but then I was suddenly 75% through. I enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns. I'm excited for the next book and to hopefully find out about our shadow friend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I was intrigued by the beginning of this book. There were interesting elements placed, the world seemed vibrant and I was engaged.

I would say that ended somewhere around the 25% mark.

It feels like nothing in this book had any depth. Not the characters, not the world, not even the plot. Things were just happening just for the sake of things happening and then it didn’t feel like there was a satisfying pay-off for them.

By the halfway point, I was determined to finish the book just so I could be done with it.

Suraya’s arc was rushed as we didn’t get to see her learn to use her powers and she just had incredible control by the end somehow. Everything just felt very convenient and shallow.

One thing I love about books is when they surprise me, and not a single thing in this book was shocking or unexpected.

Overall, I think this had so much potential but didn’t deliver.

I had such a good time reading The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard. It’s got magic, court drama, and just enough romance to keep things interesting. Suraya, a badass bladesmith, finds herself caught up in royal chaos—and maybe falling for Roshan, the prince’s charming and infuriating half-brother. The world was so vivid, and even though I saw a few twists coming, I didn’t mind at all. If you’re into fantasy with a bit of romance, this one’s totally worth picking up!

4.25 ⭐ rounded up!

Suraya, the FMC, is strong, intelligent, and fiercely independent. I thoroughly enjoyed the FMC/MMC being in their mid-20's and not being a ripe 18.

The romance is a slow burn, full of longing glances and stolen moments until they come together around the midpoint. I live for the slow burn!

The magic system in this world reminded me a bit of Star Mother by Charlie N Holmberg meets mythology and is a wonderful cultural mashup!

I would have loved it if the supporting characters were a smidge more fleshed out, but they're still pretty good. Some of the very modern terms seemed very out of place as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and will happily wait for the next book!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“A bladesmith blessed by the stars. A prince with a dangerous secret. A god bound in shadows.”

Read if you like:
- Forbidden Romance
- Secret Identities
- Prophecies, Star Magic
- Forced Proximity
- Quests and Adventure

Synopsis:

We follow Suraya Saab, our heroine bladesmith. When she receives an invitation to the capital city, chosen as one of the many to be a potential bride for our crown prince, she leaves for a chance at adventure. But what awaits is nothing as imagined. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the Starkeeper, a girl rumored to hold magic of the stars in her blood. Fraught with danger, charmed with forbidden love, and the adventures of crossing an unrest city, Suraya begins to channel the power stirring within her in hopes to battle the biggest threat of all..

Thoughts:

What I enjoyed:
The setting, the easy to follow world building, and the fast-paced plot! The plot definitely keeps you on your toes, propelling the story forward. I was also very intrigued by the Persian and Indian Mythology and Astrology elements, and the overall concept of this novel was quite entertaining.

What wasn’t my favorite:
The romance and our female lead. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with Suraya. Her character growth just didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and I think this may have been better supplemented by further enforcing the bonds with our side characters. I also found myself pulled out of the story a few times by the dialogue choices. And don’t’ get me wrong, I love a spicy scene, but the romance just didn’t have that gradual believability for me to feel invested.

Ultimately, I landed on a 3 star read, but I think this romantasy author has a lot of potential. I’d be curious to see what this author releases next!

Thank you Avon Books and Harper Voyager for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read to get to experience a different cultures mythology and vibes. This one is Indian and middle eastern, and had such unique magic and amazing world building with some romance thrown in!

The Starlight Heir is a colorful and charming romantasy that follows our main character, Suraya, a commoner and bladesmith from house Aldebaran, who at the start of the story is summoned to the royal castle as a potential bride to the heir to the Kingdom, Prince Javed. She is immediately suspicious of the invitation, and when she arrives, she realizes she’s been entered into a deadly competition. Strange things start happening around her, and curiously the King’s bastard brother whom she mistook for a gardener keeps showing up. She starts to wonder if her parents had been protecting her from something her whole life.

I think this had so much potential and there were many elements of this that I loved - the rune and astrological-based magic system, the house structures and the Starlight firebird that was the embodiment of Suraya’s magic - however, I didn’t think these elements were as fleshed out as they could have been. I found myself confused at times, struggling to envision the world and magic systems, and how everything worked together. I also think the pacing hindered the emotional impact of this story, and all of the reveals fell a bit flat for me as a result. We didn’t take the necessary time to sit in any of the emotional moments or get to know the main characters beyond their attraction to each other, and it felt like these big action moments and surprising reveals were thrown at us so frequently, that nothing had any real impact or consequence. I am intrigued by the shadow God, Darrius that we occasionally got hints of, but at this point I’m not sure if I understood enough of his relation to any of the event in this story to be motivated to pick up the next book.

This was my first romantasy in a long time and it will be my last for a WHILE. It was like The Hunger Games, The Selection, a bit of ACOTAR, and Divergent all mixed into one slightly confusing and wildly paced ride. It was fun but everything started happening all at once and I couldn’t really get a grip on the story.

