Romantasy is always hit or miss for me, and while this one didn't click for me as much as I would have liked, it has all the staples of the genre that I think will make it a hit with avid romantasy fans. I thought the world was interesting and I appreciated a non-eurocentric setting, I liked our main character, and I thought there was chemistry between her and the love interest. There's a dark god-like being on the outskirts of the story that I think may appeal to some fantasy readers who prefer the villain.

The pacing didn't entirely work for me unfortunately, and I found the lust to sometimes be a bit distracting considering the circumstances the characters found themselves in, but the spice was definitely well written. I can definitely say the final third of this book had me intrigued. It took the story in places I wasn't expecting and I respect that. I honestly don't know where the story could go from here, in a good way. There's a lot of directions this story could be taken, and it will be interesting to see where Howard chooses to go with it.

Thank you to Amalie Howard, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of the audiobook for The Starlight Heir in exchange for my honest review.

From the first chapter I was drawn into this book. In fact, I massively stalled listening to it at times because I simply did not want it to end. The world-building, the magic system, the plot, the character development in this book is outstanding. Surprisingly, I loved learning about the magic system and the prophecy alongside Suraya. I felt the fear, the frustration, the heartbreak. I am so glad that we got to be in Suraya's head and see her thoughts as she tried to grapple with all that was happening. Even though I got frustrated with her at times because of her thoughts, I am glad we got to experience them because I do not think I would have enjoyed the story as much otherwise.

I also liked Roshan a lot. Their relationship together was the perfect balance of falling for eachother while also recognizing that there was a lot at stake. I will say, I did pick up on the plot twist in regards to Roshan pretty early on, but I loved the mindset of relearning to trust and am excited to see the two work through all that has happened since the start of the book.

This is a book that I will reread over and over again. I am glad that it left on a spot where you want more and you crave more, but there is no cliff hanger, so it is not this overwhelming desperation. Do not get me wrong, I am excited for book two, but I think Howard did a good job with wrapping this storyline up while also leaving threads for future storylines. I do not want to say much because I do not want to spoil anything. Just know that I loved this book and it is 100% worth the read. Every element of this story was so much fun and in some ways, I already miss it.

I absolutely devoured this book!!! The Romantasy was perfection it was oh so good full of the best moments!!!! The fantasy elements I really fell in love with!!! The ending has me a bit confused but overall great read!!!

I am conflicted on this because on one hand, I think the premise of this was promising and it started off great, but I struggled to stay engaged throughout most of the story. The plot really pivoted early in the story and neither the story, nor the characters, kept me super interested. I felt like the plot was kind of all over the place - I really wanted more development around the FMC's star power and admittedly, I wasn't super invested in the romance. The pace definitely picked up towards the end, but some parts of the story line (like with the God of Night) just didn't amount to anything? Assuming that will come back to be important in the next book, but it felt just thrown into the storyline.

Hoping we'll get some more development in the next book.

The starlight heir is a romance fantasy set in Persian mythology. I liked the magic system in the book and the plot.

It starts off with the MFC Suraya a bladesmith (what was the relevance of this? I thought her occupation would tie into the storyline more) being summoned by the king for bridal competition for the Crown Prince. She meets the MMC Roshan the Crown Princes bastard brother first day and has an instant connection I did not feel. Their chemistry seemed rushed/forced and they soon are in love in a matter of days. Honestly there was not much character development between any characters. She soon finds out she holds the magic of the stars and the competition was a way for the royal family to find her and use her powers.

In the beginning of the book the MFC has dreams with a shadowed man involved that are interesting. I was hoping I would learn more about them later in the story but was disappointed, she never sees this shadow man again. I’m assuming by the last chapter we will learn more about him in the second book.

I did enjoy the MFC character when she was not with Roshan. Without him she was strong, capable, and a badass. With him she felt whinny and immature. Incapable of doing anything without him to guide her.

This book does contain use of modern language which I don’t mind. Some people may find it off since the story seems to be set back in time. I don’t think it affected the storyline at all.

Overall the book has promise to be a great story, hoping for a bit more detail and clarity. I am interested enough that I will probably read the second book when it is available. Hopefully the second book will give us more information on what her true purpose is and more information on the gods that are mentioned. Also hoping for more development between characters. (Me secretly hoping she leaves Roshan for her mysterious shadow dream man)

The audiobook was well done and I enjoyed the readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, the author, and Harper audio for the ARC.

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). I liked both narrators and can’t wait to hear more from him in book two 👀

The top-notch cover art and enticing book blurb gave me high hopes of a great read. It started out with a good hook but the overall plot execution made me lower my rating. While the narrator did an exceptional job, when I reluctantly finished the audiobook. You can tell this work was a labor of love for the author but it just lacked the final polish to make the story shine!
*I received an arc of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I need to start by saying, we LOVE to see some Persian mythology representation!!! This year, I'm making more of an effort to read outside the conventional Greek, Roman, Celtic mythology.

The first 25% of this book is like if The Selection was adult fantasy, but the competition was deadly, and the prince they were all fighting to marry is a psycho with a sexy, mysterious half-brother. *cue the sound, "oh gosh, look at the time. I've gotta get home to sleep with your brother". The spice is spicing.

