One of my favourite things about this story was the almost irreverent approachability of the narrarator. It was made possible by language that feels a vibrant as the story- there is modern language, woven in with the very fantastical and often lofty language that is common in romantasy.

The tension in this was also top notch and I loved the chosen one who is actually fierce and not a delicate wee flower.

Enjoyable, if a bit dense. The worldbuilding was really worth the bits that felt overwhelming, the romance was excellent, and even though there's not a ton of spice, I absolutely LOVE the mood that's set with intense, actionable world building and imagery that makes both lust for sex and violence feel tangible in the story.

This was an interesting romantasy with a very fun plot line. We follow Suraya, our female protagonist as she goes from a naive and sweet girl and watch her turn into a real badass with the aid of Roshan, the prince's half brother as the two of them turn fugitive after an incident at the palace which almost kills Suraya but instead shows how amazing she and her newfound power are going to be. With an unique magic system, a brooding but fierce love interest and a power greedy prince hunting them as Suraya and Rochan hide themselves amongst rebels, the action starts quite quickly and builds from there, making this book an easy and quick read.

Recommended for those who like Indian inspired mythology and cosmic magic. The audiobook narrators are also quite good at bringing this world to life.

The book is still listed as a standalone but I wouldn't be surprised with seeing a sequel or companion book in the future. It feels like the author has many more stories they could tell from this world.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperAudio Adult for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“When this is over and you’re safe, I promise to drop to my knees for as long as you like.”

Um excuse me I had so much fun reading this book. I had the audio and the kindle version so I loved switching between the two. Suraya and Roshan were just perfect.

The narrator was so good and easy to listen too. Flew through it.

A big thanks to Harper Audio and Netgalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

This book is a compilation of so many of my favourite fantasy tropes - I love me a deadly competition, secret identity, slow burn romance, corrupt governments, etc! It's no surprise then that I enjoyed this one 😂. I was absolutely hooked for the entirety of the first half, after that it slows a little but by then I was being distracted by Roshan 🤭😂 and it sped back up towards the end with some twists! The world building was very fun, being inspired by Indian and Persian mythology, and I enjoyed the magic and the idea of the Starkeeper. Some of the language used in this book is quite modern, as in I hear some of these words and terms in my day to day, and that sometimes pulled me out of the story a bit. But overall, I enjoyed this a lot and if you're looking for a book to get lost in, this one worked for me!

The narrators were also excellent - I felt like they brought the characters to life and matched them quite well, which made this an engaging listen!

CW: Torture, death, sexual content.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperAudio for the alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This is my first amalia Howard book now I want to read her entire backlist and any future book. This was phenomenal and I read this right after quicksilver. I didn't expect the spice but loved that part. Top to bottom outstanding book.

Suggest picking it up.
4.5/5☆

* On StoryGraph rated 2.75 ⭐️ *
The Starlight Heir is a very standard romantasy book, lots of action, special powers and mythical lore to justify characters power and spicy scenes between MMC and FMC. I found the pacing of the plot to be a bit uneven at times and found the setting very vaguely described and it's really only the names of the characters that give a "Persian" vibe (but this could be because I listened to the audiobook version and did not have a map). I usually enjoy a bit of spice in books but found the spice scenes a bit off- putting.


Thank you Netgally and HarperAudio for the ARC - all opinions are my own

I've enjoyed Amalie Howard's historical romances and was excited to read a fantasy by her!

Suraya is a bladesmith who gets invited to compete for the King Zarek's hand in marriage. When she arrives, instead she's drawn in by the king's half brother Roshan.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced adventure and found myself immediately rooting for Suraya. I never knew what would happen next, in a very fun way. The magic system and world building was super well done. The audiobook was well done and I really enjoyed the narrator.