~Take my opinion with a grain of salt because this is definitely not my genre and I only read it because I love the author’s previous work (historical romance).~

Like many have said before me, this read almost like a YA fantasy book, but with adult spice, which gives it a disjointed and slightly uncomfortable feel. I couldn’t tell what time period it was supposed to be in with the references and language used, but I didn’t mind that too much.

But I really enjoyed getting to dive into the mythology elements and the world created here: Amalie always does an amazing job weaving her Indian, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean roots into her books, and The Starlight Heir was no different. For more, go read her historical romance series with Sourcebooks. DO IT.

In terms of the scorching romance that was promised in the summary, I’ve read books by Amalie that are 10x spicier so I would not classify this as Hot honestly, which was definitely a weird experience. Like I thought if ANYTHING, the smut would do it for me. The hero was too nice (and considerate) honestly. The heroine was also too nice. They were cute, but I didn’t feel much connection.

It’s a duology though, and from what Amalie has told me I’m definitely excited for what’s to come, so I’ll be back for book two. It felt like it was going a LOT of work to set up the next book, so I’m hoping we can just sit back and enjoy the ride in that one.

The book is written in a first person present with one main POV (the heroine’s) and a second sporadic one of some shadow god dude. The hero of the book doesn’t have a POV (I think for the better).

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

I was initially drawn in by the intriguing premise, as I’m always excited for a story that combines romance with a strong plot. The main character and her powers had a lot of potential, and they definitely captured my interest at first. Modern language used by the characters in a fantasy world is something I personally don't vibe with, it takes me out of the setting

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. This book is a solid start but missing in depth development.

I was so excited for the premise for this one when I stumbled upon it here on netgalley but unfortunately it ended up falling flat for me.

Firstly, the phrases and language used was very inconsistent to the time period that this novel seems to take place in. The main characters spoke to each other in a very formal, almost historical way, when in public, but then behind closed doors would say things like “thick thighs save lives”. It was very jarring to be reading and get random modern/gen Z esque phrases.

Another issue that I had was that the pacing was incredibly fast (sort of spoiler comment) but we went from not knowing anything about the capital to it falling all in like 18% and because of this it made it very hard for me to feel grounded within the story. There wasn’t any time to attach to any of the characters before we were moving to a new scene. I really wish we could have spent more time in the capital learning and gathering information before the inevitable fall.

Overall I really liked the ideas for this, the world had so much potential as did the choice of love interest but with the pacing and language choices I feel like we didn’t get enough of the details for those pieces of the book to really shine like they could have.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard completely captivated me with its lush world-building and compelling characters. From the very first page, I was hooked by Suraya Saab’s journey as a skilled bladesmith thrown into royal intrigue. The intricate mythology and fast-paced plot kept me turning pages late into the night. The romance and high stakes made it an exhilarating read, and I loved how Howard wove everything together so seamlessly. If you enjoy fantasy with a strong heroine, rich storytelling, and plenty of swoon-worthy moments, this book is a must-read. I absolutely loved it!

If there are key components to Howard’s writing it’s that there will be a strong lead character, witty banter, and steam enough to make you blush. We get all of those hallmarks and more in her latest book, her romantasy debut, The Starlight Heir.

Suraya is a talented bladesmith who receives an invitation for a bride competition the crown prince is hosting in the capital city. She thinks it’s a joke at first, and goes in order to prevent political backlash for her family. What she experiences there, however, is not a true competition for the prince’s hand in marriage. Nope, it is much darker than that. Her fierce protective side shines through as more dangers reveal themselves throughout the book. Thankfully, she runs into a potential ally early on, Roshan. Their immediate dislike of one another is both entertaining and infuriating, but their relationship grows quickly as each obstacle appears. Neither character is perfect and I adored how they helped each other grow.

I loved how the world was slowly revealed to us, as well as how the magical elements were intertwined with the plot. So many fantasy novels get bogged down in places by info-dumping what we need to know to orient ourselves within the world, and yet Howard did this masterfully. I never felt lost as we traveled with the characters. It was clear how grounded the world was in Persian and Indian mythology- which was so fun!

I also loved the commentary on power and corruption here. There are so many little pieces that fit perfectly together at the end, it was so satisfying to read! Expect lots of twists and turns in this one!

So, so excited for the next installment!

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy!

Content warnings: murder, violence

As a fan of Amalie Howard's adult and YA historical romances who also reads fantasy, I was excited to read this new direction for the author.

Blacksmith Suraya Saab receives a gilt-covered letter and thinks it's a joke. An invitation to Kaldari, a city she's always wanted to see, proves tempting -- but to go there as a potential bride for the crown prince? It's a request she can't refuse.

