I was drawn to this book for the hope and healing, however found it too dark for my tastes. I ended up DNFing at 25% into the book, so these opinions are based on the first quarter.

The world has a lot of interesting ideas, but I found the exposition confusing. It felt like I was being given too much, but not of what I needed. I had a much clearer picture of Andreas' world, but struggled to put it together with Saya's. This wasn't helped by the timeline jumping around so frequently in Saya's point of view. It felt like I finally got into the flow of one scene, just to jump to another.

As present as the World Tree is, I still know barely anything about it. Nor about the people Saya works for, besides how terribly they treat her.

I can see why the characters and romance would be intriguing to the correct audience for it. And the world building has a lot of potential that I hope is built on during the book. There's a lot of promise for the right reader, even if that isn't myself.

A great fantasy novel and with lovable characters and a story that will love and adore once the story gets to bookstores.

Deeply confusing and i think needed to be clearer about the makeup of the world. I didnt buy the love story as very believable it felt more confusing to me. Big moments of tension were diluted with flashbacks and the timeline was hard to follow in my head of what was actually happening when.

Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟
Across Time and Starlight, by Alessandro Candotti, is my first book by this author. While the premise and beautiful cover art caught my attention, unfortunately, this book did not. I will return to this book at a later time. DNF @ 10%

Thank you, NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group, for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I like the premise of this book but unfortunately I didn’t finish it, maybe I will return to the book at a later date so I can come back to review fully

Such a cool concept with the dream-eating trees and the floating city. Saya and Andrea really have this slow, aching connection that really pulls you in. Some parts of the writing felt a little dense and hard to follow, but the world-building and the emotional core made it worth it. I liked the messy magic and the love stories. Would recommend.

I think this was a really great first step in this author's writing career, but there were some things I didn't love. I thought the plot was such a unique and new spin on fantasy elements, but the execution just wasn't quite there for me. The writing itself in some places felt really out of place, and the pacing felt off. There was little context which is normally okay for me, but I hope the feedback helps the author grow and be able to write with these types of things in mind in the future.

It was such a different type of read. It was a good concept but I could not get into it. To each their own, but I can see a few of my book club friends enjoying this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to explore "Across Time and Starlight."

The concept of a dream-eating World Tree and a Floating City teetering on the edge of soullessness immediately grabbed my attention. The introduction of Saya, a faerie tasked with hunting the prophesied time traveler, and the intriguing link to Andreas through a shared dream, sets up a compelling dynamic right from the start.

The stakes are clearly high, with a religious resistance battling a tyrannical regime and the promise of a journey through time and parallel worlds using cursed magic. The budding, yet wary, alliance between Saya and Andreas, complicated by their hidden feelings, adds a layer of personal investment to the grander quest of saving their people and their lost dreams.

The promise of a story centered on hope and healing, even suggesting that our deepest wounds can be sources of light, resonates deeply. I'm eager to see how Candotti navigates the complexities of time travel, parallel worlds, and a brewing civil war while keeping the focus on this emotional core.

"Across Time and Starlight" feels like it has the potential to be a truly imaginative and moving read. The unique world-building and the personal stakes of the characters' journey have definitely piqued my interest. I'm looking forward to seeing how this ambitious story unfolds and whether it delivers on the powerful themes it introduces.

This book has such a lovely plotline. I really enjoyed the storytelling, the vivid world-building, and the way the author brought everything to life. The descriptions were beautiful, and I especially loved the female lead—hopeful and kind, yet fiercely determined to do whatever it takes to reach her goals.

That said, it took me a lot longer than expected to finish. Some of the abstract descriptions pulled me out of the story, and there were moments I had to pause just to figure out what was being said, instead of staying immersed in the book.

Still, overall, it’s a really good read and definitely worth picking up.

Across Time and Starlight is a beautifully crafted journey through love, destiny, and the vast wonder of the universe. Alessandro Candotti blends lyrical prose with high-concept sci-fi in a story that’s as emotional as it is imaginative. It’s heartfelt, sweeping, and full of aching humanity—a true gem for fans of star-crossed love and cosmic adventure.

I really enjoyed the concept for this book and there were many aspects that were interesting and enjoyable! However, I had so much trouble getting into it. I don’t mind being thrown right in and explaining things gradually but I felt like there was still no explaining by like 30% and the timeline was confusing to me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book

The concept of this story sounded intriguing however I could not get into this book as the writing by style is quite flowery and the author throws you right into the middle of the action with no context that leaves the reader scrabbling to make sense of it all.

This book has an interesting concept which initially drew me in. However, it was VERY difficult to immerse myself into the world, characters, and magic systems along with their respective dynamics. The writing style often left me confused because the writing tends to digress and focus on nonessential details instead of moving the story along. I had to re-read scenes a few times to fully understand what was going on.

This was a really interesting blend of time travel, magic, and hope. The journey through the intense uprising against the tree and the inquisitors until Saya, a slave and a shape shifting fae who makes an odd alliance with a time traveler named Andreas and they are forced to work together and also solve their own growing feelings. The absolute love for the characters really shined through and I just found myself absolutely loving this story. Some of the edges of the story were a bit raw, as was the magic system - it was a bit open ended, which I don't mind if there is a certain point to it. I would have liked the magic more if it had been more prominent but overall I really enjoyed this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was very intrigued by this book so I had very high hopes. Unfortunately, I felt quite disconnected from the world and the characters as I don’t think the writing style is for me.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Flew through this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I fell in love with the story and the characters, the writing style in this book was absolutely fantastic!

I felt that this story was so creative and I found myself really invested in the characters. I enjoyed this one a lot and I hope others do as well.

Stars: 3.5
Review Release: N/A
Review Platform: N/A
Review: I’m unsure where to start with this, as I have mixed feelings about it. While I loved that romance wasn’t the focal point in this story, I feel there wasn’t much substance within it. We follow Saya and Andres on a journey through time, where they must save the world due to a prophecy. It’s a trope we have seen in fantasy books, and I feel it could have been done better in this story. The ending has confused me, and I am unsure of the author's intentions. While the concept of the story is promising and gave me “Strange the Dreamer” vibes, I don’t think I will be promoting the book to friends as it has left me disappointed.


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