Tropes:
* Chosen One
* Trials
* Slow Burn
* Secret Identities

4 stars

I absolutely devoured The Starlight Heir, this story had me engaged from the very first chapter. Anais and Ramiz did a fantastic job narrating this book, It took me just over a day to get through the 12 hour audio. Great story, bladesmith Suraya goes to meet Crown Prince who is looking for a bride and finds her self in more of a game to survive than a meet and greet. All hell breaks loose from there and I loved all of it! Spice is good but not overwhelming. Also, the ending??? Amalie who is this Shadow Daddy we are seeing in the last possible moment!?! I cannot wait for more!

Thank you to NetGalley & Haper Collins for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Starlight Heir is equal parts fantasy and romance, a balanced blend that satisfied my favorite cravings. We follow Suraya Saab, a bladesmith who is invited to the capital amongst other young women to potentially be the prince's bride. However, Suraya doesn't want to be princess, she just wants to see more of the world and especially the capital city her late mother talked so lovingly about.
Despite not looking for love, the illegitimate half-brother of the prince catches her eye. But Roshan has secrets of his own that begin to come to light when the pair discover the prince's true mission is to reveal the Starkeeper- a girl rumored to hold the magic of the Stars. And there's even more political schemes at play as rebel attacks and deceits continue to pop up.

As for the audio narration: the narrators did a wonderful job.

I loved the fantasy aspects of this story and the tension of the plot built so well. The pacing was a little disjointed at times, but not enough that it pulled me from the story. I do prefer more of a slow burn, and although the sexual tension built and exploded wonderfully, the romance itself felt very insta-lovey. I think this potentially had to do with the disjointed pacing.
Seeing Saraya grapple with learning her magic (which is a wonderful trope I love) was so good! And seeing her shift into bada$$ mode from time to time was also very satisfying.

I am definitely interested in reading more by this author &, if this gets a sequel, I will be picking it up!

Thank you Avon Books and Harper Audio for my gifted advance review and advance listening copies.

The Starlight Heir was a complete departure from Amalie’s previous historical romances, but I loved it! This immersive romantasy felt a little like ACOTAR mixed with Prince of Persia, with a dash of The Selection series and the Hunger Games.

Suraya, a talented bladesmith, is summoned to the palace along with dozens of other young women as a potential bride for the Crown Prince Javed. But it’s his handsome illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who catches Suraya’s eye. But nothing in Kaldari is as it seems. Secrets abound, magic is simmering just under the surface, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. (Side note: I kept picturing Roshan as a more muscled, hairier version of the animated Aladdin. Odd, maybe, but I rolled with it.)

I couldn’t stop reading. The settings, the characters, the steam? The arid desert, the ornate palace, the hidden caves. The portal magic and runes of power and gods and guardians. All absolute perfection. I can’t wait for the second book—and hopefully we’ll learn more about Suraya’s mysterious shadow daddy, a dark god who has been visiting her in her dreams. *insert eyebrow waggle here*

I adored the audiobook—Anais Inara delivers a FANTASTIC performance, bringing all the different characters to life. Her narration was completely immersive.

💜 The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard 💜 4.5 ⭐️

🐺🦜🦚✨🔥 Can we talk about how cool this cover is?

This one is about Suraya, a bladesmith from an unassuming village who receives a summons from the king to join several other young women at the royal court in Kaldari. Congrats, you all get to compete to be the crown prince’s bride! Suraya doesn’t much feel like crown princess material, what with her humble background, medium looks, and illegal magical blade forging (shhhhh ‘tis a secret!). Buuut her mother loved the palace, so for that reason, and because refusing the king is a huge no-no, she travels to the palace. Once she arrives, however, it becomes clear that the selection process is much more intense than she bargained for. Not to mention the prince is cold, creepy, and nowhere near as alluring as his illegitimate half-brother, Roshan. Things get even more intense when political turmoil in the city boils over, and Suraya finds out that the bride competition is a front for the prince’s hunt for a magically powerful being. “At least in all this chaos, I can count on him.” All I will say is, Famous Last Words.

Enough spoilers, just read it! The book has some fairly intense pacing, and was just slightly reminiscent of TOG for me in the tone, lost heir/savior trope, and the inclusion of life or death trials. I appreciated that the world-building was pretty intricate and that we had some rich additions from middle eastern culture. There was some spice but not a ton, this one is pretty action-packed.