On her arrival in Kaldari, Suraya immediately meets the charming Roshan. He immediately seems a better option than the evil Prince Javed, but Suraya is the chosen one Javed is looking for. Suraya and Roshan have to deal with a lot of twists from the prince and his mother and may lose a lot on the way to the end.

Ultimately the world and its magic are the draw, but Suraya is also an interesting main character. The world draws on Indian and Middle Eastern mythology to create a world that is new to some and may feel a bit familiar to others.

Recommended for romantasy readers. Fans of pure fantasy may also enjoy, but there is one spicy scene they may want to skip.

I wanted this to be better. I feel like so many fantasy romances lose the “fantasy” aspect in order to pander to their audience. The FMC talks about “spicy” romance and book boyfriends. It just completely took me out of the story. And one of the main plot points and areas of conflict is spoiled in the blurb. Overall, it just wasn’t a good romance and was an even worse fantasy.

Nothing truly grabbed my attention enough for me to become fully immersed in the story. I want to feel everything along with the characters and unfortunately it wasn't there this time. I think I needed more world. building in the beginning to truly get a sense of where the characters were in time and space because some of the modern words/phrases really took me out of the story. Because of this I was confused about what time frame the story was in, the daggers and kingdoms said historical but the words said more modern. The story itself was good but I have to feel for the characters in my heart and soul to fall head over heels for a book.

4/5

This book was such a fun delight!!! It’s fast paced and absolutely action packed, and never has a dull moment. We have a fantastic main character in Suraya. She’s funny, kind, and actually smart. Like she didn’t annoy me at all in this book which was IMPRESSIVE. Now, I will say u hated the love interest, Roshan. He was so annoying.
BUT DARRIUS?!!! OH I AM SO INVESTED IN HIS CHARACTER ALREADY. Praying Roshan gets booted out and Darrius takes center stage in book 2.
Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending (I prefer my fantasy novels to have a continuous plot) I adored the lore of the world and all the different political things going on.
Will be waiting for book 2!!

I enjoyed this read with all the action-packed, chaotic energy flowing throughout. Additionally, while I loved the premise, the plot, and the magic system, the characters felt slightly superficial, and some of their decisions drove me insane! Another thing that made it hard for me to fully dive into the beautiful world the author set up was the use of current phrases and modern slang. Overall I did enjoy reading and I would definitely read the next in the series!

Every millennium a goddess is reborn, but her evil twin can also appear, wrecking the world. Suraya Saab doesn’t know she is The Starlight Heir (paper from Avon). She is a blacksmith specializing in magical weapons who is working on a knife that can cut through anything. Then she gets an invitation to a ball that she thinks is a joke. The new king is looking for a bride, and for a lark she decides to taste the decadence and luxury of the palace. At first everything is as she expected with dozens of girls in attendance. There’s even a cute Bastard prince to flirt with. At the first ball, girls who can’t answer a riddle are sent to a dungeon, and then they are all thrown into a gladiatorial pit to fight a monster, that’s when her powers appear. The king and his mother have been looking for her to marry her and cut out her heart so he can become the evil god. Of course she has to escape and learn to use her powers. This easily could have been a paint-by-numbers tale, but Amalie Howard makes it exciting and interesting. Recommended.

Suraya, has the unique and forbidden ability to embue jadu - the last source of magic in the realm - into her work at as a bladesmith. She is summoned by invitation to the palace to participate in trials to possibly become a bride for the crown prince. Suraya having no interest in becoming a bride, sees the potential for adventure and decides to grab it with both hands. After getting to the palace, she meets the crown prince’s swoon-worthy and irritating half brother, Roshan. The trials begun and well, things get deadly and go sideways real quick!

The plot was fun, fast-paced and the main characters were interesting. The world building of this Persian/Indian inspired mythology was well done and not too info dumpy. It was more plot driven than smut driven, and for me that’s always a plus. I like smut but I want it earned! There was only one explicit, spicy scene and it was good sexy times. The connection between the characters was there in that moment. I also enjoy some wild, deadly trial scenes. I love seeing the craziness an author comes up with and these didn’t disappoint.

I will say it didn’t have me feverishly turning the page the way I wanted it to. It felt a bit YA at times and the love story was almost there, but was missing that little something. The plot twists and hidden identities were a bit too obvious for me. Also, I was intrigued by all of the side characters but I’d like to see more from them in book 2. They felt very underdeveloped.

One last small thing - I was given the sense that this was a historical setting but then at times modern terms and slang were used. It didn’t ruin the story for me by any means but it did seem out of place.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC.
Overall, I enjoyed myself and that epilogue has me curious for a sequel, is there perhaps a possible shadow daddy on the horizon? But honestly, I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the second book or not. It fell a little flat for me and was missing a little emotional connection.

Tropes:
- Forbidden Romance
- Prince MMC
- Chosen One
- Hidden Identities
- Trials
- Hidden Powers
- Magical Creatures
- Potential Shadow Daddy??