This book is extremely fast paced. Most books in a series would have stopped book one at this 25% mark. That is what made this book feel like such a gift. Even though it is the first book in this series, it felt like reading 3 books in one. The problem with this though, is that I had a harder time connecting to the characters. I felt as if they were not fleshed out enough, and their relationship dynamics were not not fleshed out enough. I do think the author could've turned the pace down a notch and the book would still be excellent. (Note to author and publisher: Please, please, please don't let the next book be a bunch of filler. And bring back limiting the fantasy series to 2-3 books. Seriously, dragging shit out RUINS a series. I'm totally not salty about another romatasy released recently... don't make the same mistake).

There is modern vernacular, but that doesn't bother me in fantasy books. It's fantasy! The author can make it whatever she wants it to be. I know some people say it "pulls them out" of the story... I personally prefer modern vernacular because I understand it better, and can read it faster, than old-timey languages.

The plot is predictable, but again this doesn't bother me. I prefer it actually, because it brings me comfort knowing what is going to happen next. This is a cozy romantasy, with all of the classic tropes we know and love. This book brought back the feeling of reading my favorite YA's as a kid, but with adult spice. AND just look at that cover! It's GORGEOUS! I enjoyed the hell out of this and I can't wait to see what's in store!

Tropes: Persian Mythology, Deadly Bridal Competition, Forbidden Romance, Shadow Daddy, Prophecy/ Written in the Stars, Epic Quest, Political Rebellion

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was very promising and was definitely an entertaining read. Unfortunately, this story had a lot of elements that can be found in Trial of the Sun Queen, Red Queen, and others. I was really hoping that the plot would veer off in a very different direction or stand out in a significant way. The contemporary dialogue and colloquialisms were a bit off-putting.

Regarding the audiobook: The narrators made this story more interesting and enjoyable for me. I liked the FMC’s accent, in particular. It really made her origins from a different region believable.

Overall,iIf you’re looking for a fun and fast-paced story, this will definitely do the trick, it just might not be particularly memorable. Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

(3.5/5) Unfortunately, to be honest, I don’t know if I would’ve finished this one if I hadn’t gotten it from NetGalley.

What I liked:
- Persian & Indian-inspired mythology
- The book starts off like The Selection with a Hunger Games twist.
- While there’s obviously a book 2 planned, this book has a satisfying end that feels like a complete arc

What I didn’t like:
- Honestly, the main characters just fell flat for me. I felt like their personalities & the chemistry between them didn’t quite pop, and the spice/lustiness felt like it didn’t quite fit somehow — almost like it was added just so it could fit under the romantasy label.

- The Selection/Hunger Games set-up resolves surprisingly quickly (maybe at like the 25% mark) and from there, although l liked the idea of some of the developments, in general, it just felt like the plot dragged. (However that could’ve been because I was connecting to the characters)

All that to say, while this book wasn’t really for me, if you’re a romantasy fan who loves a strong side of mythology, it might be for you!

I loved the premise of The Starlight Heir, but for once I think the pacing was actually too fast for me. This is one of those stories that I really feel could have benefited from more thorough world building and more moderate pacing. While I know there is a fine line between “can’t stop reading” plot lines and book slump info dumps, the entire time I was reading I just felt like I was in the middle of a whirlwind. It was great for my reading stamina and I definitely didn’t want to put it down, but I still felt partially unfulfilled when I finished the last page. That being said, I really enjoyed the main characters, even if Soraya and Roshan did seem a little too instalove for my liking. The insight into their personalities was well done and the development of their characters was enjoyable, if predictable. I didn’t quite understand what was going through Sorayas head after piecing together what was going on behind the scenes, but the way that the plot played out definitely kept me entertained until the very end. The audiobook narrators were also fantastic and definitely contributed to my inability to stop reading. I felt that the dual narration was especially effective and both narrators did a tremendous job of conveying the emotion in the story. Im definitely looking forward to revisiting this world and these characters!

This novel has Indian inspired themes and characters and I am here for it! I loved the story but when books use slang we see in our own time/world, it really throws me off. I noticed this is Fourth Wing and it was also distracting. I m a big vibes reader and this hit the spot for me but it was not the best written book I have read in recent memory by far. I am excited to see what else Amalie comes up with in the future.

+ Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ALC +
3.5 stars
- This felt like two different books. I didn't much care for the fist half (not really a fan of modern language in what sounds like Victorian era fantasies), but I really enjoyed the second half. I also feel like the author tried to throw everything but the kitchen sink in here.
There were just so many elements-and the weird male parts kinda threw me off, the shadow man wet dreams were...someting.
The Indian mythology elements were pretty cool, but I didn't even realize that's what it was until I looked further into reviews- and they sounded British?

I was excited when I read the blurb, but the story was just ok. Somewhat predictable and I did not like the modern language in the fantasy historical world. The female narrator did a great job. I think she should have done all the chapters.

Narration was great - it was engaging and really welcomed the reader into the story.