I really enjoyed the audiobook quite a bit. The narrator had a great voice (slight British accent). I listened at different speeds and this one seemed a bit slower at 1x speed than most. 1.5-2x speed were very comfortable but there was some distortion at faster speeds (totally normal).

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ALC!! 💜💜💜 You spoil me! (don’t stop)

🫖 I paired this book with jade tieguanyin tea from David’s Tea. In the book they have a substance called Jade that sounds a whole lot like heroine and honestly I’d probably die without tea so…

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy!

This was my first book by Amalie Howard, and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun, fast-paced story that pulled inspiration from Persian and Indian mythology, as well as astrology. Suraya Saab is a bladesmith summoned to the King's presence to take part in a competition, the winner becoming the King's bride. Things go awry, and Suraya discovers so much about herself and her true nature while on the run with a very charming companion.

It is a very interesting world that Howard has created, and I loved the dynamic between Suraya and Roshan. Their banter was so fun, though I will say that the one thing that took me out of the story a bit was the author's use of more modern terms and phrases. It just didn't seem to flow with the rest of the language and feel of that world.

Overall, I had a good time, and I am very intrigued by the developments in this story. I can't wait to read the next book!

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators did a great job channeling the emotions of their characters. It was a fun and easy listen!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook The Starlight Heir. I am an avid romantasy reader, but this fell flat for me. I found the world building to be lacking and confusing- half of the time I was wondering what was happening and why! I did like the romance aspect of The Starlight Heir. I feel like this should be marketed was a YA romantasy with some steamy aspects. 3 stars

Great standalone romantasy! I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and narration of this novel.

Thank you HarperAudio for granting me an ALC, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by the publisher.

First off, I love the cover of this book! It drew me right to wanting to read this! Though it centered mostly on Suraya and Roshan as they go on the run after the big reveal of who Suraya really is (and that section is definitely romantasy!), I had a liking or several other characters, from Suraya's best friend Laleh, to Aran, Clem and Amma (the best cook ever!) and they really helped the story along. Conversely, it was very easy to hate the bad guys, Prince Javed and his mother mostly (no grey villains in this book!).

This was a very interesting world, with the stars and how most of the magic was rooted out, except for jadu which can be imbued in things, or people. Plus how much unrest there was. It definitely needed Suraya to come and stir things up in this fast pace book and with her viewpoint but also an intriguing other voice popping up every now and then, it makes me quite eager for the next book to see what his place will be in the future of this world and how it will affect Suraya with her love for Roshan.

The narrators did a good job in bringing this book to life and a big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook!

3.5/5 *
I was enthralled with the beginning of this novel, and the ending was really well done. I wish, however, that Suraya's time in the castle had been drawn out more--I wanted more tension, more competitions and challenges. Once she and Roshan escaped, it felt like the plot came to a crawl until the last hour and a half of the audiobook. On the other side of that, I enjoyed the dirty jokes and innuendos throughout the novel; maybe I have the humor of a middle schooler, but some of the d*ck jokes were hilarious.

I think Howard is a remarkably good writer, and I will be reading the second book in this series when it's released, and hopefully the middle of the next book will be as intense as the beginning and end of "The Starlight Heir".

Lastly, Anais Inara Chase was delightful to listen to! I'm currently on the hunt for other audiobooks she's done.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Starlight Heir! The things I enjoyed about this book was the concept of it and I think the author had some good ideas with what she wanted to do with this book. The beginning felt a little slow for me but the pace eventually sped up. I wish I could have gotten to see a little bit more of her best friend that she was constantly talking about throughout the book so I had a better understanding of their friendship. I personally really enjoyed the ending of this book and how everything came together but I will say I am a little confused if there is gonna be a book two or not with how the final couple of pages played out. Overall I liked the narrator and the concept of the book. Thank you again to NetGalley!💕📚

Big thanks to Avon books for the arc and HarperAudio for the alc which I have voluntarily read/listened to & reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I AM OBSESSED. First of all, I love romantasy so that's no surprise but I also just love Amalie's books and have to say she killed it with this one.

