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 was a beautifully done fantasy romance novel, it had that overall feel that I was looking for and enjoyed getting into this world. The concept was everything that I was hoping for and was glad the magical element worked well together. Alessandro Candotti has a strong writing style and was glad I was able to read this.

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.


There will be no social links for this review as the book cannot be located on any platform.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reader copy!

First things first, the premise of this novel is lovely and fresh. A world with time travelers, where dreams are stolen, and where fae blend in with humans. A mysterious government of sorts that steals your dreams, although the why and how is not immediately clear. Twisting timelines that blend together and tease at a love story. The writing is almost lyrical and incredibly lightweight to read.

However, in that same vein, the storytelling was at times too lofty and far away that I had trouble envisioning any parts of this interesting world. Throughout the story, I wanted to feel more connected to the characters and the settings, both past and present. No matter how closely I read or how far I got into the story, the main characters felt like strangers. They had no purpose but to be in the novel. No thoughts outside of the plot. With a bit more dimension, the story and its leads would absolutely shine. I also found the characters' language to be juvenile at times, which felt contradictory to the poetic descriptions and mystical plotline. A little more cohesion between the world and its people would have made this more exciting to read, but without it, I found myself wandering through the book, wondering when we were getting to the intense part. I didn't fully buy into the story despite its almost unlimited potential.

I see massive potential from the writer and this world - I can't wait to connect with their future stories.

Let me start with some positives.

This book has some absolutely beautiful imagery as well as a couple striking quotes that I saved as I went along. What little of the story I followed seemed bittersweet and could have been a much higher rating if it had been more accessible to the reader.

Which leads me to the negatives.

If this hadn't been an arc read I would have given up on it within the first few pages. Abstract writing like this is good for poetry and maybe short stories but not for entire books and novels. Especially when you're dealing with something as complicated as time travel it just sort of seems like you're covering your tracks by leaving your readers completely lost and confused because you don't know what you're doing either as the writer.

It's a very interesting concept and I'm sure difficult to write. Some aspects of the writing really grips you but not for long enough to push through the copious amount of pages that just didn't make enough sense. Reading this felt like I was reading only half the story all of which was inside the writer's mind at the time but wasn't communicated to the reader. You absolutely have to give your reader more to go off of than what was done in the story. There's reading between the lines and then there's hopelessly extensive chasms that the reader has no hope of crossing without more insight than what is given from the author. Which just leads to frustration and, honestly, DNFs by your readers.

It's a shame because I got the feeling that the author had some truly deep and beautiful things to communicate to us as the readers and there were times that I could pick up on those feelings which moved me, but it was just abstract pieces here and there floating between long stretches of nonsensical concepts. I don't think many people are going to stick with a story that they don't feel like they can relate to in any way... it's hard to relate to something on that deep of a level when the very building blocks of the story aren't even clear on a surface level.

This was such a confusing book for me. I liked the ideas the author had, but I could not connect with the characters or the writing style. I usually enjoy more poetic prose, but this time, it didn't work for me. The majority of the time I was reading, I wasn't sure why I was continuing.

The book starts out confusing. There are two POVs in different time periods, and we get a lot of worldbuilding and backstory. The world-building was interesting. I liked the idea of World Trees dreaming out realities, and this Black Tree was eating the dreams of the people, leaving them husks of themselves. The problem I had was I didn't feel immersed in the world, I felt confused by the lore. It was not a smooth build, and that left me wondering what was happening. There is an inconsistency in the pacing; some things moved way too quickly, while others were way too slow. I am usually one who loves an intricate fantasy world, but this one was just too much for me.

Saya and Andreas's relationship didn't feel real or fleshed out. There wasn't much I could connect to with Saya. Her story and background were rushed, and her alliances jumped quickly. Andreas is given more page time to expand his background, but even then, it was not enough for me to like his character.

The ending was supposed to be ambiguous and tragic. I just felt let down. I wish I could have enjoyed this book. Maybe if things were laid out differently and more clearly, I would have enjoyed it. The problem with stories that include time travel is that they're hard to follow.

I struggled with too many aspects of this book to really enjoy it. I think the author is talented, but I just couldn't get into the book the way I wanted to.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶️
This is a beautifully written fantasy story unlike any other I have ever read. I definitely had to have my brain fully turned on to try and keep all the timelines and stories organized. I absolutely loved how at it's core, it was a love story about a love born in dreams that would not die. The author's prose was not what you usually see in books these days, and it truly transported you to this beautifully broken world in full detail. The mash-up of the old world and the new world and how it got to this point was just as engaging as another storyline in this book. I'm sorry to say this book will not be for every fantasy lover. If you ever tried to read The Lord of the Rings and just couldn't get into the wordy set-up, you might also struggle with this book. If you can stick with this book, I recommend you do. It's a differing flavor from what you commonly see in fantasy right now in all the best ways. There is some serious darkness in this book at times, including talk of mutilation and slavery. My biggest complaint is that this book is not available on goodreads for me to spread it to more people's feeds.
⌛Time traveling
🌠Changeling
⌛Dream world meeting
🌠Rebellion

This book was great! The cover was really pretty and it made me want to read this book! And I was not disappointed. The plot was very well written and easy to read.