Story - I like to think of The Starlight Heir as a prequel. It really left me wanting more of everything - more about Suraya's starlight powers, more about her skills as a bladesmith, and more about the dark shadow figure haunting her dreams. I imagine the story, worldbuilding, and romance is only going to get more interesting in book two.

Overall rating: 3.75⭐️ // rounded up to 4 because Goodreads 😒
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️


I really enjoyed the plot and the characters of this book, and the FMC reminded me a lot of Saeris from Quicksilver. I enjoyed the Indian and Asian vibes and culture inspirations, as well as a different magical creature than the usual fare.

This would have been a true 4 star read for me if not for the completely unnecessary and truly mood-ruining instances of modern slang phrases inserted throughout the book. I would be settling into the vibes of this FANTASY NOVEL and then be hit with a “beast mode”, a “thick thighs save lives”, or a “goals” and I would be ripped from the pages and back to icky reality where an 🍊 is ruining the world. I don’t like highlighting negatives, but it has to be done. This would have been a truly amazing book if those had been removed.


Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen and review this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

his book had me pleasantly surprised! i’m going to be honest, the first 10% of this book I was thinking to myself that this was going to read like everyyyyy otheeerrrrr romantasy book, come on, y’all know what i’m taking about… but i was WRONG! 



this book was GOOD. like, really good. 



I found myself laughing along at the banter between the fmc and mmc, i found myself in shock at some of the twists and turns that even *i* didnt see coming, i found myself content with the ending while also having so many more questions that i can’t wait to have answered! (i want more on the magic system!! please!!)



only issue? i didnt know this was a series before starting it! thats on me, totally my fault! but what was really cool about this book is that while this is only the first book in a new series it felt complete enough for me to be content stopping here for now. will I read the rest when theyre released? 100%! but i felt like this was a good stopping point for this book that sets up the rest for a near infinite number of storylines! 

another thing that i loved about this book was its descriptors. personally, i find that sometimes romantasy books can be over zealous with their use of descriptors and that can turn things into a redundant adjective filled mess. this book managed to describe things in a way that was enough to paint a vivid picture without crossing the line of describing every minute detail. 

and the audio! i have been a biiiiggggg audiobook girl this year, and i LOVED the narrator for this book! i really felt immersed in this story and the dual narration for our mystery mans pov was just perfection!

my only issue? I didnt really love the quick lust grab at the end! he wakes up from a magical coma and wants to feast on her? not really my vibe but okay!

I picked this up hoping for a fun romantasy. I honestly didn't expect to be blown away based on the synopsis. I was disappointed. This might be a fun read as a print book, but as an audiobook it was a slog. It is an adequately written, paint by numbers, checks a lot of trope-y boxes romantasy. Again, this is fine in a print book. But in an audiobook I can't skim, I can't skip boring parts, and I can't listen as fast as I can read with my eyes. There were also some glaring continuity errors in fairly significant scenes which completely threw me out of the story, which also would have been easier to skim over and forgive in a print book. The end result was just painfully boring to try to make myself get to. I ended up DNFing at the one-third mark. I'm giving it a second star only because I do think it would be enjoyable to read in print.

I absolutely adored this book, I was INVESTED from the jump! I am so lucky I get to meet Amalie in a few weeks so I can have her sign my copy of this book!

3.5/5 ⭐️ for the audiobook and
4/5 ⭐️ for the actual book
3/5 🌶️

Interesting setting and magic system with a solid story and twisty ending that brings all the pieces together, even the ones you didn't know you were missing. Was this book probably overhyped being on so many upcoming books for 2025 lists? Probably. It did have some very strong elements that still prop it up as a decent start for the year. Suraya is a "secret" blacksmith and part-time wench in her family's inn who gets invited to a bridal ball from hell. She falls for the bastard 2nd in line prince instead of her suitor. The bastard prince is chivalrous, and they bond over past trauma and steamy, gentle spicy times. The mythology and setting inspirations create a vivid fantasy world not often seen in romantasy and it's like a breath of fresh air..

"His fingers tangle into my loosened plait and for a breathless moment I wonder what it would feel like for him to hold me like this. Firm in his grasp, my braid captive while he thrusts into my welcoming flesh, from behind."

I am left wondering if there will be a sequel as the end left us hanging and thinking it could go either way. I would read it if there was another novel set in this world in a heartbeat. This book is for anyone who enjoys
+Hidden Powers
+Gentle Male Lovers
+Unique Low Magic Systems
+Unredeemable Villans

Anais Inara Chase really tried but personally was just not a fan of her narration. Her reading lacked some emotional depth and at the start I really struggled to enjoy her voice. If I were purely rating it as the audiobook it would probably only be 3/5 stars. Although his parts were brief, she was heavily overshadowed by Ramiz Monsef and the presence his voice brought. The narration also severely struggled with the inclusion of random modern meme phrases thrown here and there in the story. It almost seemed like a weird breaking of the 4th wall. While this is more a problem of the writing I think it stood out even more in narration then it would in text.

Thank you to HarperAudio Adult via NetGalley for an ALC. All opinions are my own.