I loved all the characters -- well the likeable ones obviously, but the villains are also very well crafted so I loved to hate them (: It's fast paced, full of action, magic and romance. Suraya is an easy character to love, she's strong, loyal, determined and passionate -- when she loves, she's all in. Roshan is full of secrets, but he's exactly what I want in my romantasy MMCs: hot, flirty, witty, protective, strong -- a leader who treats people with care, but also won't hesitate to do what he has to. I love the romance between these two, but we also get glimpses into a god's thoughts through a couple of the chapters and truly I need him to be a big part of the next book because while I loved the morsels of tension, connection, and hints at what is to come, I want more!

There are so many characters, but it's easy to keep track and I felt like each one had their own unique qualities and parts to play. I truly thought it was gonna be more of a trials/competition fantasy story but it's so much more than that. Sure, it starts with a competition to be King Zarek's bride, but it quickly becomes much more of an adventure that's full of action and our MCs on the run. The magic is interesting and the politics are intriguing; I truly can't wait to see how this story grows in the next book!

Narrators Anais Inara Chase & Ramiz Monsef do a fantastic job! They kept me engaged in the story to the point where I had no idea how much time was passing. Their voices are clear and the audio is well-paced and entertaining. If you prefer audio or like to listen and read at the same time like me, then I definitely recommend this one. I look forward to hearing them narrate more in the future.

10/10 - highly recommend!!! Published today 1/7/25, so go on and check this one out asap.

The Starlight Heir was a fantasy that had me intrigued from the first page, especially with the unique world building and magic.

Suraya gets an invitation to attend the palace to fight to be the wife of the noble price. Shocked, she agrees to go and learn more about the city that captured her late mother's heart. But, when she arrives at the palace she encounters trials and things that are beyond her wildest dreams, especially when it is revealed that she may be the Starkeeper that everyone is on the hunt for. On the run with the king's half brother, she is on the watch daily and nightly for those who want her powers while also trying to learn what her powers actually are.

I enjoyed listening to The Starlight Heir and felt it was a fresh voice in the fantasy world dominated by dragons at the moment. The world building was easy to understand and I could easily picture the different settings vividly in my head. I adored the quick chapters voiced by a male character at points during the book however; it also confused me as I was unsure who was actually talking and what was happening. I did feel that the author wrapped up book one in a satisfying way that kept me curious to discover what will occur in book two, truly as I have questions about the who's in book one and hope those to be answered. I would definitely recommend those wanting to read Amalie Howard's The Starlight Heir do so via audio, narrated by Anais Inara Chase and Ramiz Monsef. Both narrators kept me on the edge of my seat, anticipating what was to come next and waiting for that male narrator to drop every time it occurred.

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

If The Stars are Dying and Lightlark had a baby, it's this book. And I'm here for it!

Suraya, who can wield powers into the blades she creates, gets an invitation to the capital city as a candidate to potentially be the prince's wife. Little does she know that there is something dark and sinister waiting for her there, those seeking out who she really is. The prince and the queen are looking for something and she might be the key to what they are seeking. She meets the prince's illegitimate brother, Roshan, and starts to form a bond with him. Together they go on the run but soon she discovers that Roshan is also hiding his own secrets.

It's your typical FMC who has hidden star powers but doesn't know it yet, and MMC who is hiding his true identity. But what really stood out to me was how well the characters were written and the world building. I enjoyed the fact that she wasn't a damsel in distress, and that she could fight for herself and protect others. The spice was spicy but this was more plot heavy, which I do appreciate and enjoy!
The other part of this plot is that her soul is connected to another god, you get bits and pieces of information thoughout the book, which l hope, we will get more of in book 2.

I was chosen to review the audiobook and I truly believe Anais Inara Chase and Ramiz Monsef did a fantastic job with the narration. Easy and enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you, Netgalley, HarperAudio, Amalie Harper for trusting me with their work.